Witchblade: Demon Reborn #1 Review


Is this sequel to a one-shot form nine years ago worth reading?  Read on to find out.

The official description from Dynamite:

Sara Pezzini and The Witchblade sent a serial killer who thought himself a demon to hell. A year later, the “Demon” has learned what true torment is all about. Now, he’s been offered a special opportunity by hell’s bureaucrats: a chance to drag Sara back down with him. In this sequel of the Mark Millar/Jae Lee original story, Sara Pezzini must confront her own demons to avoid losing everything and everyone she loves.

Bonus! Includes the original story by Mark Millar and Jae Lee! 48 pages still for only $3.99!

Back in 2003 Witchblade: Demon was an extremely solid one-shot that offered a unique criminal against a special cop.  It was a quick and simple story that just fit right in with the world of the Witchblade but this sequel just feels completely unnecessary.

From beginning to end series writer Ande Parks does his best to try and reference the original story while setting up the idea that Sara Pezzini, has it within herself to be a monster.  It’s a deep thought, but if feels thoroughly mishandled as we’re given a modern parable that puts our character into a situation that stresses the point.  In an overly corny moment the problem of sloppy writing and poor characterization reveals itself making the whole of this tale just feel off.

For the most part Jose Luis does a passable job on the art, yielding a bland and uninteresting world.  The characters in this romp look fine but there are some glaring issues that prevent this release from being anywhere near the level of quality that Jae Lee brought to the original one-shot.  The panels just look very limited in their design, while character faces look stiff and lifeless action fills this elongated comic book.

Witchblade: Demon Reborn #1 offers a somewhat competent but overly corny narrative that’s let down by sloppy plotting and somewhat serviceable art.  Recommended if you want a copy of the original Witchblade: Demon one-shot, beyond that skip this purchase.

2.5/5

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