Does the mini-series improve with its second outing?  Read on to find out.

The official description from Dynamite:

The Demon has been to hell. Now he’s back, ready to take revenge on the person who sent him there: Sara Pezzini. As the Demon continues to taunt and test Sara with a horrific series of murders, Sara’s fragile grip on her home life starts to slip. Meanwhile, the Witchblade screams for justice against another sadistic criminal who has been set free. Sara must struggle to control her own desire for vengeance. When ghosts from the Witchblade’s bloody past invade Sara’s home, she may finally lose control altogether. The road to hell beckons, with the Demon as Sara’s personal guide.

Witchblade: Demon is such a solid foundation that’s ripe and ready to be a proverbial springboard for narrative ideas, that is was disheartening for me to pick-up Witchblade: Demon Reborn #1 and feel nothing but utter disappointment in its fruitless efforts.  Thankfully the creative team gets things back on track with this stellar second issue.

Ande Parks proves his gumption with this script, as he expertly weaves what honestly felt like a mishandled narrative into an all-out entertaining read.  The tale at play here, wastes no time getting into the thick of it as it sets-up various plot strands and interesting players in an attempt to create a dynamic atmosphere.  My only gripe with the story is that the the dialogue can be a bit too tongue-in-cheek, in a way that ultimately holds the tale back from reaching it’s full potential.

Jose Luis once again does a passable job on the art.  It’s not that his style is particularly bad by any stretch of the imagination, it’s just that it provides a bland and somewhat inconsistent look.  To his credit you can see a steady evolution with his designs as he gains confidence in both the characters and the universe they inhabit.

Witchblade: Demon Reborn #2 continues to tell a story that just doesn’t need to happen, but after this solid second issue I’m glad it is.  Recommended.

3.5/5