Witchblade #15 // Review
Lisa had to get diagnosed. There were all kinds of questions about her mental health, but she’s fine. She just happens to be interested in demons and aliens and the occult. What could possibly be wrong with that? It’s not like there’s going to be some strange woman climbing through her window in the middle of the night or anything like that. And if there IS going to be that sort of thing it’s going to be a police detective climbing through her bedroom window, so it’s totally cool. Lisa might be a in a bit over her head in Witchblade #15. Writer Marguerite Bennett and artist Giuseppe Cafaro continue an enjoyable reboot of a classic indie action horror hero. Color comes to the page courtesy of Arif Prianto.
Lisa asks how the police officer found out where she lives. The police officer tells Lisa that she’s a detective. It’s kind of what she does. Of course...climbing through a civilians’ window uninvited isn’t exactly standard procedure for one of New York’s finest...so Detective Sara Pessini has a bit of explaining to do. See: there’s this killer. Lisa knows about the killer. Sara knows that Lisa knows about the killer. And given the nature of the murders being committed, Lisa’s expertise in the occult might just be valuable.
Bennett’s best work in the issue involves the conversation between Lisa and Sara. There’s a lot of other action going on in the issue, but the real appeal lies in the rather strange and awkward moment between Sara and Lisa as they both discuss the strange nature of a killer who seems to be desperately tying to make some sort of a point with the killings. There’s a clean and witty dynamic to Bennett’s dialogue that goes way beyond the traditional crime detective investigation schtick.
Cafaro does take the opportunity to engage in some supernatural images where they are. For the most part, however, Cafaro is just doing a really g ood job of making Sara and Lisa look cool as they discuss some pretty ominous stuff regarding a supernatural killer on the loose in Ne York. There's a stylish moodiness to the art that clings to the page with clever, inky shadows that are punctuated by. sharp color work by Prianto. Wall,Sara continues to strike dramatic and her poses without looking anything other than a serious and earthbound. This is quite an accomplishment given the fact that there's so much going on in the issue that is so totally supernatural.
Bennett, Cafaro and Prianto continue to carve out a very appealing dynamic for this particular reboot of a very popular character. Star Wars, drama and action come to the page with a sharp pulse and a quick pacing. The weirdness of the horse seems formally, rooted and traditional concepts of good and evil. However, it's not necessarily a bad thing as it's not an overly simple approach to traditional good versus evil fantasy story time. There's more than enough personality around the edges of everything to keep it moving.
