Think Tank: Creative Destruction #1 lives up to its name: heavy on smarts, and slow moving. Like any well-crafted, complex but believable sci-fi book or movie, this comic doesn’t stop to explain itself. The reader is expected to keep up with overflowing technical dialogue, while the plot slowly lumbers forward.
This first issue establishes a cast of characters and threads the web of motivations that connects them, but there’s no real action until the final frames, when a mysterious event establishes a mystery that needs solving. Did we need an entire issue of set-up? The Think Tank context deserves explanation, but we get that in the two-page black and white introduction. The next twenty-five pages would have benefited from a few more plot points.
Witchblade #185 Chapter One:
Written by Ron Marz
Art by Abhishek Malsuni
Inked by Zsolt H. Garisa
Colors by Neeraj Menon, Nanjan Jamberi
Letters by Troy Peteri
Chapter Two:
Written by Matt Hawkins
Art by Michael Turner, Stjepan Sejic, Linda Sejic, Isaac Goodhart, Phillip Sevy, Nelson Blake II, Randy Green
Inked by D-Tron
Colors by J.D. Smith & Bill Farmer
Letters by Troy Peteri
Cover A by Michael Turner & Brian Haberlin
Cover B by Keu Cha, D-Tron, & Steve Firchow
Covers C & D by Stjepan Sejic Top Cow Productions, Inc.
Release Date: November 25, 2015
Cover Price: $5.99
NOOOOOOOOO!!!! That was my first reaction upon hearing the news that one of my longest-running addictions was coming to an end. And during its twentieth anniversary year, no less. What horrible thing did I do to earn such a cruel punishment?! How can Witchblade #185 be the end?
Yesterday evening Matt Hawkins, President and Chief Operating Officer at Top Cow Productions, posted some great news for comic fans on his Facebook page about possible upcoming TV series based on some of their work. Nothing is officially announced as of yet but a not-so-subtle hint tells us we should definitely be excited.
Last month, I reviewed a comic that really hit home with me personally. You might remember it, it’s called The Tithe from Top Cow. (Here’s my review to refresh your memory.) Well, today I got to check out the second issue a couple of weeks early and it was just as phenomenal as the first.
Which brings me to the point at hand: We’ve been given the exclusive news to let the world know that this miniseries, The Tithe, is a mini no longer. Thanks to overwhelming interest and support, the publisher has given the go-ahead for the title to become an ongoing series. That means we are going to get more than just a single story that explores the hacker group Samaritan (I still think that would be a great title) and hopefully we will see a lot more from FBI Agents Campbell and Howard.
The Tithe #1 Co-Created and Written by Matt Hawkins
Co-Created and Art by Rahsan Ekedal
Colors by Bill Farmer
Letters by Troy Peteri
Covers by Rahsan Ekedal, Betsy Gonia Image Comics
Release Date: April 15, 2015
Cover Price: $3.99
It’s interesting the way life seems to create coincidences. Take this comic book, The Tithe #1, for instance. I was just yesterday speaking with friends regarding the way some televangelists seem hellbent on bilking their viewers for every cent they have. Not to say ALL of them are like this, but there have been a notable few that have been caught and (somewhat) prosecuted for their crimes. Well, this comic spins in a slightly different direction.
Prefacing with an ironic quote from Jim Bakker, our story begins in a church on a typical Sunday in California. What seems like just another mega-church singing and giving praise quickly turns into a crime scene, albeit with few people noticing immediately. For you see, a covert group actually perpetrated an almost perfect robbery.
Students of the Unusual™ comic cover used with permission of 3BoysProductions
The Mercuri Bros.™ comic cover used with permission of Prodigal Son Press
