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

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?

Matt Hawkins, President of Top Cow Comics and mega-badass, has been kind enough to offer up a few signed goodies for us to give away our readers. The contest is pretty simple: you vote on your favorite Witchblade cover and if it matches mine, you get a prize! No, wait…that’s not the rule. Sorry, my bad. The real rules are that I will randomly pick two contestants, regardless of their choice of cover (mainly because all of the covers are awesome)! But additionally, one of the folks who votes for the most popular cover will get the third prize. So, pick your favorite cover out of the three dozen shown here below, and send us your vote via Twitter. Three awesome Witchblade prints signed by none other than Marc Silvestri are available, folks…so take a shot!

Entry details below!

Here at Geeks of Doom, we strive to provide our readers with the very best the comic world has to offer. And there’s not much that can top presenting to you this awesome Marc Silvestri cover for Witchblade #170. An interesting factoid is that it’s an homage to another cover that Silvestri did for Uncanny X-Men #251, all the way down to using the same color palette.

Check out the cover right here below.

Sara Pezzini, a tough former New York City Police Detective, is the current wielder of the artifact known as the Witchblade. Possessed by a single woman in every generation, this weapon helps to retain the balance between good and evil. Existing since the very beginning, it adapts to the user and the needs of the world. Sometimes seen as bracelet or a gauntlet, it is unrestrained by any physical limitations which gives the wearer amazing abilities and power.

Each and every week, I, “Run to the hills” Henchman21, and “Run for your life” Empress Eve read a lot of comics. Seriously you guys, a lot of comics. Maybe too many comics. I mean, it is possible… theoretically. Naturally, we look forward to some more than others. I mean, who doesn’t? So, let’s take a look into the depths of our pull lists, grab some comics, and we’ll let YOU know what the top books to look forward to are for the week of April 17, 2013. Single issues and trades, they’re all here.

Let’s see, what do we have for you this week? We’ve got robots and teen heroes and vampires and so much more. And I ran out of time, but you had better plan on buying He-Man and the Masters of the Universe from DC Comics, because it’s going to be awesome and also because Battle Cat. So don’t forget to buy it and all the other great comics on this week’s GoD List!

Witchblade: Day of the Outlaws
Written by Joshua Hale Fialkov
Art by Nelson Blake II and Dave McCaig
Cover by Nelson Blake II and Dave McCaig
Top Cow Productions, Inc.
Release Date: April 17, 2013
Cover Price: $3.99

Though Witchblade has been an active title of Top Cow Productions since 1995, I’ve never actually read an issue before. I wouldn’t say that I wasn’t interested — heck, the premise of a woman physically bonding with a supernatural, sentient artifact of great power sounds awesome — I suppose that I just never got around to taking the leap.

This week, Top Cow has come out with a one-shot issue called Witchblade: Day of the Outlaws, written by Joshua Hale Fialkov and illustrated by Nelson Blake II and Dave McCaig. For a first-time reader like myself, this is a perfect place to delve into the mythos and get psyched about what’s come before and what lies ahead.

The Magdalena #12
Written by Ron Marz
Pencils by Nelson Blake II and David Marquez
Inks by Sal Regla and David Marquez
Colors by Dave McCaig
Letters by Troy Peteri
Cover by Nelson Blake II, Sal Regla and Dave McCaig
Top Cow Productions
Release Date: May 23, 2012
Cover Price: $3.99

I’m a sucker for a strong, badass heroine. I’m not talking some woman that is half-dressed and somehow managing to pose with her boobs and bum in full effect (though, as a pre-teen, that might have been the case, just sayin’). I’m talking about a well written, driven character that shows purpose in her actions and is in it for the long haul. Well, The Magdalena #12 gives us just such a person.

Patience is, for all intents and purposes, not a big fan of the church with which she is so deeply affiliated. They have lied and betrayed her and her friends many times over. But as she is the official bearer of the Spear of Destiny, she is sort of stuck with them to some extent. She is also discovering that not everyone in the church follows blindly, there are others that continue to work for the greater good regardless of the intent behind the orders they are given. Kristof is one such person and one that she finds herself trusting in spite of her fears.

Comics fans, it’s our day!!! It’s our Super Bowl. Our World Series. Our Wrestlemania. It’s FREE COMIC BOOK DAY!!!

Every year, on the first Saturday in May the comics industry comes together and gives out FREE COMIC BOOKS!! Depending on your local comic store, you can choose one or up to ALL of the specially selected free comic books that a slew of publishers put out. Chances are, if you’re a comics fan, you all ready know just what you’re going to pick. But, if you haven’t had the time to look over the Free Comic Book Day website, here’s a brief rundown of SOME of the titles that will be given away at thousands of shops throughout the country. In NO particular order, they are…

The Magdalena #11
Written by Ron Marz
Pencils by Nelson Blake II and David Marquez
Inks by Sal Regla and David Marquez
Color by Dave McCaig
Letters by Troy Peteri
Cover by Nelson Blake II, Sal Regla and Dave McCaig
Top Cow Productions, Inc.
Release Date: March 7, 2012
Cover Price: $3.99

I have been a fan of Top Cow comics for years, unfortunately I have never had the chance to read this series before. Lucky for me, though, Dave3 sent the first ten issues to catch me up for The Magdalena #11. Like most comics from this company, it rocks! Plus, in this issue, we have Sara Pezzini… you know, the freaking Witchblade!

Our story for this issue revolves around Patience (The Magdalena) and Kristof (a Vatican agent) searching for not only a piece of the one true Cross, but also for the freshly stolen Spear of Destiny. Knowing she needed help, Patience contacted Sara for assistance. Not just the bearer of the Witchblade, Sara is also a detective… and pretty handy to have around.

Witchblade/Red Sonja #1
Written by Doug Wagner
Art by Cezar Razek
Colors by Marlon Ilagan
Letters by Troy Peteri
Covers by Ale Garza
Dynamite Entertainment | Top Cow
Release Date: February 22, 2011
Cover Price: $3.99

The new series Witchblade/Red Sonja combines two of the comic book world’s most famous female warriors and puts them together for a major crossover event between Top Cow and Dynamite Entertainment. In Witchblade/Red Sonja #1 we learn that a quest for vengeance has led Red Sonja, the She-Devil with a Sword, into uncharted lands far from her native Hyboria. Her tale takes place in the past “in an age undreamed of” where she’s hunting down a beast who’s been taking female virgins for sacrifice. Meanwhile, in modern-day New York City, police detective Sara Pezzini, the bearer of the ancient mythical Witchblade artifact, gets called in to investigate the gruesome death of a Catholic priest.

Witchblade #151
Story by Tim Seeley
Art by Diego Bernard
Covers by John Tyler Christopher, Dennis Calero
Top Cow
Release Date: January 4, 2011
Cover Price: $2.99

It’s been awhile since I’ve read the title, but with Witchblade #151 being the start of a brand new creative team, I thought I’d check it out and give it a try. I was very pleasantly surprised.

It seems that writer Tim Seeley has breathed new life into this book. It’s no longer the hot girl with mystical weapon fighting monsters book, now it’s the hot girl private eye with mystical weapon fighting monsters and solving cases book. And it makes a big difference. It’s nice to have the heroine be proactive instead of reactive for a change. As a covert “first issue” this book did exactly what it should have done — got me interested in the story and characters and hooked me enough for me to want to buy the next issue.