Review - Witchblade: Due Process

It seems I’ve been napping for a few days so allow me to come back on board with a bang and bring Sara Pezzini and Witchblade along for the ride. Top Cow brings us some fresh faces to this comic in this one-shot story with Phil Smith writing and Alina Urusov at the helm for artwork. They combine to bring a compelling story regarding a man wrongfully imprisoned and a demon hell bent on collecting souls.

Is the Witchblade enough to rectify a decade old wrongs and fight this daunting foe at the same time? Read on for a review of Witchblade: Due Process.

The issue revolves around the wrongful arrest of a man named William Hicks. Detective Pezzini has discovered evidence that the man was framed by the cops and put in jail. While Hicks was a good and innocent man when he went in, he has changed. He joined an organization called the Iron Cross, and while they may appear to be your run of the mill white supremacists, the facts are much…darker.

A demon named Agares has taken up residence with William, and with the desperation to see his family again blinding him to the dangers, Agares seems to have William’s ear. After a little bit of mayhem ensues – would you expect anything less of Witchblade? – Agares has found a new soul he wants, and Pezzini will have to try to stop him.

I like that this is one of the first true challenges that Pezzini and the Witchblade has really faced in a while. The story doesn’t necessarily end and it is left wide open for more, despite this being a one-shot. I think in this case I didn’t even mind having it done this way. The art was really pretty and almost like a painting with mostly muted colors. While I wouldn’t say that Pezzini lost, I’m not sure things turned out the way she wanted. When your enemy is a demon that works by needling into peoples minds instead of physical dominance, some of the Witchblade’s prime weapons are less than effective.

This was a great departure from the series and will make a nice standalone title and should one to keep your eyes out for when it hits shelves tomorrow. In the meantime, happy reading!