This review originally appeared on Goodreads on October 31, 2012.

Witchblade Origins, Volume 1

By Various – Image – Top Cow – April 22, 2009

Review by Robin Marx

Collecting the first eight issues of the Witchblade comic in a convenient format, this graphic novel is likely to please existing fans. However, as a newcomer to Witchblade I found the artwork dated and uneven, characterization slight, and the plot clunky.

Witchblade, or at least the beginning collected here, seems very much like a product of its time. In the early '90s, Image Comics and its Top Cow imprint were finding their footing, darker heroes like Spawn were big, and artists like Rob Liefeld (hugely influential then, now a target of derision) received mainstream media attention. Witchblade became a significant part of the creator-owned boom and enjoyed a great deal of popularity. However, Witchblade shares a lot of the unfortunate quirks of comics from this era.

The artwork is a mixed bag. The late Michael Turner apparently started as a background artist, and the scenery on display here is well done. His character artwork is less consistent, however. His women tend to be somewhat aesthetically pleasing, until you notice the weirdly mannerist elongation of their legs and waists. His male characters are what I'd call “'90s badass”: with rippling muscles, bulky shoulders, surfer haircuts, and a tendency to stand with their faces partially concealed by dramatic shadows. When you can see them, the guys' faces are invariably covered in tons of inexplicable fine lines (not hatching, just lines), an artistic quirk that seems to have been borrowed from Liefeld.

The story is fairly clumsy, and manages to be both minimal and confusing at the same time. “Tough cop” (they call her a tough cop, but she didn't seem to be especially tough, nor much of a cop) Sara Pezzini acquires the mystical Witchblade gauntlet, attracting the interest of buff tycoon Ken Irons, who wants to further some vague scheme. Irons' '90s badass henchman Ian Nottingham (who dresses like Lestat and carries a katana) has a few run-ins with Pezzini, and there are hints that he may not be entirely loyal to his boss. There's a final showdown, and the eighth issue concludes. In addition to this, there are subplots about Pezzini's neighbor—a orphan fashion model who becomes involved with “edgy” bondage aficionados—and a Scientology-like organization that Irons is associated with. Neither of these subplots pay off in the issues collected here. There's also a lot of muddled exposition about the Witchblade's origins and capabilities.

The characters are pretty flat, and none of the emotional moments are very convincing. This is true of many comics, but the better series are able to make up for that deficiency with their action scenes. Unfortunately, many of the fight scenes in Witchblade are difficult to follow. There were multiple occasions where it was impossible to determine whether the titular weapon's tendrils were lashing out and spearing someone, or snapping back from them. As the title suggests, the Witchblade plays a fairly important role in the story, so this is a bit of a drawback.

Many comics get off to a rough start, and it's entirely possible that the art became more polished over time, the storytelling refined, and the characters endowed with more depth. Based on what I've seen here, however, I'm not particularly compelled to seek out subsequent volumes. If you already enjoy Witchblade, this is a satisfying collection. If you're not familiar with the comic, however, the '90s quirks and lack of substance may lead to disappointment.

★★☆☆☆

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