Top Cow Isn't Skipping Skip Week and Neither Should You. Join Us At Collector's Paradise Wed. Dec. 30!

December 30th is the last Wednesday of the year, and it’s going to be a VERY special Wednesday at Collector's Paradise. You may be shocked to find out that there is only ONE new comic book shipping this week. Yes, that is true, there is only one new comic book and no new Graphic Novels to buy this week. How do we make you interested enough to drive to the store on this day? Here are a few reasons.



Top Cow will be in store, along with our friends over at Aspen Comics, promoting our products and selling books from 12p-5p.

On our end, here's what you all can expect from us:
+ 10 Single Issue Comics for $5
+ Single Comics for $1 each
+ For every $20 you spend, grab a free issue of Ultimatum #1 Variant Edition By Marc Silvestri
+ Joining us at the Top Cow booth are Rick Basaldua and Nelson Blake!

See you there fellow Herders!



Collector's Paradise:
7131 Winnetka Avenue
Winnetka, CA 91306-3646




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Top Cow to Attend Long Beach Comic Con's One Day Expo

Following close on the heals of their inaugural event in October, Long Beach Comic Con is already gearing up for their next event. Comic Expo 2010 will be a one-day expo at the Long Beach Convention Center that brings together comic book retailers, publishers, guests and creators.

Confirmed guests include:
+ from Aspen Entertainment: J.T. Krul, David Wohl, Joe Benitez, Beth Sotelo, Peter Steigerwald, Frank Mastromauro, Mark Roslan and Vince Hernandez!
+ from Top Cow Entertainment: Rick Basaldua, Eric Basaldua, Rob Levin and Joshua Hale Fialkov!

Also: Golden Apple Comics, Terry’s Comics, Phat Collectibles, Tony Raiola Books, Comic Madness

The Comic Expo will gather in the Long Beach Convention Center’s Promenade Ballroom on Saturday, February 20, 2010 from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Admission is $10.

Visit a local comic book shop to buy tickets or go online to www.longbeachcomiccon.com for all the details.

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Best Shots Reviews Witchblade #133

Witchblade #133
Written by Ron Marz
Art by Stjepan Sejic
Letters by Troy Peteri
Covers by Stjepan Sejic and Jeffrey Spokes
Published by Top Cow
Review by Lan Pitts

"My name's Sara. I'm a detective with the NYPD. But that doesn't really matter...I want to talk." -- Sara Pezzini

There's actually two stories going on in this issue. One being the resolution to the missing children from the previous issue, as well as a sort of "welcome back" for Aphrodite IV. As usual, Marz nails the dialog and brings subtle mystical elements to the story with an addition to a real-world problem. There's no intergalactic threat or demonic hellgate that will unleash an unholy terror...this time anyways, and the villain is not who you think at first. Much like the story of the "Three Billy Goats Gruff" there is a troll under the bridge, but Marz didn't take the usual route and the real monster is in plain sight.

Of course, after that ordeal, we see a set up for events to come with a couple pages of Aphrodite IV.

Now, I've discussed before that Sejic has trouble handling quieter moments of the book, but grand slams things like trolls and the imagery of Hell. In this issue, you can see improvements in how he does with figure construction and facial expressions. I love what he did with the countryside scenery, and it's a nice break from the hustle and bustle of the New York cityscape he's done for a while.

This has been one of my consistently favorite books since I was reintroduced to the series earlier this year. With recaps at the beginning of each issue, it makes it easy to pick up and dive in. I say, take the plunge.

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Comic Collector Live Reviews Angelus #1

After the War of the Witchblades, Sara Pezzini is the sole bearer once more. However, while the Angelus force had been without a host, in an interesting turn of events, Danielle Baptiste was chosen. Going from being a Witchblade bearer, and directly to being the Angelus, Dani is left somewhat confused and lacking direction.

She decides to head back to her roots, in New Orleans, where she is originally from. Unlike prior Hosts of the Angelus, who have been mostly taken over and controlled by the Angelus force, Dani exhibits the ability to retain her free will and stays in control when transforming to the Angelus.

This seriously disturbs Sabine (one of the top Angelus Warriors), who is still bitter that the Angelus did not choose her as the new Host. She believes Dani's ability to retain her free will, while taking on the Angelus form, to be counter productive to their cause.

Overall, a nice set up for the next 5 issues of this series, as well as a good continuation of Dani's story after Witchblade. This series is bound to have tie ins to the upcoming Broken Trinity: Pandora's Box, as well as Top Cow's next summer event, Artifacts. However, Ron Marz has stated a number of times that these individual titles will stand on their own.

I give it 4 out 5 stars. The story was solid, and entertaining, and the artwork was awesome, as usual for Stjepan Sejic. The use of storytelling through panel progression and balance between calm subtle moments, and double page action spreads, really give this book a nice feel. Marz and Sejic seem to be arriving at a place where most writer/artist teams want to be. Definitely recommended.

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Broken Frontier Reviews Angelus #1

Angelus has usually been a antagonistic character in Top Cow’s universe, but now the latest bearer of the primal force is former Witchblade wielder Danielle Baptiste, and so the villain becomes the hero. Angelus joins the other members of Top Cow’s trinity, Witchblade and The Darkness, in getting her own ongoing series.

While most first issues deal with some sort of origin story, Angelus does not, instead relying on a brief history lesson on an already well-established character in the Top Cow universe. If you want to find out how Danielle came into possession of the Angelus force, you had better buy Witchblade #130 as well.

Ron Marz’s story covers pretty simple ground: Danielle and her “are-they? or aren't-they?” friend Finch have just moved to New Orleans following Danielle being imbued with the power of the Angelus. Dani must come to grips with the power she now wields, and the heavenly host she commands.

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The Quarter Bin Previews/Reviews Witchblade #133

The conclusion to “The Bridge” happens this week in Witchblade #133. Read the full review for Quarter Bin's thoughts on the issue.

Witchblade #133
Writer: Ron Marz
Artist: Stjepan Sejic
Cover Artists: Sejic, Jeffrey Spokes

In the last issue of Witchblade, Sara Pezzini and Patrick Gleason were taking a break from their hectic New York City lives and vacationing at a charming bed and breakfast in the country. They soon found themselves swept up in a modern-day version of the tale of the troll under the bridge, trying to find both the creature and the local children that had gone missing. The story concludes this month with “The Bridge, Part 2″, and I’m glad that Ron Marz didn’t take the predictable route, instead taking the issue in an unexpected direction within the first few pages.

What’s interesting about this issue is that even though Sara’s recent struggles with the Witchblade aren’t directly addressed (she’s a little too busy with ancient creatures and missing kids for that), it’s obvious that there is still a little bit of darkness within her. It’s subtle, but I can’t help but wonder if being overtaken by the dark side of the artifact during “War of the Witchblades” will have longer-lasting consequences than I originally thought. The Witchblade may be whole again, but is she?

Stjepan Sejic is, as usual, on top of his game here, and it’s nice to see him get the opportunity to branch out a little, depicting more than the usual New York City sights. In particular, the single page in which the beast explained his origin was handled masterfully, with very little words needed; the panels told the story.

I was wondering what would be next for Sara after wrapping up this case, but Witchblade #133 also sets up the next storyline, which will begin in the new year. This issue will be in comic shops tomorrow, December 23.

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Wizard Magazine Names Two Top Cow Titles to Kick Start the New Year Right

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Heroic Bloggers: Artifacts Massive 13-Issue Event Starting July 2010

TOP COW STUDIOS
Artifacts: First Look FCBD 2010 Edition
(W) Ron Marz (A) Top Cow's Finest (C) StjepanSejic
Building on the success of First Born and Broken Trinity, Top Cow finally reveals the secrets of all 13 Artifacts — which include The Darkness, Witchblade, Angelus, Magdalena's Spear of Destiny, and more. Launching a massive 13-issue event beginning in July 2010, this series will literally define and redefine the nature of the Top Cow Universe! The final identity of the remaining hidden Artifacts will be revealed, characters will perish, and the very existence of the Top Cow Universe will be at stake. And it begins here!

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CBR News: Image Comics Solicitations for March, 2010

Image Comics has released solicitation information and images for new books and products shipping in March, 2010. When you're through checking out these solicitations for new Image releases, be sure to visit CBR's Image Comics forum to discuss these titles and products with fellow readers and fans.


IMAGE UNITED: INTERLUDE #1
story ROBERT KIRKMAN
art & cover RYAN OTTLEY & MANY OTHERS

DEAD @ 17: THE WITCH QUEEN #1 (of 4)
story, art & cover by JOSH HOWARD

HAUNT #6
story ROBERT KIRKMAN
art GREG CAPULLO & TODD McFARLANE
covers TODD MCFARLANE

HAUNT, VOL. 1 TP
story ROBERT KIRKMAN
art GREG CAPULLO, RYAN OTTLEY & TODD McFARLANE
cover TODD McFARLANE

SPAWN #201
story WILL CARLTON
art SZYMON KUDRANSKI & TODD MCFARLANE
cover TODD MCFARLANE

SPAWN ORIGINS: BOOK ONE HC
story TODD McFARLANE, ALAN MOORE, DAVE SIM & FRANK MILLER
art TODD McFARLANE
cover GREG CAPULLO

FADE TO BLACK #1 (of 5)
story JEFF MARIOTTE
art & cover DANIELE SERRA

SHUDDERTOWN #1
story NICK SPENCER
art & cover by ADAM GEEN

TANK GIRL: DIRTY HELMETS (ONE-SHOT)
story ALAN MARTIN
art & cover RUFUS DAYGLO

TRUE STORY, SWEAR TO GOD #12
story TOM BELAND
art & cover TOM BELAND

YOUNGBLOOD #10 (RES)
story ROBERT KIRKMAN & ROB LIEFELD
art & cover by ROB LIEFELD

VIKING, VOL. 1 HC
story IVAN BRANDON
art & cover NIC KLEIN

FELL, VOL. 1: FERAL CITY TP
story WARREN ELLIS
art & cover BEN TEMPLESMITH

GØDLAND, VOL. 5: FAR BEYOND THE BANG TP
story JOE CASEY
art & cover TOM SCIOLI

THE MICE TEMPLAR, VOL. 2: DESTINY HC
story BRYAN J.L. GLASS & MICHAEL AVON OEMING
art & cover VICTOR SANTOS & MICHAEL AVON OEMING

SAVAGE DRAGON: IDENTITY CRISIS TP
story ERIK LARSEN
art & cover ERIK LARSEN

JACK’S KNACK: BOOK THREE OF THE BLUE FOREST SERIES HC
story KRISTEN KOERNER SIMON
art & cover by JIM VALENTINO

THE ASTOUNDING WOLF-MAN #23
story ROBERT KIRKMAN
art JASON HOWARD
cover JASON HOWARD & FCO PLASCENCIA

CHEW #10
story JOHN LAYMAN
art & cover ROB GUILLORY

CHOKER #2
story BEN McCOOL
art & cover BEN TEMPLESMITH

ELEPHANTMEN #26
story RICHARD STARKINGS
art MORITAT
cover BOO COOK

FORGETLESS #4 (of 5)
story NICK SPENCER
art JORGE COELHO & MARLEY ZARCONE
cover MARLEY ZARCONE

GOD COMPLEX #4
story MICHAEL AVON OEMING & DANIEL BERMAN
art JOHN BROGLIA
cover MICHAEL AVON OEMING

INVINCIBLE #71
story ROBERT KIRKMAN
art & cover RYAN OTTLEY & FCO PLASCENCIA
MARCH 17

JERSEY GODS #12
story GLEN BRUNSWICK
art DAN McDAID
cover MIKE ALLRED

KING CITY #8
story BRANDON GRAHAM
art & cover BRANDON GRAHAM

ORC STAIN #3
story JAMES STOKOE
art & cover JAMES STOKOE

SAVAGE DRAGON #158
story ERIK LARSEN
art & cover ERIK LARSEN

THE SWORD #23
story JOSHUA LUNA
art & cover JONATHAN LUNA

THE WALKING DEAD #71
story ROBERT KIRKMAN
art & cover CHARLIE ADLARD & CLIFF RATHBURN

THE WEIRD WORLD OF JACK STAFF #3
story & art PAUL GRIST
cover IAN CHURCHILL


BROKEN TRINITY: PANDORA’S BOX #2
story ROB LEVIN & BRYAN EDWARD HILL
art ALESSANDRO VITTI
cover TOMMY LEE EDWARDS

BROKEN TRINITY: PANDORA’S BOX #1 SIGNED EDITION
story ROB LEVIN & BRYAN EDWARD HILL
art ALESSANDRO VITTI
cover TOMMY LEE EDWARDS


THE DARKNESS #84
story PHIL HESTER
art WHILCE PORTACIO
cover BAGUS HUTOMO

CYBERFORCE/HUNTER-KILLER #1-5 SIGNED SET
story MARK WAID
art KENNETH ROCAFORT
cover VARIOUS


TRACKER #5
story JONATHAN LINCOLN
art FRANCIS TSAI
cover FRANCIS TSAI

BERSERKER #4 KEOWN “RAGE” EDITION
story RICK LOVERD
art JEREMY HAUN
cover DALE KEOWN


WITCHBLADE #136
story RON MARZ
art & cover STJEPAN SEJIC


PILOT SEASON: MURDERER #1 SKETCH TOP COW STORE VARIANT COVER
story ROBERT KIRKMAN
art NELSON BLAKE II
cover MARC SILVESTRI


IMPALER VOLUME 2 TRADE PAPERBACK
story WILLIAM HARMS
art & cover MATT TIMSON

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Bleeding Cool's 12 Posts of Christmas: Eight Comics Previewing

1. The Victorian Undead.
2. The Legendary Tale Spinners
3. Weird Fishes 2

4. Broken Trinity: Pandora’s Box #2


From Top Cow in March – here’s Tommy Lee Edwards’ cover…

5. X The Unknown
6. The Return of the Dapper Men
7. Fractured Fables
8. Wormwood Deviant Edition Hardcover: Volume 2


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Gaming Angels: Top Cow Signs Up for Early Long Beach Comic Con

The first Long Beach Comic Con was only a few months ago and the creators had so much fun, they decided to not wait a year to do it again. For one day only, they are renting out the Long Beach Convention Center Promenade Ballroom to feature retailers, publishers, guests and creators.

Mark your calendars for Saturday, February 20, 2010 from 10 am – 7pm. Since it’s only one day, you’ll want to make sure you go early so that you can enjoy the whole day at the show. Admission will only be $10 and you can go to www.longbeachcomiccon.com for all the information.

More people will be announced but so far creators from Aspen Entertainment and Top Cow are both signed up. Also Golden Apple Comics, Terry’s Comics, Phat Collectibles, Comic Madness, and Tony Raiola Books. You can buy tickets at your local comic book shop or watch the website for all the details. See you there!

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Major Spoilers Reveals Top Cow's March 2010 Solicits

Top Cow sent Major Spoilers the cover images and solicitation information for titles arriving in March 2010.

Broken Trinity: Pandora’s Box #2 (of 6)
(W) Rob Levin & Bryan Edward Hill (A) Alessandro Vitti (Cov) Tommy Lee Edwards

The Road to ARTIFACTS Begins Here!

Finn and Glori, the bearers of the Glacier and Ember Stones, have discovered that a mysterious cult is after Pandora’s Box, one of the 13 Artifacts. Will they be able to not kill each other long enough to prevent the Disciples of Eden from destroying the world? Or will they revert to their destined roles?

From newcomers Rob Levin (The Darkness: Shadows & Flame) and Bryan Edward Hill, (Broken Trinity: Aftermath) and artist Alessandro Vitti (Secret Warriors). Featuring covers by Tommy Lee Edwards (1985)!

Full Color 32 pages $3.99 limited series
Expected Ship Date – March 17th, 2010


Broken Trinity: Pandora’s Box #1 Signed Edition
(W) Rob Levin & Bryan Edward Hill (A) Alessandro Vitti (Cov) Tommy Lee Edwards

Get this limited edition issue signed by writers Rob Levin and Bryan Edward Hill. Quantities are limited, allocations may occur.
Full Color 32 pages $14.99 Signed Edition


The Darkness #84
(W) Phil Hester (A) Whilce Portacio (Cov) Bagus Hutomo

“Hunt The Darkness”
Jackie Estacado, the current bearer of the Darkness, has escaped from Fort Knox, but a Hunter-Killer team is hot on his heels. Will Jackie be able to defeat a team of trained government ultra-sapiens before daybreak?

For one issue only, special guest artist Whilce Portacio (Hulk, Spawn) joins The Darkness team! Featuring a cover by Bagus Hutomo (Shrapnel: Arteseia Rising).

Full Color 32 pages $2.99 ongoing series
Expected Ship Date – March 31st, 2010


Cyberforce/Hunter-Killer #1-5 Signed Set
(W) Mark Waid (A) Kenneth Rocafort (Cov) Various

Get all five issues of Top Cow’s 2009 crossover event in this convenient set! As an added bonus, fans will receive the first issue signed by artist Kenneth Rocafort (Madame Mirage)!

Full Color $14.99 Set (x 5 Comics)


Tracker #5 (of 5)
(W) Jonathan Lincoln (A) Francis Tsai (Cov) Francis Tsai

The first property from Top Cow and Heroes and Villains Entertainment comes to a pulse-pounding conclusion!
FBI tracker Alex O’Roark finally comes face-to-face and claw-to-claw with his maker – the serial killer Herod! But will Alex be able to control his animalistic instincts long enough to extract the sample of Herod’s blood to end his own suffering?

Full Color 32 pages $2.99 limited series
Expected Ship Date – March 31st, 2010


Berserker#4 Keown “Rage” Edition
(W) Rick Loverd (A) Jeremy Haun (Cov) Dale Keown

Get this limited edition variant cover previously available only through the Top Cow Store by Dale Keown. Quantities are limited, allocations may occur.

Full Color 32 pages $10.00 Top Cow Store Exclusive


Witchblade #136
(W) Ron Marz (A) Stjepan Sejic (Cov) Sejic

“Pantheon” Part 3 of 3, Guest-starring Aphrodite IV!

Sara Pezzini, the current bearer of the Witchblade, is caught between the deadly robotic assassin Aphrodite IV and the corrupt mega-corporation Cyberdata. Even with a mystical gauntlet at her disposal, will Sara be able to walk away from this encounter?

Full Color 32 pages $2.99 ongoing series
Expected Ship Date – March 3rd, 2010


Pilot Season: Murderer #1 Sketch Top Cow Store Variant Cover
(W) Robert Kirkman (A) Nelson Blake II (Cov) Marc Silvestri

Get this limited edition sketch variant cover by co-creator Marc Silvestri, previously available exclusively from the Top Cow Store. Quantities are limited, allocations may occur.

Full Color 32 pages $10.00 Top Cow Store Exclusive


Impaler Volume 2 Trade Paperback
(W) William Harms (A) Matt Timson (Cov) Matt Timson

International Horror Guild Award finalist William Harms (Wolverine: The Anniversary) returns to his bold new re-imagining of the vampire mythos with a second volume!
Millions of vampires have descended upon America. In a desperate attempt to defeat them, the US military nuked New York City. Unfortunately, it was too little, too late. The legendary vampire HUNTER, Vlad the Impaler, has returned to stop them, and NYC Detective Victor Dailey has become his unwilling companion. Joining Harms for this volume is up-and-coming painter Matt Timson (Popgun).
Collects Impaler Vol. 2 #1-6 plus a cover gallery and bonus material.

“Impaler remains an excellent take on vampire mythos and a great horror comic in general.” —Fangoria
“Hands down one of the best books on the market today” – Ain’t It Cool News
“Harms and Timson don’t hold back.” – CBR
“The concept from start to finish is just plain old-fashioned cool” – Newsarama

Full Color 160 pages $14.99 trade paperback

Expected Ship Date – February 10th, 2010

MATURE READERS

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CBR: COMMENTARY TRACK: Image United #2

Compared to the heroes of the Image Universe, the creators of "Image United" have it easy. The six-issue crossover event — written by Robert Kirkman and illustrated by Image Comics founders Erik Larsen, Rob Liefeld, Todd McFarlane, Whilce Portacio, Marc Silvestri and Jim Valentino — embarks on its second issue this week, leaving even the bravest of Image's warriors in bitter conflict with their fiercest foes.

After Jim Downing turns down Omega Spawn's offer to join his world-ending plot, the current Spawn is transported to a hospital in Chicago where all hell continues to break loose between Image's expansive roster of heroes and villains. But the battle isn't confined solely to the Windy City, as we see that Cyberforce, Witchblade and other champions are contending with similar conflicts all across the globe. By the end of the issue, it's clear that the war is far from over — indeed, it's only the beginning.

Following the release of each issue of "Image United," CBR News is speaking with writer Robert Kirkman and one of the Image Comics founders for an exclusive commentary track about the development of the most recent installment. This week, CBR sat down with Kirkman and "Spawn" creator Todd McFarlane, who is responsible for the issue's opening four-page fight sequence between Jim Downing and the resurrected and vengeful Al Simmons, currently known as Omega Spawn.

CBR News: Right out of the gate, "Image United" #2 picks up one of the biggest threads from the first issue — the first confrontation between Jim Downing, the current Spawn, and Al Simmons, the artist presently known as Omega Spawn.

Robert Kirkman: I wanted to build [Omega Spawn] up as a very powerful, threatening villain, so I wanted to open this issue with him trashing the Jim Downing Spawn and [Downing] having to escape. I knew that was a moment that most readers would want to see — the two Spawns facing off. Rather than hold that back and do the usual thing where I could tease that [for later in the series], I just wanted to get it out of the way. A lot of the things that I'm doing for "Image United" are building up the things that [fans] are expecting me to hold back and just giving it to them right away. I think this series has a lot of different things that I'm keeping up my sleeve, so I'm able to give the fans what they want as early on as possible.

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Broken Frontier Presents Top Cow's March 2010 Solicitations

MARCH 2010 CHECKLIST

Broken Trinity: Pandora’s Box #2 Rob Levin/Bryan Edward Hill/Alessandro Vitti/Tommy Lee Edwards $3.99
Broken Trinity: Pandora’s Box #1 Signed Rob Levin/Bryan Edward Hill/Alessandro Vitti/Tommy Lee Edwards $14.99
The Darkness #84 Phil Hester/Whilce Portacio/Bagus Hutomo $2.99
Cyberforce/Hunter-Killer #1-5 Signed Set Mark Waid/Kenneth Rocafort $14.99
Tracker #5 Jonathan Lincoln/Francis Tsai $2.99
Berserker #4 Keown “Rage” Edition Rick Loverd/Jeremy Haun/Dale Keown $10.00
Witchblade #136 Ron Marz/Stjepan Sejic $2.99
Pilot Season: Murderer #1 Sketch Variant Robert Kirkman/Marc Silvestri/Nelson Blake II $10.00
Impaler Vol 2 TPB William Harms/Matt Timson $14.99

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Omnicomic Reviews Witchblade #132

Better late then never right?

Sara and boyfriend Patrick Gleason have decided that an appropriate thing to do in the aftermath of the War of the Witchblades would be a nice vacation. Nothing like a little rest and relaxation to clean up some of the relationship strains that happened while Sara was under the influence of the dark half of the Witchblade, right? Now that she has complete possession of it again (and for now at least is in complete control of her faculties) let’s go on vacation! Dani Baptiste is off being the host to Angelus. What could go wrong?

Well…apparently lots! Everyone knows heroes don't get vacations.

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Comic Book Jones Reviews Angelus #1

Angelus #1

Those of you who read "Witchblade" are familiar with The Angelus. For those of you who don't know, The Angelus is the heavenly light side of "The Balance". For centuries, The Angelus entity has picked a host and been in complete control in it's attempts to overcome and kill the Darkness. Dani Baptiste, the former bearer of The Witchblade is now the host of The Angelus. Recently relocated to New Orleans with her would-be girl friend and roommate Finch, Dani is dealing with her new powers and wonders what's going to happen. While the two girls are out site seeing, they are attacked by a three headed blue creature. Dani turns into The Angelus and is saved by one of her followers and servants Sabine. Sabine and the other angelic Angelus followers explain to Dani that they served the former host's of The Angelus and wish to do the same for her. Dani is confused as to what The Angelus truly is and wishes to find out more. Another book that you should be reading. If you don't know anything about The Witchblade, The Darkness or The Angelus, Top Cow has been putting out trades to bring people such as yourself up to date. Go out and check them all out and get this isse because you will not be disappointed.

5 out of 5

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Scoop: First Look of FCBD 2010's cover of Artifacts

TOP COW STUDIOS
Artifacts: First Look FCBD 2010 Edition
(W) Ron Marz (A) Top Cow's Finest (C) StjepanSejic
Building on the success of First Born and Broken Trinity, Top Cow finally reveals the secrets of all 13 Artifacts — which include The Darkness, Witchblade, Angelus, Magdalena's Spear of Destiny, and more. Launching a massive 13-issue event beginning in July 2010, this series will literally define and redefine the nature of the Top Cow Universe! The final identity of the remaining hidden Artifacts will be revealed, characters will perish, and the very existence of the Top Cow Universe will be at stake. And it begins here!
READ MORE.

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Newsarama: Top Cow A Silver Sponsor for Free Comic Book Day 2010

From cool kids comics to the greatest super-hero fare, from classic reprints to the latest stories, it’s a wide spectrum of comics covered in the Gold and Silver comic books available for Free Comic Book Day 2010!

The Free Comic Book Day (FCBD) Committee is pleased to announce the Gold and Silver Sponsors and their comic books for FCBD 2010, which will be held Saturday, May 1, 2010. Complete descriptions of all thirty-three FCBD titles can be found online now at www.freecomicbookday.com, and in the January issue of Diamond Comic Distributors’ PREVIEWS catalog, available on January 6th, 2010.

Selected by retailers who serve on the FCBD Committee, this year’s roster of Gold and Silver Sponsors and their books include a comic book for everyone’s tastes:

Gold Comic Books
• Ape Entertainment: Kizoic Presents: Shrek and the Penguins of Madagascar
• Archie Comics: Archie's Summer Splash!
• Archaia Entertainment: Mouse Guard/Fraggle Rock Flip Book
• BOOM! Studios: Toy Story
• Dark Horse Comics: Doctor Solar/Magnus: Robot Fighter
• DC Comics: War of the Supermen #0
• Drawn & Quarterly: YOW! The John Stanley Library
• IDW Publishing: G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #155-1/2
• Image Comics: Fractured Fables
• Marvel Comics: Iron Man/Thor

Silver Comic Books
• Archie Comics: Sonic The Hedgehog: Hide & Seek & Destroy!
• Aspen MLT: Worlds of Aspen
• Asylum Press: Fearless Dawn/Asylum Press Sampler
• Bluewater Productions: S.E. Hinton's/Fame
• Bongo Comics: Bongo Comics Free For All
• BOOM! Studios: Irredeemable #1
• DC Comics: DC Kids Mega Sampler
• Del Rey Comics: Del Rey Showcase
• Dynamite Entertainment: Green Hornet #1
• Fantagraphics Books: Weathercraft: A Frank Comic
• Gemstone Publishing: The Overstreet Guide to Collecting Comics
• IDW Publishing: Library of American Comics #0
• Maerkle Press: Love and Capes #13
• Marvel Comics: Iron Man:Supernova
• New England Comics: The Tick #1 Special Edition
• Oni Press: Oni Press Free-For-All
• Oni Press: Sixth Gun #1
• Radical Publishing: Radical: Bigger Books! Bigger Value!
• Red 5 Comics: Atomic Robo and Friends
• Storm Lion: Freedom Formula: Speed Metal Overtures
• Th3rd World Studios: Stuff of Legend/Mortal Instruments
• Top Shelf Productions: Owly & Friends
• Top Cow Productions: Artifacts: First Look

ADDITIONAL ITEMS
• Upper Deck: Upper Deck Marvel TCG Promo Pack
• NECA/WizKids: Marvel Heroclix: War Machine Figure

Look for more FCBD news and updates on the FCBD website, www.freecomicbookday.com.; become a fan at Facebook ; and follow us on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FCBD10.

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Newsarama Exclusive Preview: Image United #2

An exclusive preview of the next issue of the Image mega-event IMAGE UNITED, in stores on Wednesday (but sold out at the distribution level already, click on the link to read more)

IMAGE UNITED #2 (OF 6)
story ROBERT KIRKMAN, art ERIK LARSEN, ROB LIEFELD, TODD McFARLANE, WHILCE PORTACIO, MARC SILVESTRI & JIM VALENTINO covers ERIK LARSEN, ROB LIEFELD, TODD McFARLANE, WHILCE PORTACIO, MARC SILVESTRI & JIM VALENTINO

32 PAGES, FC, $3.99

THE CROSSOVER EVENT OF THE CENTURY IS HERE!
The greatest threat the Image Universe has ever faced makes his first move toward world domination! You can't miss this historic event as the original Image Founders draw all the characters they made history with. Each page is an amazing jam piece - it's a story told in a way never before attempted in comics.

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Multiversity Comics: Top Cow Announces Broken Trinity: Pandora's Box

Top Cow Productions have announced another new series today, with this one being a follow up to last year's Broken Trinity titled Broken Trinity: Pandora's Box. It's written by Rob Levin and Bryan Edward Hill, but the real reason to get excited is the art talent associated with it. On interiors you have recent Secret Warriors artist Alessandro Vitti with covers by Tommy Lee Edwards. If that isn't the recipe to pretty book, I don't know what else is.

See the full press release after the jump.

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Funnybooks with Aron and Paulie: The Jonathan Lincoln Interview

Werewolves. Police procedural. Mix the two together and you get the first joint property from Top Cow and Heroes & Villains Entertainment! Tracker is the story of Alex O’Roark, the FBI’s top tracker, who has his perfect life ripped to shreds when a case to capture the world’s most dangerous serial killer leads him straight into the maw of a werewolf. Now, keeping his secret from his gorgeous fiancé and the FBI, he must hunt down the wolf that infected him before the disease turns him into a monster.

Paul had a chance recently to sit with Jonathan Lincoln, the writer of Tracker, and they talked about the series, as well as Lincoln’s unique take on the werewolf mythology, and all kinds of horror goodness! The second issue of Tracker is due out in stores TODAY!

LISTEN HERE.

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Darkness/Pitt #3 Tops Pipeline's List of the Week

Comic Book Resources' Augie De Blieck Jr. pulls his list of 10 comics for his Pipeline Podcast for the week of December 16.

Darkness/Pitt #3 joins the list at #4.

LISTEN HERE.

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Broken Frontier Reviews Pilot Season: Murderer #1

Broken Frontier's Steven Surman is still trying to recover from the shock and awe of the fourth season finale of Dexter, and every little distraction helps. Robert Kirkman’s Murderer #1 is among the more successful stories keeping him occupied; the tale is skillful enough for him to appreciate the motives of a killer while creative enough to introduce a crafty “what-if” scenario that toys with the imagination.

Admittedly, he's not familiar with the work of Kirkman outside of his role on Ultimate X-Men, a stint that caused him to quit the book. He's heard wonderful things about The Walking Dead, but have yet to pick up the first trade. Which makes the premiere issue of Murderer his latest Kirkman foray after a few years, and he's pleased to say it was a pleasant experience.

The first issue of Murderer is a fun and worthwhile read that’s accessible to anyone. Kirkman handles the psychic sequences with savvy care, allowing them to unfold calmly like diary entries (wholly complimented by the fine lettering of Troy Peteri) until they explode into visual violence. The art of Nelson Blake II is light and fun; it’s not stylized to emit a dark mood, but rather follows a traditional comic structure familiar to standard mainstream comics. This is not a gory or gothic book, but rather a fun and inviting one worth the cover price.

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Angelus #1 is Rokk's Comic Book Revolution's Most Anticipated

The Week Begins - December 21st 2009

Of course the week Rokk's out of town is the week 3 comic he's dying to read all come out. Life has its fair share of cruel jokes doesn’t it? Well no use complaining now. Hopefully he can find a comic shop to get these this week. Now onto 3 excellent looking titles this week.

Rokk also wanted to state that while he does have a Most Anticipated of this week, he's highly excited for all 3 titles. Just one more then the others a little bit.

Angelus #1 *Most Anticipated*
Written: Ron Marz
Art: Stjepan Sejic



With Dani out of the picture of Witchblade, Marz has a huge chance to really put the character into a totally new element and make an excellent story out of it. Dani’s got a lot to overcome after all (having a psychotic ancient light force in your head can be a bit of a bother from time to time I figure) and I’m really looking forward to seeing where Marz takes the character.

This first issue will mostly set us up with Dani’s new status quo and set up the events that will transpire in the 5 following issues. Though Marz is great at making an enjoyable set up issue still without making it feel like the typical “putting the pawns in place” chapter that so many mini’s have.

Also really looking forward to seeing even more Sejic a month. He’s an amazing artist so seeing him on 2 books is a serious treat. Can’t wait to check this out as soon as possible.



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Gaming Angels Reviews Angelus #1

Title: Angelus #1
Artists: (Writer) Ron Marz (Artist) Stjepan Sejic (Cover) Stjepan Sejic, Eric Basaldua
Publisher: Top Cow

Angelus #1 is a limited, 32 page series from Top Cow that is out right now. The story follows Dani Baptiste on her journey back home as she tries to figure out what it means to be the Angelus. At the same time, she’s exploring her relationship with Finch.

The comic is beautifully drawn with vibrant colors. In the story we learn that the Angelus is the human bearer of the primal force of light. Another coincidence is that most of those bearers also had the Witchblade as some point. Dani’s situation is different though, because she maintains some level of control where most hosts seem to just black out.

For our preview, we only have the first comic of the series and I am not very familiar with the Witchblade series overall, but the story that Ron Marz is creating has strong characters and a subject that draws you in. I’m looking forward to seeing this title progress and learning more about the Angelus.

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Newsarama Looks Inside Top Cow's 2010 Major Storylines

At the beginning of this month, Ron Marz talked to Newsarama about the new mini-series coming out this week, Angelus, which showcases Dani Baptiste and the new direction her life is headed. However, Angelus is merely the start of a larger epic. Shipping in February, Broken Trinity: Pandora's Box tells the next chapter, centering around some familiar faces. Then comes the big event in April: Artifacts, which will take the Top Cow universe to a place it's never been before.

Newsarama talked to Top Cow scribe Ron Marz and publisher Filip Sablik to give us some insight on things to come with the upcoming events, starting with a quick sum up of Angelus:

"The story is definitely balanced between Dani's personal lilfe and her role as the Angelus. There's a lot going on in Dani's life during the series," said Marz. "She moves back to New Orleans, she has to sort out whether she's going to be in a relationship with another woman. And all of that is going on while she adjusts to her role as the Angelus, which includes a coup attempt by those who serve her, as well as a conflict with the Darkness, in the person of Jackie Estacado."

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Parka Reviews The Art of Top Cow

The Art of Top Cow's 320-page volume collects some of the best work from Top Cow. There's art from Witchblade, The Darkness, Cyberforce, Aphrodite, The Magdalena, Hunter-Killer, Universe, Weapon Zero and other smaller titles.

If you read Top Cow comics, you should know of the quality of art. The illustrations are reproduced brilliantly in high resolution showing all sorts of detail down to the minute brush strokes. There's no commentary but every illustration is credited. Some of them also come with the pencil sketches and layout before the inking stage.

The impressive lineup of artists whose work are featured, just to name a few, are Marc Silvestri (who drew the cover), Michael Turner, David Finch, Frank Cho, John Cassaday, Greg Horn, Jim Lee and many more. The work from them are really top notch — the colouring, line art, design, etc.

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The Quarter Bin Reviews Angelus #1

Angelus #1
Writer: Ron Marz
Artist: Stjepan Sejic
Cover Artists: Stjepan Sejic, Eric Basaldua

Of the three major powers in the Top Cow universe–Witchblade, the Darkness, and the Angelus–the Angelus is the one that I am the least familiar with. All I really know about them is that they are the bearers of light, as well as the tidbits I picked up reading Witchblade and last summer’s Broken Trinity. However, after reading Witchblade for the past year, I was excited for this series to start. First of all, of the preview art I’ve seen in previews and solicitations looks gorgeous (no surprise, coming from the talented Stjepan Sejic, whose work in Witchblade I look forward to every month), but I also wanted to see where life beyond the Witchblade would take Dani Baptiste, the new leader of the Angelus.

Angelus #1 will be in comic shops this Wednesday, December 23. If you’re a fan of the Top Cow U, then make sure you get in on this series from the start.

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Best Shots Reviews Darkness/Pitt #3

Darkness/Pitt #3 (Published by Top Cow; Review by Russ Burlingame):

It’s been years since I read a book that was drawn by Dale Keown, but Darkness/Pitt #3 is a reminder of why he was a sensation briefly in the ‘90s. it’s a great-looking title and not badly written, either. This one’s surprisingly dialog-heavy for a “pretty pictures” story, which tends to be what I assumed a crossover book by a couple of Image boomers would be. There are shades of every horror movie you’ve ever seen in here; there’s The Pitt seeming to hide from what looks like zombies; there’s demons and demon masters; there’s the smarmy guy in Jackie who seems like he may or may not be on the side of the good, and the creepy, powerful little kid who moves the plot along. This issue, there’s a pretty cool twist in terms of the villain’s motivation and a tidy ending that leaves you feeling like there’s way more to come.

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Comixology Previews Witchblade #133

By: Ron Marz, Stjepan Sejic
Format: FC, 32pg., COMIC
Publisher: Top Cow
On Sale: December 23, 2009

NY Police Detective Sara Pezzini, the current bearer of the Witchblade, and Patrick Gleason have a horrifying turn to their romantic New England weekend when they discover a group of missing children held captive by massive troll! Featuring a cover by series artist Sejic and a variant cover by Darick Robertson (The Boys, Transmetropolitan)! Cover A - Stjepan Sejic Cover B - Darick Robertson

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ComicBook.com: Top Cow’s Pilot Season Continues With Kirkman and Silvestri

Top Cow Productions will continue with its popular ongoing project Pilot Season with an exciting team-up between noted comic book talents Robert Kirkman, Marc Silvestri and Sheldon Mitchell, one of Top Cow’s noted artists! Coming out in February, 2010, Kirkman and Silvestri will premiere Pilot Season: Stealth #1. The focus will be on Todd Carey, a man whose life is in a bit of a disarray. With a divorce fresh in his mind, a daughter flunking out of school and a father with Alzheimer’s, Todd has a lot going on, and that’s just the beginning!

His father is in fact the vigilante Stealth, a fact that Todd is unaware of! The project will bring danger and thrills to the life of everyman Todd, and Mitchell can’t wait! ”I’m excited for our fans and new readers to pick up Stealth; Robert really created a dynamic relationship between Todd and his father, Marc laid out a visually compelling hero and I worked hard to get this storyline to jump off the pages. Hopefully, the readers notice that and vote when the time comes.”

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CBR: Pilot Season: Murderer Sells Out

Top Cow Productions, Inc. proudly announced today that the first installment of the 2009 Pilot Season, Pilot Season: Murderer #1, has sold out at the distributor level.

”We knew that both Robert and Marc were going to deliver in spades with this year’s Pilot Season, but I think both retailers and fans were caught off guard by what a complete package Murderer was,” said Top Cow Publisher Filip Sablik, “Nelson Blake, Sal Regla, and Dave McCaig really brought their ‘A’ game to this project and it showed in the end product. We aim to make each of the remaining four Pilot Season projects as good as this one and expect them to each be a brisk sellout.”

Pilot Season: Murderer #1 is 32 pages of moral torment in a character study conjured from the minds of Image Comics partners Robert Kirkman (The Walking Dead, Invincible) and Top Cow founder Marc Silvestri (X-Men/Dark Avengers: Utopia, The Darkness). Artist Nelson Blake II (Magdalena) performs the artistic duties to flesh out the story of a man trying to use his powers for good. Jason Sparks is a man cursed to spend every waking moment being bombarded by the thoughts of strangers around him. The only way to silent the voices, the only thing that buys him a moment of respite…is murder.

Top Cow Productions, Inc. plans to digitally release the comic through channels set up with partnered digital content producers for fans to catch up.

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Newsarama Exclusive Preview: Randy Queen's STARFALL

After announcing Starfall in spring 2008, and showing off the preview book that summer at Comic-Con International: San Diego, the book seemed to fall by the wayside. Now, coming off the success of the revival of Randy Queen's Darkchylde in The Darkness/Darkchylde, Top Cow and Randy Queen are bringing Starfall to life at last. We have your first preview look at the series, coming in 2010.

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Comic Box Reviews Darkness/Pitt #3 (in French)

Les morts-vivants ont la côte et si techniquement les « infectés » vus ici ne sont pas des zombies, ils ont une bonne partie de leurs attributs. N’empêche, ce n’est pas parce que c’est « à la mode » que l’utilisation de cette menace trouve ici toute sa raison d’être mais bien parce que son apathie laisse le champ libre aux caractères bien trempés de Jackie Estacado et de Pitt. Et niveau gouaille, ces deux-là, s’aimant à peu près autant que l’eau et le feu, se chargent de vous remplir un crossover. Au point même qu’on se dit qu’on en aurait bien repris un ou deux épisodes du même cru. Le dessin de Dale Keown est excellent et fidèle à ses promesses (ceux qui apprécient le travail de l’artiste seront donc heureux de le retrouver en grande forme) mais il ne faudrait pas pour autant sous-estimer le travail du scénariste Paul Jenkins.

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Comic Box Reviews Angelus #1 (in French)

L’Angelus, c’est le pouvoir de la lumière divine qui repousse depuis des millions d’années la puissance des ténèbres. Passée une incontournable introduction à l’ambiance biblique, les tenants et les aboutissants de la mini sont établis. On pensait que les forces de l’Angelus étaient maintenant dirigées par Danielle, la nouvelle élue à leur tête. En fait, il n’en est rien. Tout reste théorique et dans les faits l’ambition de Sabine (personnage qui avait déjà animé « War of the Witchblades ») reste entière. Et si pour devenir la prochaine Angelus il fallait se débarrasser de la nouvelle… Ce serait loin d’être un problème. Assez vite ceux qui ont apprécié soit War of The Witchblades soit la présence de Danielle comme Witchblade remplaçante trouveront leurs marques dans ce nouveau titre. Si vous voulez vous mettre à l’univers Top Cow, par contre, on vous dirigera plutôt vers les TPB de Witchblade tant Angelus est avant tout une extension de ce que Ron Marz et Stjepan Sejic ont pu faire sur le mensuel ces dernières années.

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Top Cow Nominated for First Annual Comic Monsters Horror Comics

ComicMonsters.com is hosting it’s first annual Horror Comic Awards. The awards fans of Horror Comics have been waiting for. Voting is open via the ComicMonsters.com site on December 24th, 2009 and ends on December 31st, 2009. Best of Luck to the Nominees……May the most brutal comic prevail!!!

The categories and nominees for 2009 are:

Writer of the Year:
Robert Kirkman - The Walking Dead - Image Comics
Tim Seeley - Hack/Slash - Devil’s Due Publishing
Peter Milligan - Hellblazer - Vertigo/DC Comics
Phil Hester - The Darkness - Top Cow Productions
Steve Niles - Batman: Gotham After Midnight - DC Comics
Jason Aaron - Ghost Rider - Marvel Comics
Mike Mignola - Hellboy - Dark Horse Comics
Garth Ennis - Crossed - Avatar Press

Inker of the Year:
Guy Davis - BPRD: The Black Goddess - Dark Horse Comics
Todd McFarlane - Spawn - Image Comics
Ryann Winn - The Darkness - Top Cow Productions
Charlie Adlard - The Walking Dead - Image Comics
Rob E. Brown - Bane of the Werewolf - Silver Phoenix Entertainment
Mico Suayan - Dead of Night: Werewolf by Night - Marvel Comics
Steve Pugh - Hotwire: Requiem for the Dead - Radical Publishing

Best Ongoing Series:
The Walking Dead - Image Comics
Hack/Slash - Devil’s Due Publishing
The Darkness - Top Cow
Ghost Rider - Marvel Comics
Hellblazer - Vertigo/DC Comics
Grimm Fairy Tales - Zenescope Entertainment
28 Days Later - BOOM! Studios
Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Dark Horse Comics

Best Cross-Over:
The Living Corpse and Hack/Slash - Zenescope Entertainment
Witch Hunter and Night - Monarch Comics/Jester Press
Dethklok and The Goon - Dark Horse Comics
The Darkness and Pitt - Top Cow Productions
Freddy, Jason and Ash - - Dynamite Entertainment/Wildstorm/DC Comics
Kolchak and Barnabas Collins - Moonstone Books

Best Scene:
The Dead #3 - Shower interrupted - Berserker
Crossed #7 - Patrick talks back to his mom - Avatar Press
The Darkness #10 - A thirty foot well of what? - Top Cow Productions
Army of Darkness #20 - Ash meets Brad - Dynamite Entertainment
Jesus Hates Zombies Volume 2 - Nurses don’t get paid enough - Alterna Comics
Locke & Key: Head Games #3 - A look inside Bode's head - IDW Publishing
The Walking Dead #60 - Morgan finds some bad stuff - Image Comics
Marvel Zombies 4 #2 - Morbius is a monster - Marvel Comics

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Comixology Previews Tracker #2

By: Jonathan Lincoln, Francis Tsai
Format: FC, 32pg., LIMITED SERIES
Publisher: Top Cow
On Sale: December 23, 2009

Description
The first property from Top Cow and Heroes and Villains Entertainment is here! Alex O'Roark, the FBI's top tracker and now a werewolf, must keep his curse a secret from his partner Jezebel Kendall and his fiancé Tory Reyes, while hunting a deadly serial killer, Herod, who is the only one who can offer Alex the answers he seeks. Why? Because Herod is the werewolf who passed his curse onto Alex!

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Paradox Comics Group's Ten Forward: February 2010

Every month Paradox Comicsspend an evening scouring the pages of the latest issue of Previews and pick the ten titles they are looking forward to the most. This month it's the December issue of Previews which includes comics scheduled to ship in February 2010.

PILOT SEASON: STELLAR #1
Writer: Robert Kirkman
Art: Bernard Chang
Image/Top Cow $2.99

Stewart R: This year’s Pilot Season from Top Cow is certainly interesting as it is allowing one of the talented minds of the comic-writing community, Mr Kirkman, to spotlight five separate ideas and then we, the reading public, pick the winner from the selection. Stellar is a top-notch idea in my opinion which sees the titular lead as one of five super-humans created by the government of Earth. As with most of these things the process goes awry and the titular Stellar becomes toxic to other humans and subsequently drives the other four empowered individuals insane. The story seems to revolve around Stellar attempting to use her devastating abilities for good somehow, all the while being pursued by the crazy survivors. I like a good ‘overcoming of adversity’ story so this goes down on my list but I'll be watching to see how this pans out over the course of this teasing one-shot.

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CBR Exclusive Preview of Witchblade #133

STORY BY: Ron Marz
ART BY: Stjepan Sejic
COVER BY: Stjepan Sejic, Jeffrey Spokes

NY Police Detective Sara Pezzini, the current bearer of the Witchblade, and Patrick Gleason have a horrifying turn to their romantic New England weekend when they discover a group of missing children held captive by massive troll! Featuring a cover by series artist Sejic and a variant cover by illustrator Jeffrey Spokes (Broken Trinity, Galveston)!

READ MORE.

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Digital Spy: Top Cow Unveils Pandora's Box

Top Cow Productions has announced details of a new crossover miniseries titled Broken Trinity: Pandora's Box.

The event will act as a transition point between last year's Broken Trinity series and 2010's Artifacts. Its storyline will tie in with the mythology of the publisher's popular properties Darkness, Witchblade and Angelus.

In an interview with Newsarama, co-writers Bryan Edward Hill and Rob Levin spoke about its plot.

"It's a continuation of the Broken Trinity story created by Ron Marz, centering on Michael Finnegan and Glorianna Silver, the bearers of the Glacier Stone and Ember Stone respectively," said Hill. "When a sociopathic villain seeks out one of the 13 Artifacts, Finnegan and Glorianna set off to stop him, while managing their own private war."

Levin added: "And the shill in me would be remiss in saying that it's also a lead-in to next summer's much-ballyhooed Artifacts series, also by the good Mr Marz. He's been gracious enough (along with the fine folks at Top Cow) to give us enough rope to hang ourselves in terms of where we take these characters."

Broken Trinity: Pandora's Box will run for six issues and debut in February 2010. Artifacts will follow in July.

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Stjepan Sejic Makes Newsarama's Top 16 for Artist of the Year! Vote For Him Now!

It's time to vote in Round 1 in the ARTISTS category of Newsarama's Comic Book Favorites of 2009 Tourney.

Top Cow's very own Stjepan Sejic (Witchblade) is in the first round, first bracket.

VOTE HERE.

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