CBR: Pandora's Box Opens on the Road to Artifacts

Every Artifact within the Top Cow Universe is shrouded in some degree of mystery, but few Artifacts are quite as enigmatic as Pandora's Box.

Currently at the center of its very own miniseries, Pandora's Box is one of the thirteen deadly Artifacts lurking about in the Top Cow Universe, joining the ranks of the Witchblade, the Darkness, the Angelus, the Rapture, the Spear of Destiny, the Glacier Stone, the Ember Stone and the Blood Sword. Although the Artifact itself remains shrouded in mystery, the very provocative name of Pandora's Box is a good indicator that this item holds great destructive potential - potential that could be realized within the pages of "Artifacts," the upcoming 13-issue series written by Ron Marz and illustrated by a team of artists including Michael Broussard. CBR News spoke with Marz and Top Cow publisher Filip Sablik to learn more about Pandora's Box, its ties to the Glacier and Ember Stones, and its overall role in the world of the Artifacts.

According to Marz and Sablik, Pandora's Box itself has ties to the famous legend of its namesake, if only symbolically.

Read the full article here.
Source: CBR

CBR: The Glacier Stone Freezes the Road to "Artifacts"

In the Top Cow Universe, there are times when a rivalry can be boiled down to a simple notion of fire and ice. But for low-level thug Michael "Finn" Finnegan, the last thing he ever expected in life - indeed, the last thing he wanted - was to come into opposition against a fiery Artifact-wielder such as Glorianna "Glori" Silver.

No matter his desire, that's exactly the situation that Finn has found himself in as the wielder of the Glacier Stone, one of thirteen deadly Artifacts carried by a handful of characters within the Top Cow Universe including Sara Pezzini (Witchblade), Jackie Estacado (The Darkness), Danielle Baptiste (The Angelus), Tom Judge (Rapture) and the Magdalena (The Spear of Destiny). Finn and the Glacier Stone are two of the many key components in the upcoming 13-issue "Artifacts" miniseries written by Ron Marz and illustrated by a team of illustrators including Michael Broussard. To learn more about Finn and the Glacier Stone, CBR News turned to Marz and Top Cow Publisher Filip Sablik for the sixth installment of our weekly "Road to Artifacts" series.

Finn is not only new to the notion of the Artifacts; he's also new to the Top Cow Universe. The character first appeared in "Broken Trinity," the 2008 miniseries written by Marz and illustrated by Stjepan Sejic. A low-level Irish thug, Finn was sent by Jackie Estacado to look out over Sara Pezzini and their daughter Hope - but his level of involvement soon escalated to something considerably more elemental.


Read the full article here.
Source: CBR

Multiversity Comics Reviews Broken Trinity: Pandora's Box #2

So as I’ve stated, the story as told by Rob Levin and Bryan Edward Hill is easy to access and intriguing. What I haven’t yet covered is the art. Alessandro Vitti provides some nice looking work that really flies in the face of my preconceived notion of Top Cow’s art. I know this is something we discussed on the site and with Top Cow in interviews but as they say the proof is in the pudding and this is some tasty pudding. Not to say that the art on Witchblade is bad art by any means but it wouldn’t work as well here and it’s nice to see the diversity that I’ve heard about over the course of the last year or so for my very own eyes.

Read the full review here.
Source: multiversitycomics.com

Comic Attack Reviews Broken Trinity: Pandora's Box #2

Rob and Bryan are developing Finn and Glori quite well, and though they are not well known characters and don’t have the status of say Darkness or Witchblade, there is no doubt in my mind that after all of this is said and done they will have moved up a few notches. I’d suggest checking this out not only to get yourself acquainted with the characters before Artifacts starts this summer, but just because the story itself is worth it alone.

Read the full review here.
Source: comicattack.net

The Comic Addiction Reviews Broken Trinity: Pandora's Box #2

Alesandro Vitti (with Secret Warriors claim-to-fame) returns to provide some stunning artwork. His pencils and inks really bring the characters of Glori and Finn to life, and Sunny Gho’s colors felt perfect for the story. The issue is extremely fast-paced but it’s easy to follow and flows very naturally. Reading the book is like sitting down and watching a Tomb Raider movie.
In the coming issues, I really look forward to the character development of both Glori and Finn. These characters are both very young and new to the Top Cow universe and provide a refreshing break from the Trinity (Darkness, Angelus and Witchblade). I really look forward to the inevitable showdown between Glorianna and Michael.

Read the full review here.
Source: thecomicaddiction.com

Broken Frontier Reviews Broken Trinity: Pandora's Box #2

This issue features a lot of grand action and was overall a visual treat. Artist Alessandro Vitti really stepped it up. His depiction of Finn and Silver’s powers is much more dynamic than it was in the first issue. The radiating energy and scorching fires seem much realer and really pop off the page. His figures and layouts are also very dramatic and interesting, even during dialogues. I especially appreciated his treatment of the early sequence where Silver and Finn speak. As the scene takes place in Japan, the blowing grass and dueling atmosphere of the field they’re in is a great touch. Both the backgrounds and the people throughout this issue had a very organic quality which helped make the story more engaging.

Read the full review here.
Source: brokenfrontier.com

Comic Box Reviews Broken Trinity: Pandora's Box #2

[FRENCH] A la recherche de la boite de Pandore, les deux porteurs de talismans les plus récents de l’univers Top Cow sont obligés de se confronter l’un à l’autre, chassant que leurs natures sont forcément antagonistes. C’est l’occasion de creuser plus en profondeur ces personnalités relativement vierges…

If you know french or just want to pretend you do, read the full reveiw here.

Source: comicbox.com

Project Fanboy Reviews Broken Trinity: Pandora's Box #2

Broken Trinity: Pandora's Box is a big summer action movie in comic book form. It's got explosions and gunfire, conspiracy, cults and a great cast of characters. The writers do a great job with pacing; the comic reads quickly and with a lot of energy. I also thought the writers did a great job with the dialogue. When the characters talk they not only reveal personality traits and their strengths and weaknesses but the dialogue also conveys a tone and a worldview. The writers speak through there characters giving the comic a tone that is serious but not mired in darkness.

Read the full review here

Source: forums.projectfanboy.com

Playback:STL Previews Broken Trinity: Pandora's Box #2. Out This Week!

A Cold War Heats Up!
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?

Read the fulle article here

Source: playbackstl.com

Word Balloon: Top Cow's Worlds Collide with Filip Sablik

Top Cow publisher Filip Sablik is here to discuss The Darkness, Witchblade, new books like Angelus, Broken Trinity:Pandora’s Box, and everything that leads to this summer’s TC event Artifacts with Word Balloon's John Siuntres.

Plus Robert Kirkman & Marc Silvestri’s pilot season , and Top Cow’s future in the digital market.

Listen and download the podcast here.

Source: Word Balloon

---

Battlemouth Reviews Broken Trinity: Pandora's Box #1

Following in the footprints of countless publishers before them, Artifacts promises to be Top Cow’s most ambitious undertaking to date and will weave together story lines from a number of Top Cow titles, including Witchblade, The Darkness, Angelus and Broken Trinity: Pandora’s Box. It has been known that thirteen mystical Artifacts guide the fate of the Top Cow Universe. For years, it’s been said that the meeting of all 13 artifacts would bring upon mankind’s destruction. The series will begin with a mysterious figure who seeks to put Armageddon into motion.

The Artifacts journey begins now, with Broken Trinity: Pandora’s Box #1. In Top Cow’s most recent book, Rob Levin and Bryan Edward Hill, seek to set our journey underway.

In this first issue, we are introduced to Glorianna Silver, wielder of the ember stone, one of the 13 artifacts. As well as Michael Finnegan, small time criminal and new wielder of the Glacier stone, another of the 13 artifacts. The two are prophesied to fight each other, but in the process threaten to upset the delicate balance of the Trinity. The Trinity, of course, is The Angelus, The Darkness, and The Witchblade.

Read the full review here.

Source: Battlemouth

---

Broken Frontier Pinpoints Artifacts in Hope is Lost's Ad

Top Cow Productions has released the first teaser image for Artifacts, the publisher's big event kicking off this summer. According to the publsher, Hope, the daughter of Sara Pezzini and Jackie Estacado, has gone missing.

The message Top Cow sent out reads as follows:

Top Cow Productions, Inc. received a report early this morning that Hope, the daughter of Sara Pezzini and Jackie Estacado, has gone missing.

Above (not full-sized) and attached (full-sized) is an image of Hope. Please distribute amongst your network. Additional information will be dispersed as we receive it.

If you have any information about the whereabouts of Hope, please contact authorities at the phone number/email address below.

The Artifacts shown on the teaser images:

* Witchblade (Sara Pezzini)
* The Darkness (Jackie Estacado)
* Angelus's Crown (Dani Baptiste)
* The Wheel of Shadows (Sabine)
* Spear of Destiny (Magdalena)
* Ember Stone (Gloriana Silver)
* Glacier Stone (Finnegan)
* Blood Sword (Finnegan)
* The Rapture (Tom Judge)

Source: Broken Frontier

---

Escape from Tomorrow Reviews Broken Trinity: Pandora's Box #1

Over the past 18 months or so I've been drawn, by quality stories, writing and artwork, into picking-up pretty much every book in the Top Cow universe - that said, aside from reading an odd issue here and there in the past I'm not really familiar with Broken Trinity. Twenty-five or so pages later - I'm hooked!

If I wasn't already drawn-in by the advance publicity for the mini-series, and credit to Top Cow by the way for getting material - preview pages, interviews, teasers - out to the fans ahead of publication, then Tommy Lee Edwards magnificent cover pulled me in immediately with it's mix of adventure, danger and the mysterious.

I really enjoy tales that exist in that space between outlandish fantasy and historical fact - and for me this first issue occupies very much occupies that space ...

Read the full review here.

Source: Escape From Tomorrow

---

Comic Geek Speak's Comic Talk Discusses Broken Trinity: Pandora's Box

Comic Geek Speak's Comic Talk: Off the Rack edition discusses Broken Trinity: Pandora's Box.

Listen here and download here.

Source: Comic Geek Speak

---

Best Shots Reviews Broken Trinity: Pandora's Box

Broken Trinity: Pandora’s Box #1
Written by Rob Levin & Bryan Edward Hill
Art by Allessandro Vitti
Colors by Sunny Gho
Published by Top Cow Productions & Image Comics
Review by Kevin Huxford

My only previous experience with Broken Trinity directly involved the Darkness and Witchblade. So I was a bit surprised after picking this up to find them completely absent. Not necessarily a bad thing, just not what I had expected. It clearly puts me into the new reader camp when it comes to the properties being used here.

Through the use of the opening re-cap page and an efficient use of exposition, the writers do a really good job of bringing the uninitiated up to speed. There are two opposing forces that have been around for millennia have recently found new people to carry their artifacts and powers. For some reason, they are compelled to find the rest of the thirteen related artifacts scattered across the globe and tear each others’ heads off.

They do such a good job of laying things out that I honestly thought this might have been the first appearance of the characters. It wasn’t until preparing to write this review where I decided to verify what characters pre-dated this issue that I found out most of the players have been around for at least a year. Other than a few minor quibbles, this had as much info as might be required to start a movie with a similar subject matter.

While they did a really good job of introducing us to Michael Finnegan and the Disciples of Adam, better establishing the Glorianna Silver character would have really made the book virtually flawless in its new-reader-friendliness. While it is obvious they tried and I’m sure all her interactions with her mentor ring true to the character, I suspect they seem to be much more effective than they actually are when viewed through the eyes of someone already familiar with the property. When she tells Wulgar that she won’t be felled like the dragon, there aren’t enough contextual or visual clues to tell us whether she’s saying that defiantly or more sheepishly. It makes it hard to get a proper read on the character or really care about her, if you’re coming relatively fresh to this first issue. For those already a bit familiar with the character, I’d imagine it all works smoothly and avoids going so far in trying to coach new readers as to turn off established ones.

The story is setting up two mystically-powered, diametrically opposed beings in a conflict where they share a common enemy. The “two enemies somewhat united by a shared enemy”angle isn’t new. Neither is a global scavenger hunt, which seems to be where this is leading. But it is the execution here that makes the difference. That includes the art. Vitti’s art (with Gho’s coloring) reminds me, in places, of Leinil Yu’s work on Ultimate Wolverine Vs. Hulk. At the same time, you can see some work that is more like traditional Top Cow art styles. Both are pleasing to the eye in the book and, while somewhat different, really don’t clash along the way.

The highest praise I can give a book that isn’t part of or related to my regular purchases is that I will seek out the next issue. Guess what #2 I’ll be looking for in a month or so?

Source: Newsarama

---

ComicBook.com Reviews Broken Trinity: Pandora's Box

Top Cow is releasing an ambitious project over the next few months, one that will certainly be a staple of their summer lineup, and it all started with the recently released Broken Trinity: Pandora’s Box #1, a project that continues the Broken Trinity work from before with the promise of globetrotting adventure and the feel of an Indiana Jones story, as a search for precious artifacts, beginning with the eponymous Pandora’s Box, begins here. For fans and readers of the Broken Trinity series, this first issue will quickly pick up and reintroduce you to the world of the bearers of the Ember Stone and the Glacier Stone. New readers may find the suddenness of the issue a bit unclear, but overall the story has potential to make an impact, even though a sense of immediacy and characters doesn’t always feel developed.

Bryan Edward Hill and Rob Levin handle the writing duties here, and while they do a nice job of trying to initiate the new reader into the existing universe by offering a brief glance back at the history of Glori Silver, the bearer of the mystic Ember Stone and Michael Finn, the wielder of the Glacier Stone, there’s a definite sense of history present in the first few pages that might ring hollow for new readers; although, those familiar with the series will appreciate the quick transition into the action of the piece, where the issue does find its best glimpses of what we might be able to expect. Their eternal struggle is depicted richly by Alessandro Vitti’s drawings and Sunny Gho’s colors, which both give the feeling of a rich tapestry.

Read the full review here.

Source: ComicBook.com

---

CBR: Hill & Levin Open "Pandora's Box for Inspiration

For better or worse, every comic book creator has his or her own personal well of inspiration. Whether it's a little mentioned graphic novel or the sweeping score of a movie soundtrack, each and every writer and artist looks towards something else in this world, both internally and externally, for some creative guidance.

It's certainly no different for Bryan Edward Hill and Rob Levin, the co-writers of Top Cow's currently running "Broken Trinity: Pandora's Box" miniseries, and it just so happens that both writers are willing to speak at length about the various influences that inform their work. In a CBR exclusive, Hill and Levin joined forces to discuss the works of fiction, pieces of music and other aspects of life that they find to be the most influential on their "Broken Trinity" collaboration and their creative process at large.

"Batman: The Cult"

Bryan Edward Hill: Jim Starlin, Bernie Wrightson and Bill Wray changed my mind with this mini-series. I still remember sitting in my bedroom as a kid, turning the pages and having little explosions go off in my head. "My present reality is not a pretty place... hard to think, damn hard." Just brilliant!

This mini-series is a shining example of the power of economy and the ability of words and images to create an experience unlike any other. In my opinion, I think it's as significant as "Batman: The Dark Knight Returns." This book just doesn't get enough credit.

The Films of Michael Mann

Hill: Michael Mann is inarguably my favorite filmmaker. Some people say he's style over substance, but I disagree. In his work, style is informed by substance. His work, in addition to being visceral and filled with dynamic action, has some of the best explorations of character in modern fiction. In comics, it's not just enough to have iconic imagery - that imagery has to inform the reader about character, about the themes of the work, or it's just flash. Watching how Mann visualizes his narratives, and how those narratives are largely told through imagery, is a master class in visual storytelling.

Rob and I first vibed talking about Michael Mann and David Fincher before we started working together. I love David Fincher too, but I only wanted to put one filmmaker on the list and Michael Mann's work has my heart. Too bad comic books can't come with their own soundtrack - but in the advent of digital, I'm working on that!

Read the whole article here.

Source: CBR

---

Comic Attack Reviews Broken Trinity: Pandora's Box #1

Broken Trinity: Pandora’s Box has potential and will set the pace for the big event later on and right now Hill and Levin are on point with a good story! I’m curious to see how this plays out as I’m not sure that Glori knows that Finn is in possession of two Artifacts as she’s been focusing on getting that Glacier Stone from him. Other than that we’ve got religious zealots, ninja, mystical creatures and a high body count so what else could you ask for?

Read the full review here.

Source: Comic Attack

---

Panels on Pages Reviews Broken Trinity: Pandora's Box #1

Panels on Pages' Jason Kerouac takes the time to review the out now Broken Trinity: Pandoras Box #1:

But to be honest, I didn’t read the books in question, so when it came time for this week’s installment of 52 Pick-Up, Pandora’s Box #1 seemed a perfect choice.

I’m still far from an expert as to what’s going on in this world through which Levin, Hill, and Vitti are leading us. What I do know is that there are 13 artifacts - items of great power - throughout the Top Cow Universe. The Witchblade is one of them. Well, now we’ve been introduced to the Glacier and Ember stones, currently in the possession of the aforementioned Finn and Glori respectively. It’s kind of like Tron, by the way. Blue is good, red is bad. Remember that as the frost giant and the dragon are sure to mix it up later in this series, picking up where they left off in the first chapter of Broken Trinity. For now, however each has their own path to walk.

The characters’ have immediately distinct and believable voices, with Finn’s in-over-his-head Irish boy proving immediately relatable and enjoyable. Glori, on the other hand, is a bit overshadowed by Mr.-Stick-up-his-ass Wulfgar, the disappointed father figure who scolds her for her missteps and mistakes. Then again, I’m sure she’ll get plenty of chance to establish her own character in the issues to come, especially after the way things ended in this issue. Mind you, I’m not going to elaborate too much on that, you’ll have to just read for yourself.

To that end, Pandora’s Box #1 makes a fine jumping on point if you’re curious about the TCU, but if you really want to dig in, I’d suggest backing up and checking out the first chapter of the Broken Trinity saga. Either way, you shouldn’t have too hard of a time getting your footing, as the story exposits pretty much anything and everything you’ll need to know along the way.

Broken Trinity: Pandora’s Box #1 gets a solid 4 out of 5 dudes named Wulfgar, because really, holy shit, they guy’s name is Wulfgar.

Read the full review here.

Source: Panels on Pages

---

ComicVine Podcast: Rob Levin & Bryan Edward Hill Chat Broken Trinity: Pandora's Box

Rob Levin & Bryan Edward Hill call ComicVine talk about Top Cow's Broken Trinity: Pandora's Box #1.

You can listen to the podcast here.

Source: ComicVine

---