With a new creative team and a modern perspective, Top Cow’s Witchblade relaunch is ready to hit comic book stands this July. The Image Comics imprint has announced the long-awaited return of this beloved 1990s series.
After a multi-year hiatus, Top Cow’s Witchblade series returns with a new #1 from writer Marguerite Bennett and artist Giuseppe Cafaro. Unlike the previous Witchblade relaunch, which ran from 2017-2020 after the original 1995 series concluded in 2015, 2024’s Witchblade will star the original ’90s protagonist: Sara Pezzini.
WITCHBLADE #1 (2024) | |
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Release Date: | July 17th, 2024 |
Writers: | Marguerite Bennett |
Artists: | Giuseppe Cafaro |
Cover Artist: | Marc Silvestri, Arif Prianto |
Variant Covers: | ● Cover A: Marc Silvestri and Arif Prianto ● Cover B: Giuseppe Cafaro and Arif Prianto ● Cover C: Blank Sketch Cover ● Cover D (1/10): Dani and Brad Simpson ● Cover E (1/25): Marc Silvestri and Arif Prianto, Virgin Cover ● Cover F (1/50): J.Scott Campbell ● Cover G (1/100): Bill Sienkiewicz ● Cover H (1/250): Line art by Marc Silvestri – Virgin Cover, Inks |
In Witchblade #1, New York City Police Detective Sara Pezzini’s life was forever fractured by her father’s murder. Cold, cunning, and hellbent on revenge, Sara now stalks a vicious criminal cabal beneath the city, where an ancient power collides and transforms her into something wild, magnificent, and beyond her darkest imaginings. How will Sara use this ancient power, or will she be consumed by it? | |
Witchblade #1 will be a true relaunch of the original series, presenting many of the same characters in an updated, contemporary light — as seen in the preview pages and covers below. Bennett’s thoughts on her take on the classic story reveal more about just what this series will be about:
“The ability to tell a ferocious story full of monsters, sexuality, vision, and history was irresistible. Our saga is sleek, vicious, ferocious, and has a lot to say about power in the 21st century and will be the first time that we are stopping the roller coaster to let more people on. I’ve loved Witchblade since I was a child, and there is truly no other heroine like Sara with such an iconic legacy and such a rich, brutal relationship to her own body.”
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Witchblade Returns with a Brand New Creative Team After a Long Hiatus
Bennett and Cafaro Reinvent the Beloved ’90s Series
The first and long-running Witchblade series was part of what has become known as the “Image Revolution”: new series, characters, and concepts that emerged out of the founding of Image Comics, a home for creator-owned stories. Witchblade‘s decades-long history aligns with Image’s history, and the series is also remarkable for being co-created by Image co-founder and legendary comics creator, Marc Silvestri. Of Bennett and Cafaro’s relaunch, Silvestri says:
“This is brand new mythology around Sara, and I can’t wait for you to fall in love with her and all the twists and turns. Discover Witchblade reimagined this summer, and join us as we bring all the fun of the 90s to the modern age and see how exciting comics can be. I can’t wait for you to read this new series.”
With an exciting new creative team — both Bennett and Cafaro have worked on a number of familiar comics properties, from DC Bombshells to Power Rangers — and a reimagined internal world, Witchblade #1 seems primed for new readers. Long-time fans will also be thrilled at the return of this legacy property, a comic series that ran for 20 consecutive years, which is an unheard-of feat in the 2020s. Fans can hope for and look forward to an exciting and empowering supernatural story starring one of the most unique female characters in comics.
Fans Can Rediscover Witchblade This Summer
Complete Collections of the Original Series Are Available Now
With Witchblade #1 being the perfect jumping on point, new fans won’t have to do much catch-up reading — but that shouldn’t stop them from trying. The original Witchblade series (and the 2017 relaunch) is available now in collected editions from Top Cow/Image Comics and would make the perfect summer reading for fans waiting for Sara Pezzini’s return to comic books. Meanwhile, the new Witchblade #1 by Bennet and Cafaro is available July 17th, 2024 from Top Cow/Image.
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