By: Nicole D'Andria
Originally a webcomic, Switch
#1 is the brainchild of Stjepan Sejic, an artist on Witchblade who created his own alternate Top Cow universe featuring
the Witchblade, the Darkness and the Angelus (so far). While there is almost
too much going on in this issue, it is a pretty fun start to what could be a
very interesting series.
Switch
#1
is set in an alternate universe where the Witchblade has chosen a new bearer,
teenage UFO seeker Mary. The origins of the Witchblade and one of its previous
bearers, the first Witchblade bearer Una, are also explored. The plot also
focuses on the future Darkness bearer Tony Estacado and his guards as well as
the Angelus.
A lot is established in this issue and it isn’t
overwhelming, though it is on the cusp. The opening history of the Witchblade
is interesting and it was cool to see the first Witchblade bearer. It is almost
too well-established in that I kind of wish there were more mysteries, but the
first issue does leave us with a couple of questions that I’m looking forward
to seeing answered.
The element I find the most intriguing is how the
Witchblade works in this universe. It taps into the powers of the previous
bearers who actually interact with each other and Mary. The issue makes me
interested in finding out more about these characters and the extent of Mary’s
abilities, as well as how she and the rest of this universe will react to her
powers. Stjepan sets the issue up in such a way that these thoughts are on my
mind.
My favorite character in the story has to be Mary. She isn’t
your typical Witchblade bearer but a geeky teenage girl who gets zits and
obsesses over UFO’s. She’s written as both a relatable character as well as a
unique one. Her dialogue with her friend Rudy is also really entertaining. They
feel like teenagers and don’t have any faux teenage speech that some writers
fall back on. Seriously, did anyone ever talk
like Juno?
Stjepan Sejic is one of my favorite artists and his work
here is great as usual. However the artwork here has a very different feel to
it than the work Sejic did on the original Witchblade
series. In the original Witchblade his
artwork had a lot more detail and beautiful scenes. In this series, his style
is a bit less detailed, which works somewhat to the book’s advantage because it
makes the issue feel more like it takes place in an alternate universe. Some of the faces look like quick, slightly scrunched sketches. However the skin tones, with their realistic hues,
are a highlight of the artwork. Then there are the animated expressions on
characters’ faces which really add to the dialogue. It is still well-drawn
(with a few facial exceptions), but definitely don’t expect the same level of
artwork that was in his Witchblade run.
This is great for newcomers to the Witchblade and other Top
Cow series. Obviously, if you’re a purist for the originals who won’t accept
alternate interpretations, you probably won’t enjoy this issue. But it seemed
like it was easy to have trouble keeping track of everything in the original Top
Cow Universe related to the Witchblade, the Darkness and the Angelus since
there are several hundred issues to read through. This series does a great job
bringing them all together. I could see this as a gateway series into reading
more Top Cow comics and the start of an interesting alternate universe that I
could see a lot of spin-offs to.
For its interesting but cluttered story, relatable
protagonist and artwork that had its moments but sometimes left me wanting
more, I give Switch #1 a 7.5/10.
I'd also recommend checking out Stjepan Sejic's DeviantArt page.
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