TOPCOW CEO Marc Silvestri & NYT Best-Selling Marguerite Bennett Talk New Reimagined WITCHBLADE Series. Witchblade#1 will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, July 17th!
NEW WITCHBLADE SERIES IS COMING JULY 2024
When the forces of Darkness and Light threaten to destroy our world…she’s the weapon we need.
The ancient weapon and the woman who wields it are back in a bold reimagining, ready to restore the balance between Darkness and Light once again for a new era!
I am so excited to be joined by Marguerite Bennett and Marc Silvestri as we talk about one of my first and absolute favorite comic series. Catch us discuss the industry, the creation of TOP COW Productions & IMAGE Comics, reimagining the WITCHBLADE lore, Graphic Novel writing, Michael Turner’s legacy, Marguerite & artist Giuseppe Cafaro working alongside Marc while creating a modern Sara Pezzini, DARKNESS, Easter Eggs, & MORE!!
Top Cow is reimagining the hit supernatural thriller series Witchblade. The new series, coming July 2024, will be penned by NYT Best-Selling Marguerite Bennett (Animosity, Batwoman, DC Bombshells) and visualized by artist Giuseppe Cafaro (Suicide Squad, Power Rangers, Red Sonja). The creative duo is working with original co-creator Marc Sylvester, who is the CEO of Top Cow Productions Inc. and one of the founders of Image Comics.
If you know me you know how much Michael Turner, Marc Silvestri, Aspen Comics and Top Cow mean to me & have held a special place in my heart and love for comic books for decades. This is truly surreal for me to speaking with these two, I am so honored. (Tribute 2016 article)
The New Witchblade Series will reintroduce the series to Witchblade’s die-hard fans with a reimagined origin with contemporary takes on familiar characters and new story arcs that will hook new readers and rekindle the energy and excitement that fueled the 90’s Image Revolution that shaped generations of top creators.
Witchblade is a comic book series published by Top Cow Productions, which ran from November 1995 to October 2015 and December 2017 to January 2020. The series was created by Marc Silvestri, David Wohl, Brian Haberlin, and Michael Turner. The comic series was made into a TNT television series in 2001 and was directed by Ralph Hemecher and starred Yancy Butler as Sara Pezzini. Later, Top Cow and Japanese animation studio Gonzo produced an anime adaptation of Witchblade, which debuted in 2006.
Marguerite Bennett, who has been focused on writing for the upcoming Butterfly TV Series and Ark: The Animated Series, says, “The ability to tell a ferocious story full of monsters, sexuality, vision, and history was irresistible.” She adds, “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.”
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?
Through last year’s Witchblade Complete Collection Kickstarter, the world received a glimpse of Marc Silvestri’s Witchblade Armor redesign. But, a whole new universe has been created by Giuseppe Cafaro, who states, “The Witchblade universe is being modernized to reflect how Marguerite beautifully explores the extreme sides of Sara through memories, her personal thoughts, like desire and hunger, in her solitude and when she is possessed by the Witchblade. So, I had to visually intersect a noir True Detective-like world with a supernatural, horror world that is a fantastic mix between Berserk and Zodiac!”
Marc Silvestri notes, “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.”
Witchblade#1 will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, July 17th, for $4.99 for 48 pages. The Final Order Cutoff deadline for comic shop retailers is Monday, June 24th, 2024.
- Cover A: Marc Silvestri and Arif Prianto (Full Color)
- Cover B: Giuseppe Cafaro and Arif Prianto (Full Color)
- Cover C: Blank Sketch Cover
- Cover D (1/10): Dani and Brad Simpson (Full Color)
- Cover E (1/25): Marc Silvestri and Arif Prianto, Virgin Cover (Full Color)
- Cover F (1/50): J.Scott Campbell (Full Color)
- Cover G (1/100): Bill Sienkiewicz. (Full Color)
- Cover H (1/250): Line art by Marc. Virgin Cover, Inks (B/W)
Witchblade #1 will also be available across many digital platforms, including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Google Play.
Follow Top Cow on Facebook, Instagram, and X for more updates and exclusive opportunities, or visit us at TopCow.com.
Top Cow Productions, Inc., a Los Angeles-based entertainment company, was founded in December of 1992 by artist Marc Silvestri, who also co-founded Image Comics earlier that same year. Top Cow currently publishes its line of comic books in 21 languages in over 55 different countries. The company has launched 20 franchises (18 original and two licensed) in the industry’s Top 10, seven at #1, a feat accomplished by no other publisher in the last two decades.
Watch Full-Interview on YOU-TUBE or SPOTIFY !!!
TIMESTAMPS: 3:00 Let’s Talk Comics / Starting IMAGE COMICS / TOP COW / Creator Owned
12:00 Marguerite Bennett Voice to Sara Pezzini
13:00 Marguerite’s First Intro to Comics & Witchblade /Graphic Novel Writing
17:25 Changes in the Comic Industry / Mainstream Media
22:00 Michael Turner Witchblade
24:00 Comic Book Industry
28:00 Marc’s Influences/ Sci-Fi & Frazetta
32:25 My Collection / TOPCOW/ ASPEN COMICS
33:00 Turner’s Legacy/ Michael Turner’s Start in Comics
37:42 New WITCHBLADE Reimagining Sara Pezzini
42:50 Artist Giuseppe Cafaro
44:30 Marguerite Bennett Love for History/ Writing Modern Sara Pezzini
48:00 Sara Pezzini Sexuality/ Costume (Don’t fix what’s not broken) Relationship to Witchblade
52:45 Witchblade Connection to Sara Pezzini/ Supernatural
55:48 Returning Characters/ DARKNESS ? / EASTER EGGS
57:00 New Readers & Re-Introduce Long-time Fans
1:01:20 Lore/ Mystical Artifacts
1:02:52 Marguerite Routine, Working w/ Giuseppe & Marc
01:06:30 Inspiring Others/ Advice in Industry
01:12:38 TOP COW/ Variant Covers/ Pre-Order Now
#imagecomics #topcow #witchblade
Gotham Geek Girl 