Medieval Spawn and Witchblade, Volume 1 by Brian Haberlin and Brian Holguin takes the characters of Spawn and Witchblade and puts them in a fantasy/horror setting.
The opening sequence with the undead left a lot of mystery up in the air and kept me wondering how Witchblade would figure in. After the exciting opening, the scene shifts to the Witchblade. We learn that the Witchblade is an artifact that bestows upon its wearer great powers. There is a cost though, as the wearer has to wage eternal war on the dark forces that threaten mankind. A man named Sea Hawk is looking to claim the artifact for himself, but first he must seek the one who is destined to wear it. A thief named Starling turns out to be the chosen one and is reluctant at first to take up the mantle. A surprise attack leads her to the Witchblade, which bonds with her arm.
Fans of the original Spawn and Witchblade series will notice that changes have been made to the characters they loved from the comics. The characters’ names and origins have changed to reflect the time period. For example, Witchblade in the comics was a grizzled police officer while in this incarnation she is a teen who comes from a line of witches. Starling is a waifish character and seems like an unlikely heroine. One of my big criticisms of the story is that not much time is spent on her character. We get to see Spawn be a badass and get a detailed back story. All we get about Starling is that she comes from a line of witches and is destined to have the Witchblade.
Snow plays a prominent part of the scenery as well as an earth tone palette. The undead are skeletal creatures either human or animalistic. Some wear battle armor and carry elaborate swords. There are also other creatures that stalk the grounds such as wolf life creatures with glowing eyes. In the water, there are gigantic fish with four eyes and razor-sharp teeth. The battle scenes were very detailed and gave a good sense of the action. They also weren’t overly gory.
I highly recommend Medieval Spawn and Witchblade, Volume 1 and can’t wait to get my hands on future volumes of this series. It has all the basic elements of a good story: there is mystery, horror, and action sequences. This title is suitable for teens 13 and up as there are no gory scenes of violence or sexual situations.
Medieval Spawn and Witchblade, Volume 1
by Brian Haberlin and Brian Holguin
ISBN: 9781534308435
Image Comics, 2018
Publisher Age Rating: T
