Everything at this point has been rebooted so why not “Witchblade”? Read on for our review of “Switch” #1 by Stjepan Sejic but be warned, there are some mild spoilers.
Written by Stjepan Sejic
Illustrated Stjepan Sejic
After millions of views on DeviantArt, this popular web comic finally gets its own series. A teenage girl gets a mighty artifact that grants her immense powers…the catch? It’s a bit haunted! This self-contained “universe” includes Artifacts and characters from other series (with permission!) in a delectably STJEPAN SEJIC fashion!
My knowledge of “Witchblade” begins and ends with the covers and how long it ran. The only reason I know the length the series is ran is because I did a little research before reading this issue. Any series that far into it’s run should look for ways to get new readers in the door. The way most publishers have approached this is by relaunching everything. However, “Switch” is different. This issue acts like an “Ultimate Universe” (as Sejic has said in multiple social media posts) and offers a completely different spin on the “Witchblade” universe. That different spin is why “Switch” #1 is off to a good start but it will need to fix a few things before it can be considered truly great.
In the beginning there was The Darkness and The Angelus, the physical embodiment of lightness. They made the Witchblade and it ended up on Earth where the first wielder, Una, found it and became a warrior. She was the first in a very long line of women who were hosts to the Witchblade weapon. The latest host to the weapon is Mary, a high schooler who works at a book store and believes in aliens. From what we are told, she is not the typical wielder of the weapon. Tony Estacado, former best friend of Mary and newly returned to town has some secrets of his own. He is the next in line to become the embodiment of The Darkness, putting him on a collision course with Mary. This first issue does a lot of explaining but because Sejic has the ability to keep readers engaged, it doesn’t end up being too much.
“Switch” does a lot of things right. The first is the change in direction. This is in no way the same “Witchblade” you may have read growing up in the 90’s. The protagonist, Mary, is very modern. She’s not sexed up and with 40 pages of story, Sejic takes his time to establish her personality. I’m a huge fan of his writing because he has such a great sense of humor and so, he does a really nice job giving us great character moments while explaining this world to us. There are a lot of characters and to establish their voices, Sejic relies on inner monologues but he doesn’t get to everyone. This can at times be a bit overbearing but he at least keeps things entertaining. Even the most serious of characters have charm to them and their black and white sensibilities are not a detriment to them at this point. It’s only issue one so there is still plenty of time to Sejic unravel things and make everyone a bit more complicated.
“Switch” doesn’t assume that you’ve been reading “Witchblade” and that’s another place this issue succeeds. From what I have researched, this is radically different from the original series but for someone like me, that’s a huge part of why I liked this issue so much. Sejic explains The Darkness, the Witchblade and how all of these powers work and it works to make the reader connect to this very complicated world. The problem is that the the transitions are a little clunky. Sejic jumps us to the past and present so many times and it could have maybe been done a little less. The other issue with “Switch” is that Mary’s power takes away a bit from her character. She doesn’t seem in control and it would be great to see her wield it without needing help from the spirits of previous owners. Tony is also almost totally undeveloped and for someone who’s going to be so important going forward, it would have been nice to get a little something more about him other than his family background and duty.
Continued belowSejic’s art is not bad by any means but it also isn’t my favorite of his work. The linework at times can be a little messy but it doesn’t entirely take you out of the book. Sejic does an amazing job at blending fantasy with the real world and so the Witchblade itself, the monsters and magic doesn’t feel so out of place. There are some fantastic creature designs that are equally epic and terrifying. Tony’s dream in particular is Sejic at his very best. It doesn’t take up the entire page but thanks to the angle and proportions in contrast in Tony, the creature is mammoth in size and feels genuinely scary.
As much as I love Sejic’s character work, I did feel like I’ve seen some of these characters before. There is a guy that Sonatine talks to who, on one page, looks very similar to Samuel in “Death Vigil”. It’s Sejic’s signature looks that make me a fan but I do hope for a little more variety to avoid that too recognizable characters from book to book. The facial expressions and body language are as usual, perfect. Sejic understands human characteristics and is able to make situations feel much more authentic than what you see in most other comics. He’s an excellent cartoonist who is able to do a lot of great, emotive stuff on each page.
“Switch” #1 is a very good first issue and as someone new to this universe, I am excited to see more. Sejic needs to introduce some new elements to keep readers guessing but his art is strong. If his previous work in the fantasy genre is any indicator of what’s to come, we are in for a treat.
Final Verdict: 7.8 – A very good debut that has me excited for what’s to come.
