Witchblade Animated
Written by: Paul Dini
Colors by: Lee Loughridge
Letters by: Dreamer Designs
Art by: Bone, Bullock, and Cooke
2003
Top Cow ComicsReview by: Superheidi
Finally, a comic book that women can relate to. If you enjoy cute things, anime, Gem and the Holograms, or Josie and the Pussycats, you'll love the new Animated Witchblade comic. Done in the style of the animated Batman series of the early 1990's, and the newer Teen Titans on the Cartoon Network, Witchblade and The Magdalena come together in this stylish and fun comic that reads like a cartoon rather than a clunky piece of literature!
Sarah Pezzini, NYC cop and all around great looking gal, is the bearer of a strange weapon called the Witchblade. The Witchblade, as you may or may not know, is a special gauntlet passed from woman to woman through the generations. It's a special weapon that only women can wield against injustice, much the way Buffy's powers as a layer have been passed from woman to woman over the centuries in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.. Sometimes a small bracelet, sometimes a hulking mass that covers her entire body, the Witchblade is what makes Sarah Pezzini different from any other cop on the force. Crossing paths with her is The Magdalena. A follower of the Church, The Magdalena fights darkness and any opposition to Christianity. Just like the heretical Knights Templar, however, The Magdalena is a warrior who is allowed papal dispensation to act however she sees fit in order to accomplish her goals; think of it as a license to kill. Both beginning as their own comics, but merging paths several times down the line, The Magdalena and Sarah Pezzini are together again in Witchblade Animated.
What I love about this story is the way it's drawn. The term 'animated' is extremely appropriate. The different, curvaceous, and fun style that I remember from the first Batman animated cartoon on Fox is right there. The women are sexy, but they don't seem like caricatures. Rather, they are artistically and tastefully drawn, while being fun and more interesting than the traditional drawings of female characters in comic books. The Magdalena and Witchblade are two comics that feature strong women as main characters using both intelligence and physical power to overcome enemies. Though I can't say that their outfits are spectacular (sometimes they're a bit slutty for a cop and a nun) at least they aren't wearing spandex bathing suits and stilettos accented by a black mask.
There are a few ridiculous things about the storylines; That the Magdalena is a nun, a follower of the Church, and yet she apparently finds the need to wear lipstick, crop tops, and bleach her hair while defending crime, and that Sarah Pezzini could be a supermodel but has decided on a career in crime-fighting, but these are countered by the interesting stories and the feeling of genuine female affinity that the two women share when working together. Their common ground as both individuals in patriarchal bureaucracies (the Church and the Police Force are two of the most sexist institutions at work in the United States) and their idealistic need for justice make them both noble and sympathetic heroines. With a mandate from God and an ancient glove of power, the two women are respectable, strong, and worthwhile protagonists for female comic newcomers.
The really cool animated art is easier to look at and reminds me of where comic books really come from; a desire to animate fantastic situations both in live action cartoons and in panelled sequences.
