Some times you need to catch folks up on what’s happened.  On television, that’d be a clip show (often times it’s filler).  In comic books, there’s various forms, but rarely are they this creative.  Instead of a boring catch up comic, with Witchblade #138 writer Ron Marz weaves a fantasy tale that pretty much covers everything we need to know about the series.

The Witchblade has borne many wielders in many eras, perhaps even in other realms. Ron Marz and Stjepan Sejic tell a fantasy tale of epic proportions as only they can. And the connection to Sara Pezzini may surprise even the most devoted fan!

The story is a fantasy take, but really, it pretty much explains what the hell is going on.  All the major plot points are covered, and it’s a great spot to start if you want to dive into the major event Artifacts.

But on top of the entertaining story is Stjepan Sejic‘s beautiful art.  This man was made to draw, paint, what ever you want to call it, fantasy scenes.  The comic is just beautiful, and you’ll find yourself lingering on pages looking at what he’s laid out.

This is a great single issue, and a perfect place to catch up.  And even if the story isn’t appealing, it’s hard to not enjoy the beautiful scenery.  A definite buy for the week.

Plot: Instead of a boring recap issue to catch people up, we’re given an original tale which covers the basics as to what’s been happening in the series so far.  While it doesn’t have all of the specifics, it does give you a sense of what you need to know.  In general, a great tale with an original presentation.  Rating: 8.5

Art: Beautiful is the only word to describe Sejic’s artwork.  It’s just amazing to see and fits his style perfect.  It’s teased we’ll be seeing more fantasy from him in the future and I can’t wait.  Rating: 9.25

Overall: Beautiful artwork and an entertaining story, what’s not to like.  It’s a great read and a fantastic stand alone comic.  The artwork alone makes the comic worth the purchase.  Overall rating: 8.75

Recommendation: Buy

Page count: 32 pages    Price: $2.99     Release: 9/22/2010

Top Cow provided Graphic Policy with an advance copy of this issue for FREE for review.