“Witchblade x Vampirella” Review – This Witch is Batty

The Run Down

In a move that hasn’t happened in at least twenty years, two titans of indie comics have come together: Witchblade and Vampirella! Now you might be asking, “But what brings them together?” Well, to answer that question, dear reader, a monster has struck the city of New York, and detective Sara Pazzini is on the case! However, because of what this monster is, Vampirella crosses her path. Will they be able to work together to bring this monster down? Or will a rivalry start to boil? If you’re curious, then come join me as I review Marguerite Bennett’s “Witchblade x Vampirella”!

Writer: Marguerite Bennett
Artist: Laura Braga
Colorist: Gibran Ferdian
Letterer: Troy Peteri

The Writing

Now, I’ll admit that due to this being really one viewpoint of a story we see from its beginning to its end in this issue, the plot is kept rather simple. When you go into this, don’t expect anything super deep or crazy, and that’s okay! With as little time as she had, Marguerite Bennett crafted something that, while simple, was something that made sense for these two characters. Not only that, but it was super engaging! In fact, Bennett made this so engaging that I wished this was a multi-issue story.

If this were to be a multi-issue story, I feel this could’ve been a lot deeper and more intricate than it was. While Bennett kept it engaging with the space she had, there wasn’t a whole lot of depth here. In my opinion, that’s no fault of Schultz herself as much as I think it’s a fault of the limited time given. If this crossover was allowed more space to breathe and take its time, I feel as if this could’ve been infinitely better.

The Art

The big thing that I particularly loved about this issue was Laura Braga’s artwork. She worked absolute wonders here, using her line work and character designs to create a thriving New York City. The character designs in particular made for some truly intense moments, hyping me up for the dramatic and action scenes.

As for the colors, Gibran Ferdian did some truly beautiful work here. Every color is varied from the one next to it. The varied style makes for something fun and very interesting to look at while further boosting the aforementioned intense moments.

Final Thoughts

This, while lacking in terms of depth and room to breathe, was well worth the read. In the limited space they had, Bennett and her team created a fun and intense crossover with immense potential. With the other half coming next month from Erica Schultz, I’m anxious to see how I feel about this crossover in its entirety once all is said and done.

Overall Grade: 8/10

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Comments

If you’ve read it, what are your thoughts on the first half of this crossover? Are you excited enough for the second half? Let’s discuss in the comments below!