Witchblade

This article is about the Top Cow comic book series. For its fictional star character, sometimes colloquially known as Witchblade, see Sara Pezzini. For the TV series, see Witchblade (TV series). For the anime series of the same name, see Witchblade (anime).

Witchblade
Sara Pezzini on the cover of Witchblade #100. Art by Michael Turner & Marc Silvestri
Publication information
Publisher	Top Cow Productions / Image Comics
Format	Standard
Publication date	1995 - present
Main character(s)	Sara Pezzini, Danielle Baptiste
Creative team
Created by	Marc Silvestri David Wohl Brian Haberlin Michael Turner
Written by	David Wohl, Marc Silvestri, Brian Haberlin
Artist(s)	Michael Turner, Keu Cha, Marc Silvestri

Witchblade is a comic book series published by Top Cow Productions, an imprint of Image Comics, from 1995 until present. The series was created by Top Cow editors Marc Silvestri and David Wohl, writer Brian Haberlin, and artist Michael Turner

The series previously starred Sara Pezzini, a tough-as-nails NYPD homicide detective who comes into possession of the Witchblade, a supernatural, sentient artifact with immense destructive and protective powers. The weapon has bonded with various women throughout history, the most recent being Danielle Baptiste. Others who have come into contact with the witchblade include Cleopatra and Joan of Arc. Sara struggles to hone the awesome powers of the Witchblade and fend off those with a nefarious interest in it, especially entrepreneur Kenneth Irons. She also struggles to maintain a personal life.

The title was written largely by Christina Z and edited by David Wohl. There have been talks of a reunion , though it is unclear if that will occur.

There have been many spin-off titles, which place the Witchblade in other times and settings. The character of Sara Pezzini was also featured in crossovers with characters from other franchises, including Lara Croft, JLA, and the X-Men's Wolverine.

Witchblade was adapted into a moderately successful television series in 2001-2002, starring Yancy Butler as Sara Pezzini. An unrelated film may be released in 2007.

The title was also adapted into a Japanese anime (Witchblade (anime)) and a manga series in 2004. Each takes place in a futuristic Japan and features a new blade-wielder, with little resemblance to Pezzini or to each other, in the role. There have been two soundtracks to the comic books series (which had a limited print run).

The Witchblade

The Witchblade is an intelligent, ancient, and conscious weapon with extra-terrestrial origins. It is only one of thirteen other weapons. It is the offspring of the universe's opposing aspects, the Darkness and the Angelus (the dark and the light). The Witchblade is a male aspect created to act as a balance, which must have a female as a host. The Witchblade was discovered in modern times in Greece by Kenneth Irons, but before he found it it had many wielders. When not in use, it can look like an ornate, jewel encrusted, right handed gauntlet. When wielded by an unworthy user, that person will lose their arm. It forms a symbiotic relationship with the host, who can hear the Witchblade. When used, it expands across the body of the wielder, shredding clothes and covering the body like an armour. The amount and coverage of the armour depends on the level of the threat. For example, when facing mortals, it will usually generate less armour than when facing a demon of hell. This armor can produce extensions of itself that can form swords, other stabbing weapons, hooks, chains, shields, and wings, enabling the wielder to fly. It may also become temperamental if it chooses not to be used. When wielded, it can shoot energy blasts from the hand or sword, fire projectile darts, and whip-like grapples to attack or to climb. The Witchblade is also an excellent lock pick, and can heal wounds, even mortal ones. The Witchblade can re-animate the dead, can empathetically show the wielder scenes of great trauma, and allow the wielder to relive experiences from past wielders as dream-like experiences.

Top Cow's world

The Top Cow universe is populated by demons, dimensional gates, ghosts and magic. Supers are generally enhanced humans from government, or private entrepreneurial projects. Both the mafia and the Yakuza are prominent forces. Sara's precinct, the 18th, or "the One Eight" is in the roughest part of New York, where murders occur often. There is a reference to a time that no homicides were reported for two days straight, which the precinct took as a sign of the Apocalypse. Religious followers of God and Satan are prolific, with agents of both sides frequently showing up with their minions to do battle.

Television series

Main article: Witchblade (TV series)

Following a pilot film in August 2000, the cable network TNT premiered a television series based on the comic book series in 2001. The series was directed by Ralph Hemecker and written by Marc Silvestri (who also wrote the comic book) and J.D. Zeik. Yancy Butler starred as Sara Pezzini. Although critically acclaimed and popular with audiences, it was cancelled in September 2002. Announced as a production decision, the cancellation nevertheless provoked widespread speculation that the true reason was Butler's alcoholism. Butler was ordered to enter rehab for alcoholism a year later, after being arrested for wandering drunk amidst traffic.

Witchblade ran for two seasons on TNT, each featuring 12 episodes. The first episode aired on June 12 2001, and the last episode aired on August 26 2002. A movie version is said to be released in 2007 and is in production.

Anime series

Main article: Witchblade (Anime)

In 2004 Japanese animation studio GONZO announced an anime version of Witchblade, with a subsequent manga adaptation. The anime version is considered controversial by some due to the fact that GONZO has announced that the main character of the anime is of Japanese ethnicity but is not Itagaki, one of the previous bearers of the Witchblade. Instead it is a new character named Masane. This has caused some fans to cry out against what they see as a Nipponisation of the franchise. The fact is this series sets up an entire new story, with all new characters, and is considered canon.

The anime series began broadcast during April 2006 and ran for 24 episodes (a standard series run). The lead character (and new blade wielder) is the kind-hearted Masane who, despite her good intentions, is fairly clumsy and not good around the house. After the events of an earthquake that struck her home 6 years before the series "year zero", Masane has no recollection of her past previous to this date. When she comes into contact with the Witchblade, Masane also finds herself under the watchful eye of an organization called the NSWF (National Scientific Welfare Foundation), and struggles to hold onto her daughter Rihoko, whom the government is trying to take from her.

Manga

Likewise, one manga incarnation is being serialized, introducing a different story that features a unique plot & characters and with little similarities (except for the Witchblade and some other settings) with the anime, though the script is written by the same writer Yasuko Kobayashi (小林靖子).

Witchblade Takeru

This story introduces Takeru who is an average Japanese highschool girl raised in a Buddhist convent by nuns. She has been experiencing reoccurring nightmares about the Witchblade calling out to her. This is due to the secret that the temple houses within, the Witchblade sealed inside a box. Furthermore, her lineage keeps an unknown connection with the mystic artifact and the folklore of the Oni, hence explaining Takeru's strong attraction to the gauntlet which is locally called Oni no te (鬼の手, "Hand of Oni"). Ultimately, Takeru's life suffers a drastic change when she becomes the next bearer of the Witchblade due to some circumstances that force her to randomly encounter it.

Witchblade Takeru started serial run since March 2006 in Champion Red magazine under publisher Akita Shoten. Story by Kobayashi Yasuko with art made by Sumita Kazasa, whose art and illustrations carry over an erotic style.

Moreover, at a press conference, Bandai Entertainment entered an agreement with Top Cow Productions to release an English language version of the manga. In spite of its violent and erotic content, Bandai Entertainment stated that they won't be censoring the manga.

Japanese novel

Witchblade Lost Generation ~ Midori no Shoujo

It is another story published as a Japanese novel since August 2006 by Tokuma Shoten with art and illustrations done by Uno Makoto, who previously worked in the Witchblade anime as the lead art & character designer.

The main protagonist is a sickly 15-year-old Okinawan girl, Yuri Miyazono, who wields the Witchblade for her own survival. Not much specific details have been disclosed regarding the date and time when this novel takes place, besides the postscript has explained it happens in the same timeline as the anime. It says that Yuri is the bearer who immediately precedes Masane Amaha. It also says she is the immediate successor of Takeru Ibaraki.

Characters

• Ian Nottingham: English, formerly a Captain for special air services for MI5. Underwent behavioural modifications so he could get deep undercover in the Yakuza. Forgot his past, and became a bodyguard for Kenneth Irons. Has phenomenal skill, both with archaic and modern weapons, bordering on the superatural. In Issue #1, Ian kills Sara's partner, Michael Yi. For a time his body and soul underwent a great change, allowing Ian the capabilty to absorb great quantities of energy, even going so far as to temporarily host both the Witchblade and the Darkness. For a time, he wielded Excalibur, the Witchblade's twin, but it was revealed that the sword was merely a shard of the Witchblade, which quickly reabsorbed it.

• Kenneth Irons: A rich entrepreneur that discovered the Witchblade in Greece. His age is undefined, laying somewhere between eighty and more than a century. However, due to his exposure to the Witchblade during an attempt to wield it, Irons does not age at a normal rate, appearing to be no older than thirty-five. He travels everywhere with his trusted bodyguard Ian Nottingham, until both Irons' and Ian's fascination with Sara Pezzini drove a wedge between them. In a failed bid to gain control of the Witchblade, Kenneth Irons lost his hand and sacrificed his wife. Wife became Ms. Boucher. Son is Microwave killer. Took over First Church of Prosperity. In issue #75, Kenneth Irons was one of the two characters left in the Deathpool. As a result, Chief Joe Siry killed Irons for all of the troubles that Irons had unleashed on Sara.

• Joe Siry: Sara's captain at 18^th precinct He was the partner to Sara's dead father, Detective Vincent Pezzini, and has a tendency to dote on her as if she was his daughter. He is married to Dalia. It was revealed that Siry had a hidden agenda with Irons, which forced to him kill Vincent Pezzini in order to protect Sara.

• Jake McCarthy: Sara's best friend and partner. Madly in love with Sara, but it is un-requited. He fell into a coma after he was wounded defending a weakened Sara. When he awoke in issue #100, he was possessed by a malevolent being, bent on destroying the world. Sara drove the demonic force out of his body, but Jake committed suicide to ensure that it could never return.

• Lisa: Daughter of Maria, a deceased friend of Sara's. Sara promised Maria that she would keep an eye on Lisa. Makes her living as a model.

• Julie Pezzini: Sara's sister. Was romantically involved with Jake, but the two broke up when Jake found that she was running drugs. Under the effects of a hope-suppressing evil, Jake later returned and shot Julie. She survived and is stil recuperating.

• The Darkness (Jackie Estacado): Wielder of the Darkness. Jackie has had many run-ins with Sara, as he is not only a wielder of a force of supreme supernatural power, but also a mafia hitman.

• Tora No Shi: Yakuza assassin who is introduced in Witchblade 15. Works for the Yakuza in the Family Ties storyline and gets beaten by Jackie. Reappears in issue 54. Fights Ian Nottingham, then attempts to assassinate Kenneth Irons at Caulty Towers. Ian shows up and destroys Tora. After that Irons takes Tora as his new bodyguard/tool and begins a series of chemical rituals on him (Story can be shown in the Blood Relations TPB). In the Deathpool storyline Tora is one of the characters voted to be killed by the fans. He is promptly killed by Ian in issue 75.

Witchblade Wielders

File:Witchblade Dark Minds The Return of Paradox.jpg

Akane Nakiko, on the cover of Witchblade/Dark Mind: Return of Paradox. Art by Lou Kang

In reverse chronological order:

• Persephani (fictitious, wielder in the far future)
• Masane Amaha (fictitious, from the Witchblade anime, near future)
• Yuuri Miyazono (fictitious)
• Takeru Ibaraki (fictitious, from the Witchblade manga)
• Akane Nakiko (fictitious, from Witchblade/Dark Mind: Return of Paradox, near future)
• Debbie Santalesa (fictitious, from Dark Minds/Witchblade, near future)
• Selina Alice Lauren (fictitious, wielder, near future)
• Ivy Pezzini (fictitious, Sara's daughter in a possible future)

Danielle Baptiste, on the cover of Witchblade #104a. Art by Adriana Melo

• Danielle Baptiste (fictitious, the wielder after Sara)
• Wonder Woman (JLA/Witchblade)
• Ian Nottingham (fictitious)
• Kimberly Tossovova (alt. reality, fictitious)
• Sara Pezzini (fictitious)
• Colin X (fictitious, first male wielder)
• Tasya Federova (fictitious)
• Josephine Valmont (fictitious)
• Elizabeth Brontë
• Marie Curie
• Florence Nightingale
• Enola
• Anne Bonny
• Roxanne Laroque (fictitious)
• Yuka-chan (fictitious)
• Shiori-sama
• Queen Isabella
• Queen Kijani
• Joan of Arc
• Maitea
• Annabella Altavista
• Itagaki
• Leung Lin Yao
• Septima Zenobia
• Cathain
• Samantha (fictitious)
• Boudica
• Cleopatra
• Princess Raquel (fictitious)
• Artemisia
• Lysandra
• Myrine
• Una, the first bearer (fictitious)

Pretenders

In reverse chronological order:

• Fiona (fictitious)
• John Sansmain (fictitious)
• Dannette Boucher (fictitious)
• Kenneth Irons (fictitious)
• Abigail Williams
• Elizabeth Paris
• Marie d'Estrada (fictitious)
• Mirabella Avila (fictitious)

Parodies

• A parody of the witchblade, called the "Doucheblade" appears in Howard the Duck volume 2 issue 3, which was published under Marvel Comics' MAX imprint. The Doucheblade endows the wielder with revealing and spikey armor just like the Witchblade, but also tremendously augments her bust size. The Doucheblade's metal component is uranium, however. The first wielder died of radiation poisoning, but the uranium appears to have become depleted, since its most recent user was Eleanor Roosevelt. It originally started to bond with a police woman named Suzi Pazuzu, but after a timely intervention by Dr. Bong bonded to Howard instead, whose DNA was unstable at the time, causing him to spontaneously change genders.

References

• 1.THE PULSE news of The Year of the Witchblade

External links

• Top Cow Witchblade page
• Unofficial Witchblade television site
• Witchblade television fan website
• GONZO Witchblade anime site (Japanese)
• Air dates and episode guide
• Sara's Precinct
• Don Markstein's Toonopedia article on Witchblade
• INSIDE BANDAI'S WITCHBLADE MANGA COLLECTIONS
• WITCHBLADE #80 - THE FULL ISSUE
• WITCHBLADE #81 - THE FULL ISSUE
• WITCHBLADE #82 - THE FULL ISSUE
• WITCHBLADE #83 - THE FULL ISSUE
• WITCHBLADE #84 - THE FULL ISSUE
• WITCHBLADE #85 - THE FULL ISSUE
• WITCHBLADE: SHADES OF GRAY #1
• WITCHBLADE #105, WITCHBLADE: TAKERU #3