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Publisher: Top Cow
Writer: Ron Marz
Artist: Michael Broussard
Cover: Michael Broussard 

If you are not too familiar with the Top Cow Universe, then you may want to start right here with Artifacts #1! This 13-issue event will contain some of the biggest names in the TCU and introduce us to a few new faces as the fate of the universe hangs in the balance. The only problem with this is that many of the people who will be involved don’t even know that the situation is already this grim.

It’s during a conversation between Hell’s favorite priest Tom Judge and the Curator, that Ron Marz takes the time to familiarize you with several of the Artifacts and a bit of their background that effectively sets up the story. However, Tom still has more questions and he doesn’t know how he was able to escape Hell, nor does he have any idea what to do with the information the Curator just gave him. Amidst all of this, Hope (the daughter of the Witchblade and Darkness) seems to be the target of a kidnapping, which sheds some light on a few things hinted at months ago. So let the finger pointing begin, because when Sara finds out her daughter is missing, along with more bad news, a huge steaming pile of it is going to hit the fan!

This is one of those set up issues that is executed very well, and Marz and Broussard definitely give you your money’s worth with this issue. The story’s pacing is smooth, and there is just enough expo that long time fans aren’t rushing through information they already know and a new reader gets just enough to draw them into the story. As the story progresses, Marz gets you comfortable and then hits you with a “DAMN!” moment that I’m pretty sure we didn’t see coming, and definitely sets up the drama for the second issue. I haven’t seen anything that visceral from Ron since he put a certain Green Lantern’s girlfriend in a refrigerator!

Michael Broussard brings the visual punch to Artifacts #1 and does well with the cast of characters that he normally wouldn’t have had access to when he was the artist on The Darkness. Everyone is easily recognizable, though I will admit that I didn’t recognize the balloon mime until it was too late, but that was probably the point. He does the final few pages justice, and will forever have me remembering that last panel whenever I see a balloon again. Now as good as Michael is, I’m excited to see who the other artists on the series will be, since he’s only doing the art for the first four issues. Ron Marz and Michael Broussard were able to work magic with their Unholy Union story years ago, and it’s good to see these two bringing the heat once again, even if it’s only for a short time.

Now if you were lucky enough to attend 2010 SDCC last weekend, then you had the opportunity to pick up this issue’s Comic-Con exclusive cover, and now this weekend Collectors Paradise is having an Artifacts Release Party in L.A. with even more Artifacts goodness. If you want to know how seriously great this book is, just know that while typing this review I got a phone call telling me that Artifacts #1 has sold out at the distributer level and will be going back for a second printing! So if you have yet to check out the Top Cow Universe, this would be a good chance to get in and just enjoy great  story telling and art, and have fun reading comics!

Infinite Speech
infinitespeech@comicattack.net