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Publisher: Top Cow
Writer: Ron Marz
Artist: Stjepan Sejic
Cover: Stjepan Sejic

“The Demon Within”: This issue takes a break from all of the Artifacts action going on and just delivers a self contained story that’s more about Abigale van Alstine, the Necromancer, while the title character plays the back for a bit. Being that we haven’t seen Abigale’s character in quite some time, I was wondering if this issue was going to set up for another mini or ongoing series later on down the road.

Abigale is on a class trip to NY, and is checking out all of the usual sites that any tourist would and is having a pretty good time. Things are going pretty normal and actually fun, but it’s when the class goes to the Metropolitan Museum of Art that things get a little weird. By weird, I mean fat naked guy stabbing himself with a sacrificial knife that was on display kind of weird. After the body falls to the ground, so does Abby, only to be woken up by Sara Pezzini and other cops as they check out the crime scene. After a brief talk, Sara clears the room so the two have some privacy, and Abby tells her about her past and her power. So Sara asks her to use her abilities on the recently deceased naked guy, and when she does, he tells them that he was possessed by a demon and the knife he used can permanently sever the tie between a demon and host. It’s at this point that the demon that murdered Abigale’s family and friends years ago reveals itself, and it has been hiding inside of her all this time. So it’s the Witchblade and Necromancer vs. a very big pissed off demon, and I hope the Met’s (Metropolitan Museum of Art) insurance can cover the damages!

First off, I’m not too familiar with Abigale or her past, so this was a decent introduction, and made even better by Marz choosing to tell most of the story from her perspective. Not only was her intro pretty interesting, but he kept her character intriguing enough that she carried the bulk of this issue with ease. Whether it was through her display of power (which was a bit surprising to me), or her narration which kept the balance of expo while letting her personality come through as well. The story was actually a pleasant break from the several multi-part story arcs that preceded this issue, and with the reintroduction of the Necromancer at this point in the Top Cow Universe, I wonder if Marz has plans for her in Artifacts as well. She seems like a bit of a powerhouse, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

The artwork in Witchblade #137 continues to be some of the best provided by Stjepan Sejic. From his splash pages to the panel layouts, which always seem to be as much a part of the artwork as what’s inside of them. The demon’s emergence from Abigale’s body was one of my favorite scenes in the book, as you can see the movement of the smoke swirling around as he rises out of her mouth and eyes.

There was a thought in my head that this issue might suffer a bit, but as usual it’s another solid effort from Marz and Sejic as they continue to drive the Witchblade title to new heights with great stories and great artwork. Thanks guys!

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Infinite Speech
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