In the Top Cow universe, Arabian nights aren’t anything like Arabian days … and certainly not as hot.
Witchblade/The Darkness/Angelus: Blood on the Sands
Publisher: Top Cow
Writer: Philip W. Smith
Artist: Sheldon Mitchell, Admira Wijaya and Tom Grindberg
Cover: Stjepan Sejic
Summary: A tale starring Witchblade, The Darkness, and The Angelus pulled from the sands of time surfaces in June!
Set in 13th Century Arabia, Blood on the Sands tells the tale of three different bearers of the Top Cow Universe’s Trinity. In the harsh environment of the Arabian desert a pair of sisters struggle with the burden of the Witchblade, while a Darkness lord seeks to corrupt an inexperienced bearer of the Angelus. Brought to you by newcomer Philip W. Smith (The Gelding) and the artistic talents of Sheldon Mitchell (Witchblade Annual), Admira Wijaya (Hercules) and Tom Grindberg (Teen Titans, The Outsiders).
Review: I enjoyed the string of one-shots Top Cow pumped out recently, so I eagerly sat down to read the newest addition in the line-up, Witchblade/The Darkness/Angelus: Blood on the Sands (whew!). The comic transports the reader back to 14th-century Arabia in a three-story collection that focuses on the more ancient incarnations of the super-powered Trinity: the Witchblade, the Darkness, and the Angelus.
The issue splits into the two-part, Darkness-centered tale, “Diyafa” (illustrated by Sheldon Mitchell); the Witchblade short, “Assahiya” (art by Admira Wijaya); the Angelus segment, “Chermera” (pencils/inks by Tom Grindberg). “Diyafa” follows a young man who seeks out the then-Darkness bearer, Idris, when raiders kidnap his sister. However, we all know selling your soul not only fetches at a high price, but things don’t exactly play out the way they were supposed to, either. “Assahiya” shows the Witchblade’s effect on two sisters, Amani and Amali, and how disturbing the balance led them down separate but eventually reunited paths. “Chermera” pitches the Angelus hosts against the malicious Darkness in their ceaseless war, which ought to be the most exciting part of the book—except, well, it’s more confusing and inconclusive than anything else. In fact, the one-shot fails to solidify itself as a worthwhile read because it lacks any real cohesion. The stories don’t exactly flow and interlink, and strangely the second part of “Diyafa” appears at the issue’s conclusion when it would have made more sense just to pack it together at the beginning.
Unfortunately, with the exception of a few spare and fleeting moments, the entirety of Blood on the Sands fails to rise above and grab the reader’s attention. Since the comic falls outside the mainstream progression of the Witchblade, Darkness, and Angelus world, you’re better off avoiding these Arabian sands altogether.
June 16th, 2009 at 2:38 pm
What a title!