Witchblade #1

History

The concept for the series was developed in 1994–1995 by Top Cow founder Marc Silvestri alongside editor David Wohl, writer-plotter Brian Haberlin, and writer Christina Z, with art by Michael Turner—a relative newcomer whom Silvestri had discovered at a convention and initially used for background illustration work at Top Cow. The character and the Witchblade artifact actually received a brief preview appearance in the Image/Crusade crossover one-shot Cyblade/Shi: The Battle for Independents #1 (January 1995) before the dedicated series launched, giving the creators a testing ground for the concept. The first issue was plotted collaboratively by Wohl, Haberlin, and Turner, with script credit to Wohl, inked by D-Tron, and edited by industry veteran Len Wein; it was developed consciously in response to the commercial success of strong female-led independent comics like Shi, with Top Cow president Matt Hawkins later describing the period following Witchblade's debut as the company's definitive 'second era.'

Trivia · 8 facts

• First appearances in this issue: Sara Pezzini (as solo lead), Kenneth Irons, Ian Nottingham, Lloyd Drexler, Jake McCarthy, Joe Siry, Michael Yee, and the Witchblade gauntlet in its own titled series context — though Sara Pezzini and the Witchblade artifact had a technical earlier appearance in Cyblade/Shi: The Battle for Independents #1 (January 1995).
• Creative team: script by David Wohl; co-plot by Brian Haberlin and Michael Turner; pencils and co-inks by Michael Turner; inks by D-Tron (additional inking credits: Nathan Cabrera, Viet Truong); letters by Dennis Heisler; edited by Len Wein.
• Published November 1995 by Top Cow Productions, an imprint of Image Comics; 36 pages; wraparound cover by Michael Turner.
• The issue's central plot puts NYPD detective Sara Pezzini and her partner Michael Yee on an unauthorized sting, then draws them to the old Rialto Theatre where billionaire Kenneth Irons holds a private gathering around the Witchblade gauntlet — a mob boss who attempts to wield it has his hand burned off, and Irons' men capture Michael Yee at the issue's cliffhanger end.
• The Witchblade is conceived as a sentient, prehistoric gauntlet that bonds exclusively with female hosts; within the series' mythology it is the offspring of two cosmic forces, the Darkness and the Angelus, and its legendary previous bearers include historical figures such as Joan of Arc.
• The series ran continuously for 185 issues from 1995 to 2015, was relaunched in 2017 (running to 2020 with Alex Underwood as the new bearer), and was relaunched again in July 2024 by writer Marguerite Bennett and artist Giuseppe Cafaro with Sara Pezzini returning.
• The issue directly spawned the Top Cow Universe's second major franchise: The Darkness debuted in 1996 as a Witchblade spinoff, with Garth Ennis writing and David Finch on art.
• Witchblade #1 has been collected in multiple formats: Witchblade Origins Vol. 1 (issues #1–8), Witchblade Compendium Vol. 1 (issues #1–50), and The Complete Witchblade Vol. 1 (issues #1–19 plus related tie-ins); a 25th Anniversary Commemorative Edition variant was also published. The comic was adapted into a TNT live-action television series (2001–2002) starring Yancy Butler as Sara Pezzini, as well as a Gonzo anime series (2006, 24 episodes) and a manga adaptation (Witchblade Takeru, 2006).

Cast · 11 characters

Full credits