Witchblade continues to astound me, with the return of Marz proving to be a terrific decision. Added to that Braga's wonderful art and the terrific development in this issue and it's impossible not to recommend this issue. Read Full Review

Witchblade #172 is without a doubt a strong move forward that leaves me anticipating what comes next. Highly recommended. Read Full Review

On the art side, this was another stellar issue. My only problem with it was that some of the character poses were just that, poses. Sara and Kate appeared to be doing modeling poses or something in some of the panels and that all felt just completely at odds with the tone of the comic, given that this is a horror/supernatural book. So that's that. And I've finally warmed up to the glossy style of the artwork, so I'm liking it a lot. I can't wait to see more artsy goodness from Laura Braga in the next few issues of the comic. Read Full Review

Laura Braga and Betsy Gonia make a great art team, with Sara looking attractive even in a hospital gown, but never shown in an exploitative fashion. The linework is soft, but features many different facial expressions and framing that puts the reader's eye in off-beat or key areas of a scene in a comic that continues to be recommended. Read Full Review

I wasn't entirely sure how I felt about Witchblade's time jump, but now that we've seen a handful of what Ron Marz has planned I'm on board. Read Full Review

This was an entertaining issue and sets up a lot of questions for the series which is great. A lot of the mystery for this series has come and gone so it's nice to see some life injected into it. Hopefully Marz has some big plans for this series so that it has a reason to stick around. Read Full Review

It's a bit of a jump to get into if you're not already down with the Darkness/Witchblade canon, but this should light any devotees of the series up like a Christmas tree. Read Full Review

That's not to say Witchblade #172 didn't strike a number of chords. It was able to put Sara Pezzini in some grim circumstances. The concept of her wanting to give up the Witchblade and build a different life has been done before, but these circumstances felt raw and unique. They just didn't have the emotional weight to make those circumstances compelling. Witchblade #172 still promises to start another chapter in Sara Pezzini's life, which also involves a new conflict with the Angelus. It would just help if that conflict had some emotional ramifications so that it felt more dire than a trip to the dentist. Read Full Review