Artifacts Of Interest

The Top Cow universe is one that I have only ever dipped in to on occasion. Every story I have read I have enjoyed, but I have always been aware that I have been missing the bigger picture, and have mainly stuck to the inter-company crossovers. (Remember Devil’s Reign? I loved that.)

Artifacts however changes all this. Immediately we are presented with a bigger picture, thirteen artifacts that once collected together have the ability to usher in the apocalypse and in the meantime have the quiet duty of ‘guiding the fate of the universe’. These include of course the Witchblade, the Darkness, the Angelus (or their totems at least), and the new (to me) devices of the Rapture and the Wheel of Shadows from the current Angelus series, and another eight that I know nothing about. Yet the series is really giving me an understanding of the status quo (for as long as it lasts) of the Celestial forces in the Top Cow universe, perfect for a continuity geek as myself.  I’m far more tempted to dive into the back issues now, detail is fine, but I tend to like to have the broad brushstrokes within which to place said detail. I can only recommend this as a jumping on point if like me, the Top Cow-verse is a bit of a mystery.

Written by Ron Marz, a writer whose work I do tend to enjoy, the series has commenced with the murder of Sara Pezzini’s sister, so an element of girlfriend in the refrigerator is present, but is also the bonding factor between the power of the ‘Broken Trinity’.  Then again, this is comics, and thirteen artifacts floating around at that, who is to say she will stay dead?