Posted - July 2, 2013 | Updated : August 24, 2015

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Artifacts




Artifacts brings home to me that Top Cow is dead serious about creating a Top Cow Universe, and that is just wonderful news for us comics lovers. Add to that Stjepan Sejic's lush art and this series is really worth checking out.

The concept at the heart of this series is very simple : Thirteen artifacts of power were brought together to make reality; the thirteen objects. when brought together again, can unmake reality, and remake it in the form desired by the wielder of the objects. And so with that, let the story begin . . .

Here are the thirteen artifacts.

Let's start with the most famous : The Witchblade


witchblade information screen

The Darkness.


darkness information screen

The Angelus.


angelus information screen

The Rapture.


rapture information screen

The Spear of Destiny.


spear of destiny information screen

The Glacier Stone.


glacier stone information screen

The Ember Stone.


ember stone information screen

Pandora's Box


pandora's box information screen

The Blood Sword.


blood sword information screen

The Wheel of Shadows.


wheel of shadows information screen

The Heartstone.


heartstone information screen

The Coin of Solomon.


coin of solomon information screen

And the mysterious 13th Artifact


13th artifact information screen

Then we have the recruitment of Aphrodite.


aphrodite standing with weapon

Aphrodite is described as a fourth generation cyborg assassin. She is being setup as the nemesis of the artifact wielders, whoever they may be.

I'm really most familiar with the Marvel and DC Universes so I'm going around Artifacts and looking at all these new things; it's a great experience to see a new universe. Here we have a double page spread showing the Magdelena.


magdalena montage

The Magdalena is a title inherited by a woman through the generations. The holder of the title is also the wielder of the Artifact known as the Spear of Destiny. Each Magdelena is the Church's instrument of justice and vengeance.

We join the most famous wielder of an Artifact. Sara Pezzini, wielder of the Witchblade.


sara pezzini changes to witchblade

This is Tom Judge, wielder of the Rapture.


tom judge

This is what he can do.


the rapture slays a demon

Here's a huge panel of all, or nearly all, the wielders. Wow.


artifact wielder double page pinup

Here's something curious. Here is Sara Pezzini's daughter


hope pezzini

This child has supernatural bodyguards. Two kinds. A guard provided by the Angelus and the other provided by the Darkness.


an angelus guard and a darkness guard

I'm surprised by the angelic guardian. The Darkness is expected since the child's father is Jackie Estacado, wielder of the Darkness.

Those bodyguards are of no avail as the child is kidnapped by Aphrodite.


aphordie carrying hope pezzini

Here is Jackie Estacado, wielder of the Darkness - in action.


the darkness in action

Here is another shot of Jackie, this time in 'costume'.


the darkness

Here is the Angelus.


the angelus

Here's more of the Rapture.


tom judge changes into the rapture

Great shot of Aphrodite talking to Nottingham, a newly escaped convict and former wielder of the Blood Sword.


nottingham

Here's a great shot of the Angelus, the Witchblade and the Darkness.


pinpup of the angelus, witchblade and the darkness

While Tom Judge tries to organize one group of wielders (Rapture, Angelus, Witchblade and the Darkness). Aphrodite attempts to form a rival group. Here she is talking to Alina Enstrom wielder of Pandora's Box.


aphrodite talking to alina enstrom in a bar

She also approaches Sabine, the unhappily transformed wielder of the Wheel of Shadows.


aphrodite talking to sabine

Stranges of all is the demon Mali. rumored wielder of the Heartstone.


aphrodite talking to mali

Glorianna Silver wielder of the Ember Stone


aphrodite talking to glorianna silver in a sauna

This is Michael Finnegan, wielder of both the Glacier Stone and the Blood Sword.


finnegar

And here is Nottingham, out to 'recover' the Blood Sword from Michael.


nottingham stabs finnegan

Finnegan falls into the water, uses the Glacier Stone, and turns into an ice giant.


finnegan changes into an ice giant and breaks out of the water

He is thrown right back in to the water by the combined forces of Nottingham and Aphrodite.

For all you math lovers out there, we have a math-based psychic.


a 'math' psychic

Ah, here is the arrival of the Magdalena. Tom Judge's group.


magdelan draws her sword against tom judge

Magdalena and the Angelus, both supposedly on the side of the Angels, make unlikely foes.


magdalena skirmishes with the angelus

This collection, being a part of a larger arc, ends abruptly, but it has given me a taste of the Top Cow Universe and I'm definitely coming back for more.

Next: Avengers 35 & 36 Multiversal Avengers