Writer – Cary Bates
Artist – Gene Colan
Inker – Steve Mitchell
Colours – Joe Orlando
Letters – Gaspar

Jonathan Lord is beside himself at the moment as the woman whom he has been spending time with, reporter Belinda Pryce, has been killed at what was believed to be a séance. Things are not as they appear though as he soon finds out with the help of an old ghost named Brian Vane, a man who died twenty-one years ago and who also as it just so happens, used to be a friend. Said séance was meant to bring him forth but instead, brought back something else and that something killed everyone present except for the summoner, that man being an old Native American who walked away unscathed. Cary Bates then cuts away to Mr. Vermillion, the producer of the new Silverblade remake and the man who wants the secret of Jonathan Lord’s transformations, additionally believing the man might very well have the secret to a fountain of youth. That is but an interlude though as Bates and Gene Colan take it all back to Lord who continues his investigation by watching a videotape of the entire affair, seeing a costume from the superhero show Winged Avenger come to life, filled with a demon and witnessing the murders that take place. What Lord also sees is the costume take off through the roof of the house after which it is learned that it is going on a rampage all over town and killing innocent civilians. At this point, there is nothing for Lord to do but head out to try and defeat the creature by whatever means necessary. Aside from the battle that one knows is going to take place, there is also a nice cliff-hanger that promises upcoming conflict which should make things very interesting. Factor in little bits of drama involving Milestone and the ghost of Brian, not to mention a touch of history involving all the main players and it turns out to be a very well-rounded book. Also in this issue is a faux magazine article about the history of Brian Vane, a good read in itself, but it definitely adds to the overall story with some good background on the book’s newest character, though whether he plays as big a part going forward as he does in this issue remains to be seen. With some great artwork by Colan and a solid, if unusual tale from Bates, Silverblade continues to be an odd, but highly enjoyable read.

4 out of 5