Artifacts: The Deluxe Edition
Written by Ron Marz
Art by Michael Broussard, Whilce Portacio, Jeremy Haun, Dale Keown, Stjepan Sejic
Letters by Troy Peteri
Cover by Dale Keown
Image Comics
Release Date: August 7, 2012
Cover Price: $99.99

Talk about the mother lode! Artifacts: The Deluxe Edition contains just about every Top Cow character you can name…and maybe even a few you don’t know. 448 pages of awesome art and great stories is seldom to be found, but this series does it in style!

Thirteen artifacts of arcane power exist in the world and one individual is making it his business to bring them together for his own selfish reasons. Twelve are well known but the last one is shrouded in mystery. Through manipulation and mayhem, this man creates perfectly constructed scenarios that bring the necessary pieces within his range. Some come willingly, others are taken from their owners, but in the end he has to have all of them in one place to bring about the results he needs.

Beautiful art and an excellent story breathe life into this crossover that is not seen often. Pulling some of my favorite characters like the Witchblade, the Darkness, and the Magdalena could not have been an easy task, but Ron Marz made it look easy and gave us a riveting storyline. Backing him up was a group of artists that dazzled me with their skills. Again and again I was impressed by their attention to detail. This series could have turned out like any of a dozen other crossovers, but through hard work and great teamwork it succeeded on nearly every level.

I wasn’t familiar with some of the artifacts in the series, but was quickly caught up by the well-planned introductions of the characters and their powerful possessions. A lot of times there is an assumption of knowledge when tackling something this huge. This comic, however, took the time to create believable interactions to slowly meld the groups together. I have to say that I found it refreshing and think it could help introduce a lot of new readers to this universe.

If you haven’t seen this series or if you just missed grabbing the individual issues, this is a great way to get the collection in its more-than-complete form. Packed with an origin issue, art galleries, a cover gallery, and other bonus content, it is a perfect gift for the upcoming holidays. Hell, it’s a perfect gift for an upcoming Tuesday…and I love Tuesday gifts, feel free to send me one! But seriously, it has a pretty hefty price point that I feel is justified by the collection of the comics and all the extras. It will look beautiful on your shelf and make you the envy of all your geeky friends! Give it as a gift or keep it for yourself! Either way, this one is worth the money!