Witchblade: Shades of Gray Issue 1 is the first issue of four part crossover, between the Witchblade series and Dorian Gray.
Synopsis[]
Shrouded in mystery, the Witchblade has known many friends and many foes in its long history, but it has never faced such a mystery as the troubled Dorian Gray! Now, the two meet in a special Dynamite/Top Cow Crossover Event! In the first issue, we follow Detective Sara Pezzini and her new rookie partner as they race to stop a murderous madman. Waiting and watching from the shadows is the enigmatic Gray, who may or may not be the murderer they seek! With the action spanning the globe as well as exploring Gray's coloured past, this is an event not to be missed!
Characters[]
- Sara Pezzini
- Alice Burns
- Ito
- Suzanna Jameson
- Harry
- Dorian Gray
- Mark Anderson
- Le Comte De Saint Germain
Locations[]
- Earth-818793
- Earth
Plot Summary[]
Sara Pezzini meets with her new partner, Alice Burns in Spartan apartment building where a man was murdered. Alice points out that there were no signs of forced entry, robbery or struggle. The officer also tells her, that the victim looks like he saw a ghost.
At the murder scene, doctor Ito reveals, that the victim died yesterday in the morning and there seems to be some skin under his fingernails. Suddenly, the Witchblade warns Sara about danger and tells her to leave the apartment immediately. Sara decides to comply and proceeds to leave the scene with Alice. Before they leave, Ito tells her, that he will have a full postmortem by the afternoon.
Outside, the press ask questions about the murder, but Sara refuses to answer them. Witchblade again warns her about "deceiver". As Sara tries to find this "deceiver", a mysterious man disappears in the crowd. Later in the precinct, Sara and Alice meet with Suzana Jameson, the friend of the victim. She tells the detectives, that she saw the victim last night. Alice then asks Sara if she thinks, Suzana is lying. Sara answers, that the women could be just mistaken or mixed up her days.
The two women then meet with doctor Ito. The doctor reveals, that the victim was in perfect health, an athlete of some kind. Tests show, that the victim died due a ruptured brain aneurysm, causing an instantaneous death. Also, the skin under the victims fingernails, turns out to belong to the deceased. After hearing this, Sara and Alice decide to go home. While on her way, she sees the mysterious man, she saw in the crowd.
Although, the Witchblade urges her to run away, Sara decides to confront the man and find out what connection he has to the Witchblade. Meanwhile, Alice goes to a market, where a man begins to follow her. Elsewhere, Sara follow the mysterious man into an alleyway, where she finds another dead man. Meanwhile, the stalker follows Alice to her apartment and calls her by name, only to instantly disappear afterwards.
Back in the alleyway, Sara calls for back up as she chases the "deceiver". She finally catches up to him and seeing, that Sara won't stay away from him, the Witchblade decides to attack the man. The man reveals himself to be Gray, as the Witchblade incapacitates him and nearly kills him. Fortunately, Sara manages to stop the Witchblade from accomplishing this. Shocked by the fact, that she had no control over Witchblade, Sara collapses on the ground. Gray then helps her to get up and asks if she's is okay, much to Witchblade's displeasure.
Finally, police back up arrives and they proceed to arrest Gray. Meanwhile, Alice eats a meal and watches TV. In precinct, the officers interrogate Gray, but fail to get out of him anything. Sara then decides to have talk with him, alone. She asks him, why did he was in the crowd in the morning and near second body this evening. Gray tells her, that he didn't kill them. Witchblade continues to tells Sara to not trust him and as he is lying. Sara then asks Gray, why should she trust him. Gray tells her, that he revelled in lust and greed all his life, until one person showed him the light and thus, he doesn't sin any more.
Meanwhile, Alice has a shower, while the news report on the TV, reveals, that the second victim was Mark Anderson, who looks exactly like the man, who's been following her. Back at the precinct, Sara has hard time in believing anything Gray says. Gray explains, that he has been tracking the real killer and he nearly caught him, until Sara showed up. Although, Sara yet again doesn't believe him, Gray thinks is fitting, that the power of the Witchblade has drawn the three of them together, much to Pezzini's shock. Meanwhile, out side the precinct, the man following Alice, watches the station. To be continued...
Trivia[]
- The events of this series take place between those of Witchblade Issue 8 and 9.