Original Series - Page 1 #1/2 1st Printing Wizard Cover 2001 Wizard Special Edition Cover 2001 2nd Printing November 2002 Following an ‘anonymous’ tip-off from Irons, Jake and Sara journey under Manhattan’s streets and buildings to find the body of Setsuke where she’s been laid to rest by Nottingham. Sara and Jake return to the surface and go their separate ways. Sara is followed by a Mercedes, which is then attacked by Nottingham. Sara attempts to stop his attack and restrains him using the Witchblade, however Sara’s pursuers now attempt to kill Nottingham in revenge for Setsuke’s murder. Ian sets the Witchblade on his attacker but Sara regains control and tells both men to leave their vengeance for another day, they agree and Sara allows Ian to go, knowing he’ll be back to confess his guilt. #1 - November 1995 Part 1 of 8 Cover Businessman and criminal Kenneth Irons is planning a tournament to find the one person who can use a mystical artefact which is in his possession, the Witchblade, helping him is his right hand man, Ian Nottingham. Whilst trying to get revenge on a criminal who went free Homicide Detective Sara Pezzini of the NYPD learns of “The Tournament”, which is being held at the old Rialto Theatre and which is attracting pretty much every mobster in the city. Before she can investigate further she and her partner, Michael Yee, are called to a murder scene. When she eventually makes it into the theatre a tall, dark, long haired man, Nottingham, is announcing the rules of the event and showing a glove/gauntlet to the room, the Witchblade. Michael is then dragged into the room, he’s been caught trying to follow Sara in. They shoot him but Sara gets in the way, taking some of the bullets meant for him. He goes down and she’s mortally wounded, but the glove makes a move for her and saves her life by binding to her. However the power of the gauntlet kills the contestants and Michael has died. #2 - January 1996 Part 2 of 8 Cover Another girl is found dead, this time in a club toilet, the NYPD has a serial killer on its hands. Back in the theatre Sara is dazed and confused and eventually passes out. When she wakes up in hospital she finds Kenneth Irons has sent her a huge bouquet of flowers, much to her colleague Jake McCarthy’s displeasure. Irons is getting some payback for the criminals who ended up dead at the Rialto, but Nottingham easily deals with the problem. Once back at work Sara goes down to the evidence room and retrieves the Witchblade, hoping that she’ll be able to bring Michael back to life. Meanwhile Irons is performing a ritual which will allow Nottingham to act as a conduit for the power of the Witchblade so Irons can use it for his own ends. #3 - March 1996 Part 3 of 8 Cover Michael comes back to life partly but almost as quickly dies again. Sara goes home where Lisa Buzanis and Jake McCarthy both call on her. Feeling the need for some space she heads over to her gym, where she meets Irons, who introduces himself as Ken. As she’s walking home she’s jumped by some guys in a limo who kidnap her and take her to a yacht. They produce the Witchblade and try to get her to wear it, she refuses, so they so shoot her, in an attempt to force her to wear it to save her life. She still refuses but the Witchblade has other ideas, saving her again. Sara escapes the yacht and swims to shore with her kidnappers in pursuit, she fights with them and then Nottingham appears from a helicopter above… #4 - April 1996 Part 4 of 8 Cover Sara’s absence has been noted and Jake goes to her gym to see if anyone knows where she is. Back on Liberty Island Sara and Nottingham are struggling with each other, even so Sara is attracted to him. As they fight Nottingham is absorbing the energy from the Witchblade, growing stronger. He gets the better of her and it looks bad for Sara but then a stranger comes to her aid, Kenneth Irons. Outside the Rialto a mysterious hooded figure is prowling, searching for the Witchblade. Sara turns up at Jake’s place and crashes in his bed, the Witchblade slipping form her hand easily for the first time. Whilst she’s sleeping the Witchblade binds to her again, and a hidden figure with glowing eyes is watching over her… #5 - May 1996 Part 5 of 8 Cover Sara wakes up in Jake’s bed to find all her wounds healed and the Witchblade back on her hand, although it disappears to form a bracelet when Jakes walks in with breakfast. Somewhere else in the city Irons is punishing Nottingham for being over exuberant with Sara. Over at the Boucher modelling agency Lisa’s going to see about restarting her modelling career, and ends up meeting the strange Ms Boucher herself. In the Amazon restaurant Irons, and Nottingham, are meeting with Sting over a donation to Amnesty International, and it’s clear that all's not well between employer and employee. Sara goes to Irons’ office to try and find him and to find out more about the Witchblade but gets spooked when he notices her. Meanwhile down in the subway another girl is killed by the “Microwave Murderer”. In the early hours of the morning Sara is researching Ken Irons when she slips into a dream which involves one of the murdered girls and Ian Nottingham, Ian then wakes from the same dream. #6 - June 1996 Part 6 of 8 Cover Sara and her colleagues are attending Michael Yee’s funeral, on her way back Sara goes for coffee, and is joined by Ken Irons who she then goes away with in a car, observed by Jake. Lisa is on her way to see Sara and sees someone trying to break into Sara’s apartment who turns out to be Julie Pezzini, Sara’s actress/model younger sister. The two end up going out for the day together. Irons has taken Sara to his apartment and shows her his collection of Witchblade related artefacts, Nottingham watching from a distance. Jake is investigating the latest microwave murder when he meets a journalist who offers to tell him all about Ken Irons. Irons leaves Sara in Central Park, she’s just enjoying the time of day when Nottingham appears. Sara fires some shots at him but he catches the bullets and the Witchblade won’t help her. She and Ian scuffle but he says he only wants to talk to her… #7 - July 1996 Part 7 of 8 Cover Julie and Lisa are on their way to a party with Ms Boucher, an S&M party. Back in Central Park Sara and Ian are talking, just when Sara can’t stand his vague monologue any longer she begins to question him, but he’s gone. Jake is still talking to the journalist he met in the subway, she’s showing him photos of Irons and Nottingham and tells him that Sara’s in great danger from Irons. When Sara gets home she finds she’s being evicted from her flat for not paying her rent. A lady then comes to the door with jewellery and something to wear, along with an invitation from Kenneth Irons. Jakes pulls up just as Sara is going out again, all dressed up, and he decides to follow her. Irons is at a fundraiser for a church and Sara’s come to join him, she’s the centre of attention. Jake shows up and he and Sara become the centre of attention for all the wrong reasons. She and Irons leave and he is obviously fuming. Back at the station Jake and Selzer clash again, Selzer lets slip something which makes Jake realise that Selzer is Irons’ mole in the department. Iron’s takes Sara back to his place and he gets mad with her, reducing her to tears, and the Witchblade begins to dig into her arm, meanwhile Nottingham is waiting in the wings… #8 - August 1996 Part 8 of 8 Cover At gun point, Selzer is taking Jake to Irons’ place, where Irons is enjoying reducing Sara to an emotional wreck. He then hands her over to Nottingham and Sara pleads with him not to hurt her. Ian then turns on Irons, laying into him, but Irons gets the better of him, beating him badly and then throwing him out of the window. He then turns his attention back to Sara and the Witchblade, spiriting it’s power away onto his own right arm. Even more powerful now he aims his power at Selzer, who’s just walked through the door with Jake, who also gets to feel the force of the Witchblade. Sara then gets a taste too and is sent flying across the room and out of a window, but she “wakes up” and uses the Witchblade to save herself from the fall. She gets herself up on a ledge and she and Irons fight bitterly. Irons clings to the building, commanding Sara to kill him, which she refuses to do, so he lets himself fall. Sara is now one with the Witchblade. #9 - September 1996 Cover After trying and failing a second time to prosecute Gallo (Maria Buzanis’ murderer) Sara has a vision in which she sees Nottingham. She then becomes aware of the Witchblade speaking to her, and is thrown into a vision of the past featuring pirate and former Witchblade wielder Anne Bonny (see Tales of the Witchblade #1). Through the vision Sara comes to understand more about her relationship with the gauntlet. Elsewhere in the city the Microwave Murderer claims another 3 victims and has their eye on Sara… #10 - October 1996 Part 1 of 5 Cover In the wake of the death of Kenneth Irons the truce between the Mafia and Yakuza, brokered by him, is shattered when a Mafia hit man takes out a room full of Yakuza members. Back at the station Lieutenant Joe Siry is grilling Sara and Jake over the events at Irons’ apartment. The Mafia hit man turns out to be Jackie Estacado, and his boss wants the Witchblade. Over at the Rialto Theatre Jake meets with a reporter to try and get some answers to his questions about what’s happened and what the Witchblade is. After a run in with Julie outside her apartment building Sara bumps into Jackie and he gets a taste of the Witchblade, and some weird creatures, all under the gaze of a hooded figure.