| Name | Media | Reviewed By | Reviewed On | Buy this book |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Priest | Comic Trade Paperback | Zak Blak | 06/23/02 |
Manga / Action / Horror
Yep that really says it all. When you think Priest I want you to think "Man, that's some fucked up shit!" Cause it really is folks. This book is DEFINITELY not for the young, Overly Religious, or sensitive in anyway. But don't let that discourage you! If you're a fan of, oh say, Preacher, you'll dig this. Now the only reason I'm gonna compare the two really is the involvement of Christianity with LOTS and LOTS of violence. Now...lets get it on!
Priest starts out as your ordinary western. Uh, no it doesn't, I just like saying that. Our story here takes place in the American West, most likely mid to late 1800s. We get a little backstory first on how a Priest has sold half of his soul so he can make a pilgrimage to rid the world of heretics, nay sayers and evil. Oh, and he wants to redeem humanity so we won't be all sent to the smoking abyss of death. Yay Priest! Oh, did I mention that his REAL motivation for doing this is to be reunited with his dead wife Gena in Heaven? Well he does.
Fast forward a bit and we're introduced to what will be our main characters. A gang of outlaws is trying their best to free their boss from the clutches of the law on a speeding Train. Cool so far. The gang pretty much succeeds and we find out the boss is really a distant, heartbreaking hot chick. She just coincidentally bears a resemblence to our main character's dead wife! Yay Priest! Anyhoo...basically I don't wanna spoil the rest for you kids, BUT lots and I DO mean LOTS of bloodshed and fighting ensues and we're introduced to some nice backstory on our female main character. Then Robocop appears on the train and blows away all the demons. Ok not really, but who WOULDN'T have wanted to see that?? Robocop + Demons?? I think we need to talk to Frank Miller and Hollywood about this...
So yeah, its violent, its pretty fucked up, and there's some interesting "Anne Rice" looking villains that appear towards the end. Fun right?? Well yeah, very much so, but I still have a few gripes. First off, I'm not the first guy who's gonna a backflip over Hyung's artwork. It really looks like a lot of stuff I wasn't impressed with in college. His characters are a little messy looking, and very thin. But after the initial shock of looking at the artwork I really started to ease into it. The dark style fits the book, and his storytelling is easy to follow. And with comics that is the MOST important thing about them. If I can't understand the panel layouts without the words then it sucks. Good thing that Hyung does it oh so well.
Ok so my final opinion is a thumbs up. Well worth the 10 bucks for the first volume. It really depends on how long it'll go for if I decide to keep picking it up. But it did pique my interest with the cool characters, and very dark art style. I mean come on, its better than The Adventures of Pluto Nash. The MAN on the Moon. I'm puking over that already. So yeah, check out Priest if you like controversy and violence. You'll love it.
