This comic title is a little misleading as this is actually a continuation of a series from a couple years back. So saying it’s a #1 is like saying that someone who changes majors is a freshman again. This also means that there is some background that it assumes the reader has a familiarity with, but it’s not anything you can’t learn as you go.
Rob Bailey is the Occultist, a spellslinging hero given his powers by the Sword, a mystical book of immense power. He fights the undead with the help of Detective Melendez, this time hunting down a creature that’s been eating animals in the area, while trying to keep up with his college studies. Except the college student part doesn’t seem to be much of a focus from what I saw in this issue…
The art reminds me of someone else’s work, but I can’t put my finger on it. I loved the design of the main character though. In full, superhero regalia, he looks like a professional superhero, one that would fit with any superhero group, the Justice League, the Avengers. But when he removes his cloak he immediately looks like a kid in a costume, which I think is a great hero transformation. I’m not sure if we have Mike Norton to thank for that (he did the art for this issue) or Guy Davis from back in 2010, but it’s a very well done transition, as I did not expect him to look like he does. But then again, isn’t that the very point of a superhero’s disguise?
I did have a small problem with this comic and that’s that I wasn’t really drawn in. I liked the idea of a superhero with untold magical power fighting the undead, but all I got out of this comic is confirmation that it’s not bad. It’s like asking someone if a movie was bad, they say no, their phone rings and they have to go without further explaining their stance on the movie. For an issue 1, for trying to build excitement to get the series going, it just didn’t do that. At best it got me to want to read the next issue to see if it gets any better.
I really need to see more before I can form a full opinion, but for now, I’ll say it’s not worth the $3.50. Even though it’s standard for a 32 page comic like this one, this just didn’t quite earn it.
Matthew Bryant, a.k.a. Baker Street Holmes, is a writer and lead editor for the Red Shirt Crew. His birthday is coming up soon and would like some ice cream, some good books and a better recipe for pan galactic garglebasters than the last one he made, as there was too much Hypermint Extract. You can follow him on Twitter at @BStreetHolmes or email him at HMCrazySS@gmail.com.
The Red Shirt Crew Blog and Podcast Network 