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Priest
by Min-Woo Hyung
Tokyopop Korean manga review by
Matt McConnel
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Info: Tokyopop
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An
interesting story gone awry. On the one hand, Priest displays
a considered storyline and consistent art, while at the same
time falling into repetitive and cliché forms.
The
story concerns itself with a preacher in the old west who
died and was sent to hell for the love of a woman. He makes
a deal with the demon in charge of his eternal punishment
to return to earth as an avenging angel with the powers of
hell behind him. He is charged with returning escaped souls
to hell. Blah. In the first book, he is on the same train
as a couple of marshals and their prisoner. The prisoner is
sprung by his gang, led by the daughter of its previous leader,
and then zombies attack. Again, blah.
The
idea behind Priest's style is one part Hong Kong action flick,
and one part comic book. The artist's style unfortunately
lends itself to neither. The story is told in fractured black
and white without any sort of variation in textures. The story
might have been interesting if the story had focused either
on the gang's connection to the undead, or the Priest's quest
for redemption. As it is, the story does not deal much at
all with the Priest, and sets it up so that the gang leader's
daughter will follow him around like a lost puppy.
The
idea of Old West horror is something that I have yet to see
done with any skill or success. Even in such promising venues
such as fiction emanation from various role-playing games
where the world is set and all the author has to do is play
in it, the concept almost always fails miserably. The rest
of the time it just fails. If all you want is blood and guts
over the page with little artistic merit or story gratification,
then Priest is the book. Tokyo Pop has better licenses than
this, so by all means, check them out, and pass this one by.
Matt
McConnel is our anime guru. Mail him
here.
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