Rating: 4/5 – Rob Bailey and his glowing hand are back for more spell slinging action.
The Occultist was created by Mike Richardson, founder and current President of Dark Horse Comics. It is the story of Rob Bailey, a college kid who comes across and is eventually bound to an ancient book of spells called The Sword.
Even though this is issue one, this is not the first time readers have met Bailey and some of the other characters in The Occultist. The book was originally introduced as a one shot in 2010 with Mike Richardson and current writer Tim Seeley penning the book. Vic Drujiniu penciled that issue with Jason Gorder and Andrew Dalhouse handling the inking and coloring respectively. After the initial one shot, the book returned in late 2011/early 2012 for a three issue run with the majority of the creative team returning. Even though this issue jumps you right into the action, readers unfamiliar with the earlier material will still be able to follow along easily.
Mike Norton, Tim Seeley’s co-creator and artist on the book Revival (which I highly recommend checking out if you have not already) joins the creative team as the artist on The Occultist. The colors are handled by Allen Passalaqua with letters by Nate Piekos of Blambot. Norton’s art is very clean and expressive. As he has shown in Revival, Norton has a knack for drawing the eerie and unnatural, which works well with the characters and settings in The Occultist. Issue one provides readers with one of the creepier nursery scenes in a comic.
I am glad to see The Occultist back and this time with a longer series where the creative team can explore the world that has been built. I’d like to learn more about The Sword and the powers its controller can harness. I find several parallels with the book and something like Amazing Spider-Man which is one of the appealing aspects to me. There is a nice blend of humor and action, and Seeley’s dialog is funny without being over the top. There is also the growth, or lack thereof, with the protagonist as he learns to use his new-found abilities and get his personal life in order. Rob Bailey has a charming awkwardness about him that makes you want to root for him while at the same time realize that he is in control of a powerful and dangerous weapon. The Occultist #1 is a fun read and it sets up some interesting story points that I am excited to see play out over the next four issues.
Reviewed by: Jeff Bouchard – jeff@comicspectrum.com
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