Exorsisters #1by Sheena McNeilReviews may contain information that could be considered 'spoilers'. Readers should proceed at their own risk. Publisher
Credits Grade: 5 Kate and Cate are twin sisters that specialize in soul retrieval, for a reasonable rate. In this issue they solve the mystery of a disappearing groom whose fiancée saw him taken to Hell from the alter.This comic reads like it could be YA friendly, though certainly not for everyone, but there are some ads in the back for comics that are definitely for adults. The story itself is about adults and an adult situation, and, of course, demons and a trip to Hell. The sisters intrigue me with how different yet complementary they are. Of course it's the "casual rocker goth" one (Kate) that's the alcohol-obsessed one, which doesn't seem to be relevant to the plot in any way. She's also the crasser one, though it's presented subtly, like her getting drunk and eating the wedding cake while her sister does the responsible questioning of the fiancée on scene. The other sister (Cate) has more of a "professional goth" look, and we have much less of a feel for her personality other than "professional" (not that we have a huge grasp on her sister's personality). The trip to Hell is ... interesting. It is humorous and far too relaxed and silly. The sisters are well known. The demons are weird looking and tricksters, but not necessarily evil. It's all very ... odd. Like it's not quite right. And why would the demons help the sisters so readily or allow them to move about so freely within Hell, let alone to and from. It's like I can see the inspirations from other comics and TV shows, but this one went a little more "pop" and "preppy" than dark in any way, and it doesn't quite work for me. The humor falls flat, like they didn't push the envelope far enough, not committing to any one direction. The art is good. Cartoony, but good. It's focused on characters, with plain backgrounds doing enough to set the scene. There's enough flow between panels and the action within them that it's not stilted, but it's also a bit boring, which is part of the humor falling flat. The best scene is the opening one, where the demon frogs wrap the groom in chains, but then the actual taking him to Hell part lets off the pressure and becomes simplified. Their mom showing up to talk about "the end of the world" seems far too melodramatic, especially given the family tension at her arrival. If this is just going to be solving silly little mysteries like this one with the somewhat predictable ending that's happy for the victim, then I'll pass on reading any more. Even if there's a promise that it will find a more gripping direction or some actual depth to the characters, there's nothing about this first issue that clicked with me, and I was hoping it would. Written: October 21, 2018
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