The Occultists #1: Interest Dueby Sheena McNeilReviews may contain information that could be considered 'spoilers'. Readers should proceed at their own risk. Publisher
Credits Grade: 6 The adventures of the first ever paranormal investigators begins when a young black woman is hired to find one of the seven gates to Hell and succeeds. Those who hired her set more plans in motion when she finds her first one.According to Dustin Carson, his wife challenged him to write a comic with a female lead, and this is the result. He took it one step further, and decided to go with a black female lead! It's set in the 1930s, which makes this concept even more of a challenge for him, though there is some freedom that comes with being paranormal investigators. She's beautiful, sexy, smart, and capable. And she obviously knows how to handle that revolver of hers, making me love her all the more. (Interestingly, the cover art shows her as left-handed shooter, while the comic itself shows her as right-handed. The cover was probably done more for perspective than thinking about it, but either way it's nice to see that the artists drew a realistic gun being held correctly.) There's not a lot to indicate her race, though. On the cover, she is given brown skin, but the guy behind her (possibly Native America) is also a bit darker than the other two characters on the cover (both of which have lighter hair). With the coloring and shading it's hard to tell if she's darker because of race or the shading. Her hair is also smooth and silky, which I love on her, but it seems out of place in the time period and doesn't give any help determine her race. The art inside is black and white, and while I'm glad there's no skin shading in this art style on her or the Native American, there's still no way of telling that she's black. The main clue is that one of the other characters refers to her as "the negro charlatan." This first issue definitely has my attention by the end and makes me curious as to where the plot will go and what will happen (in the immediate future). I love that there are several important female characters, in a variety of roles. While the plot necessitates that at least some of the main characters be affluent and rich, it does not leave out that the Great Depression is going on, as one of the main women has been negatively affected by it, which makes her desperate enough to accept an unusual job offer. I like that we're left in the dark as to what this job truly entails and how it ties in with the discovery of one of the gateways to Hell. I wish we had a little more to go on with story and characters; we don't even know our leading lady's name. I don't have any clue what the couple in charge are really up to or interested in, and I don't understand why Henrietta asks if they should hire a prostitute. Even after seeing her hire her seamstress for the "job," the prostitute line seems a little weird. Overall, the art is quite good. I'm a little creeped out by the saliva lines in the mouths when characters are speaking. I also don't get why we need a a full two pages of panels watching a carrier pigeon outwit a raptor and a snake (unless the pigeon is more than it appears, which it's not in this issue). I love the realism of the characters bodies, especially the leading lady in her "western" outfit, though it's not especially time-period accurate. The creatures are pretty amazing to behold, especially the last page (which is actually the back cover). I love the added element of the Native American / demon using a person like chewing tobacco! It was unexpected, shocking, and creepy, and so well done. I'm curious enough to want to read more. The Occultists has a lot of potential, but there's not enough in this issue by itself for me to recommend seeking it out just yet. There are a couple typos, a few plot points that are hard to follow, and not enough attention spent on the leading lady for it to be a read worth snagging on its own. I do hope the creators continue with this series (and get a better web-presence to promote and sell it). Written: March 22, 2014
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