Priest, Vol. 1: A Prelude to the Deceased

Publisher: TokyoPop
Author: Min-Woo Hyung

Rating: ★★★½☆ 

Synopsis:

In the frontier of the American west, a veil of evil threatens to engulf humanity. Servants of the fallen archangel Temozarela are paving the way for their dark lord’s resurrection.

One man stands in the way of the apocalypse—Ivan Isaacs—a fallen priest who sold his soul to the devil Belial for the power to fight evil. Armed with a wicked blade and silver bullets, Ivan will give the heretics a baptism of blood in his pilgrimage for humanity’s redemption.

Review:

I’ll admit it, this is my first venture into Manga.  I’ve read the complete Akira manga series but never got into any more Manga.  The most experience I have with this medium is through the Anime versions of some of these stories.  I’m a huge fan of Anime, but for some reason never picked up a Manga to check out.  Well, it’s official, Min-Woo Hyung‘s Priest has me hooked.

What turned me on to Min-Woo Hyung‘s Priest was the cross between Western Religion, the Western, Horror and Zombies.  That combination had me sold.  So far, the story is very simple.  This is volume one of a much larger story, so we only are given bits and pieces if character development.

Priest is very cinematic.  I can see why a movie is slated for 2010 or 2011.  There is very little exposition and a lot going on in each panel.  This is a very interesting and violent story that just scratches the surface of a bigger plot and world.  I’m interested in seeing where this goes.

The artwork is awesome.  Black and white, and roughly drawn.  This gives a more gritty feel to the subject matter and really helps develop the mood of the story.  For my first dive into Manga, Priest seems very promising.

Recommended for Older Teens, Age 16+

Read 25 pages at TokyoPop.com