The Occultist #1
Story by Mike Richardson, Tim Seeley
Script by Tim Seeley
Art by Victor Drujiniu
Colors by Andrew Dalhouse
Letters by Nate Piekos of Blambot
Designer: Justin Couch
Created by Mike Richardson
Covers by Steve Morris, Jenny Frison
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: November 9th, 2011
Cover Price: $3.50

The Occultist is one of those comics that has something for everyone. Horror, magic, mystery, and most importantly, hot girls. Everybody wins! I hadn’t read the previous Occultist one-shot, but I was very impressed with this issue.

What I liked most about this The Occultist #1 is writer Tim Seeley’s ability to catch the audience up on what has happened previously with the character without talking down to them or wasting pages recapping last year’s one-shot. This book is all over the place and it’s a really fun read. We get not only plenty of time with the main character and his story, we also get a good amount of time with the villains and supporting cast and find out their motivations.

The source of main character Rob Bailey’s weapon and what it does is still very much a mystery, but that’s OK, because we learn everything as the main character does. Very well written, plenty of action, humor, and mystery that will make you want to pick up the next issue.

Artist Victor Drujiniu is perfectly suited for this book. His renderings of aliens, monsters, and humans blend seamlessly making everything look like it belongs in the same universe. He goes from flesh-eating monsters and hookers on one page to college dorm life on another to straight up superhero action on the next and it all looks great. And he throws in a couple of background gags that are pretty great.

No matter where your interests lay, you’ll really enjoy this book. As I said before, it’s really got something for everyone, but none of it ever seems forced or just thrown in because someone thought there should be aliens in it. Seeley makes you want to follow Rob Bailey as he discovers what his weapon is and how to use it. I highly recommend you grab this book. You’ll be glad that you did.