Surprise! A wild preview appears! I have to give full disclosure, I have not had the opportunity to have read the previous five issues of this series. However, given the chance to preview another work by writer David Pepose, I thought I would give this final issue a shot. Thanks to my local comic shop for an assist, I am able to give a bit more background into this tale of a religious war of faith against demons, and ultimately, loyalty.
This issue is to be released on May 8th, and I will refrain from any spoilers.
It is a tale of a challenged institution. A man challenged by faith who is given an unenviable task of performing an exorcism of the demonic kind. From the start at issue #1, it gives readers something to think about. What is the meaning of faith? What do we believe? Is it always in a religious context or is it having faith in being confident in oneself and our capacity to believe in something of a higher existence? Each subsequent issue shows the main character, Father Franco Vieri and the antagonist, the hellspawn demon Legion. This is a battle between good and evil, with the added historical twist of religious oversight in the 1700s.
It is also a tale of a demon who can possess a body and leave a trail of sorrow. One might think this is a metaphor for the current state of humanity. We battle our own personal demons, and even when we think these have been expunged, there are still traces left to remind us to fight and be a better person. Not to let our own demons rob us of our humanity.
This culminates into a showdown of biblically epic proportions. Each page is an explosion of vibrant color like an 8K television displaying hyperspace travel. With each explosive sequence the fates of our cast is set as an ultimate battle of faith and crisis collide as the demon Legion tries to dehumanize and sabotage every faithful attempt by Vieri and his companions into submission.
The final pages of the issue unveil a startling revelation about Vieri’s family origins, an absolute truth which shakes our hero to his core, a story which ultimately caps a tale of faith in spirit but faith in humanity as well.
But like I said earlier, no spoilers here.
One thing is for sure, after being granted the opportunity to have read this utterly captivating conclusion, I must force myself to go back to the beginning and truly understand this tale of conscience and how one wavering in faith is able to find resolve in himself to push forward.
Davie Pepose clearly has put so much time and energy to craft a story with so many facets, all which appeared to be completely unpredictable in nature, yet weaved into a satisfying conclusion. The final pages are masterful, thanks to artists Alex Cormac and Justin Birch. The artwork, specifically in this issue has the feel of an intense firestorm of power, raging through, building, intensifying until it reaches an apex culmination of its story.
Visually stunning. Fans will not want to miss this.
