The Occultist #1
Writer Tim Seeley Artist Mike Norton
Introduction
Tim Seeley and Mike Norton are coming off of a huge year with Revival being a runaway hit. All eyes are pointed towards what the two are set to do next, and along comes The Occultist. The book has a
fairly average premise that sets a lot of events in motion. Rob Bailey may have a slight power set to play with, but it is up to the two creators to craft something that truly proves to be interesting. Seeley has a track record for taking a stripped down premise and finding what works.
Writing
The opening pages for the series develop aspects of classic comic book styles very well. The inherent cheesiness gives readers a way to relate to Bailey. After words, the book immediately kicks into a high stakes action sequence with some interesting horror tropes. Unfortunately, in many pages the writing is too on the nose filled with silly dialogue that does not quite translate well on the printed page. Comics with a brighter tone are being utilized better than ever before right now with series like FF and Wolverine And The X-Men, which are mostly bright with darker overtones. The darker implications could leave this story with some truly substantial, but until then readers are just going to have to wait and see where this is going. Writer Seeley has pegged this is a first year Doctor Strange, but seemingly forgetting the fact that the hero has one of the darkest origin stories in all of comics. Taking the horror angle and attempting to translate it into a superhero context could definitely lead to some stronger stories going forward.
Art
The art of Mike Norton may prove to be divisive for some. His art operates on the opposite spectrum of what most modern artists are doing with the medium of comics. The reason being, that he embraces the certain comic book style without putting a heavy emphasis on kinetic energy. Comparing his pencils to those of Revival, is a huge contrast between the two series. There is a certain irony to the lightness of the look, that does not quite translate here the same way. At times it seems like a different artist may be more well suited for the title. Fortunately the average character is well captured by the artist in all facets of his personality. The supporting cast of this book is drawn clearly with facial expressions that show off some of the finer aspects of the artists vision for the book.
Conclusion
Seeley and Norton craft a tale here that is just too simple for me to give full endorsement of the book. There are many different directions that the plot can take from here, especially considering the morose ending. However, readers should also keep in mind the fact that this tale is being compared to Doctor Strange by the creators. In the span of decades most stories involving the Marvel character have been awful. Best of luck to creative team in the further adventures featuring the character, even if this issue missed the mark.
Introduction
Tim Seeley and Mike Norton are coming off of a huge year with Revival being a runaway hit. All eyes are pointed towards what the two are set to do next, and along comes The Occultist. The book has a
fairly average premise that sets a lot of events in motion. Rob Bailey may have a slight power set to play with, but it is up to the two creators to craft something that truly proves to be interesting. Seeley has a track record for taking a stripped down premise and finding what works.
Writing
The opening pages for the series develop aspects of classic comic book styles very well. The inherent cheesiness gives readers a way to relate to Bailey. After words, the book immediately kicks into a high stakes action sequence with some interesting horror tropes. Unfortunately, in many pages the writing is too on the nose filled with silly dialogue that does not quite translate well on the printed page. Comics with a brighter tone are being utilized better than ever before right now with series like FF and Wolverine And The X-Men, which are mostly bright with darker overtones. The darker implications could leave this story with some truly substantial, but until then readers are just going to have to wait and see where this is going. Writer Seeley has pegged this is a first year Doctor Strange, but seemingly forgetting the fact that the hero has one of the darkest origin stories in all of comics. Taking the horror angle and attempting to translate it into a superhero context could definitely lead to some stronger stories going forward.
Art
The art of Mike Norton may prove to be divisive for some. His art operates on the opposite spectrum of what most modern artists are doing with the medium of comics. The reason being, that he embraces the certain comic book style without putting a heavy emphasis on kinetic energy. Comparing his pencils to those of Revival, is a huge contrast between the two series. There is a certain irony to the lightness of the look, that does not quite translate here the same way. At times it seems like a different artist may be more well suited for the title. Fortunately the average character is well captured by the artist in all facets of his personality. The supporting cast of this book is drawn clearly with facial expressions that show off some of the finer aspects of the artists vision for the book.
Conclusion
Seeley and Norton craft a tale here that is just too simple for me to give full endorsement of the book. There are many different directions that the plot can take from here, especially considering the morose ending. However, readers should also keep in mind the fact that this tale is being compared to Doctor Strange by the creators. In the span of decades most stories involving the Marvel character have been awful. Best of luck to creative team in the further adventures featuring the character, even if this issue missed the mark.
A Look Inside
