Search - Priest Vol. 1

In the Old West, the battle is on. Not between bandits and marshals or cowboys and Native Americans, but between the forces of two of Hell's most powerful demons. Follow a former priest who sold his soul to one of the demons as he cuts a bloody swath across the landscape. Did I mention the zombies. There are lots of zombies. Unfortunately, the book doesn't live up to the promise of the concept, despite some very, very good artwork. At least in this first volume, the characters fail to generate any empathy or sympathy in the reader which is essential if a zombie book is to be any good. In the end, this one comes off like a watered-down early Spawn plot. With zombies.

This graphic novel (I hesitate to call it Manga) had a good, if somewhat "been-there-done-that" story. It was very reminiscent of Ghost Rider, or Spawn, or any number of stories about a good guy that sold his soul to the devil then regretted it, but used his powers for good.

Honestly, the story is old hat.

However, with the old west setting and the artwork, it's worth reading. I normally don't like this type of artwork in a manga -- it's very harsh, stiff, and angular; not at all like the "typical" style (personal opinion here). But it works well with the theme and setting. The artist also has a very cinematic style -- I got the impression I was looking at the storyboard for a movie.

For all the zombie slaughter, the violence is not very graphic. The language is surprisingly mild, too. Add to that the complete lack of focus on female breasts (a rarity in manga), makes this reasonably appropriate for teens.