Review: Outcast 01
Writer: Robert Kirkman Artist: Paul Azaceta Publisher: Image Comics When Robert Kirkman puts his name on the front of a comic book cover it's simply guaranteed to generate buzz. He's the very definition of "rock star writer" and in today's growing list of hit writers Kirkman is at the very top when it comes to success. From the best selling books Invincible to The Walking Dead, Kirkman is easily the most successful comic book writer of our generation and Outcast is his newest venture into horror comics and it's fucking great. Outcast is everything to possession films that The Walking Dead was to zombie films: Candid, serious, gritty and down right gripping. Kirkman has injected the same flavor of character development and dialogue into a film genre people might be totally burnt out on. The story in the first issue is brief: A guy named Josh, whom you learn is an "outcast" (whatever that means) and that his family was torn apart when his wife was allegedly possessed by a demon. He learns he has some kind of a gift when he is asked to help a priest with an exorcism of a little boy. Azaceta's work is gritty dark and creepy. He brings such a flavor to the book that it almost wouldn't be nearly as interesting without. Robert Kirkman has knocked it out of the park again. With is prior success it's hard to believe that anything he ever does would be as good as The Walking Dead but if this issue tells us anything, he has still got it, success hasn't changed him a bit and we better hold on to our butts.