Douglas Ernst

Soulfinder at Sea
Review of the Iconic Comics hardcover edition (March, 2021)

Soulfinder 2: Black Tide finds exorcist Father Patrick Retter and his mentor Father Reginald Crane chasing down a rogue group of submariners & Navy SEALS seeking to unleash a "Black Tide" of evil on the world. This adventure carries on from the introductory chapter in Soulfinder: Demon's Match (2019).

The production value on this 2nd book is doubled over the first crowdfunded issue. The hardcover edition includes the entire story in black & white inked format which provides the opportunity to better appreciate the colourist's work in the final product. A behind-the-scenes script discussion also adds to further understanding of the team work involved in taking a story from script to drawn images.

The only off note for me was the transition in the features of Father Retter from original artist Timothy Lim to Matthew Weldon in this second outing. Retter looks entirely too boyish, almost like a teenager in many panels. Even if he is the junior partner in the alliance, it just seems off that a supposed army veteran, schooled priest etc. would not look at least like he was in his late 20's early 30's. A minor quibble but I couldn't help noticing it constantly.… (més)

Ο μισθοφορος του διαβόλου*
Review of the self-published crowdfunded graphic novel (2019)

Parish priest Father Patrick Retter is a student of demonology, aside from his regular pastoral duties. He is an ex-military veteran who lost a leg in combat. When a series of mysterious assaults and incidents occur in his small town of Steepletown he starts to investigate and uncovers cases of demonic possession. His Bishop is skeptical about the supernatural and attempts to discourage Retter's efforts. A mentor appears to recruit Retter into a secret society of Catholic exorcists called the Soulfinders, established by Pope Boniface II in the 6th Century. Retter will be Soulfinder No. 79.

I found Soulfinder: Demon's Match to have quite a unique theme for the comic book genre which is too often dominated by superheroes and super criminals. It develops the theme with an amount of seriousness that you wouldn't expect, including having untranslated texts of Greek and Latin exorcisms. The series is expected to continue via the Indiegogo crowdfunding platform, but the campaign for the 2nd volume has not yet begun.

Trivia
* O misthoforos tou diavólou (O Mercenary of the Devil) (Greek) is how the Soulfinders address the evil entities that they are seeking to exorcize in this graphic novel.… (més)