Review: The Occultist #3 (of 5)

I haven’t read a lot this week, but this was one of the books I enjoyed the most. It’s not just because the creative team is great together, though it does help that they have great chemistry… okay no it is because they’re great together. The story and art working hand in hand here; one isn’t fighting the other it’s just in harmony. I struggled to read some other titles this week and it made me appreciate how great this story is. I will tell you right now that everything worth talking about in this issue is in the latter half of the story… so I’m not going to be able to talk about it. Rob is still hanging out with our Christian school witches and protects them as they go astral and two kids in skull masks try to club their brains in. He wipes their memory which is kind of his go to move and drops them off somewhere else. Meanwhile Detective Melendez is looking for Rob. Having acknowledged her feelings for him, but also because she hasn’t heard or seen him in days; she checks with his friends and ex-girlfriend to see if they’ve seen him and the best lead she gets is to check with his mentor. Melendez heads over to the “mentors” house and let’s just say that the gig is up, but she might be too late to actually say that.

The Occultist #3 CoverThis is a great issue. There’s a lot of payoff for anyone one that’s been reading from the beginning, but even if you just started with this volume you’re in for a treat. As I said the first half isn’t much to talk about, but it sets the stage for the last act that’s more than worth it. Also it’s nice to check in with the other characters of the series and remind you that this world is more than just Rob. Seeley does a great job with the dialogue and the light-hearted moments between characters.

Norton knocks it out of the damn park on this issue. I’m a big fan of his art, but I know it’s not for everyone. I get that but for me he’s one of the top artists in comics right now. Again he shines in the back-end of the story as well. The impressive thing about Norton’s art in this issue is that he revisits familiar settings and manages to recapture them perfectly from their first appearance. I know that sounds like a no brainer, but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve read an issue of something like X-Men in which the same artist illustrated the mansion or school completely different from the last time they illustrated it. It’s simple, but its details like this that make Norton stand out.

I for one am really looking forward to the next issue of this series. This has already been the best in the franchise and appears to be getting better and better with each issue. If you missed out on the first issue then you’ll definitely need to go back in order for this issue to have any meaning for you, but it’s worth it. It’s one of if not the best book I’ve read this week.

Score: 4/5

Writer: Tim Seeley Artist: Mike Norton Publisher: Dark Horse Comics Price: $3.50 Release Date: 12/4/13