By: Min-Woo Hyung Publisher: TokyoPop Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: TokyoPop Number of Items: 9 Number of Pages: 176 Publication Date: November 19, 2002 Release Date: November 19, 2002
Product Description: Ivan Isaacs was once a priest. Devoted to his faith he would have given up anything for it. Then the establishment he believed in turned on him, sending him headlong into Hell. Now, he's back. With the priesthood now corrupt with demons, the undead and black prayers, he has returned with the help of the demon Belial, a voice in the darkness who offered Ivan a chance at vengeance, in exchange for his soul. With his six-shooter, a bowie knife at his side and the white collar of his former life adorning his neck he is a lost pale rider in a barren Wild West where past and future collide.
A Fantastic Start I had never heard of this manga until I went to a used book shop and picked up the first 10 Volumes of this manga for $25 and I must say it was well worth the money. Anyway, this is my review of this wild and awesome manga.
Priest starts off with several small pictures depicting a man on a cross and a dark stranger in dialogue, but this mystery quickly takes a back seat as we see a priest reading from the bible, tons of flesh-crazed zombies, a stranger dressed in a long coat, and set in an Old West town. Quickly the action picks up as the zombies attack the man in the long coat who fights back with what can be best described as a "Tommy Gun" and a sawed-off shotgun, blasting the zombies with ammunition, but just as the stranger in the long coat faces off with the priest, the scene quickly changes to a train already in progress where several large, onimous looking boxes are heavily chained down.
The stranger in the long coat (who's named Ivan Issacs) boards the train that quickly turns into a bloodbath as an outlaw gang leader is led by Marshalls to stand trial for their misdeeds, but the gang has something to say about their leader's imprisonment. The train soon turns into a bloodbath for all the innocent's on the train, but the tide quickly turns as whatever is in the crates begins to come to life. Ivan Issacs does what he does best, and that's to kill, but these towering creatures are easily able to kill several men at once, what chance does one other man stand against such dire odds. Well, when you're armed with a Tommy Gun, a Sawed-Off Shotgun, and several sticks of dynamite, you can really level out the playing field.
This is one of the strangest stories I have read, vengeance, zombies, the old-west, and "new-aged" type of weapons all rolled up into one neat little ball, well, I guess you can't really call it neat because you're hardpressed to find any pages in this book that doesn't contain some sort of bloodshed. The drawing is amazing and the action sequences are masterfully drawn. Just the whole idea in this story is enough to grab hold of you and hang on. After reading this first volume, I was eager to read volumes 2-10 just to see what happened to Ivan Issacs and his journey, but those reviews are best left for another day.
In conclusion, if you like zombies, if you like the old-west, if you like to read about one man's quest for revenge on those who took everything from him in life, go out and get Priest (and yes, there are several religious tones to this story but nothing that is necessarily preachy).
Intriguing Start to a Bloody Series Though very little light was shed as to the over-all story of Priest, this volume did one thing that had me intrigued, and that was to present the darkness of the storyline that is to come. Using Christianity as a base, Priest follows Ivan Isaacs, a man possessed by a want for revenge and holding within him awful secrets that most religious men wouldn't want to know, including a glimpse into Hell. Now, serving his master Belial, Ivan journeys across the American West in search of a man named Jarbilong, fighting Jarbilong's zombie tools along the way. While on a train in search of this man, Ivan Isaacs's journey is interrupted when a group of bandits robs the train in order to save their wanted leader. Yet these bandits have no idea what waits for them in the darkest part of the train, and only the Priest can fight off the evil creatures that are ready to rise.
I think the best part about this volume was the way in which it begin. Very controversial, especially for a religious minded person; Ivan Isaacs hangs from a cross and faces his own resurrection of sorts, and ends up becoming the powerful, gun-toting, knife-slashing outlaw he now is. The agony of Ivan Isaacs is apparent in every action he makes along the way, and his history, which is explored only briefly, is enough to keep me reading this series. I just liked the character of Ivan and the setting in which he was placed.
Though absolutely not a perfect start, as this volume gets almost nowhere fast, it is definitely an intriguing beginning to what is shaping up to be a very bloody and mature series. While Priest technically isn't manga(it's Korean in origin) I would still recommend this to fans of mature manga like Hellsing, as it shares a lot of similarities with that series.
Plot? Plot is for wooses! Who needs a plot when you have zombies, demons, blood, guns, zombies, gore, bullets, zombies, psudo-religion and plenty of death? Oh, did I mention zombies?
Hopefully it will not remain like this in the next book, but after the first I doubt that I'll check it anyway.
Zesty, mindless destruction for blood-thirsty readers! 'Priest' Vol.1 is a very unique manga. Its got shoddy animation, which is sometimes difficult to decipher, and the storyline is a bit unoriginal (kill as many people as you can). However, the animation does make the story much more intense and pleasurable to read, and I do love the gunfights you read in the book. Overall, it's decent. It lacks consistent plot, mainly all you see is the guy shooting people or talking to Satan. But, the scene on the train is truly awesome- read this when you're angry, and you'll undoubtably feel like shooting someone, so only read this when you can control your sanity. I can't really say it's a classic, but it is definitely one-of-a-kind, despite its shaky plot and storyline. Oh, by the way, its rated OT for a reason- TONS of people die in this manga.
far from typical i don't what that scott munro dude is talking about, but this series is far from typical. i hate manga, but this series delves so deep into the human soul and psyche that i can't put it down. clearly the guy below hasn't even read much of the series or he would know that there is a ton of character development throughout the series. in each volume you learn more about the history of the characters and their relationships, and trust me these back-stories will take your mind for a spin. it's a story of struggle, physical, spiritual and psychological. i don't see how a person can write such a lame negative review after clearly not reading much of it. also, he says it's very plotless and typical, then says the first volume was confusing. if it's only a violent zombie-killing fest, what confused you? and at least get the name of Ivan's lost love, who is key to understanding his motivations, correct. it's gena, not jenna.
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