SACRIFICE #1, available now on Kickstarter from Laurent Valles Jr., follows a young college student who stumbles into the world of demons and monsters.
The Details
- Written By: Laurent Valles Jr.
- Art By: UJ Chen
- Colors By: Ichsan Ansori
- Letters By: Lucas Gattoni
- Cover Art By: Uj Chen
- Cover Price: $5.00 (digital pdf)
- Release Date: September 2021
Was It Good?
SACRIFICE #1 is a darn amusing indie project. Something is fascinating about stories that unveil the world underneath the world around you. Myths and legends are made real, and stuff of midnight movies comes crawling at you from dark shadows. SACRIFICE #1 is just such a story with a layer of charming wit.
No property that adequately captures the vibe of this comic, but we’re going to try anyway. Mix Preacher with Buffy the Vampire Slayer and a generous splash of Devilman. That gets you in the ballpark.
The story centers around a college student, Mei, studying linguistics who suddenly gets caught up in a struggle between warring factions of demons and archangels. The demons are intimidating and dangerous with a hint of cavalier smarminess. The archangels are all business. And the main “hero”, Damien, falls somewhere in the middle with a Doctor Who-like personality that’s thoroughly entertaining.
Damien is an interesting character because he’s got a been-there-done-that attitude that covers Mei in a blanket of security when any human would rightfully be losing their mind. The character work is on point, the snappy dialog is amusing, and the pacing is impressive. You know everything you need to know about this world in a scant few pages before the meat of the story kicks in, so it’s super easy to settle in and enjoy the ride.
The art is excellent in this first issue. The visuals look like something you’d expect to see from a small publisher rather than a crowdfunded project. The lines are clean, the color is outstanding, and the character designs are memorable. Style-wise, you can pick up a subtle Manga influence. On the downside, the face anatomies are sometimes inconsistent, but it’s only a distraction in the close-up panels.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at the covers, or Click Here to jump right to the story description with some spoilers.
What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
We begin with a flashback to a satanic ritual in a church 24 years ago. The ritual binds Satan to a child, and when the child dies, Satan will be given passage to walk the Earth. Before the leader completes the ceremony, a squadron of Archangels arrives to put down the demonic participants and save the child. Unfortunately, the binding is complete, and Satan will rise when the child dies.
Now, Mei is a college student studying linguistics. As she studies in the library, a librarian approaches Mei to help translate some ancient texts. We soon learn the texts belong to an ancient book of spells, and the book chose Mei to be its new master. As Mei walks home that night, she’s kidnapped by a demon and brought before Victor, an ancient sorcerer (maybe?) who wants to force Mei to become his slave and use the spellbook to do his bidding.
Before Mei can have her mind wiped of free will, Damien arrives to set Mei free and defeat Victor. We conclude the issue with wings, horns, and lightning.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at preview images of the internal pages, or Click Here to jump right to the score.
Final Thoughts
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SACRIFICE #1 is a fun comic from start to finish. The subject matter is engaging, the characters and world are well-developed with military efficiency and ease, and the art is excellent. If you like horror with a charming, witty edge, this comic is a recommended pick.
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