Cartoonist: Rees Finlay Publisher: Self-Published
WHAT IS IT?
A noir/crime/horror 4-issue miniseries where a woman fights supernatural crimes.
It's similar to the classic, gothy action film, The Crow. Also, if you've watched Constantine, there's a bit of that in there, too.
WHAT'S IT ABOUT?
(Minor Spoilers)
Holly Peters died and returned to life mysteriously, with many of her old memories lost to her. Now, she is the High Priestess. She has strange powers she's still learning about, and she communes with the angel Gabriel, who tells her of heinous, demon-influenced crimes. While she might be wondering about her new powers or the memories she's lost, there's no time to rest on her laurels – kids are disappearing in what seems like demon-related crimes, and she's the only one who can stop it.
Can Holly solve these crimes before more kids are lost? Can she reconnect with her old life and regain her memories? Or is this new life all she has, now?
WHAT WORKS?
Rees Finlay's writing is my favorite part of The High Priestess
There's a street-meets-supernatural element to The High Priestess, and Finlay does well to straddle that line
Holly is a strong female character who seems down-to-earth, like someone you'd want to have a beer with
The story also feels thoughtfully edited, with a lot of the fat trimmed to make it well-paced and not overburdened with the narrative or unnecessary scenes
His comedic timing is also strong, knowing just when to add in those humorous moments to give some relief to the heavy subject matter
The art and writing is much improved from Finlay's 2015 version of The High Priestess
Check out the Kickstarter link at the bottom of this review to see a comparison, and see where Rees Finlay's art is currently in the image below
He has a keen eye for visual suspense, and a good understanding of building that tension for his characters
It's always a pleasure getting color in indie comics, and Finlay's palette lends the book a strong, dark, moody tone
The talented Emily Pearson does the cover art
WHAT DOESN'T WORK?
While the line art has definitely improved from The High Priestess's previous incarnation, Finlay is still honing his artistic skills
You can definitely tell Finlay's vision is there. You can almost imagine the scene played out on the big screen, with actors and special effects. His ability just doesn't yet support his grand vision.
If you're thinking of showing this to kids, know that this book has demons, smoking and some other adult themes
The way the first issue ends, it feels like Holly just doesn't finish her sentence – it felt like it should have ended with a strong splash page where she does finish the sentence, confident in her resolution
WHY SHOULD I READ IT?
Rees Finlay's a talented cartoonist with a strong creative vision. The High Priestess is a great indie comic for anyone who misses those '90s and '00s gothy, good vs. evil action flicks. Go fund the Kickstarter today!
WHAT DO I READ NEXT?
If you like the writing:
Scratcher by John Ward & Juan Romera
If you like the art:
ABOUT THE CREATORS
Rees Finlay – Cartoonist
Multitalented: Wrote, illustrated, colored and lettered all of The High Priestess
Based The High Priestess on his autobiographical comic, The Blue Flame
Was in a terrible car accident a few years back
HOW DO I BUY IT?
Click below:
The image(s) used in this article are from a comic strip, webcomic or the cover or interior of a comic book. The copyright for this image(s) is likely owned by either the publisher of the comic, the writer(s) and/or artist(s) who produced the comic. It is believed that the use of this image(s) qualifies as fair use under the United States copyright law. The image is used in a limited fashion in an educational manner in order to illustrate the points of the author and not for the purpose of entertainment or substituting the original work. It is believed the use of this image has had no impact on the market value of the original work.
All Rees Finlay characters and the distinctive likeness(es) thereof are trademarks of and copyright Rees Finlay or their respective owners. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED