Priests with shotguns? Nuns with uzis? Yes. And that’s only on page one. If you’re looking for torrents of blood, clouds of bullets, and plenty of black magic then Kiss Me, Satan #5 was written just for you.

Here’s the official word from Dark Horse:

Barnabus Black infiltrates the werewolf mafia’s mansion, only to be overtaken by an army of angry monsters, a dangerous wizard, and their werewolf godfather!

Let’s give credit where credit is due: writer Victor Gischler’s most impressive accomplishment during this inaugural five part arc for Kiss Me, Satan was his ability to build a complex universe that could easily become an on-going series. No joke, I feel like I’d need a flowchart to explain all the characters, dimensions, and dynamics at play here; it’s amazing to look back and see how much Gischler introduced in only five issues. But like most of us, Gischler’s greatest strength highlights his greatest weakness: his universe building took such center stage that the five-part story he presented here feels like an afterthought at best. Ultimately, Barnabus Black feels flat and Zell (the witch who saved issue #4) all but disappears.

Artist Juan Ferreyra provides some beautiful art here and seems most at home when composing still scenes — characters in portrait or posing (or just sitting around) look outstanding. His action scenes tend to feel a little rigid; characters run stiffly or tumble a bit awkwardly. All of this can be forgiven, however, thanks to the awesome death scenes he delivers. I’ve never seen a werewolf killed so gracefully. No joke.

It’ll be interesting to see if Dark Horse launches this as a full blown series. Although this inaugural run felt rushed (and at times uneven) there’s no doubt that there’s a lot of possibility inherent in this title.

5/5