The Occultist #5 Review

Will Rob and the Sword be able to work on the same page again? Read on to find out.

The official description from Dark Horse:

The final showdown! The Occultist faces off against the evil wizard who wants to steal our hero’s power! In the midst of a bloody confrontation, learn the secrets of the villain’s ruthless past, as well as the true purpose of the Occultist!

Throughout this series of The Occultist Rob Bailey has had trouble with the Sword, with this development being the main focus point of this series. In this issue however everything gets rapped up nicely in a dark exciting issue, that also manages to add in some fun.

Tim Seeley and Occultist creator/Dark Horse founder Mike Richardson did a terrific job of capping off this series, putting Rob through one last ordeal. Aside from capping the series off, this issue also saw Rob and the Sword do battle with a person that Rob knows very well, with it having a shocking effect on Rob. Despite this however the issue doesn’t feel too special, with the it’s more sombre tone taking away from the pace slightly. In saying that Seeley and Richardson did give some exciting action and entertaining interactions, and with the small cameo near the end it teases the possibility of a crossover with another Dark Horse series.

Mike Norton did a fantastic job of the art in this issue, with his energetic style being the best part about this current run. The detail and layout of Norton’s art is as usual simply amazing, as despite there being the odd imperfection in the minor detail the smooth and exciting flow of the layouts gives a much needed energy boost. Norton also shows the emotion from Rob and the main villain perfectly, adding a lot more drama to the story. The issue also had some brilliant action as well, with Norton’s art being the key factor behind the lively feel.

The Occultist ends on a moderate high, with the teaser near the end having me excited for the future of The Occultist. Highly recommended.

4/5