Indie Spotlight: Sacrifice #1

Rob reviews Sacrifice #1...

Crowdfunding is becoming an ever more popular way for independent comic creators to fund their projects. Over the last year, I've thrown the 'Geek Culture Reviews Indie Spotlight' on to many of these independent creators and publishers. I feel that the indie scene isn't represented enough and that there is some real talent hidden away underneath the bulk of "The Big Two". Whereas Marvel and DC have the monopoly on the comic book scene, if you look beneath there's a whole world waiting to be discovered. 

One such title is Sacrifice, a horror/comedy that's described as "Hellboy meets Evil Dead", and has been written by Laurent Valles Jr. 

So, what's it all about? 

Sacrifice tells the story of Mei Lacey, a typical college student who's moving away from home for the first time. While she's lived a pretty normal life, her first week away from home turns into anything but. Mei, who's also studying for a literature major, is soon duped into attempting to translate the text of a book that's filled with a strange unknown language. Unable to decipher the text, Mei heads for home, but little does she know that her cards have been marked. 

Things then get taken up a notch as Mei is kidnapped on her way home and taken back to the library. Valles Jr utilises this moment to reveal Mei's role within the ongoing narrative, and throws small glimpses of the wider Sacrifice world. This is enhanced further as we're then introduced to Damien - a winged being whose soul has been bonded to Lucifer - and he's also the baby within the prologue. While we're not explicitly told why Damien is working for the "good guys", he does reassure both the reader and Mei that he's looking out for her best interests. 

What then follows is a pretty impressive action scene that flows through the last 15-or-so pages. We get to see Damien lay the smackdown to some pretty impressive baddies, as Valles Jr crams in plenty of one-liners and other comedy moments. Whilst Sacrifice has its comedic elements, they're never felt forced, and almost feel organic as to what the character would say The conversation between Mei and Damien about Bigfoot and Frankenstein is not only a "funny" moment, it also adds more world building to the mix. 

When it comes to the overall narrative, this opening issue does a superb job of setting everything up. Valles Jr gives us just enough of an introduction to hook us into his world. Even after just one issue, there are plenty of questions that need answering. And that's what makes Sacrifice a brilliant read. 

Art for this issue comes from illustrator, Uj Chen. There's a lot of great linework throughout this issue, and it's certainly hard to pick any one scene that's not as good as the rest. Chen draws some pretty impressive demons with each feeling unique from the plethora of other comic book monsters. While some characters do fall into the tried and tested categories they look bloody brilliant nonetheless. Damien is also a pretty impressive character. From his Batman-style introduction as a dark figure above the library to his playful antics whilst fighting, the character just oozes style and flair.

Combat also flows with an effortless style, as Chen utilises various viewpoints to keep things feeling fresh. This is then backed up by the gorgeous colour work of Ichsan Ansor. Considering the dark nature of the narrative, there isn't a great deal of darkness within its colour palette. What we get is a balance between light and dark as Ansor utilises both to great effect. Much like Chen's linework, Ansor's colours come together to create a believable world - even if it's filled with demons and other monsters. 

Overall, Sacrifice is a comic that I'm glad I read. From the opening page, there's plenty of world-building and a wonderful display of art and colour work. Each page turn introduces you to more of this world and the vibrant characters who live within it. Considering this is also the opening chapter in a 6-part series, there's already enough story here to keep Sacrifice going well past that number

The story here will resonate with anyone who's a fan of films such as Hellboy, Evil Dead, Shaun of the Dead - there are also hints of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly/Serenity in there too! 

I'll always be thankful for Laurent Valles Jr for reaching out to me about Sacrifice as this is one comic that would have certainly flown under my radar! 

Sacrifice #1 is available now and you can purchase a copy by clicking here.

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Rob Lake - For more comic book and video game chat why not follow Geek Culture Reviews on Twitter and Facebook @GeekCultureRev