Reviews»Comic Books»The Occultist #5
occultist
Kareem Ali 4

The Occultist #5

 

  • The good

    Great action and character development as Rob finally wields the Sword in the way it was intended. Satisfying conclusion to series.

  • The bad

    Not entirely clear on how the technomancer was able to wield the sword despite not being chosen

  • The ugly

  • The Occultist #5 finally has Rob facing off against the technomancer, Mr. Charles, who not only deceived him as a mentor but also got him to violate the pact between the living and the dead by playing with his heart using junkies, effectively putting in jeopardy his role as the Occultist. This was the purpose of the technomancer’s plan as he intended to have the Sword reject Rob because of this violation so he could take its power for himself. However the Occultist is hell-bent on getting his revenge but it won’t be easy considering the Sword is displeased with him and as a result his powers are fickle at best. So he vows to the Sword that he intends to defeat the technomancer and once that’s done the Sword can decide his fate as the Occultist because he knows he will need all the power he has to win. But Mr. Charles has been expecting this and has his house rigged to leave the Occultist incapacitated so the real battle could begin: the battle for control of the sword. Despite Mr. Charles wanting to use the Sword for his own nefarious purposes, does his vast knowledge of the mystical arts spanning centuries give him the advantage he ultimately needs, or will Rob defeat this menace once and for all?

    occultist5p5

    This series has been up and down for me with it being at its best when Rob uses his powers correctly as the Occultist and at its weakest during Rob’s extended naiveté as to his actions at the gate and the intentions of those using him. This issue jumps right into the action with Rob going after Mr. Charles and walking into his trap as expected. What was unexpected was the history lesson in this issue about Mr. Charles and it was handled very well as the true identity of the technomancer was revealed along with his motives in wanting the Sword for himself. This is one of the few times I would overlook a villain giving a soliloquy about his past and plans while on the verge of defeating the protagonist because the clarification was necessary and it didn’t impede him from going through with his plans. And the events that unfolded showed the Occultist at his best, and finally showed in this series how he could be worthy of wielding the Sword as his understanding of it was on full display. His supporting cast comes off strong in this issue once again and the ultimate fate of Mr. Charles tied up the loose ends from earlier in the series as well. I have to state that this is now a character and cast I’ll be keeping my eye out for in future series, and the hint given in this issue to a potential tie-in or bigger developments going on behind the scenes was exciting to me since I enjoy the material that was referenced (no spoilers from me). If that’s the case then I think there’s some potential there.

     

    SUMMARY

    The Occultist #5 is a solid ending to this series and is satisfying as it reveals the true motives behind everything that occurred while tying up loose ends. When the Occultist is at his best, as he is in this issue, he can be a mesmerizing character and with the ghostly action combined with the character development, this was the best issue in the series. I don’t know what’s in store for the Occultist after this but I would be on board to seeing him in future series based on this issue alone. If you’ve read any issue in this series then I recommend finishing it because it has a satisfying conclusion. If you enjoy ghostly subject matter or tales of the mystic arts you should check out this series and enjoy the ethereal journey.

     

    Release Date: 2/5/14

    Writer: Tim Seeley

    Artist: Mike Norton

  • Gameplay ( 8.25 )
  • Total score 8.3

Leave a Reply

%d bloggers like this: