The Devilers #1

By Joshua Hale Fialkov, Mark Roberts and Matt Triano

One of the biggest attention-grabbers for a comic book is an excellent cover and The Devilers definitely has that. That piece was done by Jock and his unique style should grab an audience. While a nice cover will help you out, there also needs to be a good story too. Luckily this book has both.

Joshua Hale Fialkov does a very good job this issue of making many of the characters relatable. Father Malcolm comes off as your typical priest; he drinks, swears and has had a run-in with a demon before. Fialkov writes him with an ease and charisma that will immediately attract the reader. Fialkov doesn’t get too deep into his characters in this first issue and that’s absolutely fine because he advances the plot along. Fialkov takes some steps in making sure that this doesn’t fall into some of the traps of many generic clichés that other demon books do. For starter, the characters in this book team-up with a demon and there is a diverse team that are all equipped with an odd power that enables them to fight the good fight. There is a lot to like about this first issue and hopefully Fialkov will continue to build on it as the book moves forward.

Matt Triano takes on the art for this issue and displays some decent work. There are some panels where people’s faces look a bit odd, but for the most part, the art is well done. Triano’s most impressive feat this issue lies in his ability to bring these odd demons to life. The look and texture of some of the beasts are impressive. The shading and colors by Mark Roberts is a great compliment to Triano and the book in general. Whether it’s well placed blood dripping down a demons leg or mysterious blue smoke, Roberts is a good asset to have on this title.

The Devilers is a nice little surprise book this week and should be picked up. Fialkov has a fresh take on a horror story that is entertaining and very well thought-out. With the art of Matt Triano giving the book an eerie feel and Mark Robert’s impressive colors, this title is off to a very good start.