Morningstar 1

When you think of the Bible, the first image that pops into your mind most likely isn’t a Clint Eastwood-led Western film. I wouldn’t hold it against you -- I can’t exactly imagine a world with Jesus Christ wandering the lands cleansing sinful people with his trusty six-shooters, Forgiveness and Penance.

Actually… wait, can I trademark that? Is that possible?

Anyway, Gerimi Burleigh, writer and illustrator of Morningstar, manages to create a world of pistol- and rifle-wielding Archangels, Daemons bent on devouring all good things, and one Archangel doomed to fall: Lucifer.

Morningstar plans to follow Archangel’s story before his turn into the Devil, a parable that translates in a rather interestingly compelling way, save for some tonal missteps.

In Morningstar 1, we are introduced to the Archangels of Heaven -- guardians, gunslingers, and survivors alike, all want to see their small town of Heaven thrive and prevail against the evil lurking in the surrounding shadows. The shantytown that is Heaven embodies the typical Wild West setting, missing only tumbleweeds rolling along the roads. However, it is a little jarring to see the words “Welcome to Heaven” emblazoned on a wooden sign, though that may just be a result of the subject matter itself.

In fact, hand-in-hand with its novelty, the entire issue has a feeling of a strange tonal dissonance. The first panels open with yet another slightly humorous “Welcome to Heaven” sign moments before we meet the restless evil face-to-face for the the first time in a gruesome and horrible fashion. Morningstar feels like it wants to be both a compelling drama of good and evil and a fun action comic, but hasn’t quite worked out how to rectify the the two environments, and the addition of the Biblical setting only causes me to think that Morningstar will require a bit more finesse in bringing these pieces together in harmony. I don’t want to question why a character -- the main character, no less -- didn’t decide to end the main conflict that plagues them and their town for no other reason than to serve as an excuse to segue into future issues. I want to see Cowboy Lucifer fall in a consistent, fully-realized setting, and this introduction comes close to reaching that.

Still, the concept is neat enough that those who are well-versed in the Bible would get a kick out of seeing familiar names run amok in the hellish desert of Heaven. If you like the idea of mixing up sand with your Psalms, you might have a new comic to dig into.

To learn more about Morningstar, mosey on over to OpticHouse.com where you can purchase the this issue, other issues, and more.

Geek-o-Rama received a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. All thoughts, comments and opinions are those of the individual reviewer.