The Possessed

(WildStorm, 2003-2004)
™ and © WildStorm, and imprint of DC Comics

It’s The Exorcist meets Ghostbusters (with muscles and without the outrageous humor) meets Alien in this tale of terror concocted (with Kris Grimminger) by Geoff Johns, who is better known for his excellent work on mainstream Marvel and DC super-heroes (such as The Flash). The action begins straightforwardly enough, with a Max von Sydow-like priest attempting to perform an exorcism on a Linda Blair-like, demon-possessed girl. The demon is too powerful, though, so in steps The Possessed, a band of demon-busters armed to the teeth with conventional weaponry and unconventional (for a story about exorcism) coolness. (They have scars, tattoos, and angry attitudes.) The leader of the fearsome five is the aptly named Christian, whose priestly job is to exorcise the demon from the victim before any lead can fly.

This comic book works pretty well as an amalgamation of two disparate genres (the occult thriller and the action film), especially in terms of Christian, who relies as much on his faith as he does his firearms. Each member was formerly possessed at one time or another, lending credibility and haunted pithiness to their overtly just, yet highly dangerous cause.

Certain action scenes are muddled and a bit hard to follow, and the art has too much crosshatching and not enough background, but the rich detail and dark authenticity of some of the better panels make up for these shortcomings.

— Brett Weiss

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