Comic Review: The Seraph issue #1 & #2 by Eze

Comic Title: The Seraph

Comic Studio: Epoch Comics

Art by: Martin Okonkwo 

Written by: Chika Emmanuel 

Comic Review of The Seraph issues #1 & #2 by Eze; How Does an Archangel Cast Down to Earth Survive?

 


I must say, though, Epoch studios really put in a lot of time and effort into this comic, because this is seriously movie-worthy! 

The Seraph revolves around an archangel, second-in-command in the Seventh level of the Heavens, who is stripped of his powers and glory and cast down to Earth for seventy-seven days to overcome trials after which he is successful he would get to regain his place. Ordinarily, for an angel, this would be bad enough but considering his position, this would apparently be a hell of its own to him. 

Remember, he helped throw down those dark forces which are now resident on Earth - the equivalent of a meritorious cop being put in jail among the criminals he helped imprison... yeah, you get the idea. 

As the comic progresses from issue 1 to issue 2, we get to see certain characters being unveiled; number one amongst them being the Seraph himself, archangel Tumal, who is revealed to be second-in-command to Archangel Michael... wow. Can I just say, when these top guys fall, they fall hard, don't they? I wonder what he did... 

So, apparently, Tumal is sentenced to surviving on Earth for seventy-seven days (or "Seven Seven" days, as it is said in Heavenspeak, according to the comic, don't look at me please). 

Another character seen is a demon-possessed lady who is saved by a man who seems to be a police officer, judging from the firearms he carries. Our first encounter with the lady is of her being chased by "something" out of a dark alley. She falls into the arms of the man (later revealed to be Ben, a police officer... ha!) who defends her before she faints in his arms and is taken to the hospital. 

Another main character is Officer Ben, who really starts his central role in Issue 2 where he is called to go check on a disturbance reported by some local thugs about a "giant human demon". Apparently, Ben has a thing for the supernatural - or do we say, paranormal? 

Ben's commanding officer, D.P.O Don Bankole, also seems to be in a central position, but that is left to be seen in subsequent issues. Revolving back to Tumal, he ends up being attacked on his first night out by Scourge, a demoness, who so badly wants him to fail in his trials... or perhaps that could just be a rub-off from her lord Rimraz, who is second in command to Lucifer. 

It turns out Rimraz fought Tumal one-on-one in the battle that raged in Heaven leading to their expulsion... and Rimraz lost. Now, Rimraz ensures the demon-possessed lady, who disappeared from the hospital, crosses paths with Tumal, in order to see if he will succumb to other "enticements", since his (Rimraz) "visit" to Tumal in an abandoned church was cut short by the arrival of the police (Ben and Don Bankole). 

While driving away from the church, they almost hit the lady who faints (again?!) in Ben's arms and has to be placed beside Tumal in the backseat (oh, poor Tumal, he doesn't know) and he wonders at the weakness and frailty of humans meant to judge and rule over him and his kind. 

Perhaps, more characters can be expected in Lure and Combat, which is the title of the still-to-come issue 3. 

The Seraph is set in Nigeria and the only areas yet seen are the Apapa-Lekki axis of Lagos, Nigeria; although certain scenes of Heaven and the Realm of Darkness are shown. 

The Seraph appears to move along with a well-paced storyline, but with great attention being paid to background stories in order to help the story progress smoothly and I must say it works. With such a storyline (I mean, who hasn't fantasized about angels and demons) and the setting, it will be no surprise if The Seraph becomes one of the most read and sought after comics to come from the Nigerian scene.