Originally published on Patreon
I've been enjoying the Azrael series so far, and have found that this might be some of the more enjoyable stuff I've seen with the character for as long as I can remember. But this issue went from very good to excellent very quickly; and I absolutely loved it.
The issue begins with a catch up with Brielle, who's off with the Knights Templar as they try to make her into their next weapon. We get hints of what might be to come for her, as we see designs and plans for what would be her angel armour, a suit that would be physically grafted onto her body. From what we see it's a pretty cool design, and the small details of how it would become a permanent attachment onto her flesh makes it super creepy too. I honestly don't know whether it's something I'd want to happen to her or not, as it would be awful for her as a character, but super cool to see.
From here, we rejoin Jean-Paul as he searches for information about the origin of the Order of St Dumas; a journey that has taken him to a small village where the community is saddened for the disappearance of a local man who vanished in the mountains.
Going to investigate, Jean-Paul taps into some of the stored memories of past Azraels, and discovers a long lost base for the order; one that reveals the shocking origin of the System. It turns out thousands of years ago, Orion and Kalibak had a fight, and they lost a Mother Box. The Order saw them as an angel and a demon, and the Box as a godly relic. They used the tech within it to create the first Azrael. This is certainly an interesting origin for the character, and one that I think fans of Azrael will probably either love or hate. Considering this is a universe where God exists, and various heroes have connections to him, it feels odd to make the heavily religious character related to aliens. Even if they are New Gods.
This issue also reveals that Azreal was not the first attempt to make an 'angel'. Hidden beneath the mountain, preying upon those who journey too close to it, is the first angel of the order, Lucifer. Giant, monstrous, and corrupt, this hulking figure is a sight to behold, and kicks the ever loving crap out of Jean-Paul.
I kind of like some of the dives into the characters pasts in this issue, building up the history of the order and adding more characters into the mix. The story was super interesting, the reveals came at a great pace, and the new villain for Jean-Paul to fight is a pretty cool idea and design.
Speaking of the design aspect, I'm really, really enjoying Nikola Cizmesija's art on this issue. The series has always looked nice, but this might be the best looking issue so far. Maybe it's the setting changing to a much darker location that gives it a different feel, but the environments all seem dark and scary. The characters all look great too, and the hints for Brielle's armour look really cool, and Lucifer is fantastic (like something out of Dark Souls or Elden Ring).
I really hope that this series continues to be this good, and that it impresses the right kinds of people as I'd love to see this creative team be given more time with the character. It's one that I never thought I'd care much about, but can see myself reading an ongoing like this in a heartbeat.
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