Outcast is a demonic possession horror comic series from writer Robert Kirkman (The Walking Dead) and artist Paul Azaceta. The Image Comics release has just dropped issue #9 so check out my review right here.
Kyle Barnes has been plagued by demonic possession all his life and now he needs answers. Unfortunately, what he uncovers along the way could bring about the end of life on Earth as we know it. It begins here – with this terrifying new horror series from THE WALKING DEAD creator Robert Kirkman and artist Paul Azaceta.
With the TV series adaptation ever looming, Outcast is just now starting to put the pieces together in regards to how this world works — and I am grateful. Issue #9 is a tremendous mix of suspense and world building from Kirkman, who has been confusing the hell out of me thus far in his new exorcist inspired comic. Kyle Barnes is referred to as “an Outcast” multiple times and I like that, I don’t know “why” he’s an Outcast or what the hell that even means, but I appreciate the comic title having some more weight behind it now as the layers get peeled back in regards to how this world operates.
After tracking down a runaway girl, Reverend Anderson and Kyle figure out exactly what it is that makes him dangerous to the evil spirits that inhabit humans. The conclusion is also one of the better endings in recent issues, delivering a nice shock to readers such as myself who expected a completely different outcome. The mysterious stranger who killed the old guy next door to Kyle gets the most plot reveals this issue during a conversation with one of Anderson’s clients. Several puzzle pieces are dropped on the table in that moment and although very few actually come together to make sense of it all, we the readers at least get a sense of some motivation behind the villains of this story.
After a tremendous debut issue I’ve felt that Outcast has at times been stringing me along by not revealing enough, but with issue #9 I’m extremely happy to see just the right amount of answers to keep me invested. Azaceta continues to draw the creepiest facial expressions in comics today and Outcast remains one of the most stellar titles in an ever growing Image library of greatness.