Broken Frontier

There is a lot to like about the latest offering from Saint James Comics. The story is fairly simple but an exciting story not without a few surpises. Ex Occultus: The Badge of Langavat is a one and done, satisfying tale expanding on a real legend from Scotland. Fergus and Wakefield are a pair of investigators traveling to the Island of Benbecula in the Outer Hebrides to find out if the legendary werewolves are responsible for the kidnapping of some children. Using faeries to help them sniff out the perpetrators, the pair find themselves in a fight with the fearsome werewolves.

I actually wasn't expecting so much action from this title, but a good portion of it was an expertly choreographed fight between our heroes and the clan of werewolves. Lanz's storytelling is very crisp and clear, more than making up for some of the sketchiness of the rendering. As a general rule, I am not a fan of gray-tones in black and white comics, as I find it muddies the works, so to speak, but it is done well here. I was particularly impressed with the splash page, a seeming mixed media piece with excellent use of negative space and white on black rendering.

The biggest problem with Ex Occultus: Badge of Langavat lays in its overemphasis of plot over character development. I don't even think Wakefield is mentioned by name in the story, leaving a new reader confused about who the hero is. It is a great concept, especially being set in a believable past, and I am excited to read more about Wakefield and Fergus, but they are not developed well here.

The comic is worth a look. I commend the writers for using a barely known legend as a springboard for their story. Researching the review, Wikipedia provided a mere sentence. Many occult investigator comics tackle the more common legends and look to add a new twist. In this case, the material is fresh and interesting. I am not sure what the plans are for future episodes of Ex Occultus, but no doubt the creators have earned a future look.