Priest (manhwa)
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Priest is an ongoing manhwa (Korean comic) series created by Min-Woo Hyung.
It is published in English by TOKYOPOP.
Contents |
[edit] Manhwa (Books)
| Name | Publisher | ISBN |
|---|---|---|
| English Priest Volume 1 | TOKYOPOP | ISBN 1-59182-008-1 |
| English Priest Volume 2 | TOKYOPOP | ISBN 1-59182-009-X |
| English Priest Volume 3 | TOKYOPOP | ISBN 1-59182-010-3 |
| English Priest Volume 4 | TOKYOPOP | ISBN 1-59182-088-X |
| English Priest Volume 5 | TOKYOPOP | ISBN 1-59182-201-7 |
| English Priest Volume 6 | TOKYOPOP | ISBN 1-59182-202-5 |
| English Priest Volume 7 | TOKYOPOP | ISBN 1-59182-203-3 |
| English Priest Volume 8 | TOKYOPOP | ISBN 1-59182-204-1 |
| English Priest Volume 9 | TOKYOPOP | ISBN 1-59182-205-X |
| English Priest Volume 10 | TOKYOPOP | ISBN 1-59182-511-3 |
| English Priest Volume 11 | TOKYOPOP | ISBN 1-59182-512-1 |
| English Priest Volume 12 | TOKYOPOP | ISBN 1-59182-513-X |
| English Priest Volume 13 | TOKYOPOP | ISBN 1-59182-514-8 |
| English Priest Volume 14 | TOKYOPOP | ISBN 1-59182-515-6 |
| English Priest Volume 15 | TOKYOPOP | ISBN 1-59182-516-4 |
[edit] Story
Priest tells the story of humanity's battle against 12 fallen angels, led by the archangel Temozarela. Despite having fought for God in the battle against Lucifer, Temozarela and his cohorts shortly thereafter find that God had lost interest in them. Upon finding God has focused his attention on humans they decide to rebel against God in light of God's favoritism towards the human race. They descend upon Earth to 'play God' among the humans who build a temple and statues for them. For their rebellion and acts against humanity, God destroyed their temple and their statues were cast underground, with their souls being trapped within the statues. It was centuries later that a Holy Knight called Vascar De Gullion, a killer of heretics in the name of God, found Temozarela. After his wife and child were burned alive Vascar De Gullion 'loses faith' and wanders the earth in a 'blood rage.' His journey comes to an end when he discovers a hidden cave with the statues of the 12 fallen angels. Temozarela talks Vascar De Gullion into giving his body to him in the hopes of gaining revenge on God. It is again centuries later that Vascar De Gullion is found alive and sentenced to be judged as a Heretic by Betheal, a powerful priest. Upon dealing with Vascar De Gullion, Betheal discovers from Vascar De Gullion that he is not who he is meant to be, but rather Temozarela. Temozarela plays with Betheals only pride and joy in life, a child he saved from a heretic sacrifice. Once Betheal sees what his child had done he instead sees Temozarela laughing and ends up killing the child with his own hands. Betheal loses faith in God also and Temozarela takes Betheal under his wing as one of his disciples. Instead of turning in favor of Temozarela, Betheal acts as the Judas in this story, betraying Temozarela. Betheal devotes his life to study a way to trap Temozarela so that people can be free from him. This came in heretic invention of the Domas Porada. Betheals body is needed to be the key in keeping the lock on this 'cage' locked. With his soul trapped inside the Domas Porada Betheal enters a new life altogether with the power he gained from turning away from God. He is a now a kind of demon, called Belial. Ivan Isaacs, the hero, is called upon to solve the puzzle that the Domas Porada presents. Upon solving it Ivan is cast onto a cross after witnessing his only love, Gena, die in his arms. It is then that Belial takes Ivan, who in the madness of loosing Gena denounces God. Ivan is reborn as an immortal serving Belial. Because of Gena's death Ivan devotes himself for vengeance against Temozarela and his men.
The Priest story spans three distinct time periods; modern times, the Crusades and the Wild West, although it is primarily focused on the last period. Whilst featuring a large cast of heroes, anti-heroes and villains, a number of which enjoying in depth and detailed character development within the plot, the lead antagonist of Priest is Temozarela, whilst the main protagonist is Ivan Isaacs, a now immortal, 19th century priest who sold his soul to Belial, a former priest turned devil, in the pursuit of revenge and redemption after unwittingly unleashing Temozarela from the Domas Porada, a prison of sorts constructed by Belial (then Betheal) to imprison Temozarela.
[edit] Characters
The main characters are as follows:
[edit] Ivan Isaacs
The main 'hero' in the story, insofar as any of the characters can be called heroes. Ivan originally started out as a mortal Christian priest.
However, because of an essay he wrote while training to become a priest he came to the attention of a special branch of the Roman Catholic Church. This branch then approached him after he had become a priest to help unlock the secrets of an artifact called the Domas Porada, a prison which contains Temozarela, and Belial, who sealed himself in there in a battle with Temozarela.
Temozarela, realising that Ivan could break him out of the prison, caused the death of his adopted sister/lover, Gena, knowing this would make Ivan temporarily insane through grief. Ivan, in his insane state, breaks Temozarela free.
Ivan, realizing what he has done, agrees to give half his soul to Belial in exchange for a chance to get revenge on Temozarela and his fallen angel brethren. Ivan now stalks the west as an undead creature sustained solely by his infinite rage. Indeed in numerous encounters it is shown that his strength is directly related to his anger.
Ivan then embarks on a quest to destroy the thirteen angels.
[edit] Temozarela
Temozarela is an arch-angel who fought on God's side in the war against Lucifer. However, this war caused God to lose faith in the angels and prefer humanity instead.
Temozarela, bitter at this, took twelve angels who felt the same way as he did to Earth to prove to God how flawed humans are. To do this he set up a cult to him and his angels which involved human sacrifice. However, this only made God angry and caused Temozarela to be banished to earth and imprisoned.
Temozarela persuaded Vascar de Guillon to let himself be possessed by Temozarela. Temozarela then tries to seduce Betheal, but Betheal resists and eventually imprisons both himself and Temozarela in the Domas Porada. At the end of the 6th Volume, we see the flashbacks of the past where Temozarela is freed from the Domas Porada and in the 7th Volume where Temozarela notices his weakened state (likely due to being imprisoned). He and Belial skirmish which results in Temozarela's body being horribly incinerated, yet he is saved from death by several of his Dark Apostles and taken away to be fully restored. At the end of Volume 7 he is left as little more than a blasted skeleton with barely any flesh left on the bones, yet still alive.
[edit] Belial (Betheal) Gavarre
Belial was originally an inquisitor in the medieval church called Betheal. However, he eventually comes to preside over the case of the possessed Vascar de Guillon, who has been captured. Temozarela, inside Vascar's body, influences Betheal's adoptive son, Matthew, to slaughter one of the women at the monastery where he and Betheal are staying. Betheal, on hearing his son confess this, becomes enraged and strangles him.
Temozarela orchestrated this to shatter Betheal's faith. However, Betheal realises what has happened and fights against Temozarela, eventually imprisoning himself, and Temozarela in the Domas Porada and becoming the devil called Belial.
[edit] Gena Isaacs
The natural daughter of the man who adopted Isaacs. Gena eventually falls in love with Ivan despite being his adoptive sister, but is killed by those influenced by Temozarela.
[edit] Lizzie
Lizzie was the head of a gang of outlaws. She was caught by the authorities and was to be taken by train to be hanged. However, her gang of outlaws board the train to rescue her, but they in turn get slaughtered by the undead creatures put on the train by Jarbilong, who put them there as a welcome to Ivan Isaacs, whom he knew would be on the train. She also looks exactly like Ivan's beloved Gena
[edit] Jarbilong
Jarbilong is one of the twelve Angels who along with Temozarela rebelled against God. He was also present at Temozarela's release from the Domas Paroda, but played little part in the following battles with Belial. He turns the townpeople of Saint Baldlas into zombies and fights against Ivan Isaacs.
His power stems from the 'gift' of being able to merge his spirit with any of his disciples at will, meaning he can essentially swap bodies and avoid fatal blows. Ivan overcame this with the power of Voodoo magic which inflicted damage on all Jarbilong's servants, including his own true body. Ultimately, wounded and with his life failing, the 11th Angel revealed his hideous true form by ripping out of the mortal priests back.
In this form, Jarbilong was ablt to match Ivan until he was eventually impaled upon his own blades, beheaded and subsequently destroyed.
[edit] See also
- Manhwa
- Korean literature
- Contemporary culture of South Korea
- List of Korea-related topics
- Priest, game based on the manhwa
