Priest (manhwa)

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Priest
Korean cover of Priest, vol. 1
프리스트
Genre Adventure, Horror, Supernatural, Western
Manhwa: Priest
Author Min-Woo Hyung
Publisher Flag of South Korea Daiwon C.I.
English publisher Flag of the United States Tokyopop
Serialized in
Original run 1998 – Ongoing
Volumes 16

Priest is an ongoing manhwa (Korean comic) series created by Min-Woo Hyung. It fuses the Western genre with supernatural horror and is notable for its unusual, angular art style. An interview with Hyung in Priest: Volume 3 states that the comic was inspired by the computer game Blood, which featured a similar horror-Western aesthetic and undead protagonist.

Priest is published in English by TOKYOPOP.

Contents

[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.

Centuries later, there lives a Holy Knight called Vascar De Gullion, a killer of heretics in the name of God. After his wife and children were burned alive, Vascar De Gullion 'loses faith' and wanders the earth in a 'blood rage,' leaving a wake of slaughter wherever he goes. 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 Betheal's only pride and joy in life, a child he saved from a heretic sacrifice. The fallen angel manipulates the child into brutally slaughtering a young woman, taking her arms and heart, and setting up a blasphemous ritual room with her blood. 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. Betheal's 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 losing 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

[edit] Main

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 and is in turn trapped within the Domas Porada in the fallen angel's place.
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. Where his inhuman strength fails, he uses a variety of weapons, including a bowie knife he coats with blessed silver and silver bullets in a sawn-off shotgun, and a Thompson sub-machine gun. (one of many anachronistic firearms in the series)
Ivan then embarks on a quest to destroy the thirteen angels. He successfully defeats countless minions and also slays Jarbilong, being defeated himself by Achmode who devoured Ivan's right arm. Ivan is given Achmode's blasted arm after he is punished with death by Armand, a fellow - yet much stronger - Fallen Angel.
As he continues to make his way across the west, he finally comes to fight Armand himself, only to be dealt a debilitating wound on his heart, which saps his rage and emotion from him. This is a near fatal blow for both Ivan and Belial, who depend on Ivan's unquenchable rage to keep up his supernatural powers. Netraphim comes to him and heals him as best she could, but unable to stop the bleeding completely. It is only with her last words to him that Ivan is able to gain the will to fight once more, his rage at full force once more.
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 a vulnerable Vascar de Guillon to let himself be possessed by Temozarela. 100 years later Temozarela then tried 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, consisting of Netraphim, Achmode, and Armand, 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.
He next appears at Achmode's death in volume 10, where he projects an image of himself from his castle to Achmode's and declares his displeasment at Achmode's treachery. While not taking any major actions since, he appears at various times in the story to communicate with various characters through a circle on a floor that depicts the circle of sabbath. He also seems to have gained more strength since volume 7 in the way he is no longer constrained to his seat where he was previously seen regenerating by absorbing helpless victims' energies in volume 3.
Betheal Gavarre (Belial)
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, seeing only the corruption of Temozarela inside him.
Temozarela had orchestrated this to shatter Betheal's faith and had succeeded. In remorse and in rage, Betheal sacrifices himself to become the devil Belial by condemning his faith and renouncing God. However, instead of joining Temozarela, Betheal uses his new power to fight against him, eventually imprisoning himself, and Temozarela in the Domas Porada to keep him from the world. Later, after the Domas Porada is opened, he offers a deal to the imprisoned Ivan Isaacs, which the insane priest agrees to, leaving Belial's mark of a cross in a circle branded on his forehead.
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.
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.
After following Ivan to Saint Baldas she was bitten by one of the undead and contracted the curse. She was then rescued by Coburn and his posse. She later escaped from them in order to contact Ivan.
After failing to convince Ivan to help her fight this curse, she chooses to ally herself to a new clan, her intentions a mystery at this time.

[edit] The Fallen Angels

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 most likely due to the nature of his abilities. After this event he turns the townspeople of Saint Baldlas into zombies, slaves to his will 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 able to match Ivan until he was eventually impaled upon his own blades, beheaded and subsequently destroyed.
Achmode
The second Fallen Angel to battle Ivan on his pilgrimage, Achmode fancies himself an artist and a beast all at once. After turning a village into mindless zombies feasting on one another, Achmode mutilates some of them and changes them into towering undead killers and winged monstrosites, expressing his twisted artistic sense.
After fighting his way through Achmode's make-shift angels, Ivan is confronted by Christine, Achmode's latest work, a child deformed into a hawk-like form. Achmode offers Ivan a glimpse of Christine's "dream", a retelling of the heretical angels' fall. When Ivan overcomes and kills Christine with the help of Belial, Achmode is further enraged by Belial's insults about his 'glorious past' being little more than mindless instinct. Achmode decides to kill Ivan himself, despite Temozarela's orders to the contrary.
In the battle that follows, Ivan's best efforts to destroy Achmode aren't enough, and Belial demands that Ivan turn complete control of his body over to him. Ivan refuses to give up what little is left of his control for any reason, even after the monsterous Achmode bit off his arm. As Achmode is about to finish Ivan off, Armandiel, Temozarela's lieutenant, intervenes. He accuses Achmode of betraying their lord after his many years of service and slays him. In a bizarre twist, Armandiel grants Ivan the severed arm of Achmode to replace his, saying that it will make him more than human and give him an actual chance of fulfilling his goal.
Armand/Armandiel
One of the Fallen Angels seen as one of the three who rescue a burnt Temozarela from the Domas Porada, he is depicted as a handsome, almost effeminate young man with long, straight hair, wearing 19th century formal wear, including a tophat, an enormous wing-collar cape, and an elaborate waistcoat. Possibly the most powerful of the Fallen Angels, especially considering his status of High Priest in Temozarela's Black Sabbath, he is able to dispatch Ivan with ease with his rapier. He also is able to distract opponents with roses and the folds of his cape. Though he initially is Ivan's ally in destroying Achmode, he later delivers a debilitating wound to Ivan that not even Belial is able to heal. He appears to have a somewhat disdainful opinion of Netraphim, calling her "hypocrite."
Netraphim
Another of the Fallen Angels who looks like a young woman and is accompanied by Bendo, a giant Wolf she gave life after he and his pack were killed. Her alias is 'Nera' and she cares for the unfortunate and the different in the valley of Windtale, going against Temozarela's orders to do so.
It is revealed that in heaven she tried to stop Temozarela from accessing heaven's exit, and in response had her wings ripped off. She asked to be killed as she was torn between her love for God and her secret attraction to Temozarela, born of her pity for his fate. Her life was spared and she joined Temozarela's angels. However, on Earth after seeing the young orphan Dana (whose sight she eventually took away), Netraphim decided to go back and make up for her sins.
Armand delivers his masters word to Bendo saying that her defiance is all well and good, that Temozarela will not punish her for it as long as her conviction is set...but if she so much as utters a single word of regret or remorse she will be destroyed. For the moment it seems that her powers are to do with illusions, other than her spirit wolf Bendo.
When her "family" is killed, betrayed by one of their own, she then allows herself to be hanged by angry townspeople. Before she dies, Temozarela comes to her and offers her a place by his side, provided she declares her regret at ever existing. However, she refuses him and is killed, leaving Windtale without a guardian and another of Temozarela's strongholds destroyed. Beforehand she told Bendo he was free, and it is unknown what fate reserves for him and any potential impacts he may have on the story later on.
Unnamed Figure
This man was seen during the events of Ivans fall from grace, for once Gena had been murdered and the Domas Paroda had been opened a man swathed in bandages bearing a staff tipped with a symbol like a 'II' in Roman Numerals arrives. He is responsible for raising the dead that eventually come to try and devour Gena before Ivan carves them to pieces. As the 'II' symbol occupies a space on Temozarela's cirle (seen often relating to the demise of Jarbilong and Archmode) it is possible this man is another Fallen Angel or servant of Temozarela.

[edit] Media

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
English Priest Volume 16 TOKYOPOP ISBN 1-4278-0162-2

[edit] Cultural Impact

[edit] Movie Adaptation

Priest was going into production as a movie by U.S. film studio Screen Gems. To be released in 2008, it was going to be produced by Sam Raimi, directed by Andrew Douglas, and would star Gerard Butler as the title character. However recent news has reported that both Butler and Raimi have dropped out of the project leaving the future of the film adaption of Priest unknown. Many fans of the manhwa are actually pleased about this, as the information released on the movie indicated that the story had been changed to a degree that it was unrecognizable, and had become more of a standard vampire hunter movie. .[1]Many hope that it can now be resurrected but with a new script that actually makes some use of the original story ideas.[2][3]

[edit] Game Adaptation

Priest was being developed as an MMORPG by a Korean game publisher; see also Priest (computer game). As of July 2007, the project has been labeled as canceled.

[edit] Other Reference

It has been rumoured by fans of Dream Theater, a progressive metal band, that the band has referenced the story on their latest album, Systematic Chaos. The two-part song "In the Presence of Enemies" features a storyline patterned after Priest's plotline, with lyrics that are paraphrases and even direct quotes by the characters, as spoken in the official English translation of Volume 1. The similarities have been extensively noted by some Dream Theater fans.[4] This influence was later confirmed by John Petrucci, who wrote the lyrics.[5]

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ (August 17, 2007). [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0822847/ IMDB official information site.
  2. ^ Olsen, Kevin Noel (January 25, 2007). "Amityville Director Set to Direct Priest Film Based on Tokypop Graphic Novel". Silver Bullet Comics.
  3. ^ Fischer, Martha (June 26, 2006). "Butler to Priest". Cinematical.com.
  4. ^ faq.dtnorway.com | In The Presence Of Enemies Origins
  5. ^ http://www.fiveeightforums.com/for-those-interested-heres-my-interview-with-john-petrucci-t38398/index.html

[edit] External links