What do you think?
Rate this book
Priest #1
Priest, Volume 1. Prelude for the Deceased
In the frontier of the American West, a veil of evil threatens to engulf humanity. Servants of the fallen archangel Temozarela are paving the way for their dark lord's resurrection. One man stands in the way of the apocalypse-- Ivan Isaacs-- a fallen priest who sold his soul to the devil Belial for the power to fight evil armed with a wicked blade and silver bullets. Ivan will give the heretics a baptism of blood in his pilgrimage for humanity's redemption.
176 pages, Paperback
First published July 23, 2002
36 people are currently reading
587 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews
May 20, 2015
Replace a preacher character with anything you like, it won't make any difference.
Ivan Isaacs, the preacher, sold half of his soul to the devil. The exact reason is not quite clear (save for the vague 'lost my faith and the devil pounced' reason). It's possible that later you get a clearer picture, but when it comes to only this, it's far from clear.
He finds himself on a train that is later attacked by bandits who are trying to save their leader. The blood from the attack awakens zombie-demon-like creatures. No idea why they were on the train in those coffins in the first place.
Anyway, the reasoning of some of the characters is ridiculous
To be fair, the main idea (what you can get from this introduction) and historical setting combined with paranormal are great.
Ivan Isaacs, the preacher, sold half of his soul to the devil. The exact reason is not quite clear (save for the vague 'lost my faith and the devil pounced' reason). It's possible that later you get a clearer picture, but when it comes to only this, it's far from clear.
He finds himself on a train that is later attacked by bandits who are trying to save their leader. The blood from the attack awakens zombie-demon-like creatures. No idea why they were on the train in those coffins in the first place.
Anyway, the reasoning of some of the characters is ridiculous
To be fair, the main idea (what you can get from this introduction) and historical setting combined with paranormal are great.
March 16, 2010
Min-woo Hyung, Priest vol. 1: Prelude to the Deceased, Part 1 (Tokyopop, 2003)
I came to manga as, I believe, many Americans who discovered the stuff recently came to manga: fighting series (Bleach, One Piece, etc.) and fantasy romance (Fushigi Yugi, etc.). It's only recently I've discovered the true breadth of manga, and I've been delighted overall at finding so many titles of interest in just about every genre one can think of. And now I've come across Min-woo Hyung's series Priest, equally informed by Garth Ennis and George A. Romero, and that can never be a bad thing.
In this debut volume of the series, we first meet Ivan Isaacs, a priest (or a former priest, take your pick) who was doomed to hell, but sold half his soul to Belial in order to continue his fight against Temozarela, an imprisoned fallen angel whose twelve priestly disciples are trying to gain his freedom. As we open, Ivan is on the trail of Jarbilong, one of the twelve, who's in the town of Saint Baldlas. Ivan, alas, is not, and getting there will require a journey by train. Needless to say, this being literature, that train ride is not going to be uneventful. A number of Federal marshals are escorting the captured leader of an outlaw band to justice on the same train, and the gang aren't happy with their leader's capture. Ivan, of course, has some tricks of his own lying in wait for anyone who gets between him and his mission.
This is dark, nasty stuff, awash in violence, bloodshed, and the undead. How can you possibly go wrong? I grant you, it doesn't really push the conventions of manga all that much, and those new to the genre (coming over from, say, Robert Kirkman) may be turned off by the slight disjunct of Engrish and a few weirdnesses peculiar to manga, but you'll get used to them quickly. And if you're a horror fan who's never discovered manga, Priest is a great way to start. ****
I came to manga as, I believe, many Americans who discovered the stuff recently came to manga: fighting series (Bleach, One Piece, etc.) and fantasy romance (Fushigi Yugi, etc.). It's only recently I've discovered the true breadth of manga, and I've been delighted overall at finding so many titles of interest in just about every genre one can think of. And now I've come across Min-woo Hyung's series Priest, equally informed by Garth Ennis and George A. Romero, and that can never be a bad thing.
In this debut volume of the series, we first meet Ivan Isaacs, a priest (or a former priest, take your pick) who was doomed to hell, but sold half his soul to Belial in order to continue his fight against Temozarela, an imprisoned fallen angel whose twelve priestly disciples are trying to gain his freedom. As we open, Ivan is on the trail of Jarbilong, one of the twelve, who's in the town of Saint Baldlas. Ivan, alas, is not, and getting there will require a journey by train. Needless to say, this being literature, that train ride is not going to be uneventful. A number of Federal marshals are escorting the captured leader of an outlaw band to justice on the same train, and the gang aren't happy with their leader's capture. Ivan, of course, has some tricks of his own lying in wait for anyone who gets between him and his mission.
This is dark, nasty stuff, awash in violence, bloodshed, and the undead. How can you possibly go wrong? I grant you, it doesn't really push the conventions of manga all that much, and those new to the genre (coming over from, say, Robert Kirkman) may be turned off by the slight disjunct of Engrish and a few weirdnesses peculiar to manga, but you'll get used to them quickly. And if you're a horror fan who's never discovered manga, Priest is a great way to start. ****
October 14, 2009
For some reason when I requested this book I thought it was a graphic novel, not a manga. Is there some series called "The Preacher"? (Yes: Preacher Vol. 1 Gone To Texas). That's what I thought this was.
Anyway, I think something has gone horribly wrong in the translation of Catholicism to Japanese. As in Hellsing, Volume 1, Catholic figures are made to be dark assassins (in Hellsing it was a gun-toting nun). Obviously here it is a priest, in the Old West. Not sure how this guy could still wear the collar since apparently he sold half his soul to the devil and doesn't seem to fight for the side of good - he stands by while a posse guns down a train full of people, then lets zombies kill the posse, then he kills the zombies, and lets the "Lady Boss" of the posse get away because she reminds him of some girl named Gina - uhhh... priests are supposed to be celibate???
Together with the imagery of The Priest chained and nailed to a cross as he bargains with the devil, and the as-yet-undetermined-to-be-evil choirboy-looking priest Jarbilong, I felt borderline offended by how the symbols of Catholicism were being twisted into this action story. It's just a lot of guns and dead people. Luckily, I get to stop reading at volume 1 (if you read my reviews of the Hellsing series, you'll see what happens when I'm forced to continue when I'm totally disinterested).
Anyway, I think something has gone horribly wrong in the translation of Catholicism to Japanese. As in Hellsing, Volume 1, Catholic figures are made to be dark assassins (in Hellsing it was a gun-toting nun). Obviously here it is a priest, in the Old West. Not sure how this guy could still wear the collar since apparently he sold half his soul to the devil and doesn't seem to fight for the side of good - he stands by while a posse guns down a train full of people, then lets zombies kill the posse, then he kills the zombies, and lets the "Lady Boss" of the posse get away because she reminds him of some girl named Gina - uhhh... priests are supposed to be celibate???
Together with the imagery of The Priest chained and nailed to a cross as he bargains with the devil, and the as-yet-undetermined-to-be-evil choirboy-looking priest Jarbilong, I felt borderline offended by how the symbols of Catholicism were being twisted into this action story. It's just a lot of guns and dead people. Luckily, I get to stop reading at volume 1 (if you read my reviews of the Hellsing series, you'll see what happens when I'm forced to continue when I'm totally disinterested).
May 15, 2017
If you can find this book anywhere I highly suggest you add it to your shelf of manga. Technically this is from Korea and is a manwha about a fallen Priest, Ivan Isaacs, a gunslinger who sold half his soul to avenge his love, Gina. This story had me transfixed for every volume. A word of warning if you start this, however, is that the writer and artist, however brilliant he was, totally betrayed his readers by leaving the story hanging while he jumped ship under the pressure of all his readers to write a completely different series. Also, do not judge this series by that blasphemy of a movie that claims to be based off this story. It is definitely nothing compared to the twists and turns that Priest delivers. Instead of vampires, the enemy is a horde of zombies, transformed by the twelve disciples of the devil who are planning to transform the old west into a demonic stomping ground. If you are willing to have your ideas of heaven and hell tested, give this breakneck story a shot. You won't be disappointed. I'll never give my copy away!
November 12, 2022
świetnie sie bawiłam. ogólnie to mamy szaloną strzelaninę w pociągu i księdza, którego połową duszy włada diabeł. rysunki tez mi się podobają :D polecam
March 16, 2018
Ir dar vienas "pirmas kartas" 2018 metais. Šį kartą pirmoji manga. Pasirinkau būtent šitą seriją po filmo "Priest" peržiūros, kuris susprogdino smegenys (mind blow) savo mitologine katalikybe (neįsivaizduoju, kad europietis galėtų sukūrti tokio pobūdžio katalikybės idėja (aš tai pavadinau katalikybės mitologija, kai praktikuojama pasaulyje religija(būtent katalikybė) traktuojama kaip mitologija. Paimami simboliai, maldos, praktikos ir pakeičiama visų jų prasmė). Tai supratau, kad reikia gauti bent vieną dalį mangos pagal kurią sukūrtas filmas.
Iš pradžių sunkiai ėjo suprasti kas ten vyksta, epizodai laužyti, bet vėliau susidėliojo. Kitas dalykas prie kurio reikėjo priprasti tai piešiniai. Nu tokie. Nespalvoti, ištįsę. Bet kai akys priprato, tai gavosi kaip filmas. Texto nedaug.
Užsisakiau dar dvi dalis. Daugoka ten jų ir skaitosi (kad ją kur velniai) greitai labai. Jeigu pirksiu visas, teks pakloti babkių šiek tiek. Bet ko nepadarysi dėl savo malonumo :)
Iš pradžių sunkiai ėjo suprasti kas ten vyksta, epizodai laužyti, bet vėliau susidėliojo. Kitas dalykas prie kurio reikėjo priprasti tai piešiniai. Nu tokie. Nespalvoti, ištįsę. Bet kai akys priprato, tai gavosi kaip filmas. Texto nedaug.
Užsisakiau dar dvi dalis. Daugoka ten jų ir skaitosi (kad ją kur velniai) greitai labai. Jeigu pirksiu visas, teks pakloti babkių šiek tiek. Bet ko nepadarysi dėl savo malonumo :)
May 21, 2017
One must read all 16 volumes to appreciate the gem that is Priest.
The emotional impact it had on me is devastating. Not to mention the beautiful scenes that emerge like a sickening newborn from the vile chaos machine that is Hyung Min-woo's pencil.
The topic raised is surprisingly deep, raising questions about religion, morality, choices and consequences. However, what I was passionate about and still am is; The breaking point. What does it take to break a man? And why would one be called evil, if one is forcefully pushed beyond one's limits.
The straight-forward / vulgar writings of Min-woo discussed such matters rather intellectually, and I loved every page of it.
The emotional impact it had on me is devastating. Not to mention the beautiful scenes that emerge like a sickening newborn from the vile chaos machine that is Hyung Min-woo's pencil.
The topic raised is surprisingly deep, raising questions about religion, morality, choices and consequences. However, what I was passionate about and still am is; The breaking point. What does it take to break a man? And why would one be called evil, if one is forcefully pushed beyond one's limits.
The straight-forward / vulgar writings of Min-woo discussed such matters rather intellectually, and I loved every page of it.
June 19, 2024
Tw: heresy, death
Quite bad, but not in an interesting way.
I won’t say “this disappoints for fans of the Paul Bettany film The Priest” because no one falls into that category, but this has almost nothing to do with that movie also.
This felt like it had roots in more American Wild West supernatural horror (Garth Ennis comes to mind, etc) but it’s so incredibly mid I don’t think I’d recommend it even for a fan of that.
Quite bad, but not in an interesting way.
I won’t say “this disappoints for fans of the Paul Bettany film The Priest” because no one falls into that category, but this has almost nothing to do with that movie also.
This felt like it had roots in more American Wild West supernatural horror (Garth Ennis comes to mind, etc) but it’s so incredibly mid I don’t think I’d recommend it even for a fan of that.
August 31, 2008
This was a pretty good quick ride. A fallen priest makes a deal a devil to come back and get his revenge, fighting a bunch of baddies along the way. All set in the Wild West. It is very fast paced, and narrative itself is pretty minimal as the art carries a lot of the story. Overall, a nice quick escapist manwha. I'll be looking for the next one.
March 5, 2024
Well that was fun! I’m in love with the art. The lines are thick and sharp creating a geometrical pattern. There are almost no curves on the characters and when there is it’s to splendid effect (usually it’s the hats). The symbolism and style is so up my alley as well as the story’s theme being rooted in Christian elements. It’s like Hellsing and Castlevania in the Wild West. If that isn’t the highest compliment I can give I don’t know what is, haha!
In another way this also reminds me of Gungrave. I keep making comparisons. I find this original, if nowhere else; the drawing style is a rare one. Dark themes suffused with some Christian symbolism, even the texts ‘T’ looks like a cross. There’s no doubt in my mind we are going to see some absurd gothic scenery whenever we make it to a city, the towns will be very much like towns in the west, especially the ghost towns...
I borrowed this from my friend and it turns out he has the next two volumes. Looks like you’ll be hearing from me soon :3
In another way this also reminds me of Gungrave. I keep making comparisons. I find this original, if nowhere else; the drawing style is a rare one. Dark themes suffused with some Christian symbolism, even the texts ‘T’ looks like a cross. There’s no doubt in my mind we are going to see some absurd gothic scenery whenever we make it to a city, the towns will be very much like towns in the west, especially the ghost towns...
I borrowed this from my friend and it turns out he has the next two volumes. Looks like you’ll be hearing from me soon :3
January 13, 2022
Dengan premis simpel namun cukup berseri, dunia ala2 wild wild west dg selipan steampunk pasca-apokaliptik yang dirusak oleh makhluk iblis dan sekte agama di mana satu-satunya harapan umat manusia adalah mantan pendeta yang ternyata menjadi pelayan iblis. Diawali dg sekelebat kilas balik masa lalu si eks pendeta tsb Ivan, serta urutan "Berserk" dg adegan kekerasan yg lumayan eksplisit dg efek tertentu, mewarnai jilid awal ini. Lsg melompat ke kisah penyerangan di kereta yg berjalan dengan pacing yg cukup lambat dan kurang terhubungkan kembali dengan serangan terhadap gereja yang ditampilkan di halaman pertama volume ini.
Lumayan sebagai permulaan
Lumayan sebagai permulaan
February 15, 2024
Idc about the art style, but so far this series has me interested. Hard to say how far I'll take this until it's clear to me I need to DNF, probably.
If you're a teen and dislike Christianity and want to see it in a dark light, this is it.
Imagine if Alucard from "Van Helsing" and the style of Roland from the Dark Tower series adopted a kid, they'd get Ivan. And then sprinkle some struggling Catholic vibes and you're done.
At any rate, gonna go on to next volume and see where we end up.
4!5
If you're a teen and dislike Christianity and want to see it in a dark light, this is it.
Imagine if Alucard from "Van Helsing" and the style of Roland from the Dark Tower series adopted a kid, they'd get Ivan. And then sprinkle some struggling Catholic vibes and you're done.
At any rate, gonna go on to next volume and see where we end up.
4!5
May 8, 2017
If you are looking for something innovative and new.... this is not for you.
If you are looking for an awesome weird-western that covers the battle between good and evil in an awesome and entertaining way, this is it. Priest has nothing you haven't seen before, but does it in a glorious way. Definately following in the footsteps of Vampire Hunter D.
If you are looking for an awesome weird-western that covers the battle between good and evil in an awesome and entertaining way, this is it. Priest has nothing you haven't seen before, but does it in a glorious way. Definately following in the footsteps of Vampire Hunter D.
September 29, 2017
I can sense definite promise in this first installment and I'll certainly be continuing with it. On its own, this opening is a little light on character development and heavy on setting and establishing tone. All good stuff if you like your dark graphic fiction and are happy to stick with it to see what develops next.
January 31, 2021
Cowboys, zombies, priests, “angel gangs”, and loads of gore!
I’ve never read anything alike! Got to say I’m not really into gore but I feel that the series has potential. I was able to get my hands on volume 2 and 3 also so will read those too.
I’ve never read anything alike! Got to say I’m not really into gore but I feel that the series has potential. I was able to get my hands on volume 2 and 3 also so will read those too.
September 27, 2017
Great Mignola'esque artwork. Interesting concept but the story seems to go nowhere.
January 5, 2018
reading french traduction of this book is really bad it makes the not believable they sound the opposite of badass.the story is interesting .I will have it a second chance in English.
August 31, 2018
Great artwork.
January 9, 2019
Lots of slaughter but a one track story.
March 18, 2019
It's a Helsing rip off which isn't a bad thing I can always read more Helsing.
May 13, 2021
Wow, just wow.
May 27, 2021
The American adaptation left me woefully underprepared for the far better, more consistent story of this manga.
July 20, 2021
It's like Hellsing but in the wild west. Pretty awesome!
October 26, 2021
Something different from what I'm used to reading but I'll give the second book in this series a go
December 22, 2021
Lots of action, lots of violence, very one dimensional characters. Enjoyed enough to check in on the story again.
April 10, 2024
gotta love a corrupt priest with a gun
January 28, 2025
Farklı bir konu alışılmışın dışına çıkmak isteyenler için mükemmel bir seri
October 9, 2025
awful art, no story, awful
Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews