Exorsisters #7 // Review
Cate and Kate have had to deal with quite a lot of things. Right now, there's the small matter of a pseudo-sorta-kinda demonic possession that could get ugly in the seventh issue of The Exorsisters. Writer Ian Boothby continues his dive into strangely endearing supernatural comedy with artist Gisèle Lagacé. The two heroes tumble through an encounter with darkness the pits them one step closer to some kind of resolution with their latest conflict. Kate and Cate May be dealing with big things, but Boothby and Lagacé maintain a tight focus on the relationship between them in another satisfyingly strange issue.
Kate is being possessed. Cate feels more than a little strange about this. She's not exactly concerned. Kate is an externalized manifestation of Cate's soul. (Kinda.) The entity in question is going to find out what it's like to try to possess an entity that is nothing but soul energy. Then Cate and Kate are going to have to head back to the office and deal with other things. Inevitably they're going to have to seek help from someone they clearly aren't interested in having to contact. Cate knows the gentleman in question. Kate only knows him through Cate's memories. Things could get complicated.
Boothby manages to find some clever territory in the timeworn territory of the occult drama genre. Boothby's economy of dialogue is impressive. He's able to get across some very complicated concepts with minimal dialogue and narration. The ideas are clever enough without all of the incessantly droning details and politics that usually litter so much dark fa net say and demonic horror. Boothby eliminates all the extraneous details and gets right down to telling a story about a woman and her sister soul dealing with dark magic in a contemporary world.
Lagacé's cartoony, Archie-inspired art, brings out the comedy with surprising subtlety. The connection between Cate and Kate comes across in casually sophisticated, little exchanges. Lagacé renders some real emotional complexity in Cate and Kate's faces without betraying the overall simplicity of the art style. Lagacé manages just the right amount of detail in each panel to give Cate and Kate an overall impression and their world without over-rendering it. The atmosphere of Exorsisters once again feels a little vacant, but that vacancy holds its own charm in a series that focusses so closely on the concerns of the two lead characters.
Leading-off towards more information about Cate and Kate and their lives. Boothby has been cautious about slowly revealing their backstory in the course of a series that feels like it's still only just getting going about seven issues in. Boothby and Lagacé' are working at a satisfying pace with nothing but room to expand as the series continues into what will hopefully be a long run. Cate and Kate are genuinely interesting people. Boothby and Lagacé have managed to build a powerful emotional connection from them in seven slim issues.
