The devil works hard, but Peter Milligan and Marcelo Frusin work harder in “Sacrament” #1. Bold genre mashups are often flashy with an intriguing premise, but with little substance beyond the conceit that two things that don’t go together are now…together! “Sacrament” #1, however, delivers. The first issue has a lot going for it, and we’re praying that this sci-fi exorcist story keeps going strong. Note, some spoilers lie ahead.
Sacrament #1
Written by Peter Milligan
Illustrated by Marcelo Frusin
Reviewed by Kobi BordoleyIn the year 3000, Mankind abandoned Earth and fled into outer space. Now, a disgraced priest, called into action to perform an exorcism on a remote space colony, is about to discover that no matter how far you run, you can’t escape your demons, and the Devil is, in fact, real.
Space crossed with religion and theology isn’t totally uncharted territory. Take Warhammer 40k and Dune, for example, two pretty massive franchises and IPs. But when we think about, there’s not much that’s quite like what “Sacrament” #1 is doing. Warhammer 40k takes matches the grandiosity of space and exploration with the imperial, proselytizing ambitions at the heart of many organized religions. In that sense, a space crusade makes a lot of sense, and as such Warhammer thrives in its niche (preemptive apology to any Warhammer stans who may feel mischaracterized, lol). Dune takes a different route, and imagines space religion as a syncretic, evolved, and esoteric thing. This also makes sense — after the repeated diasporas and assimilations that would occur through space travel, religion turning into the weird thing it turns into in Dune also kinda makes sense (the Spice is just some added flair).
Okay, but this review is about “Sacrament” #1 — so let’s take stock of it. Unlike the other two franchises, “Sacrament” #1 transposes a relatively contemporary Christianity one thousand years into the future, onto a world with drastically different technology. In “Sacrament” #1, we have space ships, interstellar travel, lasers, and all that jazz — plus a priest who wears a robe, uses symbols adorned with the cross, and who administers transubstantiation (with a device that looks like an iphone, to be honest). The visual pairings of the far future with contemporary — and in some cases ancient — religious imagery is jarring at first, but extremely intriguing. The lack of subtlety is a tall order for the world building in “Sacrament” #1. What would cause humanity to excel so much on the science front but remain relatively unchanged on the faith front? Dune, for example, emphasizes how much religion has changed, whereas Dune leans into the over-the-top, gonzo aspect of its identity. “Sacrament” #1 is completely genuine, and tries to square the circle by explaining that the new world order has been very hostile to religion, so our main character and his apprentice travel the starts hidden on freight ships, administering religious rites and rituals to the few believers left. They’re downtrodden, running on fumes, and losing faith quickly. While this mostly makes sense, we’re interested to see how “Sacrament” #1 explains the clash between religion and technology in future issues.
It’s not just the concept in “Sacrament” #1 that’s intriguing, the plot itself is well done and full of compelling characters. Father Vass, our protagonist, does well as a defeated priest, horny for his apprentice and addicted to whatever sauce his transubstantiation machine dolls out. In less deft hands this caricature of a disgraced priest would feel tacky, but with Milligan at the helm, Father Vass feels timeless. This is the hot priest from Fleabag in space. No, we will not be answering questions. Anyways, “Sacrament” #1 leaves the reader with a lot of tantalizing breadcrumbs — what exactly did Father Vass accomplish on New Saturn fifteen years ago? What’s really going on on humanity’s capital planet, who’s the demon haunting Father Vass’s dreams — maybe god and the devils are real, but if they are…what exactly are they? Aliens? Interdimensional beings? We’re eager to find out.
We simply have to talk about Frusin and the art in “Sacrament” #1, which really make the story. The mixture of holy and technological imagery is delicious to look at, and blends together in a way that just scratches an itch. What can we say, space demons are just metal as hell. If “Sacrament” #1 had no words and just pictures, we’d still read it. How’s that for an art endorsement?
Continued belowThe colors in “Sacrament” #1 are gorgeous as well. Staticky, lonely blues cover most panels, which help create a sense of alienation and solemnity that seem intrinsic to Father Vass’s identity. From a worldbuilding perspective, the tech in “Sacrament” #1 feels timeless as well — huge megacities, interstellar mining outfits, secret police — it’s the kind of stuff that could be boilerplate in less expert hands. But in “Sacrament” #1 it all looks good, a little sleek but not so stylized as to detract from the bigger picture of the story. We also need to mention the lettering in “Sacrament” #1. Most of Father Vass’s dialogue bubbles are white text on a black background, with a solid white cross on the left side of the dialogue bubble. The depth and inkiness of the lettering and formatting add heaviness and a sense of sobriety to his character, honestly feels iconic. Taken altogether, we get the sense that big things are coming in “Sacrament.”
If you’re a fan of expert, genre-bending space demons, get yourself to wherever comics are sold and supplicate at the shrine of “Sacrament” #1 ASAP.
Final Verdict: 8.8. In space, nobody can hear you scream…but maybe someone can hear you pray. And that might not be a good thing.
