Don’t cast out Kirkman’s newest series

As an avid comic book reader, I’m always on the lookout for a new series to dive into. My most recent preoccupation was with Robert Kirkman’s “The Walking Dead,” which also has TV and video game adaptations. But 154 issues, 6 seasons and 36 hours on the PS3 later, I was once again dumped into boredom. Thirsty for more blood, guts and gore, I scoured the internet until I made a life changing discovery: Kirkman was writing another horror comic book series.

“Outcast,” which debuted its first issue in June 2014, is a monthly comic featuring beautifully horrific and unique illustrations by Paul Azaceta. The series is centered around the life of Kyle Barnes, a scruffy, foul-mouthed recluse with an inadvertent tendency to attract demons. In the first issue, “A Darkness Surrounds Him,” we quickly find out that this supernatural magnetism has ruined his life in more ways than one, as many of his loved ones became victims of demonic possession.

However, rather than logically opening up the story by focusing on Kyle’s predicament, as would be expected,  “Outcast” begins with a bloodstained glimpse into the life of Joshua Austin, a child whose fate becomes briefly intertwined with Kyle’s. Spoiler alert: Joshua’s possessed by a demon, in case that’s not clear by the huge panel on page two of Joshua chowing down on his own fingers. Cue the entrance of Reverend Anderson, a man on a mission from the big man upstairs. When he’s not leading mass, Anderson has a side job in the business of exorcisms. But when Joshua’s case proves to be a bit above the caliber of his holy water and giant cross, he turns to none other than Kyle for some assistance.

17 issues of violently unconventional teamwork later, the supernatural Dynamic Duo is put on pause as readers are forced to wait another month to get their hands on the next installment. But fear not! Cinemax has a solution!

After seeing the nauseating success of “The Walking Dead” (and the big bucks that AMC is raking in), Cinemax decided to jump on the Kirkman-TV-Adaptation train. The show, which is set to premiere on Friday, June 3, will only be available to TV viewers with access to Cinemax, as if the network won’t be rolling in cash on commercials alone. However, in order to get the word out and viewership up, Cinemax released the full-length pilot episode on its YouTube channel. Starring “Gone Girl” actor Patrick Fugit as Kyle and Philip Glenister of “Kingdom of Heaven” as Anderson, the series already has immense promise in the acting and talent departments.

“Outcast”’s 55-minute long pilot episode managed to follow the comic’s plot to a T while not boring someone who just read the same story the day before. Rather than feeling the need to introduce random new characters or kill off integral ones like a certain other Kirkman show, Cinemax realized that the key to the show’s success laid not in rewriting the plot, but instead in artistic interpretation. Comic books are, obviously, two dimensional, so writers have to find unique ways to expand characters and develop plot. When given a three dimensional space, those opportunities only increase.

This adaptation of “Outcast” boasted a mixture of the high points of horror shows “Hannibal” (NBC) and “Supernatural” (CW). It pulls the phenomenal acting and artfully gruesome cinematography of “Hannibal” without falling into the trap of confusing hyper-symbolism that eventually got the show cancelled. At the same time, it caters to the action-packed and, well, supernatural elements that allowed “Supernatural” to spawn over 10 seasons, each more cringeworthy than the last.

If “Outcast” continues to play to these strengths, I have no doubt that its fanbase will take off, especially once episodes leak and become widely available. The fact that Kirkman’s name is slapped on it will attract mass viewers all by itself, especially because “Outcast” premieres while “The Walking Dead” is on hiatus. Kirkman’s prowess as a writer is unquestionable– he just needs to make sure that he doesn’t compromise his authenticity for a few more bucks in the bank.