By Harrison Stewart — Death is never far from our collective consciousness these days. Whether from the pandemic, escalating wars or myriad other random injustices, we are faced daily with an increasing number of Memento mori. Keeping the light in focus as we examine the encroaching dark is no easy task. Yet Eastin DeVerna and Shawn Daley have accomplished just that with Lost Souls - The Trials of Casci Capricor, a gorgeous, wildly imaginative vision of the afterlife through a fantasy lens. 

Our story begins with the betrayal and death of Casci Capricor, the heir apparent to some ancient kingdom. But that’s all in the past now, little more than vaporous, half-remembered dreams of a life cut tragically short. Joined by an auspicious, Virgilesque sea captain named Skipper (or Skip for short), Casci must complete three trials in order to recover a missing piece of her soul. Doing so will offer the only chance at returning to life and discovering the truth of her death. With ginormous sword in hand, the duo embarks on a wild adventure through the strange afterlife known only as “Past the Empyrean.” 

Despite a decent familiarity with post-death literature, I've never seen anything quite like Lost Souls. Religious overtones are all but discarded in favor of unique worldbuilding that always keeps you on your toes. Every time you think you know right where it’s going, the path winds left. The result is a delightfully bizarre setting crossed somewhere between Alice in Wonderland and What Dreams May Come. But unlike the latter, this world never gets bogged down in overexplaining itself. The basic tenets are set from the beginning and the rest is easy enough for the reader to acquire through osmosis as the narrative unfolds. 

Naturally, the characters who inhabit this world are equally eccentric. There’s an amusingly bubbly Death (“What’s she got ’ta worry about, really?” Skip quips at one point), a haughty anthropomorphic cat/chef, and even a post-apocalyptic death bot thrown in for good measure. That everything-but-the-kitchen-sink approach is jarring at first, but I was pleasantly surprised how well the disparate elements melded over time. The outlandish nature proves subtly and effectively subversive, constantly begging the question, “Who’s to say the afterlife doesn’t work like this?” Lost Souls smartly embraces the Great Unknown and all its limitless possibilities.  

Writer Eastin DeVerna walks a decidedly risky tightrope by tackling themes of death and loss in an otherwise cheery tale. But the balance is deft and deliberate, never allowing itself to stray into saccharine territory. That ability to stitch the grim and beautiful seamlessly together is a remarkable feat, granting access to a wide emotional range all at once. By story’s end, the reader is invited to examine their own relationship with death in a gentle, sympathetic manner that illuminates as often as it entertains. 

To compliment that bombastic energy, artist Shawn Daley turns in some of the finest work of an already impressive career. Each character is imbued with a distinct charm all their own, making every new encounter feel fresh and exciting. Daley draws from a wide range of design influences, expertly mixing them together with his own style to produce something truly unique every time. The aforementioned giant robot in particular is one of my favorite character designs in recent memory. 

Similarly, the ethereal realm our heroes journey through is stunning to behold. Daley’s splash pages are generously packed with wonderful little details that breathe life into the world. A rich pastel palette perfectly captures the uncanniness of this afterlife. The scope is sprawling and varied, shifting easily between absurdity and sincerity. In lesser hands, bringing Past the Empyrean to vivid life would be a Sysifian task. But Daley meets the occasion with passion and expertise that constantly boggle the mind. 

A final cherry on top is the incredible water coloring. The inks were certainly dynamic enough in their own right, but Daley’s hand painted colors take the art to soaring new heights. I spent minutes on end just admiring certain pages, inevitably flipping back time and again. After several readings, I’ve noticed something new each time and felt genuinely rewarded for it. 

Lost Souls - The Trials of Casci Capricor is a bold book that isn’t afraid to make the right narrative decisions for its characters. Creators DeVerna and Daley defy expectations at every turn, but are likewise careful to give the reader a necessary catharsis in the end. With humor and insight and endless inspiration, Lost Souls is a joy to read. This reader for one is patiently awaiting more from this talented creative team.

INDIE REVIEW: Lost Souls - The Trials of Casci Capricor

Lost Souls - The Trials of Casci Capricor
Writer: Eastin DeVerna
Artist: Shawn Daley
Publisher: Howl Comics
Lost Souls is a brand new, young adult fantasy graphic novella from the creators of the critically acclaimed graphic novel, Samurai Grandpa: Eastin DeVerna (A. Guardian, Through the Shadow of Titans) and Shawn Daley (Better Place, The Bridgebuilder's Creed). 
Inspired by stories like Dragon Ball, and old school JRPGs like Chrono Trigger, Breath of Fire II, Final Fantasy VII, and Xenogears, Lost Souls: The Trials of Casci Capricor, is the first installment in a new anthology style series. Each subsequent book in this series will follow a new protagonist on their journey through the afterlife, with each new main character being linked to one another in some way -- typically by having played a supporting role for one of our previous protagonists -- ultimately giving us one large cohesive story. 
Buy It Here: Coming Soon

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Harrison manages a comic shop by day and writes comics by night. You can find more of his writing at @stewart_bros