Covenant

Fans of the Locked Tomb series will dig this sleek print collection of Vuong’s popular action Webtoon with a boys’ love angle. Ezra, an exorcist with the Church of Providence, struggles to harness his full powers—because he does not actually believe in God. Complicating matters, his church is under suspicion of demon sympathizing. Something is indeed attracting more and more demons to their precinct, all of them searching for “the fallen who never fell.” Then Ezra receives a special assignment to protect his classmate, a brooding goth cutie ironically named Sunny, who is being targeted by demons. As the pair grow closer, mysteries deepen, setting the stage for the second volume. The art is crisp and detailed, with desaturated colors and high-contrast action sequences featuring lean-muscled men in tight black garb, and the often-tricky transition from Webtoon to print is nearly seamless. Unfortunately, the dialogue doesn’t have the same punch as the art, and the breakneck plot leaves little breathing room for the characters to interact outside of life-threatening situations. Still, what does develop between Ezra and Sunny will leave readers wanting more. This is catnip for fans of sexy fight scenes. (May)