Friday, March 11, 2005

Mythic Aspirations: Blood of the Demon #1

Summoning up aid from the forces of darkness is really a tricky business. On the one hand, you may have an incredibly powerful being to defeat your enemies, conquer armies, or help with the laundry. This could be very useful. On the other hand (moral implications aside), the summoned one may find a way out of your control, bite your face off, and drag you screaming into the abyss. Very tricky business.

DC Comics' Blood of the Demon #1 starts out with just such a tricky proposition. Over a thousand years ago, Merlin (Yes, THE Merlin) summons up the demon Etrigan to help fend off the forces of Morgaine Le Fey. Unfortunately, Camelot falls but Merlin allows Etrigan to live on, tempered by a human side. For the next thousand years, the human Jason Blood and his demon half, Etrigan, fight for humanity against the forces of evil.

Today, in Gotham City, some extemely bad people (or people-like things) decide they have a need for Etrigan's special talents. They capture and torture Jason Blood in the hopes of finding Etrigan. What they unleash, however, may be more than they, or the world, can handle...

Blood of the Demon is pencilled and plotted by John Byrne, with scripting by Will Pfeifer. Byrne has been one of the most well-known names in comics for decades. He has written and drawn highly regarded stories for many classic characters, including the X-Men, Superman, the Fantastic Four, the Hulk, She-Hulk, and many, many others. John Byrne knows comics, and that shows with his work here. The characters look great and the action, and there is a LOT of action, is dynamic and easy to follow.

If you like supernatural stories with a dark edge, you will enjoy Blood of the Demon #1. This isn't for the faint hearted, as there is quite a bit of bloodshed, but there is some humor to lighten the darker moments. (Beware the naked, bullet-proof man!) Give Etrigan a try now, while he is starring in Four Color Fantasies' guaranteed Book of the Week. Just remember, don't go summoning evil forces in your own home. Take out the trash yourself, and you'll be happier in the long run.

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