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The Demon by Garth Ennis #1
The Demon: Hell's Hitman (The Demon
Garth Ennis and artist John McCrea’s legendary run, featuring the origin and first adventures of their acclaimed super-powered assassin, Etrigan!
For nearly two thousand years, Jason Blood has served as a living host for the demon Etrigan. In return for his longevity, he must bear the burden of unleashing Etrigan against any Earthly incursions from his fellow Hell-spawn and their mortal collaborators—as well as watching the innocent and guilty alike suffer his all-consuming wrath.
On the mean streets of Gotham City, however, the innocent are in short supply. Corruption oozes from every corner, and the rotten fruit that it bears is too great a temptation for the denizens of the underworld to resist—no matter what the laws of God or man command.
Such defiance cannot go unpunished. Luckily, one fiery fiend stands ready to strike back and restore the balance of terror—freshly commissioned by the lords of the damned as HELL’S HITMAN.
Collects THE DEMON #40 and #42-49 together with THE DEMON ANNUAL #2.
For nearly two thousand years, Jason Blood has served as a living host for the demon Etrigan. In return for his longevity, he must bear the burden of unleashing Etrigan against any Earthly incursions from his fellow Hell-spawn and their mortal collaborators—as well as watching the innocent and guilty alike suffer his all-consuming wrath.
On the mean streets of Gotham City, however, the innocent are in short supply. Corruption oozes from every corner, and the rotten fruit that it bears is too great a temptation for the denizens of the underworld to resist—no matter what the laws of God or man command.
Such defiance cannot go unpunished. Luckily, one fiery fiend stands ready to strike back and restore the balance of terror—freshly commissioned by the lords of the damned as HELL’S HITMAN.
Collects THE DEMON #40 and #42-49 together with THE DEMON ANNUAL #2.
293 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 29, 2015
12 people are currently reading
140 people want to read
About the author
Garth Ennis
2,629 books3,187 followersEnnis began his comic-writing career in 1989 with the series Troubled Souls. Appearing in the short-lived but critically-acclaimed British anthology Crisis and illustrated by McCrea, it told the story of a young, apolitical Protestant man caught up by fate in the violence of the Irish 'Troubles'. It spawned a sequel, For a Few Troubles More, a broad Belfast-based comedy featuring two supporting characters from Troubled Souls, Dougie and Ivor, who would later get their own American comics series, Dicks, from Caliber in 1997, and several follow-ups from Avatar.
Another series for Crisis was True Faith, a religious satire inspired by his schooldays, this time drawn by Warren Pleece. Ennis shortly after began to write for Crisis' parent publication, 2000 AD. He quickly graduated on to the title's flagship character, Judge Dredd, taking over from original creator John Wagner for a period of several years.
Ennis' first work on an American comic came in 1991 when he took over DC Comics's horror title Hellblazer, which he wrote until 1994, and for which he currently holds the title for most issues written. Steve Dillon became the regular artist during the second half of Ennis's run.
Ennis' landmark work to date is the 66-issue epic Preacher, which he co-created with artist Steve Dillon. Running from 1995 to 2000, it was a tale of a preacher with supernatural powers, searching (literally) for God who has abandoned his creation.
While Preacher was running, Ennis began a series set in the DC universe called Hitman. Despite being lower profile than Preacher, Hitman ran for 60 issues (plus specials) from 1996 to 2001, veering wildly from violent action to humour to an examination of male friendship under fire.
Other comic projects Ennis wrote during this time period include Goddess, Bloody Mary, Unknown Soldier, and Pride & Joy, all for DC/Vertigo, as well as origin stories for The Darkness for Image Comics and Shadowman for Valiant Comics.
After the end of Hitman, Ennis was lured to Marvel Comics with the promise from Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada that he could write The Punisher as long as he cared to. Instead of largely comical tone of these issues, he decided to make a much more serious series, re-launched under Marvel's MAX imprint.
In 2001 he briefly returned to UK comics to write the epic Helter Skelter for Judge Dredd.
Other comics Ennis has written include War Story (with various artists) for DC; The Pro for Image Comics; The Authority for Wildstorm; Just a Pilgrim for Black Bull Press, and 303, Chronicles of Wormwood (a six issue mini-series about the Antichrist), and a western comic book, Streets of Glory for Avatar Press.
In 2008 Ennis ended his five-year run on Punisher MAX to debut a new Marvel title, War Is Hell: The First Flight of the Phantom Eagle.
In June 2008, at Wizard World, Philadelphia, Ennis announced several new projects, including a metaseries of war comics called Battlefields from Dynamite made up of mini-series including Night Witches, Dear Billy and Tankies, another Chronicles of Wormwood mini-series and Crossed both at Avatar, a six-issue miniseries about Butcher (from The Boys) and a Punisher project reuniting him with artist Steve Dillon (subsequently specified to be a weekly mini-series entitled Punisher: War Zone, to be released concurrently with the film of the same name).
Taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garth_Ennis
Another series for Crisis was True Faith, a religious satire inspired by his schooldays, this time drawn by Warren Pleece. Ennis shortly after began to write for Crisis' parent publication, 2000 AD. He quickly graduated on to the title's flagship character, Judge Dredd, taking over from original creator John Wagner for a period of several years.
Ennis' first work on an American comic came in 1991 when he took over DC Comics's horror title Hellblazer, which he wrote until 1994, and for which he currently holds the title for most issues written. Steve Dillon became the regular artist during the second half of Ennis's run.
Ennis' landmark work to date is the 66-issue epic Preacher, which he co-created with artist Steve Dillon. Running from 1995 to 2000, it was a tale of a preacher with supernatural powers, searching (literally) for God who has abandoned his creation.
While Preacher was running, Ennis began a series set in the DC universe called Hitman. Despite being lower profile than Preacher, Hitman ran for 60 issues (plus specials) from 1996 to 2001, veering wildly from violent action to humour to an examination of male friendship under fire.
Other comic projects Ennis wrote during this time period include Goddess, Bloody Mary, Unknown Soldier, and Pride & Joy, all for DC/Vertigo, as well as origin stories for The Darkness for Image Comics and Shadowman for Valiant Comics.
After the end of Hitman, Ennis was lured to Marvel Comics with the promise from Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada that he could write The Punisher as long as he cared to. Instead of largely comical tone of these issues, he decided to make a much more serious series, re-launched under Marvel's MAX imprint.
In 2001 he briefly returned to UK comics to write the epic Helter Skelter for Judge Dredd.
Other comics Ennis has written include War Story (with various artists) for DC; The Pro for Image Comics; The Authority for Wildstorm; Just a Pilgrim for Black Bull Press, and 303, Chronicles of Wormwood (a six issue mini-series about the Antichrist), and a western comic book, Streets of Glory for Avatar Press.
In 2008 Ennis ended his five-year run on Punisher MAX to debut a new Marvel title, War Is Hell: The First Flight of the Phantom Eagle.
In June 2008, at Wizard World, Philadelphia, Ennis announced several new projects, including a metaseries of war comics called Battlefields from Dynamite made up of mini-series including Night Witches, Dear Billy and Tankies, another Chronicles of Wormwood mini-series and Crossed both at Avatar, a six-issue miniseries about Butcher (from The Boys) and a Punisher project reuniting him with artist Steve Dillon (subsequently specified to be a weekly mini-series entitled Punisher: War Zone, to be released concurrently with the film of the same name).
Taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garth_Ennis
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
January 2, 2016
Since Etrigan is forced to rhyme, I will follow his lead,
And write this review as poetry, I hope it helps if you're in need.
The Demon is a favourite, a character I adore,
So when this collection was released, I hoped it would not bore.
And thankfully it's excellent, no need to complain,
Since Garth Ennis is renowned for OTT violence and pain.
We join the Demon and Jason Blood first in the origin of Hitman,
A character Ennis launched first here, then took alone to to the stands.
Poor Hitman finds himself involved in Etrigan's new line of work;
He's become Hell's Hitman, and his first target is a jerk.
It's Asteroth, a Lord of Hell, who wants to raise a demon,
The demon that thrives on Gotham's rage, so of course, it's quite a mean one.
After this, there's one more arc, a clever three-part story,
That joins the Demon with the Haunted Tank, this one's called Haunted Glory.
All through these antics poor Jason Blood must suffer at the hands,
Of the Demon himself, who hates his guts, that villain Etrigan,
Poor Jason gets the shortest straw, his life falls apart around him,
His friend's a cushion, his girl's now pregnant, it's really quite astounding.
Joining Ennis is McCrea, his partner in this book,
Who never skimps out on the art, which has a unique look.
The Demon isn't for everyone, as Ennis isn't either,
But I for one am glad he's here, this book is a crowd-pleaser!
(God, that was harder than I thought. Long story short, this is great fun, so go buy it and enjoy!)
And write this review as poetry, I hope it helps if you're in need.
The Demon is a favourite, a character I adore,
So when this collection was released, I hoped it would not bore.
And thankfully it's excellent, no need to complain,
Since Garth Ennis is renowned for OTT violence and pain.
We join the Demon and Jason Blood first in the origin of Hitman,
A character Ennis launched first here, then took alone to to the stands.
Poor Hitman finds himself involved in Etrigan's new line of work;
He's become Hell's Hitman, and his first target is a jerk.
It's Asteroth, a Lord of Hell, who wants to raise a demon,
The demon that thrives on Gotham's rage, so of course, it's quite a mean one.
After this, there's one more arc, a clever three-part story,
That joins the Demon with the Haunted Tank, this one's called Haunted Glory.
All through these antics poor Jason Blood must suffer at the hands,
Of the Demon himself, who hates his guts, that villain Etrigan,
Poor Jason gets the shortest straw, his life falls apart around him,
His friend's a cushion, his girl's now pregnant, it's really quite astounding.
Joining Ennis is McCrea, his partner in this book,
Who never skimps out on the art, which has a unique look.
The Demon isn't for everyone, as Ennis isn't either,
But I for one am glad he's here, this book is a crowd-pleaser!
(God, that was harder than I thought. Long story short, this is great fun, so go buy it and enjoy!)
June 12, 2021
I didn't remember Garth Ennis being such a Ren & Stimpy mark...he has Baytor quote them repeatedly, and has a scene set on "Hoek Street".....strange times, indeed.
Read
February 20, 2016Back when DC had the best universe in comics, before they systematically wrecked everything that made it so great, its corners had room for oddball books like this (not to mention its spin-off Hitman). The Demon was the perfect star for a nineties comic, because he combines the two archetypal nineties protagonists in one: as Etrigan, he's a bulging-muscled, clawed psychopath; meanwhile, his unwillingly soul-bound immortal human alter ego, Jason Blood, is a trenchcoated supernatural moper. And while some other iterations of the character see that combination become unutterably grim and moody, here it was Garth Ennis and John McCrea at the helm, and what those two do, for the most part, is take the piss. Ennis in particular takes to Etrigan's obligation to speak in rhyme like a good'un, pilfering from the finest traditions of comic verse, the more scurrilous the better (in particular, being very obvious about setting up a closing word he's not allowed to use, then having the line diverted or interrupted). And McCrea does grand guignol grotesquerie and comic smut like a teenage metal fan, except that underneath it all he is a genuinely competent artist who can rein it in when the story (very occasionally) demands subtlety.
This long-overdue collection takes a little while to get started, not least because the boys took over a series already underway, and had to rearrange its status quo as they went. So Blood has a girlfriend, a best friend who's been turned into a cushion (with a somewhat 'Love & Monsters' romantic subplot) and so forth to juggle. There's also a slight overreliance on demons called things like Rectomm, Kakk and Smegma for laughs. But even while you can sense the engine warming up, hitman Tommy Monaghan is introduced and then transfigured, before we move on to an ambitious story which combines some entertaining if obvious jabs at televangelists with a haunting idea about the demon-souls of cities (guess what Gotham's looks like?). And then...'Haunted Glory'. In which Etrigan teams up with the Haunted Tank against undead Nazis. This could easily have been a complete clusterfuck, especially given Ennis' surprising failure to address the racist elephant in the room - why did a Confederate general's ghost ever assist United States forces against the Nazis when he'd presumably have been much happier aiding the self-proclaimed ubermensch against the Yankees? And yet, it works. It really works. Somehow, it yokes the simple war movie pleasures of blowing up those who richly deserve it with a genuinely moving tribute to the old men who did the real thing.
This long-overdue collection takes a little while to get started, not least because the boys took over a series already underway, and had to rearrange its status quo as they went. So Blood has a girlfriend, a best friend who's been turned into a cushion (with a somewhat 'Love & Monsters' romantic subplot) and so forth to juggle. There's also a slight overreliance on demons called things like Rectomm, Kakk and Smegma for laughs. But even while you can sense the engine warming up, hitman Tommy Monaghan is introduced and then transfigured, before we move on to an ambitious story which combines some entertaining if obvious jabs at televangelists with a haunting idea about the demon-souls of cities (guess what Gotham's looks like?). And then...'Haunted Glory'. In which Etrigan teams up with the Haunted Tank against undead Nazis. This could easily have been a complete clusterfuck, especially given Ennis' surprising failure to address the racist elephant in the room - why did a Confederate general's ghost ever assist United States forces against the Nazis when he'd presumably have been much happier aiding the self-proclaimed ubermensch against the Yankees? And yet, it works. It really works. Somehow, it yokes the simple war movie pleasures of blowing up those who richly deserve it with a genuinely moving tribute to the old men who did the real thing.
February 8, 2016
Garth Ennis and John McCrea's anarchic, vulgar take on Jack Kirby's non-anarchic, non-vulgar Etrigan the Demon is a hoot for those with a strong stomach. It's no more faithful to Kirby's original conception of a demon who fights on the side of the angels than, well, pretty much every other take on The Demon after Kirby's. Indeed, the only comic book that ever came close to Kirby's energetic mix of super-heroism and the supernatural is Mike Mignola's Hellboy.
Ennis and McCrea, like Alan Moore and Matt Wagner before them, make Etrigan a barely controlled monster. They make the human Etrigan shares a body with, Jason Blood, into a whiny incompetent. They make the various supporting characters into buffoons and punchlines. So it goes. It all works because Ennis and McCrea are really good at ultraviolent horror comedy. It also works because they introduce their super-powered hitman character (cleverly dubbed Hitman) in the course of these issues. Hitman would get his own series. As is pretty much always the case with Ennis, he'd seem a lot more comfortable and a lot less scabrous writing his own character.
The standout story arc here sees Ennis and McCrea bring back DC's venerable weird war series The Haunted Tank. The cognitive dissonance generated by a story of an American tank haunted by a Confederate general taking on a bunch of resurrected, supernatural Nazis with the help of a nihilistic Demon is a wee bit mind-blowing. Perhaps never moreso than in a scene in which the Demon explains to the Nazis why he finds them repugnant. It's crazy fun, and it allows Ennis to himself resurrect some of the ridiculous maneuvers the dinky little Haunted Tank once performed so as to defeat seemingly endless hordes of vastly superior Nazi machinery.
Is this Kirbyesque? No. And Ennis' decision to have Etrigan speak in rhymes all the time -- based on a long-standing, DC-wide misreading of Kirby's original Etrigan , who only occasionally spoke in rhyme -- can make for some truly godawful writing at points. But, you know, Nazi zombies in tanks!
Ennis and McCrea, like Alan Moore and Matt Wagner before them, make Etrigan a barely controlled monster. They make the human Etrigan shares a body with, Jason Blood, into a whiny incompetent. They make the various supporting characters into buffoons and punchlines. So it goes. It all works because Ennis and McCrea are really good at ultraviolent horror comedy. It also works because they introduce their super-powered hitman character (cleverly dubbed Hitman) in the course of these issues. Hitman would get his own series. As is pretty much always the case with Ennis, he'd seem a lot more comfortable and a lot less scabrous writing his own character.
The standout story arc here sees Ennis and McCrea bring back DC's venerable weird war series The Haunted Tank. The cognitive dissonance generated by a story of an American tank haunted by a Confederate general taking on a bunch of resurrected, supernatural Nazis with the help of a nihilistic Demon is a wee bit mind-blowing. Perhaps never moreso than in a scene in which the Demon explains to the Nazis why he finds them repugnant. It's crazy fun, and it allows Ennis to himself resurrect some of the ridiculous maneuvers the dinky little Haunted Tank once performed so as to defeat seemingly endless hordes of vastly superior Nazi machinery.
Is this Kirbyesque? No. And Ennis' decision to have Etrigan speak in rhymes all the time -- based on a long-standing, DC-wide misreading of Kirby's original Etrigan , who only occasionally spoke in rhyme -- can make for some truly godawful writing at points. But, you know, Nazi zombies in tanks!
Read
December 25, 2020Slightly amusing, but mostly forgettable. The majority of this volume is mindless stupidity, and while I understand that’s sometimes needed, it doesn’t translate to good or even fun stories. Most of the time anyway. The last four issues are easily the best here, with Ennis bringing back the Haunted Tank for a war story (you know Ennis writing war is usually excellent) and a standalone with a unique perspective on Etrigan and Jason Blood. Like I said, this book has its charm and definitely was unlike most mainstream comics at the time. We also see the beginnings of one Tommy Monaghan, Hitman. But there’s a reason no one mentions this as their favorite Ennis comic.
July 13, 2020
Extremely juvenile in a boogers n farts kinda way, but fun adventure times nonetheless. Kinda wild how much stuff Ennis inherits from whoever did the previous run? Jason Blood has... two talking pillows? A girlfriend? A guy called Randu? OK sure whatevs!
But then he also fights Panzer zombie nazis and the Demon of Gotham (no points for guessing what shape that one takes).
Tommy Monaghan is introduced here and him and Sean are kinda dicks? You can tell Ennis was in way bigger cartoon mode here than he was in Hitman.
also LOL at the idea of a Confederate general being against nazis
But then he also fights Panzer zombie nazis and the Demon of Gotham (no points for guessing what shape that one takes).
Tommy Monaghan is introduced here and him and Sean are kinda dicks? You can tell Ennis was in way bigger cartoon mode here than he was in Hitman.
also LOL at the idea of a Confederate general being against nazis
April 8, 2016
I had forgotten that Ennis had written
The Demon once upon a time.
This book popped up as a recommendation on
Amazon. I gave it a shot due to my love of the body
of Garth Ennis' work.
Totally depraved
and it was amazing.
Ennis pushes the boundaries
of both good taste and what could be
published in a mainstream DC comic.
The Demon is Etrigan
imprisoned in the flesh of Jason Blood
by Merlin almost 2,000 years ago.
Collected here are the first issues after Ennis
took over the reigns.
Switching gears very heavily Ennis focuses on
the "demon from Hell" aspect of the character, which leads
to some incredible, bizarre, disturbing
yet brilliant stories.
The highlight of this collection is the origin story
of one of the most unusual DC Comics characters.
The Hitman
who is, a hitman.
Following his beginning in the pages of The Demon
Ennis & McRea had a long run on a series
following the exploits of a Gotham City hitman.
It was a incredible.
But that's another blog.
Ennis also resurrects
The Haunted Tank
That's right.
DC ran a comic that featured the
Ghost of Confederate General J. E. B. Stuart
watching over an American tank in the Second World War.
I'll just let you skull on that for a minute.
Brought back here to help Etrigan fight zombie Nazis.
This book was so much fun.
I hated to see it end.
I actually read it all in one sitting.
Now I'm off to get some old Hitman trades.
The Demon once upon a time.
This book popped up as a recommendation on
Amazon. I gave it a shot due to my love of the body
of Garth Ennis' work.
Totally depraved
and it was amazing.
Ennis pushes the boundaries
of both good taste and what could be
published in a mainstream DC comic.
The Demon is Etrigan
imprisoned in the flesh of Jason Blood
by Merlin almost 2,000 years ago.
Collected here are the first issues after Ennis
took over the reigns.
Switching gears very heavily Ennis focuses on
the "demon from Hell" aspect of the character, which leads
to some incredible, bizarre, disturbing
yet brilliant stories.
The highlight of this collection is the origin story
of one of the most unusual DC Comics characters.
The Hitman
who is, a hitman.
Following his beginning in the pages of The Demon
Ennis & McRea had a long run on a series
following the exploits of a Gotham City hitman.
It was a incredible.
But that's another blog.
Ennis also resurrects
The Haunted Tank
That's right.
DC ran a comic that featured the
Ghost of Confederate General J. E. B. Stuart
watching over an American tank in the Second World War.
I'll just let you skull on that for a minute.
Brought back here to help Etrigan fight zombie Nazis.
This book was so much fun.
I hated to see it end.
I actually read it all in one sitting.
Now I'm off to get some old Hitman trades.
May 24, 2023
I really, really expected to like this more and am shocked I didn't. I had read some of the stories here (I think the best ones) in the Hitman collection because he was introduced in the Demon. I think that is what struck me first - Ennis cared so much more about the Hitman and it was a character he felt more comfortable writing for. The Demon stories really don't have a solid point and feel like a genre he is not interested in writing about. It felt like him trying to imitate Gaiman or Moore.
First you have the art - it is fine. The stylized 90's art I never really liked but McCrea does his best. The art didn't really help or hurt the book.
Then you have the character of the Demon. I like the character in small doses but to read 200+ pages of bad rhymes (he speaks in rhymes) got to be too much. Also - after 200 pages I don't know much more about the character and since his alter ego Jason Blood is barely touched on we don't get that interesting interplay explored. Jason's girlfriend is dismissed and there are some talking pillows (I have no idea - they were never really explained and played no true role other than giving Jason something to talk to) but just no true world building. Ennis makes a lame attempt when the Demon is assigned to be Hell's Hitman (I guess he was sad he couldn't just write Hitman) but he barely follows through on that premise.
The other semi-interesting thing was when the Haunted Tank shows up but it underscored again that Ennis needed other characters to make Demon interesting.
It was odd how little this worked for me. Demon is a cool character, Ennis is an outstanding writer and there are a lot of interesting directions this series could have gone in (e.g. I would have anchored it around Jason - like other writers did - so we get the Demon for certain times instead of all the time). I still might check out volume two but I understand now why this never got a full omnibus reprint.
First you have the art - it is fine. The stylized 90's art I never really liked but McCrea does his best. The art didn't really help or hurt the book.
Then you have the character of the Demon. I like the character in small doses but to read 200+ pages of bad rhymes (he speaks in rhymes) got to be too much. Also - after 200 pages I don't know much more about the character and since his alter ego Jason Blood is barely touched on we don't get that interesting interplay explored. Jason's girlfriend is dismissed and there are some talking pillows (I have no idea - they were never really explained and played no true role other than giving Jason something to talk to) but just no true world building. Ennis makes a lame attempt when the Demon is assigned to be Hell's Hitman (I guess he was sad he couldn't just write Hitman) but he barely follows through on that premise.
The other semi-interesting thing was when the Haunted Tank shows up but it underscored again that Ennis needed other characters to make Demon interesting.
It was odd how little this worked for me. Demon is a cool character, Ennis is an outstanding writer and there are a lot of interesting directions this series could have gone in (e.g. I would have anchored it around Jason - like other writers did - so we get the Demon for certain times instead of all the time). I still might check out volume two but I understand now why this never got a full omnibus reprint.
August 19, 2020
Even the names are funny in Garth's writings. The story and artwork are messy, but I believe by design, not because of lack of skill. Both the artist and writer improve as the issues go by. The two one-shots are followed by two longer stories that pose a serious challenge to Etrigan. Everything is over the top here, so don't expect mature storytelling from a world where the main character speaks in rhyme.
After Etrigan hunts down a demon who possessed a satanist biker with a funny name, we jump into the middle ages where Jason Blood realises that he is being possessed by Etrigan and begins looking for a solution to rid himself of the demon.
Facing his next target, Lord Asteroth, is more challenging when Etrigan is surrounded by the Choirboy Commandoes. The fallen angels Duma and Remial offer Etrigan help if he agrees to become hell's hitman. Jason's hope to redeem himself seems lost.
The last part is a story with WW2 references. The Nazi General von Raddel plans to put his flunky Bergen as fuhrer. He wants the resurrected SS Panzerarmee Hell to occupy the US, then the rest of the world. They have to deal with a team of tankies driving the Haunted Tank first. This one is a bucket of laughs throughout, but still manages to show due respect for the men who fought the good fight.
After Etrigan hunts down a demon who possessed a satanist biker with a funny name, we jump into the middle ages where Jason Blood realises that he is being possessed by Etrigan and begins looking for a solution to rid himself of the demon.
Facing his next target, Lord Asteroth, is more challenging when Etrigan is surrounded by the Choirboy Commandoes. The fallen angels Duma and Remial offer Etrigan help if he agrees to become hell's hitman. Jason's hope to redeem himself seems lost.
The last part is a story with WW2 references. The Nazi General von Raddel plans to put his flunky Bergen as fuhrer. He wants the resurrected SS Panzerarmee Hell to occupy the US, then the rest of the world. They have to deal with a team of tankies driving the Haunted Tank first. This one is a bucket of laughs throughout, but still manages to show due respect for the men who fought the good fight.
March 11, 2018
Never read any Etrigan books before, but I trusted the name of Garth Ennis when picking this up. Oh man...what a ride. Ennis has a lot of fun with Etrigan and takes to his world so well. The world of the Devil’s Hitman is a ripe playground to use and Ennis rounds up as many toys as he can. The struggle between Etrigan and Jason Blood is interesting, but I found myself more entertained by Etrigan’s shenanigans. This book has so much more humor than I would have initially thought. John McCrea draws the Demon so well and makes Gotham look somehow more gothic and foreboding than usual. Did you know the DC Universe has a separate Hell for Nazis? Can’t wait to read the second volume.
July 17, 2019
Nice to finally get to read these Demon issues of Ennis, as only scattered issues would make their way to my comic store as a kid. There are fewer than I remember, and this first volume already has Hitman in it, though I enjoyed the second tale with Haunted Tank a bit more. This was a nice vehicle for McCrea's cartoony, warped brand of violence/comedy. They really did make a good fit together, as cemented on their Hitman run. Also fun to see Ennis tying it in to Gaiman's Sandman with the angels who now preside over Hell in Lucifer's absence.
August 10, 2018
A classic Ennis McCrea book. Not as unfettered as the duo could be, but far beyond its contemporary DC fare. Demon rhyming is always a bit hard to get through, but that disgusting Ennis charm still manages to shine through. McCrea's art, as aways, is fantastic and wonderously depraved. Plus, we all need a story in which Nazis get eviscerated by a demon and haunted tank piloted by pensioners. Also: Hitman is here, guys!
It's fun, it's tacky, and boyohboy is it a fun way to waste some time.
It's fun, it's tacky, and boyohboy is it a fun way to waste some time.
September 28, 2017
via NYPL - Nice to see some early Tommy Monaghan tales. The rest, eh... it's okay - nothing to be embarrassed by if you want to read it, but nothing you're missing out on either. McCrea's artwork is wonderful. The humor (Etrigan smacking people with the corpse of a mob boss!) is fun. Reading Etrigan's dialogue becomes a real chore much too quickly though.
September 3, 2023
Let a million voices ring, come on you cretins, all hail to the king
From a writer I adore, it definitely was not a bore
That was a weak attempt at rhyme, so please someone, help me finish this chime
From a writer I adore, it definitely was not a bore
That was a weak attempt at rhyme, so please someone, help me finish this chime
April 19, 2019
This is good stuff. It’s fun seeing Garth Ennis write Etrigan from this era and introduce the criminally underrated character Hitman.
August 21, 2019
I enjoyed this, looking forward to volume 2.
July 11, 2021
A fun read, for the most part, though the constant rhyming gets a little tedious to read, though I get that it's Etrigan's whole schtick.
August 5, 2023
DNF! Simply not for me. Garth Ennis isn't funny or interesting here. McCrea gets to unleash some gory panels but its too much and ultimately doesn't matter.
October 14, 2023
Pure batshit insanity. I love it.
March 3, 2024
Best Ennis I've ever read
January 18, 2025
A tratti piacevole ma un po' noiosetto.
April 19, 2025
Its ok.
Its an ok book. Cool on some parts. Boring in others. But I do like the Character of Jason Blood/Etrigan. The rhyming gets old quickly.
Its an ok book. Cool on some parts. Boring in others. But I do like the Character of Jason Blood/Etrigan. The rhyming gets old quickly.
May 13, 2021
While there is much to love here in terms of art style and world-building, readers who come into this straight from Jack Kirby's conception of the character will find Etrigan's ethos as a subversion of a demonic hero may be disappointed as Ennis writes Etrigan as a character who only does heroic deeds because he is bound to Jason Blood. This book represents DC's 90's era edginess to a fault. The art has a wonderful punk aesthetic but the stories also ties into the terrible DC Bloodlines crossover event and a few issues have a heroic Confederate ghost that has not aged well. I greatly enjoyed this but the latter especially prevents me from absolutely loving this. I could see some readers being absolutely turned off by the comic if they can't get past these last issues.
January 31, 2016
Etrigan é um caso de dupla personalidade mergulhada no ocultismo psicadélico de Jack Kirby. Etrigan é um poderoso demónio acorrentado à alma humana do feiticeiro Jason Blood. Odeiam-se, mas são forçados a coexistir ao longo de milénios, sob efeito de uma maldição da qual não se conseguem livrar. Comic de terror ocultista da Golden Age, Etrigan/Blood foi redescoberto pela lendária época de Alan Moore em Swamp Thing. O trágico e amoral demónio rimador ganhou protagonismo, e desde aí tem sido personagem secundária recorrente, com algumas séries próprias de curta duração. A sua última aparição foi como parte da tentativa da DC de dar um cunho de fantasia medievalista aos seus heróis com a série Demon Knights.
Há vantagens em ser uma personagem de segunda linha. Liberta argumentistas e ilustradores do peso do histórico do personagem e das expectativas dos fãs. Notem que Daredevil só se tornou interessante quando Frank Miller pegou num comic que já ninguém lia e lhe deu um toque policial noir, que acabou por ditar o tom da série. Se bem que não tenha sido este o caminho seguido por Garth Ennis nesta sua época como argumentista de Etrigan, coligida neste TPB. Ennis trouxe um humor ácido e violento à personagem, num registo over the top de violência ridícula cheio de piadas mórbidas. Quer a eliminar demónios que controlam o mundo do crime em Gotham com extremo prejuízo e preferência por usar as mãos como arma, quer a combater zombies nazis que invadem a américa com ajuda de The Haunted Tank, o resultado é histriónico, roçando o absurdo, e por isso muito interessante. O traço grotesco de John McCrea, comparsa de Ennis nas suas aventuras mais radicais, consegue momentos de absurdismo perfeccionista, embora nem sempre consiga acompanhar a iconografia latente nos argumentos. Funciona perfeitamente em registo caricatural, falhando quando a narrativa pede algo mais ambiental. Da leitura fica a sensação que alguém na DC foi corajoso ou muito inocente, para permitir a publicação desta insanidade gráfica.
Há vantagens em ser uma personagem de segunda linha. Liberta argumentistas e ilustradores do peso do histórico do personagem e das expectativas dos fãs. Notem que Daredevil só se tornou interessante quando Frank Miller pegou num comic que já ninguém lia e lhe deu um toque policial noir, que acabou por ditar o tom da série. Se bem que não tenha sido este o caminho seguido por Garth Ennis nesta sua época como argumentista de Etrigan, coligida neste TPB. Ennis trouxe um humor ácido e violento à personagem, num registo over the top de violência ridícula cheio de piadas mórbidas. Quer a eliminar demónios que controlam o mundo do crime em Gotham com extremo prejuízo e preferência por usar as mãos como arma, quer a combater zombies nazis que invadem a américa com ajuda de The Haunted Tank, o resultado é histriónico, roçando o absurdo, e por isso muito interessante. O traço grotesco de John McCrea, comparsa de Ennis nas suas aventuras mais radicais, consegue momentos de absurdismo perfeccionista, embora nem sempre consiga acompanhar a iconografia latente nos argumentos. Funciona perfeitamente em registo caricatural, falhando quando a narrativa pede algo mais ambiental. Da leitura fica a sensação que alguém na DC foi corajoso ou muito inocente, para permitir a publicação desta insanidade gráfica.
January 22, 2016
Overall, I was vastly underwhelmed by Ennis' Demon. It's mindless mayhem that rarely goes beyond the idea that Demon is killing bad demons on earth. There's little humor, little continuing plot, and really little anything other than Demon killing stuff. In other words, Ennis shows off his bad qualities without anything to really redeem the book.
Shorts (40, Annual). Ennis' try-out issue is a pretty dull story of an escaped demon [5/10], while the Annual is part of the hideous Bloodlines crossovers, that's interesting only because it introduces Tommy Monaghan ... and it actually feels more like Hitman Annual #1 than Demon Annual #2 [6/10]. Neither story really tells us what Ennis is going to do when he has his feet under him ...
Hell's Hitman (42-45). A somewhat awkward reintegration of the continuing Demon plots, after Ennis ignored them in his into and Annual. The fight against Asteroth isn't that thrilling other than the inclusion of Tommy (making him one of the very few successful Bloodlines characters). The interaction with Gaiman's Hell mythology is also amusing, as we see Duma bring the Demon on as a Hitman. But otherwise, this arc is just amusing, little more [5/10].
Haunted Glory (46-48). I'm surprised that Ennis call this his favorite Demon story because it's not all that. Sure, the idea of returning to the Haunted Tank and his crew 50 years later is brilliant, and Ennis has some really nice prose about the waiting tank ... but beyond that it's two+ issues of constant, meaningless fights that get really old really fast [4/10].
From Hell (49). The best story in the volume. It's got an unusual point of view, a better focus on Jason, more humor, and a fun twist. The end is a little too expected, but otherwise this is what Ennis' Demon should have been [7/10].
Shorts (40, Annual). Ennis' try-out issue is a pretty dull story of an escaped demon [5/10], while the Annual is part of the hideous Bloodlines crossovers, that's interesting only because it introduces Tommy Monaghan ... and it actually feels more like Hitman Annual #1 than Demon Annual #2 [6/10]. Neither story really tells us what Ennis is going to do when he has his feet under him ...
Hell's Hitman (42-45). A somewhat awkward reintegration of the continuing Demon plots, after Ennis ignored them in his into and Annual. The fight against Asteroth isn't that thrilling other than the inclusion of Tommy (making him one of the very few successful Bloodlines characters). The interaction with Gaiman's Hell mythology is also amusing, as we see Duma bring the Demon on as a Hitman. But otherwise, this arc is just amusing, little more [5/10].
Haunted Glory (46-48). I'm surprised that Ennis call this his favorite Demon story because it's not all that. Sure, the idea of returning to the Haunted Tank and his crew 50 years later is brilliant, and Ennis has some really nice prose about the waiting tank ... but beyond that it's two+ issues of constant, meaningless fights that get really old really fast [4/10].
From Hell (49). The best story in the volume. It's got an unusual point of view, a better focus on Jason, more humor, and a fun twist. The end is a little too expected, but otherwise this is what Ennis' Demon should have been [7/10].
Read
December 18, 2019This book is insane. As Ennis wrote in the intro, he had no interest in writing a superhero story, so what did he do instead? He wrote a story about literal demons from Hell with how-did-this-get-published names, working alongside WWII vets who pilot a tank haunted by the ghost of a Confederate general so they can fight an army of Nazi zombies. Bodies are flying everywhere, occult symbols litter the pages, and yet it's... actually a great time!
This sort of book isn't usually my thing, but I genuinely loved it. Ennis struck just the right balance of obscene and fun. I was most interested in seeing how this compares to his later works, given that this was only his second American comics work. The ultraviolence, crude humor, occult, war themes, gray morality, religious satire- it's all here, if not as refined as it would later become. McCrea is great here, too, giving the seriousness a bit of levity with his cartoonish designs and use of body language.
I started reading this for the early appearances of Hitman, but I kept reading beyond those issues because I enjoyed it so much. Definitely going to start on volume 2 soon.
This sort of book isn't usually my thing, but I genuinely loved it. Ennis struck just the right balance of obscene and fun. I was most interested in seeing how this compares to his later works, given that this was only his second American comics work. The ultraviolence, crude humor, occult, war themes, gray morality, religious satire- it's all here, if not as refined as it would later become. McCrea is great here, too, giving the seriousness a bit of levity with his cartoonish designs and use of body language.
I started reading this for the early appearances of Hitman, but I kept reading beyond those issues because I enjoyed it so much. Definitely going to start on volume 2 soon.
April 16, 2025
Una serie grottesca, violenta ed irriverente in pieno stile Ennis. Basti vedere alcuni degli antagonisti presenti nel volume come il “commando canoro”, una squadra di coristi killer, o dei neonazisti capaci di rievocare dalla morte dei soldato del terzo reich sotto forma di zombie. Bellissimo anche il design “originale” (non quando e’ umano insomma) di Glonth, una specie di drago presente nella miniserie in cui viene introdotto il personaggio di Hitman.
Ho apprezzato moltissimo i disegni di McCrea, il cui stile mi ha ricordato quello di Kelley Jones ma più tamarro. Meno invece quelli molto più classici degli artisti ospiti.
Essendo ambientato nello stesso universo di Sandman anche qui l’inferno, con l’abbandono di Lucifero, e’ gestito dagli angeli Remiel e Duma
Nell’ultimo numero del volume assistiamo alla nascita del figlio di Etrigan, descritto come un abominio.
Ho apprezzato moltissimo i disegni di McCrea, il cui stile mi ha ricordato quello di Kelley Jones ma più tamarro. Meno invece quelli molto più classici degli artisti ospiti.
Essendo ambientato nello stesso universo di Sandman anche qui l’inferno, con l’abbandono di Lucifero, e’ gestito dagli angeli Remiel e Duma
Nell’ultimo numero del volume assistiamo alla nascita del figlio di Etrigan, descritto come un abominio.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 30, 2016
This was pretty confusing. Etrigan is portrayed as a villain who destroys other villains for no real clear reason. (Clearing turf?) The rhymes are often confusing and not great. Jason Blood is kind of a sadsack with no real presence. Also two supporting characters are throw pillows.
Then there's the detour where a Confederate general fights Nazis. I know it's a Jack Kirby bit, but in the 90's, it's a lot more disconcerting.
Then there's the detour where a Confederate general fights Nazis. I know it's a Jack Kirby bit, but in the 90's, it's a lot more disconcerting.
January 25, 2016
Hace 22 años me compré el The Demon 43, que ahora está aquí compilado y finalmente pude leer el final. Este es el Etrigan que me gusta. Notable que hayan decidido compilar el run de Garth Ennis y John McCrea.
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