ACW #637 – Demon
Action Comics Weekly #637 (Demon)
“Never Trust a Demon!”
Writer – Alan Grant
Pencils – Mark Pacella
Inks – Bill Wray
Letters – John Costanza
Colors – Tatjana Wood
Editor – Dan Raspler
Hey Gang, it’s a travel day for your humble host. Going to be boarding a plane in a few hours, heading back to New York City for a few days. So yeah, to say that I’m a little “antsy” right now would be putting it mildly.
Maybe my nerves can be reined in… when we visit the Demon, Etrigan? That kinda rhymed, dinnit?
—
We pick up where we left off last week… Etrigan looks like he’s about to make a snack out of the young boy that Jason Blood had just exorcised. Jason ain’t digging this, and attempts to call the Demon off. I… hmm… I thought that this was a transformation-situation, and not a case of these two being actual disparate physical beings. Maybe I’m missing something… heck, I might just be flat-out wrong. I can’t claim to be an expert in Demon-ology. There’s a bit of a standoff… until Blood threatens to slit his wrists… so, maybe they do share a body and this “meeting” is more ethereal than it appears?
As the dust settles and the smoke clears, Blood informs the woman who hired him last issue that her son will be okay. He arrives back at his Sanctum Whateverthehell, and is informed about Glenda’s vision in the Philosopher’s Stone. He’s not quite sure what to make of it, as, since Merlin disappeared… the Stone ain’t done bupkis. She is finally able to convince him that she saw something… something having to do with the resurrection of Morgaine LeFey.
Blood springs into action… well, he books a flight to England anyway. We join him there as he drives by iconic locales like Stonehenge, the Chalk Horses, and Silbury Hill. He ponders just what Silbury Hill is all about.
And… as if on cue, the mound is struck by lightning! From it bursts… well, some helmeted-dude on a horse.
—
This isn’t bad… I’m just having trouble bringing myself to care.
It’s perfectly enjoyable, for what it is… and appears to be interested in telling a story, rather than meandering like so many of our ACW features have done during their earlier chapters.
I am a bit confused about the relationship between Jason Blood and Etrigan. I’d always assumed it was a Hulk/Banner sort of situation. Maybe it is? Maybe it, like the Hulk/Banner situation, evolves and changes throughout the years? I dunno.
That’s one thing I feel like this feature could do better… provide context. Here, while Glenda, Randu, and Blood are chatting… there are callbacks to previous stories. At least I assume they are, it’s not like we get any editorial footnotes to let us know where we might find those previous stories.
I guess the fact that I don’t hate this is a good sign… sometimes that’s all we can hope for!
Tomorrow: Operators are Standing By!
