The Demon: Hell is Earth #6 // Review
The clash for the fate of Hell and Earth are coming to a close in this sixth, and final, issue of The Demon: Hell is Earth, written by Andrew Constant, penciled by Brad Walker, inked by Andrew Hennessy, and colored by Chris Sotomayor. Up to this point, Jason Blood and his other half, Etrigan the Demon, have joined forces with Etrigan’s brother Merlin and Madame Xanadu. Now, together they fight against the demonic forces that have risen from Hell, and their king, Belial, Etrigan’s father.
An all-out brawl erupts, as Etrigan and Jason fight Belial to stop the merging of Earth and Hell. Merlin and Madame Xanadu offer their magical prowess as aid against Belial, and the previous ruler of hell, Lucifer, who has been transformed into a demonic wolf. In order to gain an edge against Belial, Merlin calls upon old forces and summons one of the most archaic and powerful of weapons in all of history, which Etrigan must wield to have any hope in defeating his father.
Andrew Constant tells a straightforward tale through the series about family quarrels and deception. It all ends in bringing about the death of powerful characters throughout history, and shows that a putrid, rhyme-slinging, exiled demon can still overcome his own inner demons, mostly family. Constant weaves in Etrigan’s ancestry, showing more of his family tree and the threats they pose. However, with some assistance from his comrades and one good brother, the demon could possibly do anything. The back-and-forth chatter between the characters seemed genuine, as it was emotion-filled and full of connection as the script wove each character in as a long term enemy or friend. Etrigan did seem to always have a slight upper hand, like slaying a monsterous, demonic wolf with a single slash of his new weapon.
Walker’s art lacked some fine detail when it came to smaller panels, but really focused in on the characters when they were presented with a close up. Some attention to detail in the background was spectacular, such as when views of hell, a place readers don’t often see, were shown, allowing a nice, crisp, vision of what the realm of demons looks like. Hennessy and Sotomayor’s colors throughout the series is a beautiful array, varying across the spectrum, as each spell casted produces its own, along with the flames of the demons. You’d expect, it being a dark story about demons, more blacks and grays, but it stays vibrant and captivating through the long haul.
The series is rather enjoyable, and the childlike acts of Etrigan keep the story humorous through the dark events. It’s fantastic seeing Etrigan and Jason out on their own, though, whenever they do team up with Justice League Dark, it’s fulfilling, as they bring plenty of power, internal conflict, and banter along with them to mix in with the chaos that revolves around the group of the estranged supernatural persons. With the issues end, questions have flourished, like what could be next for Etrigan? And what his new position could do for later DC comics as he’s now reached a zenith like point?
