Son of Satan: Back in the Big Easy

Several editors in the comic book industry regard certain characters as "radioactive". They've been fucked up so badly that they need to be left alone for a few years and possibly rebooted. Hawkman was the classic example: his origin was redone over and over to the point where it no longer made any sense. Daimon Hellstrom, the Son of Satan, also leapt off the Geiger counter when we found out that his father was Dormammu, not Satan!

Yes, push the reset button, please. Don't explain anything, just fix it, and in Hellstorm: Son of Satan #1, we are back to some of the basic tenants. Daimon is back on earth in human form and his father is Satan, the ruler of Hell. Daimon still wields a lethal pitchfork to dispatch demons running amok in New Orleans. Besides demons chowing down on hapless souls like obese little boys at McDonalds, there's a deeper mystery involving the Egyptian gods Isis and Horus. That was one thing I thought previous writers missed out on--mixing up Gods from different Pantheons and seeing what conflict they might provoke. It's a promising start. I like the interior monologue that Alexander Irvine has written, but certain aspects of the artwork throw me off a bit. Maybe it's the coloring (the demons look like big red teddy bears to me), or perhaps I am just comparing Russ Braun's very different style (which I like but may not fit this genre) to Leonardo Manco, who illustrated the Warren Ellis run. I think I'm just prejudiced--Spanish or Italian artists always seem to hit my Hell-spot better than most American artists.

I really love the alternate cover by Mark Texeira. It's an homage to Marvel Spotlight #13, which featured Daimon's origin. Tex is a class act all the way, because he signs it "Mark Texeira after Romita", who did the original version. So many artists these days are using classic covers for inspiration and not crediting the source. Thank you, Tex, for being so honorable! Nuff said.