DC Comics 2017
Written by Andrew Constant
Pencilled by Brad Walker
Inked by Andrew Hennessy
Coloured by Chris Sotomayor
Lettered by Tom Napolitano
Jason Blood and Etrigan: the best of enemies, destined to spend eternity bound together. When a haunting vision leads Jason to Death Valley, a supernatural weapon is unleashed, radically transforming not only the land, but also Blood…and the Demon. The worst, though, is yet to come, as hell begins to make its way into our world.
Oh my stars and garters yes please, thank you, please sir can I have some more? First of all thanks for the retro cover logo that goes back to when he debuted in his own book. While the inside brings me to what I believe is what comics today should be like. The book is strong, interesting and more complicated than I would have thought going into this. Continuity and inclusion be damned this feels as close to what I grew up reading turned into modern day comics and essentially DC.
The aspect of this issue that I absolutely adore is the focus being given to the two separate people sharing one bodily existence. The fact that we open up with a dream, one that has far reaching consequences, and then an argument between the two is extraordinaire writing. I adore how the two are depicted and how we see they see each other. I always did find it a bit silly that when he was Jason Blood the Demon was just somewhere else, this way that Jason is haunted by Etrigan in ways that literally keep him on the brink of sanity well it’s much more interesting to see.
Then there’s Brad and the team behind him. Sweet Mother of Pearl Bailey wow! His eye for storytelling is incredible to see and even the use of negative space on the pages felt like they fit the right way. The way page layouts are used and the angles and perspective that we see is amazing. The attention to detail here grabs a hold of you and keeps you riveted to the page. The facial structure, the light amount of hair on the chest to the way the muscles lay and then there’s Etrigan and he’s never looked more fierce or scary. Huge shout to Chris for the colouring here as it pops and is impactful and just fiery.
So while I would’ve been quite content to have this story just be about the two of them that wasn’t ever going to happen. Nope instead as it turns out Andrew has decided to shake things up a bit. Oh holy night so one is not unexpected per-se but she is looking rather unlike what we’re used to seeing and her involvement makes me shiver in anticipation. The other is a surprise twist moment and I’m not sure how I feel about it yet but I will next issue when that part plays out more. Oh then there’s the bad guy and that is a complete mystery for now. All we know is what we see and that is another monkey wrench thrown into things and I’m anxious to learn who is behind the curtain.
Somehow the wires got crossed, the tables were turned and someone never knew they had a lesson to learn. I’m feeling good from my head to my toes as I was hanging on each and every page because this was beyond anything I was hoping for. With DC these days we’re never sure what we’re going to get and that sometimes is a problem. The fact that this feels like it belongs in the world I grew up in and not forced or shoehorned into fitting in with this new universe is just an added bonus to me.
If you are wondering if you should be picking this up, that’s a resounding yes! The writing, premise so far, the characterisation and the way the book flows is phenomenally well done. Not to mention with such good, strong and solid interiors yeah this NEEDS to be your hands.