STORMWATCH #13

[ DEMON-SPAWNED DEALS ] 

My God, here comes the devilish Demon! That yellow sod who hates the cartoon, He-man. That's unless he's put into his place. By being struck across his face. With a wet haddock held by an able sea-man. SPLAT! As Written by Peter Milligan; Drawn by Will Conrad and Cliff Richards; plus Published by DC Comics in November 2012. Although the cartoon in question might have been She-Ra instead.

So what’s the STORY morning glory?

Alright, dear reader, I have a question for you. What do you think wakes the Demon Etrigan up from his eternal slumber in part one of this Stormwatch tale; entitled 'The Rise of the Demon'? Is it something to do with:

1. Apollo and Midnighter visiting a bar in London, where the present occupants appear to be acting very peculiar even when they're not pissed?
2. Jenny Q and Jack Hawksmore blowing into a space-horn, whilst the Engineer frowns at their bold antics?
3. Adam One and the Projectionist having fun and games somewhere in Antarctica?
4. A skinny crazy English chap that is continually distracting himself so he doesn't speak an ancient demonic incantation?

Correct, dear reader. Your right! The answer is (D). You win f*ck all. Where as Midnighter wins a chin-spike in the face care of the Demon Etrigan. POW! Bless him.

Damn right to be continued...

What is the most memorable SENTENCE OR CONVERSATION spoken in this issue?

One of my favourite scenes in this story was the opening one with 'Lucus' and 'Andrew' in it, because I could associate with their conversation on a certain level.

ANDREW: I guess they have some beer here that isn't warm.

LUCUS: Just a mineral water, Andrew. Alcohol takes the edge off.

ANDREW: Lucas? I thought the idea for tonight was 'To take the edge off'.

LUCUS: There's going to be a fight. Two men at three o'clock flexing their muscles. Another twitches. He's nervous, and more dangerous. A woman feels her nails... already imagining them tearing the flesh out off her companions face.

ANDREW: Then let's find a nicer place. This is my first time off in ages, I don't want to waste it on a bar room-brawl.

Well, let's just say that I was 'Lucas' and my brother was 'Andrew', huh? I best leave it at that.  

What was the BEST thing about this issue?

All in all there was a lot to like about this issue. Firstly, I liked the fact that the Demon is back in the modern day DCU again, and I hope to see him stay on this book for some time to come. Secondly, I enjoyed the fact that Peter Milligan decided to set up the pretext in the opening couple of pages, allowing the rest of the story to unravel in a very nice character driven manner. And thirdly, I liked the concept behind Malory House, for reasons I'll get to later.  

What was the WORST thing about this issue?

If truth be told, there wasn't that much about this issue I didn't like. Though, at a touch: (1) I hope that the Demon continues rhyming in the future. And (2) It was slightly irritating when the Engineer stopped Jenny from talking about Adam One more than she did, because in execution it felt too much like 'delayed drama' -- so to speak.

What was the most CREATIVE thing about this issue?

STORY: One of the creative aspects about this story that I really did dig, was how Jason (Well, I presume it was 'Jason'), was trying to distract himself whilst cooped up in that nut house. You see, not only was it very original as a delaying tactic, but the overall ambience of his scenes jelled very well with the concept also. Nice. Very nice.

ART: Hey! While I am on the subject of ambience, there were two artists on this book -- Will Conrad and Cliff Richards -- together illustrating one bold and uniformed style. Great -- that's how it should be done. Well, as some of you might know already, the one thing that I cannot stand on a comic book is when the two artists working on it contrast in styles. Not so for Will and Cliff. Oh no. They synergised perfectly overall, making this issue a really atmospheric read.

If you had to CAST TWO CHARACTERS in this comic book, who would they be and why?

THE DEMON: Can't you just see actor / comedian, Tracy Morgan, playing this yellow-faced rhyming demon? Look into his eyes. Look. And tell me that a devilish glee isn't festering inside, just waiting to lash out against...

JASON BLOOD: ... his '30 Rock' co-star, Jack McBrayer! Come on; don't tell me you've never thought about it! Jack has. He told me whilst trying not to recite an ancient demonic incantation. Ha!

If this issue had a MOVIE TAG LINE, what would it be?

Shhh! Don't Piss Off That Old Apartment Block. It's Possessed By A Demon You Know.

If this issue were a MOVIE, an OBJECT, or a piece of MUSIC, what would that be and why? 

OK, so what film is about a group of heroes trying to stop an ancient force from waking up and causing havoc in the 'Big Bad City'? No. Not 'Mean Girls'. 'Ghostbusters 2', silly. This comic is just a better version is all!

FINAL thoughts...

Now up above I started to mention about how I liked the concept behind Malory House, right? So I thought it would be good idea to tell you why in this section here.

At the moment I live in a 'Block of Flats' situated in London that has gained a reputation quite similar to Malory's. People have been killed here. 'Outsiders' look onto these premises as a nasty place to live. Plus the council plan to knock it down as well. In fact, as of writing this piece, I may have to move soon because the council want to 'relocate' their 'tenants' elsewhere, whilst they prepare for 'regeneration'.   

Still, this is by the by, what I liked the most about the concept behind Malory, is how creators overlay a 'demonic force' on these types of buildings, as if to justify why it is the way it is. Now some of the most creative 'devilish domiciles' are the ones depicted in the 'Amityville' film franchise, plus 'Rosemary's Baby'. But what I liked most with what Peter did with Malory, is that he has turned it into a 'tenement building' possessing it's occupants with 'devilish glee'.

And with that, I best take my leave now, and water my cat in the Microwave. Amen.  Ha!

MARKS out of 10? 9