Hellstorm is a Marvel title with a lot of baggage on the name. I mean, most people will think of that lackluster Hulu series Helstrom. To be fair, Son of Satan has a history of getting screwed over by Marvel. Daimon Hellstrom occupies the more horrific sides of the Marvel universe. It’s in this corner that Warren Ellis crafts Daimon’s best appearance. Which stinks because this series and its followups Druid and Satana didn’t last.
Hellstorm Background…
Unlike Marvel’s other demonic characters like Ghost Rider, Son of Satan deals with the psyche. It’s only fitting that Daimon is an exorcist, tying into the zeitgeist of the 70s. The main appeal comes from how Daimon fights literal demons, while wrestling his demonic self. The trouble is most writers who have Daimon don’t know what to do with him. At the very least, Steve Gerber presents Daimon as a lonely soul trying to find love and acceptance. It’s influential enough for J.M. DeMatteis to marry Daimon to Hellcat.
But for 20 years, Marvel would struggle with Hellstrom. How come? Because keeping balance between superheroes and occult horror is hard! By the 90s, Hellstorm: Prince of Lies has a few writers. Initially it has all of that edgy sex and violence of the Dark Age of Comics. Sadly for Daimon, all that Rafael Nieves or Len Kaminsky do is drive his wife insane. In comes the up and coming Warren Ellis.
…And Disclaimer
I have said this several times but at the time of this post, Warren Ellis is undergoing transformative justice operations. What for? This. If I have to waste my time telling you to shame or not, I’m going to become indifferent. Instead, I’ll tell you that you can separate these characters and story from Ellis. Aside from the delight value, Marvel owns these characters. Besides Ellis isn’t pitching his ideologies or passions. That said I won’t be leaving direct ads to Hellstorm.
Hellstorm Is Lord
Warning! This section will bring up sensitive topics like suicide.
Hellstorm follows Daimon changed from his time in Hell, now more aloof and standoffish. Yet, he does try to keep a social life going with his wife Patsy and mages. But… one of those mages is ritually murdered; forcing Daimon to investigate. Hey, at least he gets a new consort in the form of Jaine Cutter, an occultist who shares his goals. What are these goals; keeping the balance between Heaven and Hell. What else is the new Satan supposed to do?
Did I forget to mention that Daimon took over Hell by learning his father’s real name? Yeah, Satan’s just a title of Marduk Kurios. For some reason people want another Satan, Mephisto, to be Daimon’s dad. Not that it helps Patsy’s trauma from exposure to Hell’s evil. It was so overwhelming, Patsy was approached by Deathurge, a wraith who urged her suicide. Daimon might have the power to bring his wife back, but all he can do is arrange the events. Why go the long way; because Patsy divorced him.
Don’t worry Daimon wasn’t spiting her, the same thing happened to his mom. Well, sort of. Daimon’s mother was bought and groomed by a Satanic cult to breed Marduk’s children. Wait, then why’s Daimon letting a Satanist stay at his house?
Beyond The Surface
Per the rules of magic, I will give meaning to Hellstorm…
Throughout Ellis’ run is accepting things for what they are.
Where do Jaine’s powers come from? From the same demon a serial killer is slaying wizards for. Who just so happens to like making himself look like the condemned George Washington. But unlike the killer, Jaine and her powers are not bound to the demon.
Daimon gives refuge to Anton Devine, the head of a Satanist church. He never gives a reason why, but I can name a few. For one, Anton’s too self-conscious to be a depraved threat. His occult network and love of simple TV is an asset. Kind of reminds me of Steeple.
Finally there’s Daimon’s relationships and outlook, him being a Hell Lord and all. Anyone who encounters Daimon’s powers tend to go insane. Even Jaine isn’t quick to trust Daimon after seeing his true power. Which considering the extreme nature of his and Patsy’s divorce, those are some red flags. But to quote Hell Lord Hellstorm:
I am a creature of evil just as my father was. But I am also a man. And men can change.
Daimon Hellstrom
Daimon’s entire goal is to change what it means to be the Devil. He’s trying his best to keep what few friends he has and save lost souls. This will not be simple, as his father is being reborn and a few spin-offs have more threats.
The Hellstorm Spin-Offs
These spin-offs keep Hellstorm’s theme of going beyond the veil. While some people will find a niche, others find terror.
Druid brings the best out of the Worst Avenger by making him even more depraved. What? Yeah, Ellis makes the not-so-good doctor a real Druid. Well, not really. For one, Druids were not death worshippers who used Wicker Men. It seems that Ellis’ sources are the Romans lumping different peoples together. I think the real reason people like Druid is because it’s a Hellstorm spin-off.
Yeah, despite the changes in direction neither Hellstorm or Druid got much attention. It’s also why the other spin-off starring Daimon’s sister Satana never saw print. Which stinks because this was ahead of its time; I think this was the only 90s idea to say “sex worker”. Not just that, it was Hellstorm’s perfect buffer while doing its own thing.
From what I could gleam from the roughs, Satana’s looking to take her brother’s title as Hell Lord. To do so, she builds a network with an informant named Hooker; ha! It’s Satana’s way to gather wicked souls full of occult magic to empower herself. But she’ll have to deal with Heaven’s castrated agent Gabriel Rosostti and Daimon.
What Folded The Corner?
So why did this all not last long? A lot, I’ll try to summarize. For one, occult comics were very niche in the 90s. While titles like Ragman and Lady Death have their audiences, they don’t seem to catch onto the general comics community. Wait then how did Ghost Rider and Hellblazer get audiences? Because they received the full marketing support of their publishers. …And they were grounded in some kind of reality, compared to occult lore that goes over people’s heads.
In Hellblazer‘s case, DC’s Vertigo imprint allowed creatives more freedom. This means more mature content, complexities, and no attachments to DC execs. Ergo, less marketing competition with the superheroes. All while using a noir atmosphere to ground the stakes. Fun fact, Satana was supposed to be part of Marvel’s Strange Tales imprint.
Too bad Marvel went bankrupt in the 90s from the speculator crash. With money tight, Marvel couldn’t afford to take risks. Remember Lady Death? Her first publisher Chaos! Comics went bankrupt because of this. That also means Marvel was bound by the Comics Code to look kid friendly.
Will Hellstorm History Repeat Again?
Hellstorm and its spin-offs will live on as hidden gems of wasted potential. Today, occult comics are more loved than ever with titles like Justice League Dark. But by cult or chance, they still get tossed to the wayside. All that I ask is that you find the empathy in horror and not be judgmental. Because that is the true magic of the genre.
Thanks for coming to the end and as always remember to look between the panels.