These issues weave “freaks of the week” through the ongoing saga of Daimon now being the ruler of Hell. His girlfriend, Jaine Cutler–who has vowed to fight Satan wherever he may be found–now has a bit of a conflict: She’s dating her adversary. This sums up the story:
I like that page.
Hellstrom promises to protect Earth, not invade it.
Ellis also portrays Gargoyle–who is basically Wong to Daimon–in a wonderfully complex way:
Up to know, we were led to believe Gargoyle was working for Hellstrom, but here he says he only went to Daimon for Patsy Walker, and she’s dead–so he feels hollow.
Daimon and Jaine take over Hell and begin dealing with the various forms of evil that their benign rulership entails.
Ellis is setting up a complex, fascinating series. But it’s 1994, so of course it’s abruptly cancelled. Issue #21 puts quick ends to a bunch of really interesting storylines–including one started in #20 with Daimon’s sister, Satana.
The ending is sudden.
And Warren Ellis’ column about it is, of course, a great read.
I’ve rated this B+, but I admit that issue #21 is not a good comic. That’s editorial’s fault–the creators do a good job with the limited space offered to them.