If you ever read the book Red Dragon, or saw the movie Manhunter; the killer has a giant tattoo on his back, of the dragon he thinks he's becoming. Those are set in the 80's, when that tattoo would've been a lot of work and super-expensive and quite rare. When it was remade in 2002 as Red Dragon, that tattoo would've been old hat and about as remarkable as any other bro's. Which is kinda what I feel is happening in today's book! From 1993, the Original Ghost Rider #10, reprinting "The Son of Satan!" from 1973's Marvel Spotlight #12, written by Gary Friedrich, pencils by Herb Trimpe, inks by Frank Chiaramonte.
The cover makes it look like "The Original Hellstorm," and I was scratching my head trying to figure out how this reprint title could get ten issues out of Son of Satan: duhr, 'cause the previous nine issues were Ghost Rider reprints! The series would run a full twenty issues, with Phantom Rider backups written by a young Dan Slott! I had thought this was Daimon Hellstrom's first appearance, or maybe his first appearance as the full-on Son of Satan, but he'd had a few by here.
It may be difficult to believe today, but I think that was a considerable amount of ink back in the day. Daimon fights a biker gang that seemed shocked by his "tattoo" or brand or whatever, like he had more ink than the entire gang. (The gang also seems to have one guy with a gun; if this had been even a decade later everyone would've been armed to the teeth!) He also faces off again Big Daddy Satan, who may or may not be capital-S Satan depending when you ask, and badmouths his dad's flagging virility. Maybe he has low-T, it's nothing to be ashamed of.
Kind of a busy issue, although I think that's how those titles were back then: Satan sets off a volcano in Arizona, Jesus shows up in Ghost Rider, all in an afternoon's work.
3 comments:
You're so dead on about the tattoo thing. I wonder how successful those reprinted issues sales-wise. At the very least, I'd consider it an investment, as you'd probably introduce and hook a new customer or maybe re-capture an old one. Idk.
I was never a big fan of Herb Trimpe's art, but this looks pretty decent. Better than some of the art at Marvel during the 90's that's for sure.
I have to admit to finding it hard to take Damon seriously, since he was once married to Patsy Walker.
If you want a more serious Damien Sally, then I'd check out his early 90''s series he had. Pretty dark and gruesome.
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