The overall effect is like Wanda declined a Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award.

It's weird that Marvel decided they should name a title after their in-universe Necronomicon, and it's weirder that for copyright reasons they're probably going to publish something under that title every so often from now on: there were a bunch in 2021-2022. It's maybe weirdest that thanks to the movies, it's not completely inconceivable that someone might have heard of it! This issue, probably not so much. From 1993, Darkhold: Pages From the Book of Sins #7, "Day of Infamy" Written by Chris Cooper, pencils by Rurik Tyler, inks by Bud LaRosa.

A fairly typical Marvel-misunderstanding brawl between the "Darkhold Redeemers" and Modred the Mystic versus the Scarlet Witch, Agatha Harkness, and Doctor Strange; gets out of hand when they are dive bombed by Japanese Zeros, as in the attack on Pearl Harbor. (Which they point out later, wasn't near Maui!) Wanda stops one of the Zeros, which explodes into a torrent of slime--excuse me, "mnemonic ectoplasm." As Harkness explains how the goo resonates with the human mind and could be potentially limitless, Modred tells them good luck with that, and moves to bail. Strange then tells him he can't, he's under contract; or rather geas. Strange had tricked him: while Modred was bleeding, he swore at Strange that he wouldn't "leave this soil 'till I'm driven hence in defeat!" This is what trash-talking gets you.

The series regulars, the "Darkhold Redeemers"--Montesi, Buchanan, and Professor Hastings--try to find the Darkhold page presumably at the heart of the problem; while Wanda hits the ectoplasm with a hex, that could have an unpredictable effect. Modred goes for a drastic solution, then: if the volcano on Maui were to blow, and everyone on the island were dead, the ectoplasm wouldn't have any memories to react off of, and problem solved!

The Redeemers find an old man, a soldier who was bitter that after all the death he had seen, now the Japanese "were taking over!" Confronted by the horror he was causing, he reins it back in, remembering the dwarf that gave him the Darkhold page, who I don't think the Redeemers had seen before. He dies, and the slime recedes. Presumably, Strange takes care of the volcano, and now the heroes realize the Redeemers were on the side of good...if untrained, largely powerless, and completely outgunned. Still held by the geas, Modred is left trapped on Maui--oh, my heart bleeds--while Strange acknowledges he would probably figure out how to free himself sooner or later. And on the flight home, Buchanan claims to have an idea, how to gather up all the loose pages of the Darkhold, in one fell swoop...I have my doubts. Buchanan was very much the Scully of the group, so I'm not sure where he's going there, and the next issue-box teases "Betrayal, part one!" Modred didn't count, so there were only three characters, and one betrays the others? Feels too early in the game for that, too. 

We've seen horror stuff from Rurik Tyler before; but I remember him mostly for What The--?! strips. Still, Darkhold fell into the same trap as Warheads: starting with an artist with a really distinctive look, then losing them almost immediately.

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I bought this back in '92, then another copy last weekend, and paid cover price both times...honestly, I may have overpaid a bit the second time. From 1992, Darkhold: Pages from the Book of Sins #2, "For God and Country" Written by Chris Cooper, pencils by Richard Case, inks by Mark McKenna.

While this was the second issue of the series, the trio tracking down the pages of the mystic book had also made a couple appearances in the "Rise of the Midnight Sons" crossover that also launched Nightstalkers and Morbius, the Living Vampire. I know for a fact I bought the whole thing, and may even still have polybagged copies, but have almost no recollection of it except that the big bad, Lilith, had a weird-shaped head. But this issue was kind of setting up the formula early on--it really would've made a decent 90's syndicated horror TV-show--where the creepy evil little person (who I don't think has a name throughout the series, and may just be a manifestation of the book) gives someone a Darkhold page in a black envelope, which would grant their wish in a very monkeys-paw way. Evil hijinks ensue. Vicki Montesi, last of the mystic line tasked with containing the Darkhold and 'incorruptable,' would have a horrible vision of the evil happening, and with her associates Professor Louise Hastings and Interpol agent Sam Buchanan would try to track it down. The nattily-dressed Buchanan was very, very much in the Scully role; not believing much of anything, despite the mounting evidence; while Vicki was a reluctant hero, forced into the role to try and stop the visions and save her sanity. Her girlfriend was also badly injured, in an explosion meant for her, set by the Darkholders. As the name implies, the Darkholders were a cult intent on the book ending the world, but I don't think they had access to the pages. It's like they were just fans.

This particular issue also features the return of Modred the Mystic, who would almost be the fourth team member, if they thought of themselves as such: they don't, since Modred is sketchy at best. And somewhat out of left field, it ties in to fairly recent Hulk continuity, as a rogue general had given a crazed arsonist a gamma bomb! (Didn't the Stand end not unlike that...?) Buchanan later kills the general in fairly cold blood, having deduced the general had stolen not just one gamma bomb, but three. By issue #4, it was revealed Buchanan knew Sabretooth; and Ghost Rider and the Punisher would show up in #5: I'm not sure any of that drove up sales, though. (I probably didn't realize this until much later, but they maybe should've used Simon Stroud, the ex-CIA agent that hassled Morbius in the 70's; an established and cranky character that would've fit perfectly.)

After a couple more crossovers and guest-spots from the Scarlet Witch and Dr. Strange, the series would end with #16; with a wrap-up in 1996's Doctor Strange, Sorceror Supreme #90, which was that series' last issue as well. Eee, I feel like the print runs for both of those were probably terrible; I've yet to see either. Read more!