11/19/08

Weird-Ass Cover Wednesday Goes to Hell

Ah, Marvel Comics in the 1970s. They were both awesome and ridiculous. This was the company and the decade that brought us Hellcow, Manphibian, Shang-Chi, Heroes for Hire, the motorcycle-riding Ghost Rider, and a whole slew of monster titles.

They also brought us Daimon Hellstrom, Son of Satan. You know how he got that nickname? It's because he's literally Satan's kid. Unlike his sister Satana (now, that's a name!), Daimon rebelled against his father and sought to do good. Seriously, though, how surprised can Satan be when his son betrays him? He really should have seen that coming.

Daimon (not Damien, please don't sue!) was a badass magician and healer who went around the Marvel Universe kicking ass. And being the son of Satan. Check out the covers from his title:

This comic wasn't messing around. You know that climactic confrontation that most story arcs end with. This one started with it! Take that dramatic expectations!


Marvel was known for it's hyperbole, especially on its covers. This is the company that proclaimed The Fantastic Four to be "The Worlds Greatest Comic Magazine" every single month. Now, let's take a look at the text in the lower right-hand corner of the cover:

Possibly the most thrill-packed supernatural adventure you'll read this month!

Hey, now! Don't get cocky, Marvel copy writers!

What's with all the qualifiers? "Possibly" and "this month" are bad enough but to further limit this issue's competition by only including supernatural adventures does not inspire the reader with confidence.


Holy crap! That dude's got three faces! And he's fighting Satan!

Hmmm. Maybe this one should have gone in with the Awesome covers.

1 comment:

Gene Phillips said...

Don't forget the anecdote someone started (whether true or not) that supposedly Stan Lee originally meant for Satan himself to be the main character, until "wiser heads" prevailed--