The Demon by Ennis & McCrea vol. 2: The Longest Day

I was originally going to write up “Star Wars:  Obi-Wan and Anakin” tonight because I wanted something easy.  Then I was distracted by this second collection of Ennis & McCrea’s run on “The Demon.”  I figured I’d read a little bit of it and then get down to work.  Then I read a little more, and more, and…  You should see where this is going now.  While the first volume found itself firmly entrenched in the realm of “Best Enjoyed by Ennis Completists,” I’d also recommend this to fans of the character, and people who remember how good titles existing on the fringe of the DCU could be back in the 90’s.  I realize that’s a fairly niche audience, but I’m a proud member!

The volume kicks off with its fiftieth issue and “The Shanty of Captain Scumm,” about a beyond-vile pirate and his crew who crosses paths with Jason Blood and his offer of untold riches.  It’s a demented tale, perfectly complemented by Ennis’ black humor and McCrea’s wonderously overwrought caricatures.  Things only pick up from there with the return of Merlin, Blood learning the horrors of his past, Etrigan’s plot to unleash his child upon Earth, and the return of Hitman for a two-million dollar job.  There’s violence, depravity, treachery, and laughs to be had in this storyline which has Ennis fully invested in the characters and their fates.  I wasn’t expected to actually be involved in the fates of Blood and Etrigan’s kids, but I was.  Even better was seeing the best trick Blood ever pulled on his demonic counterpart.

With the emotional stuff pertaining to the human protagonist in this story out of the way, Ennis and McCrea proceed to really cut loose with their final arc on the series, “The Longest Day.”  After Karrien Excalibris, Archangel of War, marshals the forces of Heaven to finally do something about that cesspit known as Hell, it’s up to Etrigan, his friends, and the demonic rabble to stop them.  Essentially just a big parody of every war movie and comic Ennis had seen up to that point, the writer still manages to put together an entertaining tale of heroism in hell that offers McCrea plenty of opportunities to show off — like with the tiger-shark planes.  As noted in the introduction, it’s clear that the writer and their artist hit their stride here and delivered an excellent warm-up to their greatness on “Hitman.”