Broken Frontier

Daimon Hellstrom continues to walk a fine line between two worlds while he attempts to resurrect the lifeless body of Osiris.

Once you get past the glorious looking cover of artist Arthur Suydam, the pages that follow all seem to be filled with one gory moment after the other. I have nothing against this type of gusto towards the storytelling, but I am wondering if there will be enough left over for the big finish next month.

This series has been somewhat of a departure from the type of adventure Daimon Hellstrom is known to be involved in, and much of this is most likely attributed to writer Alex Irvine. His ideas are vastly different from previous incarnations and much of the crux of this series is an examination of the relationship between father and son. A good case in point can be seen in Daimon’s actions here as he survives the ordeal of being swallowed by the monstrous Ammitu. Achieving his goal of retrieving the lost manhood of Osiris, Daimon then goes about finishing the task of piecing the corpse of Osiris back together at the behest of his father. The only snag in this operation comes to fruition at the final moments, and just when you think Daimon will follow through he decides to defy his father to set up an explosive finale next issue.

I think this series is turning out to be one gruesome affair, and writer Irvine seems determined to carve out a horrific portrait of the Son of Satan. I know this incarnation is vastly different from the previous series, but I like the serious approach Irvine has bestowed upon the material here. His dialogue is taut, hard edged and the plotting always seems to cut right to the chase empowering this story for maximum effectiveness. My only complaint is that the material seems to fall short in terms of addressing previous continuity, so I can see why some longtime fans of the character may not appreciate this series.

On the other hand though, I am sure most fans are enjoying the skilled talents of artist Russell Braun. His work displays a strong sense of balance throughout and I adore the grungy look he’s devised for Daimon. Of course, assisting him in this endeavor is the ever reliable Klaus Janson whose embellishments certainly help to strengthen Russell’s drawing abilities. Also, I should point out colorist Giulia Brusco’s muted palette, since a wash of these tones solidifies the work of both Braun and Janson, allowing this trio a chance to shine symbiotically.

Overall though, this Max series seems bent on going for the gross-out moment on more than one occasion. Perhaps this is due to Daimon’s new found attitude, as he goes about defying his father throughout the series. If anything else, writer Alex Irvine has lit the proverbial fire-under-the-arse of Daimon Hellstrom to get this series firing on all cylinders, so I am expecting fireworks when this series concludes next month.