Fellow Comicbooked reviewer Ian Yarington was kind enough to slip me Planet of Daemons, written by Kevin Gunstone with art by Paul Moore and colors by Stefan Mrkonjic. The comic is under the Amigo Comics imprint.
This jewel impressed me, a comic that shows an impressive amount of research into occultism, from the Goetia to Kabbalism, in order to create the most horrific reading experience imaginable.
I’m a huge Clive Barker fan, and Hellraiser is one of my favorite dark-occult horror series, especially the comic book runs. This comic series scared me more than reading Hellraiser, which is a big thing. The art, the atmosphere, and the story itself is pretty intense. For the work that came in building from occult traditions, mythology, and philosophy, I’m reminded of the work Alan Moore did in his Golden Dawn/Thelemaesque Promethea, which was more light-hearted than Planet of Daemons. Planet of Daemons is a dark adventure with a heroic figure who travels through the worse realms imaginable, sort of like Ash from Evil Dead without the humor, and encounters demons of the worse variety.
Along with the occult research is the historical research placed into the Puritan witch hunts, which also adds to the darkness of the story. I love the mixing of this old Massachusetts history with demonology, black magic, and an apocalyptic type setting. It’s done in a way that is innovative and thorough, since along with the knowledge the author possesses to craft this story, he’s also good at pacing, with a lot of action, blood, and intrigue along the way.
The art is incredible, where there is a Kubert-esque look with the inks and blended colors.
Great debut. There is also a preview of a comic called Drums, which looks like a Yoruban Orisha occult comic, and it looks just as great as Planet of Demons. I would love to read that comic as well, and if this is the type of work I can expect from Amigo Comics, they’ve got a new friend.
I’m a sold fan on Planet of Daemons, and respect Kevin’s writing to a high degree. I can’t wait to read the next issue.
