3 out of 5

Another interesting addition to the Amigo stable, and one of their first non-Torres scripted titles to feel like it arrives fully formed.  However, Planet of Daemons plays it a bit tonally cagey, resulting in something that it’s not clear if its going for twists, or as an opening salvo, or… something else.  So it’s interesting, and very readable, though not particularly grabbing.

The story, such as it is, is set around the non-fatalistically named Amos Deathridge, and his present life as a demon gaoler on a kaballistically-informed other-dimensional planet, while also (so we assume) flashing back to his past in Salem during witch trial times.  This is something I very much respected about Kevin Gunstone’s script: besides the fact that the character we’re tracking in both setting is named the same, it doesn’t feel like we’re being handheld to clarify how events now and then parallel.  As alluded, the way some bit play out are rather clumsily handled as ‘twists’ when they’re rather obvious, but by the same token, Gunstone doesn’t dawdle on those elements, so they could be accepted as pontificated story beats and not much more.  Otherwise, the narrative trail that leads from the past to the present is worthwhile, with both halves of the story comfortable with their characters and mythology as to be effectively world-built without a lot of excess exposition.  Where things end up is equally puzzling; there’s potential here for Daemons to expand considerably, which would make Gunstone’s somewhat dry approach rewarding in the long run.  As an isolated tale, though, its solely intriguing.

In the visual department, Paul Moore’s thick-lined art reminds of J.P. Leon, and that ain’t a bad thing.  While the Salem-era stuff has similar looking people in similar clothing that makes some sequences confusing, his art is incredibly expressive and he has a great sense of placement on his pages, maximizing any given panel’s impact.  Colorist Stefan Mrkonjic makes an impression as well, his water-colory applications finding the most glorious way to represent the sickly yellows of the demon planet and the muted browns of the past; it’s an incredibly limited palette and yet deep as (natch) Hell, complementing Moore’s heavy art effectively.

Amigo seems to rarely follow up on books outside of Torres’ Rogues stuff, but I would love to see Gunstone expand on his Daemons mythology in future tales.