Cover Date: October 1973; On Sale Date: July 1973
Writer: Gary Friedrich; Artist: Herb Trimpe; Inker: Frank Chiaremonte; Letterer: John Costanza; Colorist: John Severin; Editor: Roy Thomas; Cover Artist: Herb Trimpe
Locked in a cabin at the Indian reservation, a manic Daimon
Hellstrom pounds on the door to his prison, promising that he can save
the life of Linda Littletrees. Despite the fact that Hellstrom had told
them not to release him until morning, no matter how much he pleaded,
Sam Silvercloud and Snake Dance open the door and free the man, only to
Daimon transformed into the Son of Satan! Garbed in a red cape, golden
trident in hand and a pentagram tattooed on his chest, the demon spawn
tells the Indians that while by day he is the meek Hellstrom, by night
he becomes his father's son, whose elemental trident can produce blasts
of searing hellfire. Hellstrom demands to know Linda's whereabouts, sure
that she has been possessed by his father. When the two men refuse to
tell him, the Son of Satan raises his trident in the air, causing a
ferocious thunderstorm. From the clouds, a mystical chariot descends,
drawn by two demonic horses. Daimon jumps aboard the chariot and leaves
the Indians, determined to find Linda Littletrees.
Meanwhile, in the remote desert, Roxanne Simpson
finds herself at the mercy of Big Daddy Dawson and his biker gang after
the disappearance of Linda and the Ghost Rider. Before the men can
injure the young girl, the Son of Satan appears, demanding to know where
Linda and Blaze have gone. Hellstrom quickly defeats the bikers,
causing them to run away without Dawson, whom the devil scion has
blasted with his trident. Daimon then attacks Roxanne, demanding to know
where his father has gone. She tells him that the Witch Woman
disappeared with the Ghost Rider, though she doesn't know where they
went. Hellstrom knows, however, and departs, abandoning Roxanne once
again to the desert.
The Son of Satan makes his way to a desert plateau
in the desert, in which is a cavern that doubles as a gateway to Hell
itself. He descends into the netherrealm, and when he reaches his
father's throne room, finds Satan and his two captives, Linda
Littletrees and Johnny Blaze. Not pleased at seeing his son, Satan
commands his demon hordes to destroy him, but Hellstrom fights on,
destroying the demons with his power. He makes his way to a bridge high
above the floor, a bridge that supports the weight of the entire roof of
Hell. Daimon threatens to destroy the bridge, thus destroying Hell,
unless Satan allows him, Linda, and Blaze safe passage back to Earth.
Satan agrees, realizing he has no choice, and Daimon takes the two
captives back to Earth. Realizing that the sun is about to come up, and
with it a reversion back to his normal self, Daimon sets down his
chariot in the desert and leaves Blaze and the unconscious Linda,
despite the fact that the two would most likely die. Daimon flies away,
stating that their lives are of little consequence to him.
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| Poor Roxanne, things just go from bad to worse |
THE ROADMAP
Linda Littletrees' possession by Satan, her
kidnapping of Johnny Blaze, and Roxanne being left for Dawson's gang all
happened in Ghost Rider (1973) # 2.
This story takes place between Ghost Rider (1973) # 2 and Ghost Rider (1973) # 3, and the Son of Satan story continues in subsequent issues of Marvel Spotlight.
CHAIN REACTION
Ah, the Son of Satan…how wonderful the 1970s must have been for a book with THAT title to get a green light. I can only imagine the outrage from certain groups if Marvel were to attempt to publish this title today. It is assumed that the company did have some problems even back in 1973, as the original title for this Ghost Rider spin-off was “The Mark of Satan”, which was supposed to feature the lord of Hell himself as the book’s star. With the decision not to pursue this idea, we were given Daimon Hellstrom, the spawn of the Devil.
Though Hellstrom would turn into an excellent character through the efforts of writers like Steve Gerber, J.M. DeMatteis, and Warren Ellis, the Son of Satan’s initial appearance in this issue is only mildly interesting. As a protagonist and supposed hero, he’s pretty much an evil bastard in his own right. Any acts of heroism he may commit are accidental as he attempts to act against his demonic father, shown with brutal clarity when he “rescues” Roxanne Simpson from Big Daddy Dawson and his biker gang. He only temporarily saves the girl from the gang’s attentions, and immediately threatens her himself when he questions her on the whereabouts of Satan. While Hellstrom’s malicious nature would prove an asset to the character in his appearances years later, it doesn’t serve him well here. I honestly didn’t enjoy reading about an unlikable protagonist, at least not in this comic. That’s a technique that certainly worked well for the contemporaneous Tomb of Dracula, but that book’s villainous main character was balanced out by a well-rounded supporting cast, which this series lacks at the moment.
I loved the character in DeMatteis’ Defenders run, and the short-lived Hellstorm series of the 1990s was one of the best Marvel horror ventures in the company’s long history. This story, however, is really not good at all. Gary Friedrich’s plot is filled with concepts that are quite silly, from demonic horse-drawn chariots to “netheranium” tridents and the still-insipid Big Daddy Dawson. The script did have at least one bit that I liked, though, when Daimon verbally abuses Satan by claiming that he should be more concerned with corrupting young women than the male biker that’s proven to be the demon’s obsession. The artwork by Herb Trimpe, an artist whose work I’ve never enjoyed, is also mediocre, especially considering the higher quality artists that the Ghost Rider series had employed before this.
So, while the comic is historically note-worthy for bringing us the first full appearance of Daimon Hellstrom, it’s not really worth the high price tag that would most likely accompany it if one were to purchase it. Ghost Rider readers can also happily skip this issue, as Blaze only appears in a measly five panels.
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| Johnny Blaze: Human Trophy |
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