The Demon, Vol. 4
The Demon Quartet
By Jason Shiga
ISBN: 9781626724556
Author Website: shigabooks(.)com
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Scott
Summary:
Immortal actuary Jimmy makes a startling discovery: Agent Hunter, his long-dead adversary, is actually alive and a demon himself! Hunter has spent the last century concocting a deadly trap for his nemesis, and he has the perfect bait: Jimmy’s daughter, Sweet Pea. In the epic showdown to end all epic showdowns, we finally reach the thrilling conclusion to this madcap series.
From the brilliant and profane mind of Jason Shiga, known for his high-concept comics work on the web and in print, comes a magnum opus: a four-volume mystery adventure about the shocking chaos (and astronomical body count) one highly rational and utterly sociopathic man can create in the world, given one simple supernatural power.
Review:
Picking up where Volume 3 left off, Jason Shiga’s tour de force The Demon ends in Volume 4 of this seminal series. Almost starting as a what if? in Volume 1, Shiga has shown the versatility of the comics medium in capturing an idea and a plot and showing the viewer the precise picture they had in mind. What a mind that could explore the depths of The Demon. Picking up from volume 3’s closure, there is no time wasted in picking up the pace as Volume 4 pins you to your seat and doesn’t let up until the ride is over.
The dialogue Is punchy – to the point. Gone are the philosophical waxing of the 3rd volume and born are the fruits and labors of 100 and so years that have passed. The sheer shrewdness and diabolical twists bring an almost wry smile from the reader as Jimmy Lee and Sweet Pea plot their revenge. Everything is either shown or said. The dialogue is true to form (whatever the form may be at any given moment) and lingers on well after the last page in which the demon is no more.
If Volume 3 was Shiga at his finest then Volume 4 is Shiga’s tour de force. The plot is incredibly well orchestrated, and no panel is wasted. The pacing is frenetic and over the top in some places. Plotting intricate and uncannily devious machinations, Shiga proves that he is not out of ideas yet – everything has been thought through. The tiniest detail has been given credence to, and everything plays out in a panel or two. By far the most ambitious of the Volumes this one does not pull any punches as the plot dive bombs into an explosive ending.
Complementing the hard-hitting prose is the artwork, once again proving that more can be said with less. The artwork displays often vulgar and over the top violent pieces, but they are mitigated by the simplicity of form and function. It bears repeating – no panel is wasted. Each drawing brings the reader on a thrill ride through the racing plot and all the detail needed in the panel is there for the reader to absorb. There is not a single piece of information that muddies the water in this graphic novel.The Demon’s audience is, shall we say, discerning. In toto, the four volumes of the Demon will appeal to those who like their bread toasted. That crunch is what makes the Demon. Without fail, past readers of the Demon Volumes 1 through 3 will find the transition into Volume 4 to be par for course and maybe a bit surprising. I highly recommend The Demon, by Jason Shiga to be given a once through, especially if you are a graphic novel fanatic who wants to give a new story a spin. Let it be The Demon Volumes 1 through 4, you will either laud it or despise it. The lasting question is what part of your inner Demon are you despising?
