2012 Emerald City Comicon

This past weekend I made my annual journey to the Emerald City Comicon.  Well, it wasn't really much of a journey, it was just downtown, but it was still epic.  Like the past two years, I attended the Saturday version of the convention, typically the busiest, craziest day of the con, and this past Saturday was no exception.

Being the nerd that I am, I arrived right at 10 o'clock, exactly when the convention opened it's doors.  However, there was such a monster crowd that it took me about 40 minutes just to get onto the actual convention floor.  I was one very aggravated blogger during those forty long-ass minutes.  Once I actually got into the con I was shocked to see how totally packed it was so early on in the day.  The past two years taught me that the early nerd catches the creator they want to see, but there was no beating the crowds or avoiding of lines on this day, as it was nearly impossible to move through crowds and navigate to the tables of creators I wanted to chat up.

Extended chats with favorite creators were also a difficulty as the lines tended to be pretty lengthy.  I try to not be a dick and keep other people waiting, or monopolize a creator's time but it was a bit disappointing to just mumble a few words of gratitude to Brandon Graham while he signed my stuff.   I did manage to get in a few good chats though.  My best chat came from a favorite comic writer of mine, Kurtis Wiebe who not only remembered me from last year, but also mentioned that he drops by the blog from time to time!  I'd like to think I hid my giddiness well, but when he mentioned that he's read some of Battle Hymns, I grinned like the Cheshire Cat.

My modest haul...

There were many other highlights as well.  I got to chat with Matt Southworth, who had some pages from the new Stumptown issues that'll be out later this year.  From what I've seen, it looks fantastic.  I also spoke to Daryl Gregory who was there for his comic writing endeavors, but was happy to hear that I'm a fan of his prose work as well.  The guy I was most interested in meeting and talking to was Brandon Graham.  I actually made two stops by his table, once for signatures on my issues of Prophet and my copy of King City (review forthcoming), and again when there were less people around to look through his original art.  The art was beautiful, and sadly, just out of my price range, but it was still awesome to check it out.  He also had some of James Stokoe's original art pages from Orc Stain and those are glorious too.    


All told, it was a pretty good day at the con.  I was a little overwhelmed by the crowd which was much larger than past years, but I guess I shouldn't complain too much because it's not everyday I get to meet some of my favorite comic creators, and get to look at beautiful artwork.  Anyway, I know people are probably just reading this to see pictures of people dressed up, so here you go.....

Loki hangin' with some DC peeps. 

This guy was pretty scary as
Scorpion.  He had the physique
and ninja moves to go with the
sweet costume.

The ladies were lining up to
pose with Buzz.

Down in the right hand corner you can just
barely see their donation bucket.
Apparently, the poor economy has effected
even the Avengers.  

Did I crop out the dorky lookin'
Robin? Yes I did.  Just Batwoman
please. 

Easily my favorite
costume from the con.
Bowie from Orc Stain.

Book Review: Raising Stony Mayhall

It's been mentioned around here before that I'm not the biggest fan of zombies, vampires and the like. I, apparently, am in a minority, because the fantasy world is teeming with the undead these days.  If a "hot" new release doesn't have vampires in it, then chances are there's a zombie to be found somewhere betwixt the covers. I'm so sick of those undead fuckers...

But then along comes this Daryl Gregory guy.  He writes two awesome books in Pandemonium and The Devils Alphabet, and then what does he do?  Writes a Dracula comic, and publishes a book about Zombies.  DAMN! Just when I thought I was done with the undead, I get pulled back in...

So with the genre being more bloated than a fat man on a bean and cheese diet, does Raising Stony Mayhall, a book with a zombie as the main protagonist, have anything new to offer?

Why, yes is does actually.

The world in which Raising Stony Mayhall takes place is one very similar to our own, with the biggest exception being that there was a Zombie outbreak in the 60's that nearly got out of hand and wiped out the entire human population.  Crisis averted, zombies are now public enemy number one, and are hunted and executed with impunity.  So, when Wanda Mayhall and her three daughters are driving home through an Iowan snowstorm and discover the body of a teen mom with a baby in her arms they are shocked to discover the baby is one of the living dead.

Rather than turn the baby over to authorities, they decide to keep the child, and strangely enough, the child begins to grow.  Not only does Stony grow, but he's also quite capable of thinking, learning, and do most of the other activities considered human.  For years, Stony was able to remain a secret from the world until a terrible event occurs and causes Stony to flee the only people he's ever known.  On the run and out of options, Stony quickly discovers that he's not the only living dead guy around.

It's pretty clear to see from the plot synopsis that Gregory's zombies aren't your typical brain dead shamblers.  The zombies of Raising Stony Mayhall are in fact much more than that. Like I mentioned before, they are capable of coherent thought, speech, and have the ability to learn. In fact, since they don't need to eat or sleep to stay alive, nor do they feel any pain; One could almost argue that they are kinda like an evolved species of human.  Granted, most of the zombies that populate Stony's world don't take advantage of this, and sit around all day smoking and watching daytime TV.  Still, for me this distinction was important, and a very interesting part of the book.  An interest that worked out well for me, because Stony too was interested in the science behind the zombies, and his search for the secrets of their genetics was one of my favorite aspects of the book.

As a group that is being hunted to extinction, the zombie underground network was another engaging aspect of this novel.  I enjoyed reading how the population managed to survive, and how the various factions within the group tried to gain sway over the zombie people. (Big Bite anyone?)  The political wranglings were quite fun to read, and the giant zombie meeting at a warehouse in the middle of nowhere made for a fantastic scene.

More than anything though this book is the story of Stony Mayhall's life, and his life is a pretty fascinating one.  We see all the events of the story through his eyes, and his struggles to not only help his species survive, but also gain acceptance by the rest of the world is quite amazing.  The fact the Gregory actually got me to root for zombies is no small feat.

As impressive as that is, I was also impressed that Gregory was able to once again deliver a story with a pretty powerful emotional punch, on top of an engaging story.  I think I was less moved by the emotional aspects of Raising Stony Mayhall than I was by the emotional bits in Pandemonium and The Devil's Alphabet, but I think that stems from Stony being a harder guy for me to relate to or connect with than Del or Pax.  Still, there's no doubt that Gregory is one of the sharpest writers going these days, and I love him for the fact that he can write fantasy that is fresh and different than most everything else on the shelves.  Gregory is a writer that deserves to be read.

Grade: B-

Comic Quickies or Attack of the Albino Alligator

Sweet Tooth #18:  Writer/artist/creator extraordinaire Jeff Lemire continues to find new ways to work within the comics medium with this horizontal issue.  For a lot of this issue Lemire forgoes the typical panel and word bubble format in favor of large illustrations and lines of text, sort of like a children's book.  To some this may come across as a gimmick, but I think the alternative style is a cool way to go about showing the events of this transitional issue. 

After escaping the militia camp Jeppard and Gus are reunited and they have now formed a bit of a strange rag-tag fellowship of traveling companions.  Along on the journey are fellow hybrids Wendy, Bobby and one of the feral dog-boys, also Johnny, the Militia camp lacky and Doctor Singh are in tow and rounding out the group are Lucy and Louise, two former captives of the militia camp.   Together they are traveling to Alaska in hopes of finding some answers about what caused the apocalypse. 

This issue has a sweet feel to it, which is vastly different from other Sweet Tooth issues.  The change in format makes for a nice interlude between story arcs, and I'm looking forward to the next set of stories.  

The Sixth Gun #8: Drake Sinclair might have four of the six guns in his possession, but he's looking for ways to rid himself of the bond, which normally, can only be severed by death.  Hoping to find some information, he travels through a haunted swamp to visit a man who might have some answers.  Discovering more secrets than anything, Drake attempts to return to New Orleans, but is attacked by a gang of demon alligators. While Drake is on his little fact finding mission, Becky appears to be getting increasingly friendly with new comer Kirby Hale, whose intentions are foggy at best. 

 So far this story arc hasn't been as action packed as the first arc, and instead seems to be focusing a bit more on character development.  Writer Cullen Bunn seems to be keeping his cards pretty close to his chest, as I'm still a bit unsure where this arc is headed.  Sure, the Crossroads story arc is off to a slow start, but I expect things to pick up next issue as more plot threads are revealed. 

Memoir #1: Another debut issue from Image Comics, who recently cranked out solid first issues of Who is Jake Ellis and Infinite Vacation.  In Memoir, ten years ago everyone in the small town of Lowesville lost their memory.  The protagonist, Trent, is a young hot-shot investigative reporter who has decided to travel to Lowesville and find out how the people there have recuperated their lives after the incident.  Trent comes across as a bit of a self-assured cocky douche, which makes him sort of an unsympathetic lead.  He certainly stands out as a stranger in the small town and it is interesting to see how he struggles to connect with the townsfolk of Lowesville and get interviews and information.  On the surface, Lowesville seems like your typical small town, but the residents we meet in this first issue are distrusting of outsiders, a little bit crazy, and confrontational to boot. 

It's impossible to say what exactly happened to everyone that made them lose their memories, as there is only one small clue in the opening page.  On top of erasing their memories, whatever happened also seems to have make everyone in town ugly.  This could be an unimportant detail, but with so little to go on, it is hard to say.  the events of the last few pages are pretty tantalizing though, so I'll be interested to see where this one goes. 

The black and white art work is solidly done and I was especially impressed with the fact that artist Nikki Cook managed to make the Lowesville residents so damn ugly, yet also make their faces so expressive.  All in all, a well done first issue, though I am a little concerned about how much I initially dislike the main character.  Still, at the end of issue one I find myself wanting to know more about what happened in Lowesville, so I'll be sticking around for a bit more.

Dracula The Company of Monsters #6: Dracula is on the loose and has decided to make America his new home.  Evan, the poor guy who brought Dracula back from the dead, has been offered the opportunity of a lifetime: to become Dracula's apprentice.  A pretty sweet internship if you ask me, but for Evan, sentimental guy that he is, it would mean turning on his family.

Why Evan is still loyal to the family and their corrupt business is beyond me, as his Uncle Conrad, the C.E.O. is a gaping asshole, and the one who got Evan into this mess in the first place.  Oh, and did I mention ol' Uncle Conrad is a vampire too?  Yeah, and he's using his powers to make Barrington Industries into a powerhouse corporation.  As the cherry on top, Conrad has also started shacking up with Evan's power hungry fiance.  What a dick. 

I really hope Evan picks a side soon, (fingers crossed that he teams up with Dracula), as his fence sitting is starting to get tiresome.  Initially, this issue didn't do much for me, but after giving it another look, it is actually pretty sweet.  Lots of interesting things going on. The vampire-hunter crew is in out in full force now too, so that should make for an interesting triangle.  I expect Evan will somehow get mixed up with them as well, thus having some sort of vested interest in each group, making whatever outcome there is in this series a bitter-sweet one for the poor bastard.

Comic Quickies or Superior Double Shot

Superior #3: Okay, so Simon Pooni, the quadriplegic kid whose body has been changed into that of Superior, the mightiest hero of them all, has figured out his powers, figured out how to fly, and now all he's got to do is start saving the world.  Enter one of Mark Millar's customary "big ideas" and before you know it, Superior is saving an entire flipping space station from crashing into a busy New York City street.

In this issue we also get to meet Lois Lane Madeline Knox, a news anchor who apparently likes to hide two giant kick balls underneath her shirt.  Oh, wait, upon further inspection, those appear to be her ridiculously ginormous breasts. I was totally blown away by how crappy this character is.  Yes, there are a couple panels with Ms. Knox that don't  highlight her um, divine assets, but those are few and far between.  Doesn't Millar know that there is a little thing called the internet? If the teenage boys that read Superior wanna see some boobs, they sure as hell aren't gonna have Superior as their fix.  To make this issue even more fanTAstic, (emphasis on the T&A) , there's a beach scene, where all the chicks are either bending over provocatively... in thongs, or on the flip side, morbidly obese and wearing water wings.  To add "hilarity" to this scene there's also lots of fat dudes and an old man putting sun screen on his wrinkly, saggy wife.  Wow.  So fucking lame.

Despite all this lame shit going on, this issue doesn't manage to totally suck.  Simon/Superior manages to perform his most amazing feat of all and rescue this issue from the depths of despair.  The one thing that Millar seems to get is that no matter how amazing and super Superior is, there is still a twelve year old kid trapped in that muscle bound body, and Simon's humanity, innocence and uncorrupted desire to just be a good guy is what makes me able to root for Superior the character.  The guy can bench press a nuclear submarine, but he's gotta be quiet when he secretly crashes at his friend's house so that the parent's don't find out.  There's just enough of that wholesome stuff to keep me going, because I really like Simon and I wanna know what happens to him. 

Superior #4: This issue is all about Madeline Knox getting the first exclusive interview with Superior.  I gotta say, the way she goes about it is pretty ingenious, and ballsy. Compared to the last issue, this one is actually quite a bit better.  There's only one blatant shot of Madeline's boobage, and the interview scene is somewhat interesting.

The latter half of the issue, (ok, I lied, so the issue isn't all about an interview), delivers some more solid character development on the part of Simon and his friend Chris, who is pretty much a real-deal super hero for sticking by his buddy through all the tough times.  Chris gets hassled by some dick head ginger-kid and his cronies on the way to basketball practice and returns home to find Simon/Superior on his couch, chowing down on junk food, watching his own interview on TV.  When Superior gets wind of what happened, he and Chris deliver some satisfying pay back to the bullies.  We also get some insight into what exactly Simon wants to achieve with his new powers, and we get a glimpse of his potential nemesis.  It is nice to see this comic finally take a direction.  This could possibly get better.

Dracula the Company of Monsters #5: Yep, they're still cranking out the cheesy vampire magic covers.  This is another fairly solid installment in this ongoing series.  The main protagonist, Evan Barrington-Cabot is still a bit of an ineffectual character, but I think that is by virtue of him being stuck firmly in the middle of the whole Dracula resurrection scheme.  The poor guy is in way over his head now, and I think he is starting to realize that he has reached the point of no return.  He just needs to decide which side of the conflict he wants to support.

This issue was a bit of a set-up issue, as most of the pieces on the board did some recuperating or consolidating.  It seems like things are poised to blow up and get really interesting, but the pacing in this comic isn't the fastest, so there might be a bit of a wait before this title gets really interesting.  Though I shudder to say it, I think this comic would actually benefit from a bit more vampire mayhem.

Neonomicon #4: This issue was extremely tough to read, and probably the most disturbing thing I've ever read.  I understand that this is meant to be an extremely complex comic, and is meant to do lots of meta-textual things that will boggle your mind and play with the very fabric of the medium, but does it need to be so god damned off-putting?  I can appreciate the artisan-ship that has gone into creating such a complex and unique thing, but I can't tolerate the subject matter at all, to the point that I dropped this one from my pull-box.  I have a lot of respect for Alan Moore and the high quality comics he creates, but this one is not for me.

If you want a detailed,  in-depth analysis of what went down in this issue and what it all likely means, check out Bleeding Cool's review. But this is just one comic I can't support any longer.

Comic Quickies

Strage Tales II #3: The Strange Tales mini-series, where some of the biggest names in indie comics write in the Marvel Universe, wraps up with this issue. This final issue features some big names from the indie realm: Terry Moore, Dean Haspiel, Alex Robinson, and Kate Beaton, who all feature stories in this issue. The interesting thing is, aside from the two great comics by Kate Beaton, I was more entertained by artist/writers who were unknown to me. Young People by Michael Deforge which featured Spidey, Jubilee, and Iceman was pretty damn funny and With a Little Help from my Friends by Eduardo Medeiros which featured Spiderman, Juggernaut, The Thing and a sweet little old lady was not only funny, but had some cool artwork as well.

The standout story for this issue was easily the story simply titled Silver Surfer by James Stokoe. Not only was the story cool and engaging, but the artwork was absolutely gorgeous. Check out the first page splash:



Pretty pretty right? Me likey.



Dracula The Company of Monsters #2: I liked the first issue so much that I went back to my local comic shop and picked up the other two issues they had on hand, so this is gonna be a Dracula-centric installment of Comic Quickies.

In this issue, Evan, who has been working around the clock on a super-secret project that even he doesn't know all the pertinent details about, enacts some ancient spells, and brings Dracula back from the dead. The idea of extremely powerful corporations is scary enough, but one with Vlad the Impaler/Dracula in their thrall is pretty much pants pooping scary. So it should come as no surprise that Evan, the Everyman caught up in this mess, is appropriately stressed and worried about the ramifications of resurrecting such a beast. The guy is sort of stuck, since the corporation he works for also happens to be the family business. Bringing Dracula back from the dead is just phase one of this nefarious plot, and it is hard to say what Evan's Uncle, Conrad, the company CEO has planned once Dracula is fully awake. This was definitely an issue that left me wondering/excited to see where the hell things are heading.



Dracula The Company of Monsters #3: This issue introduces a new set of characters to the story. In the opening sequence, we meet Emil Stefanescu, his daughter, niece, and third cousin, who operate a small family business: Vampire Hunters. The group is scouting out the site of a slaughter which also happens to be where Barrington Industries, (those guys who resurrected Dracula), unearthed Dracula's bones.

In the meantime, back at Barrington Industries' high security lab, Evan has created an ingenious version of the house-arrest ankle bracelet. This device, created to keep Dracula in check looks a bit like a conquistador breast plate, complete with vials of holy water, spring loaded stakes, and shielded crucifixes. Despite these precautionary measures, Dracula claims to be harmless since he is in Evan's debt for bringing him back from the dead. Evan has to decide if is Dracula genuine, or simply an extremely manipulative bastard.

Another great issue of this series, which seems to get better with each installment.

Comic Quickies

Sweet Tooth #16: Its all out war in this issue as the crazed tribal army storms the militia compound where Gus and the other hybrids are being held. Writer/artist Lemire perfectly captures the frenzied chaos and destruction of battle as the fence crashes down and the armies collide. Jeppard's plan has worked up till this point, but he must avoid the clatter of death that surrounds him and rescue Gus before it is too late.

This issue had me on the edge of my seat as the bloody events unfolded. Sweet Tooth seems to get better with each issue, and the trend continues here. The whole time I was reading I knew that even the smallest delay could keep Jeppard from rescuing Gus, and when that delay comes, as I knew it would, it was way crazier than I expected. The next issue is gonna be insane.



Skull Kickers #3: I haven't been the biggest fan of this title since the get go, and that right there should have been good enough of an indicator for me to spend my money elsewhere, but I'm a stubborn bastard at best, so I stuck around to see if this one would get any better. Well, it hasn't. I can't directly point to one thing that sticks out as the defining factor as to why this comic isn't my cup of tea, it isn't that it is a terrible comic. Far from it. It just doesn't engage or interest me on any compelling level. I don't feel invested in the characters, I don't feel invested in the plot, I don't care where the story is going, and I don't instantly crave the next issue as soon as I have finished reading the current one. Basically this comic is the polar opposite of Sweet Tooth. So, I won't be reading Skull Kickers any more. It just isn't for me.

SIDE NOTE: Kudos to the creative team for the cosmically-trippy double page spreads in this one!



Doorways #2: GRRM is back with another installment of Doorways. I wonder how much he is really involved in this comic? It doesn't feel like I'm reading a comic written by GRRM. Maybe they are just working off his old TV scripts and someone else is adapting it. Anyway... this issue is fairly similar to the first; lots of running, gunning and explosions. The cool thing about this issue is we get a taste of the bad-guy, Thane, who Cat, the traveler between worlds is running from. Yeah, he's a tough bad-ass. One thing I can't figure out is why Thomas, the doctor fellah who is caught up in all this, continues to let himself be caught up in all this business. His motivations are murky at best. There are a lot of unanswered questions, and there are only two issues left, so I'll probably stick around to see if they get answered.



Dracula The Company of Monsters #1: Yeah, I know, reeeeally cheesy cover, but it's whats on the inside that counts and Dracula The Company of Monsters is pretty damn great on the inside. First off, its created by Kurt Busiek who's been a successful comics creator for years. Secondly, it is written by Daryl Gregory, the dude who wrote Pandemonium and Devil's Alphabet two novels I read, reviewed and enjoyed earlier this year. Thirdly, I got recommended this one by a trusted source, so I decided to give it a shot. Definitely worth it.

The comic follows a guy named Evan who works for a powerful corporation. He's been given the task of deciphering some archaic scrolls and spells, which his Uncle, who also happens to be the company's CEO, wants to use to bring Dracula back to life and use as a tool in the company's corporate schemes. The issue weaves in some historical flashbacks which introduce Vlad the Impaler. Vlad used the spells Evan is trying to translate to further his reign of terror and to also become Dracula.

I liked that Evan, despite working for the family business, is simply caught up in the flow of events, and is just a regular guy who is in way over his head. Just when I thought I had reached vampire saturation, this comic comes along and delivers a nice twist to the vampire genre. The first issue has great writing and some fine artwork as well. A great first issue, and I look forward to reading more.

Review: The Devil's Alphabet

The Devil's Alphabet by Daryl Gregory


In The Devil's Alphabet, Paxton Martin returns to his hometown of Switchcreek, Tennessee after living in Chicago for many years. His reason for the homecoming is to attend the funeral of his old friend, Jo Lynn, who has supposedly committed suicide. Switchcreek however, is no normal town, and it should come as no surprise that there may be more to Jo Lynn's death than expected.

When Paxton was fourteen, a mysterious disease rocked the small town of Switchcreek. When the dust cleared, and the quarantine was lifted, one third of the residents, including Paxton's mother were dead, and another third, Paxton's dad included, were mutated into monster-like oddities. The disease got called Transcription Divergence Syndrome, or TDS for short, and it had three waves of transformation which led to three varieties: the first wave got called "Argos", massive gray-skinned giants, who are apparently infertile, but extremely strong. The second wave resulted in a group called "Betas", sometimes called blanks, due to their lack of human expression. The betas are hairless, seal-like folk whose females members are able to reproduce asexually. The final wave are the incredibly obese "Charlies" or Chubs as they are sometimes called. The older male chubs secrete a mind and mood altering drug-like fluid called Vintage, which may be the town's chief export.

Paxton was one of the lucky few who escaped the disease seemingly unchanged. In addition to the loss of his mother, and the transformation of his father, Paxton's best friends, Deke and Jo Lynn were also transformed by the disease. All of which were factors in causing Paxton to flee to Chicago. Jo Lynn's death brings him back and a decline in his father's health keeps him in town for longer than expected. While there he reconnects with old acquaintances, uncovers some seedy, small town corruption, acquires an addiction to vintage, and unwillingly encounters some of his repressed memories.

The thing that hooked me into this book were the mutations caused by TDS. Gregory did a fantastic job of not only creating human, yet very un-human life forms, but he also did a fantastic job of creating individual cultures within the various groups that inhabit the town of Switchcreek. I enjoyed the interplay between not only the TDS groups themselves, but also between those groups and normal humans. I can't imagine the author's challenge of creating these groups, and then inserting them into regular every day American life, but Gregory did just that, and he did it quite well.

The main character Paxton is not the most easy to relate to guy. For most of the book he plays a very passive role as things happen to him and all around him, but he rarely actively sets out to make things happen. On top of the fact that Paxton's not a go-getter, he's also just not that awesome of a guy, what with him being a borderline alcoholic, and an avid drug user and all. Needless to say, I found it hard to root for the guy.

Compared to Paxton, the secondary and supporting characters were interesting, often likable, and well written. Paxton's Argo friend Deke, was quite interesting, especially in the way he fit into the town's intricacies. Switchcreek Mayor, Aunt Rhonda was another strong character. Her motivations are clear, though her machinations are murky at best.

Much like his previous work, Pandemonium, The Devil's Alphabet is another strong effort from Daryl Gregory. This book benefits from strong plotting and solid pacing. The story moves along at a modest clip, and kept me interested throughout. Overall, this is another good book from Gregory, though for my personal tastes, I didn't like this as much as Pandemonium. Still, Gregory seems to be a strong, and creative new voice in the fantasy/horror genre. I certainly wont hesitate to read whatever his next project may be.

Grade:B

Review: Pandemonium

Pandemonium by Daryl Gregory

I recently completed my first fantasy novel of the year, a debut title by Daryl Gregory called Pandemonium. The events in Pandemonium take place in a world very much like ours with one slight difference...ever since around the 1950's, seemingly random acts of demon possession occur. These possessions can target men, women, and children and the demonic entities themselves seem to be spawned from pop-culture archetypes. There are eight such demons; the Truth, who is a cloaked avenger of lies, with dual pistols ready to send liars to their grave, the Captain, a heroic demon who possesses soldiers, the Little Angel, who possesses little curly haired girls and delivers kisses of death to terminally ill hospital patients, Smokestack Johnny, a railroad demon, Kamikaze, a demon you don't want possessing your airplane pilot, the painter, who creates pastoral images out of whatever is handy, Boy Marvel, another hero type, and the Hellion, who possesses little boys and makes sometimes deadly mischief.

Del, the story's protagonist was possessed by the Hellion at a young age, but with psychiatric help, a loving family and an exorcism, the demon was forced out. Or so we are made to think. One night Del has a terrible car crash, and while waiting in his overturned car for help, Del feels the Hellion inside him again, trapped, and clamoring to get out.

Del is written as your average guy, but with some deep rooted psychological issues, which are worsening as the demon inside him struggles to break free. Fearing what kind of destruction the Hellion would reap given control of an adult body, Del seeks help to purge the demon once again. His journey leads him to a scientific convention on the topic of possession where Del seeks out the aid of a brilliant doctor. Along the way he meets Valis, a demon controlling the body of the Sci-fi writer formerly know as Phillip K. Dick, and Mother Mariette, a rocker-nun who specializes in exorcism. Many people believe that Del holds the secret to stopping demon possession once and for all, but the "best" cure for Del isn't exactly one he is willing to commit to.

Pandemonium is easily the best fantasy book I've read in some time. Gregory set the bar pretty high for himself with such a solid debut. The character building, while not the best, was still very strong, and as I read, I definitely cared strongly about what the outcome would be for Del. Gregory kept the story rolling throughout, and I once I reached the halfway point, I couldn't stop myself, and I finished the second half off in one, albeit long, sitting. I think the thing that impressed me the most was just how economic the story was. Basically everything that happens in Pandemonium means something, and it likely doesn't mean what you initially thought it would. Gregory peppers the overall narrative with short "Demonology" chapters where short vignettes give you back story on the nature of various demons in the pantheon. Add some twists, some I saw coming and others I didn't, and what you get is a great novel.

It felt really good to read something so well conceived, constructed, and implemented. The idea of demon possession is a good one, but could have easily turned out to be campy. Gregory instead delivers a gritty, adult novel that I loved. Pandemonium is a book I would recommend to most anyone, as I feel it would be enjoyed by non fantasy genre readers as well.

I look forward to reading more from Gregory in the future, his follow up novel, Devils Alphabet is on my list of books to read.

grade: A