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[LOLtron]

Read about one of the Outhousers' favorite characters in the weekly Character Spotlight! This week, it's two blood-suckers for the price of one, as well look at Etrigan the Demon from DC's Demon Knights!



In an Internet filled with overwhelming negativity and pointless hatred of frivolous stuff, it's sometimes necessary to take a step back, take a deep breath and remember why we enjoy comics in the first place. Character Spotlight is a weekly feature showcasing some of the Outhouse's favorite characters that epitomize why we read comics. Maybe you'll learn something, maybe you won't, but regardless we hope you enjoy the Outhouse's Character Spotlight!

Origin Story:
Yarva Demonicus Etrigan.
Change, change the form of man.
Free the prince forever damned.
Free the might from fleshy mire.
Boil the blood in heart of fire.
Gone, gone the form of man,
Rise the demon Etrigan!

With these words (or sometimes less, the last two lines are usually enough) the immortal former knight of Camelot, Jason Blood, is transformed into the demon, Etrigan. Having been bound together by Etrigan's half-brother Merlin, Blood and The Demon have a troubled relationship. Blood's desire to do only good is often rendered moot by Etrigan's whims and diabolical nature and so the two are at odds as often as they are working in tandem. Usually found in Gotham and Hell respectively, Blood and Etrigan tend to feature whenever the citizens of the DCU venture into hell or need some advice about its denizens.

Character Appeal: The appeal of Etrigan is that he's a poetry spouting demon who can just as easily be found fighting or working alongside the Justice League. His stories tend to involve the darker elements of the DCU which means appearances from other seldom-seen favourites like Blue Devil and the Phantom Stranger. Throw in his bizarre appearance and the built-in appeal of a Jack Kirby creation, and it's clear why so many of comics' finest writers have been tempted to slip in an appearance by The Demon.

Top Storylines: While you'd have trouble going wrong with any of Jack Kirby's issues of The Demon from the seventies, it's Garth Ennis run in the early nineties from #40-#58 that holds the most appeal to me. Setting Etrigan and Jason Blood very much at odds with one another, throwing Merlin back into the mix, and introducing the immensely popular Hitman, it's probably the best example of the character as a protagonist. As for his guest appearances, it's always a good idea to check out Alan Moore's Saga of the Swamp Thing issues featuring Etrigan visiting the bayou, and eventually the Swamp Thing returning the favour with a trip to hell.

Etrigan Can Even Beat Up Lobo: Despite being a fairly powerful denizen of the pit, outside his natural environment, Etrigan tends to get beaten up by heroes surprisingly often. This is more a consequence of his frequent role as a foil though, as he's proven able to hold his own against Morgaine le Fey, Lobo and Superman at times.

Where the character is today: Following up on appearances in Blackest Night and David Finch's Batman: The Dark Knight, Etrigan is currently heading up a team of medieval powerhouses in Paul Cornell's Demon Knights as part of DC's New 52.

http://www.theouthousers.com/index.php/features/character-spotlight/17557-character-spotlight-etrigan-the-demon.html/

[Psivage]

Favorite of mine. If I could I get a tattoo of him

[Zechs]

So um what issues of Swamp Thing are those that are mentioned?

[Nacmir]

I remember a JLA issue, where Batman said to Jason Blood "You can keep evil at bay inside you, so you can keep it at bay everywhere"(or something similar). The other fond memory of him: Baby etrigan from Animated JLA.

[covalesky]

Awesome character and awesome spotlight.

If it was in rhyme it would be legendary

[Zero]

So um what issues of Swamp Thing are those that are mentioned?

I don't have them to hand, but it's the ones early in the run featuring that nasty monkey demon at Abby's job. Second Moore trade I believe.

[avengingtitan]

Great character that has been misused the last few years. His book now is awful.

[DMM]

I don't have them to hand, but it's the ones early in the run featuring that nasty monkey demon at Abby's job. Second Moore trade I believe.

Yes, I think it's the 2nd Moore trade. That is the only exposure to Etrigan that I've had--oh wait, he's used in Sandman, too, right?--and he's great. That Tony Daniel drawing of him is awesome!

[Doc Jon]

I loved him in the Breyfogle Detective Comics guest appearance back in the day.

[GHERU]

one of the best thing to come out of Hitman was me discovering Etrigan.
have they collected Ellis's run on that book (amazon is blocked at work)?

[Zero]

one of the best thing to come out of Hitman was me discovering Etrigan.
have they collected Ellis's run on that book (amazon is blocked at work)?

Ellis's run on what? Hitman?

Hitman was all written by Garth Ennis and is being sloooowly collected by DC.

[GHERU]

Ellis's run on what? Hitman?

Hitman was all written by Garth Ennis and is being sloooowly collected by DC.

thank you
I meant Ennis (I always do that )
and I have Hitman all in floppies, I was asking about his (Ennis) run on Demon

[Zero]

thank you
I meant Ennis (I always do that )
and I have Hitman all in floppies, I was asking about his (Ennis) run on Demon

No sign of any trades of The Demon, although it's relatively easy to find online if you don't mind a little crime.

[Kolimar]

A bit light for my taste but still a nice spotlight. My favorite stories with him outside his own books are the Swamp Thing issues, the fun stuff with Lobo and the team-up with Batman during Grant-Breyfogle's run.

[Kolimar]

So um what issues of Swamp Thing are those that are mentioned?

And a few more:

Annual 02
Down Amongst The Dead Men
Annual 1984

49
The Summoning
June 1986

50
The End
July 1986

76
L'Adoration De La Terre
September 1988

86
Heroes of the Revolution
May 1989

87
Fall of the House of Pendragon
June 1989

97
Scattered Houses
July 1990

98
Family Reunion
August 1990

100
Tales of Eden
October 1990

http://www.comicbookdb.com/character_ti ... 23&cID=256