POBB July 31, 2020

Pick of the Brown Bag

July 31, 2020

by

Ray Tate

Welcome to the Pick of the Brown Bag.  For this installment I examine the brand new book Danger Devil from Source Point Press.  

Danger Devil begins après midi.  A woman named Beatty drives her charge, a girl named Xenia, to safety.  Safety is a relative term.  

The new arrival is named Jenny Deathwood, a fantastic monicker.  Just looking at her, you know she's no mere supernatural flunky.  This death lady means business, but so does Danger Devil who makes just as an impressive entrance.

Danger Devil has a very Saturday Morning Cartoon feel to it.  Danger debuts with no explanation and no history.  She just suddenly exists to entertain you while you eat your Cheerios.  She has a cool plane.  She's wearing some stylish combat gear, and her younger partner is Kid Diabla.  

That's really all a precocious ten-year old would need to know.  The voice actor would then subconsciously make or break the character along with the animation and the design.  The designs for Danger Devil appeal, as does the animation.

Danger Devil also attracts the reader in a unique way.  The creative team combines two types of superhero genres.  By just looking at Danger Devil, you may surmise that she is a non-powered vigilante.  That's true.  In fact, together with Kid Diabla, Danger Devil sends off a strong Green Hornet and Kato vibe.  That's when writer Tony Doug Wright surprises with a little teleportation, given an unmistakeable occult look by artist Joseph Haemmerle.

Danger Devil uses high tech and swift kicks but she also exploits magical potions.  That is different.  Batman of course augmented his crimefighter status when he joined the Justice League.  He contended against all sorts of inhuman creatures, including those from demonic realms.  Batman however doesn't use magic to fight magic.  Danger on the other hand confidently employs alchemy and acrobatics.  Indeed, Danger Devil benefits from the perfect blend of fisticuffs and the fantastic.

Though you can beat Jenny Deathwood senseless, as Danger Devil demonstrates, Jenny's physically a tough customer.  Her main claim to fame however is to create or call forth demons to command an army.  Jenny's western look combined with the inky black demons works aesthetically.  The demons purposely bear a certain homogeneity so as not to distract from the striking appearance of their mistress.  

Kid Diabla is an asset to Danger Devil.  She's just as athletic as Danger and an ace pilot to boot.  The two female crimefighters exhibit a relationship that differs from the usual hero and sidekick archetype.  I read no sense of blood bond.  While they may be friends now, you get the impression that they were colleagues first.  

Friendship developed later, and Danger Devil appears to be technically the Kid's superior.  She refers to Danger as "Boss" in a defense force known as the Mystic Bureau.  We don't get to see much of the Mystic Bureau, just the technicians and the marines.  

By melding different elements from the superhero and horror genres, Wright and Haemmerle produce something fresh and exciting.  The appealing stars of the book face down a genuine threat that escalates throughout the pages.  The whole plot is basically a knock-down-drag-out fight choreographed with an eye for the martial arts.  Though dialogue lends to a lot of dissing and tactical explanation, it never the less remains sprightly and flows naturally through the narrative.  Ask your local comic book shop to reserve you a copy of Danger Devil.