Issue(s): Hellstorm #6
Cover Date: Sep 93
Title: "Lisa"
Credits:
Rafael Nieves - Writer
Michael Bair - Penciler
Michael Bair - Inker
Carlos Lopez - Assistant Editor
Fabian Nicieza - Editor

Review/plot:
This is the last issue of Hellstorm written by the initial writer, Rafael Nieves. He'll be replaced next by Len Kaminksi (who also co-wrote the past two issues). This issue is a decent standalone story (which is probably why it was chosen for inclusion in the Marvel Ghost Stories digest TPB) and it's very much a "classic" Daimon Hellstrom story, with him performing a random exorcism. The twist is that the twist that we all know is coming turns out to already be known by everyone, and that's actually a good twist.

Daimon is approached by a priest who asks him to perform an exorcism. A young girl was killed by someone that had been abusing her.

An uncle was convicted of the crime. But now her parents' house is haunted. And as Hellstorm investigates, he finds that it was really the father. So Daimon makes sure that the father is delivered to the ghost of his daughter.

Daimon comes out expecting to have to explain this to the wife and the priest, but it turns out that they knew all along. They went to Daimon because he was just the right sort of asshole to make sure that the dad got what he deserved.

It's a good twist, both in service of the story and as a character moment for Daimon, showing that a priest would go to someone like him to do this kind of dirty work. The story is a little light on plot and the art is very much an acquired taste, but i find this far superior to most of what we've seen in this series before. It would have been better to do more like this instead of the confusing convoluted plots that the series started with.

Quality Rating: B

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: N/A

References: N/A

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: Marvel Ghost Stories digest TPB