Hellstorm: Prince of Lies is a 1993 comic book series from Marvel Comics.
Set in the shared Marvel Universe, it stars Daimon Hellstrom, the so-called "Son of Satan". Inheriting his father's powers, Daimon chooses his own path, but often helps to protect Earth from occult threats.
The series begins after a Time Skip, establishing that Daimon's demonic nature has returned and his happy marriage is now transformed into something different. There's a second time skip midway through the series, when Warren Ellis becomes its new regular writer, and the Cliffhanger ending of the previous arc is initially left unexplained.
Hellstorm: Prince of Lies contains examples of the following tropes:
- Afterlife Tour: When he falls from heaven to hell, Hellstrom is greeted by the soul of Simon Garth, who gives him a tour of hell. Although it becomes clear that he's not actually Garth, he's Daimon's demonic father.
- Appropriated Appellation: In the first issue, a handyman misspells Hellstrom's surname on a sign for his house. Hellstrom's initially annoyed, but then decides he actually likes the sound of "Hellstorm", so adopts the name.
- Cooked to Death: When released to torment Jack Wintergarden, Inanna's bailiff recreates the Greek "brazen bull", a hollow statue within which prisoners were roasted to death. Carefully tuned pipes make music of their screams. When Jack asks who's burning, the bailiff tells him his daughters are inside.
- Cut Short: Writer Warren Ellis had already written the final issue when informed that the series would be cancelled. It was very hastily rewritten, but there are still unresolved plot elements.
- Evil Doppelgänger: The first issue's Happy Ending Override shows Daimon Hellstrom once again filled with demonic power. A Time Skip then seems to show him leading a Black Church, sacrificing innocents to Satan. However, it's quickly revealed that this "Hellstrom" is a demon given Daimon's form and power by Daimon's father, and the real Hellstrom banishes him to hell when he's defeated.
- Human Resources: Zahgurim's servant is killing magicians to use their remains as armor, with the power they had in life becoming a shield against magical forces.
- Impersonation-Exclusive Character: When Daimon falls into hell, he's greeted by Simon Garth, the soul of the mindless Zombie, who is an established Marvel Universe character. However, it's actually Hellstrom's father offering him an Afterlife Tour, not Garth. The real Garth plays no part in the series.
- Karma Houdini: Perhaps due to the Cut Short nature of the series, some characters escape unscathed despite their actions.
- Daimon's sister Satana is repeatedly shown killing mortals with her Life Drinker abilities to gain more personal power. At the end of the series she sends a servant out into the world to kill even more in her name. Daimon remains unaware, and she faces no punishment for this.
- Deathurge orchestrates Patsy's suicide, but Daimon remains unaware of his involvement and never confronts him.
- Refusing Paradise: In "Heaven's Gate", Daimon leads the resurrected souls who'd escaped hell to Mount Qaf, climbing towards heaven. Nikki, who was resurrected as Kim, is the first to realise that Heaven will wash away her memories and identity. She chooses to let go and fall back towards hell.
- Shout-Out:
- At one point Isaac refers to Daimon as "Master Bruce", a reference to Batman and his faithful butler Alfred. Daimon tells him to stop reading comic books.
- When Daimon revisits Al Shaitan's occult nightclub midway through the series, it's been renamed "The Wasp Factory".
- Speech Bubbles:
- Zahgurim, armorer to Satan, has his dialogue written in italics, in a slightly larger font size than other characters. His speech bubbles get thick blue-black borders with teeth on the outside, a little like clockwork cogs.
- Inanna's dialogue uses yellow text on a black background. Her speech bubbles are raggedly shaped, with a double yellow border.
- Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Jack Wintergarden's young son sets fire to an old diary in his father's house. That destroys the sigils that prevent Inanna's demons from manifesting. They proceed to kill everyone in the house via Cold-Blooded Torture, ensuring that Jack is Forced to Watch.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: Jakita Wegener survives her encounter with Zahgurim's slayer of magicians, but plays no part in Daimon's battle with Zahgurim himself, when the demon manifests immediately afterwards. She doesn't appear in the series again.
