Damn Them All #8 – Boom! Studios

Creative Team: Simon Spurrier, Charlie Adlard & Sofie Dodgson

Welcome to another New Comic Book Day review from the N.I. Bullpen!

When you mix the supernatural and detective stories, you get Damn Them All from Boom! Studios. Hard hitting, captivating and mysterious, the adventure of Ellie continues in issue 8.

Before going over the events in this issue we’ll do a quick recap of issue 7. That combined with the review on issue 8 is sure to tempt even the most skeptical comic book fan. So let’s get right into it, and go over Damn Them All #8 from Boom! Studios!

**POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD** LAST ISSUE REVIEW

Quick Recap

When we last left Ellie and Glas, they had just visited an occultist in an attempt to retrieve a Sigil that controls demons. The man freaked out and leapt through a window in an attempt to flee. As they pursued the man, he was suddenly killed by a mystery person who seemed to clone himself before escaping. 

Now they are still missing the Sigil they were after, and Ellie is contending with a memory of someone from her past that she thought she just saw again. What is going to happen next to our protagonist? Let’s find out!

Cillian Byrne

The issue opens with Cillian having a dream about his past. He and Ellie were once a couple, fighting their way around the world slaying demons. During the dream, or rather memory, Ellie prevents Cillian from killing a demon in Malaysia.  

As Cillian is dreaming, someone wakes him saying “Boss, we got one.” The young man holds a coin up to show Cillian that they have retrieved a Sigil. After examining it, Cillian heads to the roof of his building, telling his underlings “No visitors for a while, alright?”

Another Job

Ellie gets a phone call detailing the fact that the demon Beleth has escaped from the facility it was being kept in. 

Due to the fact that this job is being offered by a former employer of Ellie’s she at first doesn’t seem to care, but after realizing which demon has been let loose, and the fact they still need to find the Sigils that are controlling the demons, she agrees. It also helps that it appears the man has her uncle’s casket and if Ellie completes the job, she will be given the casket and its contents.

She believes that the casket contains some kind of clue to how all of this has happened. 

Back on the building where Cillian is located, we are shown him meeting with a group of Angels who are currently destroying a person on the roof.

Dora

Ellie finds Dora in Alfie’s old apartment. She has been through something major. 

Something has been done to her mind with magic, and she is slowly going mad. Ellie says they need to get her to a Cobbler in town who should be able to help Dora. The Cobbler named Gav is shocked to learn that Dora has been touched by Angelfire which is why Dora’s mind is deteriorating.

He says he can give her something to help, but that he can’t exactly cure the situation. After taking Dora’s middle name as payment, he gives her a potion that is supposed to guard against the “extra-real.” When Glas notices that the liquid comes from demons, Ellie demands to know who sold it and what they bought afterwards. 

After some “encouragement,” Gav reveals that the man bought a set of keys, with the ability to “invoke the unfallen.” Ellie, having obtained the info she was looking for, turns to leave with Dora and Glas, who says he can track the man’s scent easily. Dora, however, has vanished.

Flashback

Here we are once again shown an event from Ellie and Cillian’s past. Ellie is giving Cillian a detailed history lesson on demons, colonists and religion. She tells of the European settlers who were offended that women were the ones to greet them in the new world and not the men.

She describes how ancient native cultures were tricked and forced to turn to Christianity and tells Cillian that the demon she stopped him from killing is not actually a threat. Rather the demon is misunderstood and follows strict rules over who it can and can’t kill or feed on.

Reunion

After the flashback scene, Cillian is again woken up by one of his underlings. They inform him that there is someone across the street that has been yelling at their building for half an hour. That someone is Ellie along with Glas and Dora.

The image of Cillian then appears, covering the entire face of the building, which appears to be wrapped in flame. He says he is glad that Ellie came, because he would also like to offer her a job.

Story Review

Spurrier continues to impress with this story. The twisting plot and constant reveals and surprises makes for a very exciting read. Blending in a detective story with the overarching supernatural theme is making for a very unique comic book reading experience.

What has happened to Dora? Did Angels destroy her mind? What about Cillian, will he and Ellie find their way back to each other, or is Cillian helping the Angles? We are going to have to wait for the next issue to find out what happens next!

Artwork Overview

Adlard and Dodgson are showing their artistic talents in Damn Them All. The grittiness of the environments and the flashy fantastical color schemes make for pure eye candy in comic book form. 

The use of color to evoke emotion is done very well in this issue. The darker the scene becomes, the more serious the situation. Also there is a lot of fine detail in each panel. It never feels forced in though, allowing each panel and scene to flow together seamlessly.

Overall Score: 9 OUT OF 10 – “Must Pull”

This series continues to impress with its latest issue.

The relationship between Ellie and Cillian is obviously going to be a major plot point moving forward. Also I’m interested to see how Ellie handles the situation with Dora, and whether or not Dora’s current mental state can be cured or not. 

This is a supernatural detective story with no shortage of twists and turns. So if you like magic and mystery then you are going to fall in love with this series for sure. Damn Them All #8 from Boom! Studios is a must read comic this week for new comic book day!

As always everyone Be Safe, Be Kind, and Take It Easy!

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