Greetings to you all. Today I wanna talk about some material that I’ve received. Best Jackett Press, with an endowment from the folks at Dark Horse Comics wish to ensure this material gets into as many hands as possible. The focus of the discussion today may be unfamiliar to some, and unsavory to others. But it is time we all face the truth. Both as individuals and as a species. The fate of creation itself is at stake, because the fact is We Have Demons. It’s time we talk about it.
We Have Demons # 1 (of 3)
Writer: Scott Snyder
Pencils: Greg Capullo
Inks: Jonathan Glapion
Colors: Dave McCaig
Letters: Tom Napolitano
Now I know some of you are still dealing with that announcement. Acting on behalf of Best Jackett and Dark Horse, Scott Snyder has employed an excellent candidate to provide the narrative. Lamassu, or Lam, is also new to this reality. Her life has always been about faith and I suppose that would mean religion. Her story is a powerful message of what life can give you and what you make of it. Most of this faith she admits comes from her father, Cashel Cullen. When she speaks about her father in this book I get the impression of him being like Bill Paxton’s character in Frailty. Except God only needed one of Cas’ digits, not the whole hand. It’s his death that leads to Lam’s awakening.
Credit is due to artists Greg Capullo and Jonathan Glampion. With a serious subject such as this I know seeing is believing. The illustration during Lam’s testimony feels like an intervention/profession ended up in a drug commercial. Beginning in her early life, we witness both the love and loss, secrets that eventually keep the father and daughter apart later in life. As she explains what brought her to this moment the art is a perfect mix of someone seeing it as they remember, but maybe wondering if they got it wrong. The images are just enough so you get a picture of Lam’s young life, you feel things were never quite right, but how?
Lam’s flashback ends with her in the house of her neighbors, the Spoons. While she speaks to her neighbors, colorist Dave McCaig continues to accent Lam’s bright blue eyes. You get the sense she isn’t sure if she is a cure or may need one. Her eyes are so full of despair, could she be crazy, letting her father’s loss lead her to murder? She wouldn’t be the first person to use the word to justify her own issues and crimes, would she?
At times portions of this story felt familiar, possibly cliche, but Snyder turns things around into the books second portion. The logic to the lore works so well. It’s practically impossible to poke holes in it. As one who has spent a good portion of his life wondering how the hundreds of humanities histories connect, the explanation impresses me, and I feel it will have the same effect on you. Science and the sacred united thanks to two entities, Halo and Horn. If you ask me if I think this knowledge will sit well with the Godfolk, my answer is absolutely not.
Scott Snyder must feel the same way since this book opens with a disclaimer, though I wonder if it’s bringing hands up in penance or for a chin flick. The commentary indicates an interest in giving We Have Monsters a Saturday cartoon feel. This certainly ensures it is accessible for all audiences. I say why stop there, rent a whole train-car and put it on Sunday morning on the USA Cartoon Express so I can watch before church. In Issue # 1 of We Have Monsters this scientfic-chemistry heavy take on creation may remove the wings but that only helps it soar higher.
Score: 9.4