The thirteenth issue of Jack Kirby's The Demon is the last of three issues which presents Kirby's take on Universal's classic Frankenstein movies and this one is a whopper.
The action picks up when Baron Von Rakenstein (dubbed "Von Evilstein) and his aide Igor attack the Demon who they had plans to operate on. But his demonic flames put them on the run and they have to flee their own lab.
The Demon then heads into the streets of Gotham City by way of the sewer system.
Meanwhile Janie Welles and Alan Hunter have come into the city to find Baron Von Evilstein "Monster", a creature Janie has established psychic contact with. She is attacked by some hoods but the arrival of the "The Monster" sends them fleeing. She pleads with the creature who only wants his pain to stop but the arrival of the police creates a dilemma. Alan Hunter, Harry Matthews and Randu Singh rush onto the scene as the stand off continues.
Out of the sewers the Demon emerges just in time to try and stop Baron Von Evilstein and his henchman who appear in a roof, from killing the "Monster" who sacrifices himself to save Janie by absorbing a terrible blast from Von Evilstein's weapon. The Demon causes the energy from the weapon to engulf Von Evilstein and Igor and confronts them with the Philosopher's Stone in hand promising them an experiment of his own.
The "Monster" dies sadly and the police find Jason Blood unconscious on the rooftop. Along with him they find two vultures, a big one and a little one all that remain of Von Evilstein and Igor. The story ends as the scavengers fly away.
This one is a dandy tale, full of true emotional impact. The pacing, aside from a tiny sense of too little happening in the second chapter is wonderful. The punishment meted out by the Demon has real poetic qualities to it and is much more interesting than merely more demonic fire.
The Philosopher's Stone showed up half way through the series and seems to playing a larger and larger role as the series proceeds.
More next time.
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