The Eliminators

The Eliminators is a series that started as something completely different than what it became. In fact, the history of this series and its characters is incredibly complex and somewhat fractured that it requires a few tangents along the way. Now, to fully understand all aspects, there will be a point that you may need to click on another page, mainly because those details are more relevant there. But in saying that, those details do not go back to the very beginning. So, if you choose to skip it, you shouldn’t miss any relevant information. With all that said, let’s get into it.

DEMON IN THE BOX

While the origins of the Eliminators themselves starts elsewhere, the story that built the foundation of the core team begins here. If I’m not mistaken, this comic was written sometime in 1992. At this particular moment of my life, I was a true horror fiend. I obsessed over slashers like Jason Voorhees and Freddy Krueger and one day decided that I wanted to make my own horror movie icon. Shouldn’t be hard, right? Just follow the tropes that all of the movies do. It wasn’t the best approach, but it got me started.

From the start, you can tell around what year this was written, just based on the opening credits. In the future, they become more detailed as you will eventually see. It has been some time since I read through this comic and, right away, I spotted something I forgot. Stephen is in this story. In fact, he’s the only one billed even though he’s not the main character. Anyway, the Devil (or who we assume is the Devil) has a plan and calls his demon, Demonic (very clever…) to enact this plan. The plan? To go to Earth and kill children using a jack-in-the-box-style contraption. Reading this leads me to believe I had a title first that I wrote the story around… and I was a terrible writer. Anyway, the Devil puts Demonic into the box and sends him to Earth. Specifically Los Angeles. Not sure what my obsession with Los Angeles was at this time. Probably Hollywood.

The Devil teleports the box to Earth where it appears (or perhaps co-ops) as a Jack-in-the-box toy in a young child’s bedroom. The child named Bobby is getting ready for school and grabs the box on his way to the school bus. Unfortunately for Bobby, his mother won’t allow him to take the box. So, he returns it to his room. Having no patience, Demonic releases himself from the box which feels like it defeats the purpose of the device. Demonic finds Bobby’s father in the living room, watching football while getting shit-faced at 7am in the morning. Demonic grabs Bobby’s father and throws him through the TV and into the actual football game, where he is severely injured from a tackle.

Bobby’s father is quickly hauled off on a gurney when Demonic approaches him dressed as a surgeon… on a football field. Demonic grabs Bobby’s father and smashes his head into his own, for all of television to see, even his wife. Demonic then crawls back into the living room through the TV and returns to the box. Bobby’s mother, on the other hand, must have immediately bailed out of the room since she did not see Demonic return. Yet she delivers the new about her deadbeat husband as tactfully as you would expect.

Distraught over the death of his father, Bobby turns to his favorite toy and unleashes Demonic, who proceeds to eat a child whole. I was really going to shock value at this point. I also wrote the line, “fuckin’ finger lickin’ good,” because I thought it sounded like a solid zinger afterwards. It didn’t land the way it sounded in my head. Bobby’s mother appears with a gun and shoots Demonic. Since that’s not going to do anything, Demonic throws her out of a window. When a passerby comes across the carnage, he is false accused and arrested for the crime. After he’s locked up, we learn that he was Bobby’s older brother. Is that important? No!

For some reason, Demonic breaks Bobby’s brother out of prison and then orders him to go work out. And it seems that Demonic directed him towards the local police department instead of the gym. I say that because who should show up but Captain Stephen White of the LAPD. I’ll explain that later. Anyway, Bobby’s brother just asks to train, even though that is a very vague statement to make to anyone. Stephen then takes Bobby’s brother to skydive (?) because that’s training I guess? At the end of the day, the two part ways. Then, a beat cop is randomly killed by Demonic then found by Stephen.

I guess this would be as good of a time as any to explain what I would consider a major anachronism. Prior to the writing of this story, I wrote what would be my first attempt at writing horror. Tasdevils 2020 continued the story of the character Stephen White thirty years after the events of Stephen’s Wacky Maze. Since I had already established this timeline, my thinking could have been to continue telling these stories in the future. But somewhere along the way, I forgot that I wrote this piece to take place in the future. So, when the character of Stephen appears as a superhero in The Eliminators, things become even more confusing. Needless to say, it’s a detail I completely forgot about and continued to forget about it.

Some gritty detective archetype shows up to immediately assess that the cop committed suicide. Stephen shuts down that theory before a Wacko shows up to confess. Wackos were a group of strung-out criminals that always had crazed-looking eyes and the same wispy hair. Their invention was to have a basic criminal group that would always be involved in low-level crimes. But here, this Wacko claims to have murdered the cop, which gets him sent straight to prison and an expedited death sentence. But Demonic once again breaks into the prison to plot an escape for the Wacko, which ultimately leads to his death. With another loose end taken care of, Demonic decides to torture Bobby’s brother by becoming a substitute teacher (?) at 49s High School (??) and teaching them Algebra II, a truly terrifying subject. But when a guy looking like Bobby’s brother calls the Demonic a devil worshipper because he can see it in his eyes (???), Demonic wastes no time and kills him in front of the class. But don’t worry, he hypnotizes them to go to lunch while he eats the student.

Bobby’s brother, alive and well, leaves “training” with Stephen, only to be encountered by a woman named Joan. We also learn in this interaction that Bobby’s brother’s name is Rob… short for Robert or, you know, BOBBY as an affectionate nickname… Anyway, Joan isn’t a woman at all, but Demonic torturing Rob before killing him. I would like to apologize for the incredibly sexist and poorly written joke about blondes being dumb. I may have stated this on another page, but I was a kid still learning the rights and wrongs of the world. This, at the time, was commonplace and I didn’t know any better. Now I do. Back to the story, Demonic sets his sights on being a teacher! School: it’s the only way to learn! Demonic hypnotize a random guy to kill himself before starting his new job at Magnum Jr. High, another immaculate name for a school. In the classroom, we see that the kid from 49s High School also seems to attends Magnum Jr. High as well. Another student, born to be a troublemaker, decides to push the new teacher.

As the bad apple of a student attempts to show-off his toughness with a match, Demonic blows it out causing one of the other students to laugh. This is when we are introduced to Zack, our main protagonist of the story that didn’t show up until page 10. The aptly named Fire (I really sucked at names) is called to the teacher’s desk. Even though he just met him, Demonic already hates Zack and is willing to help Fire kill Zack at 3:00pm around the school. You’d think they would want to commit murder off-campus but whatever. That afternoon, Zack is jumped by Fire and Demonic, and then bolted (?) to a wall. Luckily, Stephen shows up out of nowhere, saves Zack from being burned alive, and punches Fire, a kid, in the face. Stephen cuts Zack loose and takes him home. Unfortunately for Zack, Demonic scurried away when Stephen appeared and made his way to Zack’s house.

Upon arriving home, Zack’s house has clearly been attacked. Inside, they find Demonic killing Zack’s parents. Stephen shoots at Demonic but he flees after finishing off Zack’s father. At least, that’s who we assume it was. Stephen makes a bold offer for Zack to live with him, and I guess that’s what Zack does. Meanwhile, Demonic is powering up or some shit. Honestly, I’m not sure. This feels like filler in a movie that’s unnecessary for a comic. The next day, Zack returns to school to find Demonic had returned. Demonic drags Zack into the classroom and reveals himself to everyone.

Demonic has revealed his true self to the class. He immediately targets a girl named Meggan that we hadn’t heard about until just now. Zack produces a gun and takes a shot at Demonic. Now, you may be asking yourself, “How the fuck did a kid bring a gun into the school?” And you’d be right to do so. But remember that this is future as seen in the year 1992. Gun violence in schools wasn’t really a thing like it is today. Plus, none of this narrative is cohesive, so what’s another plot hole? After being shot, Demonic unleashes his hell beam at Zack and escapes with Meggan. Demonic then crafts himself a fortress using his demon magic and maybe caused it to start snowing as well. Zack shoots down the door to the fortress and heads inside.

Upon finding Meggan, Zack is swiftly attacked by Demonic. He shoot Demonic into a pit of fire that Demonic would have crafted for this fortress. So, in actuality, it’s his fault for making the damn thing. Demonic emerges from the flames as bone, walks over to another pit of flames. Only these flames were magical and heal his body completely. Fully restored, Demonic unleashes a fury of hell beams at Zack. Zack finds a button to the fancy dome on top of this fortress. He presses it and opens the dome, causing Demonic to freeze to death. Most people don’t normally know this, but it’s the most effective way to kill a demon. Zack is found by Stephen (?) and everything is taken care of… so THE END… I guess.

I wish I knew the exact reason every single one of my comics from these early years required that every villain have their own fortress. Look over every single comic series I wrote, and I promise you there will be an enemy fortress in the final act. That and the main bad guy returning to life as a skeleton. Eventually, I moved away from these tropes, but I have to believe I was influenced by cartoons at the time.

In any case, Demon in the Box is terrible. It’s the word I’m choosing to describe it. Nothing in that narrative makes sense or is salvageable. And that version of Demonic is so far removed from what he becomes. This was a collection of ideas that I jotted down on paper in some form of succession and never gave it any real thought. The fact that Tasdevils 2020 makes more sense kind of aggravates me. BUT… I was a kid. I have to remind myself of those facts every now and then. The question remains… do the sequels improve or does it get worse?

DEMON IN THE BOX 2

While I have no dates to refer back to, I would assume I wrote Demon in the Box 2 mere months, if not weeks after the original. At this point, I had begun to change my art style, giving my characters necks for the first time. But my ability to tell a coherent story was still lacking. Having mentioned my love for horror, I was deeply into the Puppet Master film series at this time. In 1991, Puppet Master III: Toulon’s Revenge was released and in the film, the main antagonists of the series were seen as the good guys of the story. The film even ends with a title card for the next film that indicated the bad guys were now good guys. Such an idea fascinated me that I wanted to play with that trope. And considering this series was ripe for sequels (in my mind anyway), I decided to see if this could be a worthy sequel.

Still in the era of “Diamond Comics Productions,” the story opens with the Devil berating Demonic for failing his mission. Apparently, failure is subject to banishment, so Demonic is banished to Earth. Looking over his selection of other demons at his disposal, he spots a big a burly one and decides that’s the guy to carry out his mission. So, after a quick cutaway explanation, this new demon is given the box and title card! When then cut to Demonic just wandering the streets, because that’s normal. Then as luck would have it, Zack just happens to be in the area and spot him. He immediately runs off to tell Stephen, meaning that we’re still in the 2020 timeline. He returns home and tells Stephen that Demonic is back at the exact moment the new demon appears at their house.

They immediately open fire on the demon, but also note that it isn’t Demonic. But wouldn’t you know it, Demonic appears! They immediately point their guns at him, but he’s here to call a truce. Zack is hesitant but reluctantly agrees. They shake on it as the new demon recovers. Who knew getting shot in the chest made you dizzy? Demonic wastes no time attacking the new demon, who then runs off leaving Demonic and Zack to give chase.

Right from the start, I could tell this story was not going to improve much beyond the art. And even that isn’t much of one. Within the first three pages, so much has occurred but nothing of substance. And while I never gave it much thought as a kid, because why would I, I am really dumbfounded by this truce. Demonic was an absolute terror in the last story. He killed Zack’s parents, not to mention an infant! How is THIS a redeemable character? Zack should have zero interest in helping him, let alone being allies. The old adage, “The enemy of my enemy is my friend,” would have been very applicable here, but alas I chose not to explore a more dramatic alliance.

Stephen apparently chooses not to go with Zack. Probably because he’s old… even though I’m older than this guy is now. ANYWAY, Stephen turns on a TV to see the local breaking news report regarding the new demon’s rampage around the city. Demonic attacks the demon from behind with his hell beam. The demon turns around and blasts his own hell beam at Demonic who counters with his own, causing a energy blow-up or whatever you call that event in a movie. The demon punches Demonic and then is shot in the back of the head by Zack. Demonic takes this opportunity to cheer Zack on, with Zack responding, “Is that a compliment?” A cheeky little comment. With that distraction, the demon punches both Zack and Demonic and then holds out the box, presumably so Demonic could see it.

Demonic uses previously unused telekinetic powers to retrieve the box. Demonic then uses the box to trap the demon and throws it to the top of a nearby mountain. I’m not sure which mountain range in California, so we’ll assume the San Bernardino Mountains since they are close to Los Angeles and have snowy peaks from images I saw. Now, the real question becomes why, as in why the fuck did Demonic do that? I have no explanation other than I had this idea of the demon being on top of a mountain. That’s all. So I had to get him on top of it and I did.

Demonic sees the demon using the box to power himself up, so they head up the mountain to stop him. Demonic blasts the demon with his hell beam but is ineffective. The demon blasts Demonic off the mountain, but luckily he catches a rock on his way down. Demonic yells at Zack to retrieve the box, which he does with ease. Zack tosses the box to Demonic, who uses the box to… power himself up maybe? Zack is grabbed by the demon, who then is immediately blasted by energy from the box that does nothing. The demon unleashes two giant hell beams towards Demonic, who then gets behind the demon and punches a hole through him. Demonic throws the demon off the mountain, returning him to Hell. Zack takes this moment to cheer Demonic who then says, “Is that a… compliment?” Classic callback! THE END

I would say this entry is slightly better than the original just because it’s more focused. But there are still plenty of things to pick apart. Especially the truce. I really don’t know why I never considered that before now. I feel like I know the answer, but we need to keep reading to be sure.

DEMON IN THE BOX 3

Since I had already featured a demon and then a bigger demon to be the antagonists, I felt the need to up the threat level. So instead of thinking of one different demonic threat, I thought of several. I felt this could really raise the stakes. And I wanted to be sure they were all unique in some way, which I succeeded with to some degree. Little did I know at the time that the team of demons introduced in Demon in the Box 3 would become a major threat going forward.

We kick things off with a very broad recap of everything that has occurred over the last two stories. And then title! The Devil (or whomever) is getting really frustrated that this grand master plan involving a jack-in-the-box toy isn’t working. If only I noticed that same problem with the narrative. Anyway, he chooses three demons and provides them with outfits. I guess his new plan came with costume design. He then dubs them Slain, Hammer Ram, and Sgt. Blood Taker, all terrible names. BUT at least they were given names. We’ll come back to that. The Devil seems perturbed that there are no more demons to add to his team, so he devises a plan to be revealed later.

Back in the city (San Francisco maybe), we see that the demon from the *Demon in the Box 2* has now been banished to Earth as well. And ironically, he is instantly spotted by Demonic who dubs him Demolition. It seems that I never mentioned his name in the last entry, so this may have been a clever way to rectify that. Furthermore, it comes off more like a nickname given to him by Demonic. Anyway, Demolition is looking to make a truce as well, so Demonic reluctantly agrees. Demolition warns Demonic that another wave of demons is headed their way. So they head off to inform Zack, who is also reluctant… even though he should be more trusting of the demon that DIDN’T kill your parents… but whatever.

We get a glimpse at the gigantic fourth member of their group when the demons arrive on Earth. As opposed to being proactive, Demonic, Zack, and Demolition sit around pondering when demons might attack. And like clockwork, the demons appear on cue. So, the trio go after the quartet. The bigger demon just looks like a giant Demonic. I really should have worked on him just a bit longer. Demonic blasts Sgt. Blood Taker. Zack shoots Slain, who falls into Hammer Ram. Demolition jumps onto the giant’s back, but is promptly grabbed and thrown off by the giant. Demolition recovers and blasts the giant in the face. He then conveniently finds a lasso, which he then proceeds to toss around the giant’s neck and bring him down. Zack takes another shot at Slain as Hammer Ram barrels towards him.

Hammer Ram headbutts Zack. Demolition grabs Hammer Ram by the horns and tosses him aside. Demonic blasts Sgt. Blood Taker who taunts the attack. Demonic then aims for his face which seems to hurt him. The giant recovers and breaks free which distracts Demonic. Sgt. Blood Taker uses the distraction to trap Demonic in some sort of forcefield. Demolition finishes off Slain and Hammer Ram. Zack shoots Sgt. Blood Taker’s hand (?), whose face has melted. Demolition then trips the giant, who falls onto Sgt. Blood Taker, finishing him off. The combined forces of Demonic, Demolition, and Zack finally end the giant, sending it back to Hell. But little did our heroes know that the giant was, in fact, the Devil who was just observing the whole situation before deciding it was time to destroy the. THE END… but also to be continued.

It was clear I had a plan to end the series at this point. It seemed inevitable that they would have to face off with THE big bad. But even in saying that, the poorly named team of demons known as the Diminishing Demons would prove to be a far greater threat to the Eliminators in the future. I also kept changing their designs in future appearances in an attempt to improve the original concepts. Hammer Ram became my favorite to design since his features were more unique. I’m still not sure what the hell the mask was supposed to be. It feels vaguely reminiscent of The Maxx.

DEMON IN THE BOX 4

Since things were left off with a “to be continued,” I didn’t waste time recapping anything. We just jump right into it.

Right after the title, the Devil heads to Earth. Demonic, still reeling from the last attack, comments that they can’t catch a break. The Devil appears and Demonic blasts him but to no avail. Demonic is hit with the Devil’s ring beam (or whatever). Zack takes a shot but is blocked. The Devil comments how the two of them would not be able to stop him. This leads Demonic and Zack to believe Demolition left them high and dry. Little do they know, Demolition is positioning himself to attack. Demonic and Zack keep attacking but nothing seems to work. Demonic finally aims at the Devil’s face which seems to do the trick. The Devil is pushed into the side of a cliff. He grabs his “tritan” and… deep throats the thing (??) and recovers. He then turns the trident on Demonic and Zack.

Zack is hit with the Devil’s beam, which knocks him into a rock. He tries to attack the Devil but his hit again by the Devil’s beam. As the Devil continues to attack Zack, Demolition jumps into the fight. He throws the Devil to the ground, stands over him and unleashes his hell beam. He then proceeds to beat the shit out of the Devil, who summons his trident. He uses the trident to attack Demolition and then impale him. Demolition is undeterred and continues to advance towards the Devil. Demolition rips off the Devil’s face. The Devil heals himself with his trident then hurls it into Demolition’s face. The Devil retrieves his trident when Demonic attacks from behind.

Demonic shoots a very precise shot of his hell beam at the Devil’s face. He then proceeds to attack and comment on what he has done. Demonic’s rage increases as he continues to attack the Devil and push him ever closer to… a church! The Devil is blasted into the church. The priest uses the bible to… burn the eyes of the Devil? Demonic then uses some holy water to finish the job. He then uses the holy water on Demolition’s body and himself, sending them back to the afterlife. Luckily, Zack is found by paramedics.

Weeks later, Zack is recovering in the hospital when he receives guests. Demonic and Demolition arrive in human form, and explain that they were “taken to Heaven and we’re altered to human,” but they can change back into demons. Demolition has suddenly turned into a horn dog, chasing nurses around the hospital. I guess I thought it would be a funny scene of him, probably sexually harassing the nurse which leads to him getting slapped. I guess they will be a trio after all. THE END

At this particular moment, I closed the door on those characters because I wasn’t sure what was next for them. Plus, the formula was stale by this point. Stephen had faded away by part 3, proving that I caused a bit of an anachronism. And even the titular box disappeared by the third entry. But even as I say that, I was anxious to play with these characters again. I knew there were other possibilities for them. I just wasn’t sure what that was yet.

A drawing of Demonic that got me grounded as a teen, because my mother thought the community would label us “devil worshippers” or something. She’d probably deny that’s what it was, but that’s how I remember it.

DEMON IN THE BOX 5

This is a bit of a time jump but felt relevant for the current subject. At some point down the line, I had a new idea for a Demon in the Box. This story would feature a new cast of characters that had connective tissue to the original. For example, the main protagonist was meant to be Billy Lakewood, Zack’s nephew in the future. But having just read and reviewed the original four, that raises a few questions since Zack didn’t have any siblings to speak of. Furthermore, before finding the one-sheet above, I thought Billy was supposed to be Zack’s brother. But that too raised questions. Perhaps, he should have been a cousin. Or just not related at all.

The other idea that formed because of this idea was the fact that the demon we referred to as “The Devil” was not THE true devil, but one of many demons who had a name that people usually equate to “the devil.” So, in this story, the main antagonist is Satan. We would have eventually learned about his brothers, Lucifer, Beelzebub, and Darkness. Darkness would have been the demon responsible for Stephen’s woes in his series, Stephen’s Wacky Maze. Others would have been involved in additional stories, creating some connective tissue all around. Unfortunately, I never finished this entry. Or perhaps it’s fortunate considering the dialogue has only slightly improved.

I wish I had a date on this one because I’m not sure when I drew these pages. If I had a guess, it would have been in 1996-1997. That is because I had shifted to a more movie-centric approach since a Diamond Comics production was now a Diamond Pictures production. After some credits and the title, we meet Satan, brother to Lucifer who was meant to be the demon orchestrating everything in the previous entries. Satan vaguely explains his plans to continue Lucifer’s work. And what would have taken two to three panels in the old days now takes two pages to fully kick things off. Because Satan has to go through the list of candidates that he can use. Obviously, he’s taking the two best: Phorax and Bazuza. He orders them to destroy Earth, or more specifically the Earth realm. Mortal Kombat had use that term and I liked it, so I started using it as well. Why he seems to think these two could finish the job when several other demons, including his brother, couldn’t hack it is beyond me. As we cut to Earth in 2004 , we meet Billy and Miguel. And that’s as far as I got…

Even though I never finished writing Demon in the Box 5, that never stopped me from thinking of more sequel ideas. I believe that when the idea for five came about, I immediately considered a sixth to team up everyone from previous entries. See? I was already planning legacy sequels long before anyone knew what that was. Demon in the Box VI: The Final Confrontation was planned to have been a huge story, which might have been why I never even started on it. That said, some of the details in the one-sheet, like the main demon’s name, has been repurposed elsewhere. You may also note some names that you may not recognize, but we’ll come back to that.

THE CLASSIC MOVIES

At some point in time, I was hellbent on remaking all of my old comics. Reading back over them, I can see why. The problem I kept running into was just because my art had improved didn’t mean the story was going to. And since I stubbornly refused to write out these stories, most of the remakes were nothing more than an idea of something I wanted to do.

Demon in the Box became on of those titles I really wanted to see updated, but was unsure how to fix many of the narrative problems it had. When I couldn’t sort out that problem, I pivoted to creating one long saga, thinking that could solve a few issues. But, as usual, I abandoned it. Twice, in fact.

It’s clear from the first two panels of dialogue that this version of the story wasn’t going to be much better.

THE TRIXTER SEQUELS

As I mentioned earlier, I was really eager to play with these characters again, and I wasn’t sure what direction to take them yet. One idea I had revolved around a character my best friend had sketched called Trixter. I was intrigued by the character and the small backstory he developed, so I wanted to incorporate it into another project. Eventually, I made it a standalone project which eventually had sequels. That is where Zack and Demonic come in.

For whatever reason I had at the time, everything I wrote had to be connected. Even if I wrote something as a “film,” it was connected to all of my characters. They all co-existed. But in doing so, I created so many plot holes and anachronisms. We’ve already questioned the issue of what year the Demon in the Box series took place in. Demonic and Zack’s appearances in Trixter’s Revenge and Trixter: Resurrection raise more questions and complicate matters even further.

The idea was to bridge a gap that would lead to the formation of the Eliminators. Trixter introduced another character, Dan Vicestrom, that has ties to the Destructors as well. But since I did it unconventionally and the timelines are out of whack, it gets a bit complicated. So for the sake of clarity, we won’t count these events as canon. However, there will be a page on Trixter and The Destructors for the full context.

MIRROR VS. DEMONIC

In my attempt to bridge those aforementioned gaps, I would usually develop a project that could get me to the place I want to be. However, the project Mirror vs. Demonic was nothing more than a random story I wanted to tell. Venom was a popular villain in Spider-Man comics at the time. In some weird way, I saw Mirror as my version of Venom. Probably because he was a darker version of one of my characters. And for some strange reason, I wanted to see him fight Demonic. So, I concocted a standalone story that would allow them to face-off.

The whole story starts with this false pretense that I had this story just sitting around and finally decided to release it. This adds to the randomness of the encounter and the story as a whole. The “movie” approach was coming into frame by this point, but I was still using Diamond Comics as opposed to Diamond Pictures. We then cut to a television reporting on the escape of Jim Dougan, who was a notorious drug dealer. A bounty for his capture was offered, leading to Mirror and Demonic separately deciding to find Dougan and collect the reward. TITLE!

We then meet their target, who is barricaded in an old warehouse. The police barge in and are caught in a trap, killing them instantly. Demonic appears behind Dougan and punches him across the warehouse. Mirror appears near Dougan and takes advantage of the situation. Mirror is offered a bribe which he takes, but also claims that that’s just a bonus and more money sits right in front of him.

As Mirror goes to kill Mr. Dougan, Demonic reappears and blasts Mirror. He then turns his attention to Mr. Dougan and finishes him off. Mirror tackles Demonic and punches him in the face. Demonic counters with a hell beam, sending Mirror flying through a wall. Demonic steps outside to find Mirror, who lurks behind him on the roof. Mirror leaps down onto Demonic’s back. Demonic headbutts Mirror’s face and then slaps it. Mirror produces a dagger and throws it at Demonic. Demonic is unphased and hits Mirror again with a hell beam. Looking more disheveled, Mirror produces his sword this time, deflecting the hell beam back towards Demonic. Mirror takes the opportunity to create some distance between them, as Demonic continues to shoot his hell beam. Mirror makes his way to a freight elevator and heads up. Demonic leaps to the top of the building to greet Mirror with a kick in the face. Demonic now has Mirror cornered.

Demonic comments how he’s going to finish Mirror off. As a courtesy, they exchange names before Demonic blasts the steel beam Mirror is standing on, but not before Mirror grabs Demonic by the horns and drags him down with him. Demonic vanishes in a roar of flames, while Mirror vanishes through the reflection of a pool of water. Mirror travel is a power he developed over time. Anyway, we end with a new report recapping the events and end with an artist who apparently saw everything. What does that mean? Nothing. THE END

As I mentioned before, I wanted these two to fight and, by god, that’s exactly what I wrote. I didn’t try to overcomplicate it. I just put them in a room together and let them go at it.. Sometimes, simple is always better.

MIRROR VS. DEMONIC: ROUND 2

Considering the fun I had writing the first entry, I thought it could be fun for them to throw down again. Looking over this narrative, it’s almost like I wrote an alternate history, which would explain a few things.

Still Diamond Comics and TITLE. The story kicks off with a man buying gifts for his family. One of the gifts is Demonic’s box. When the father returns home and gives the box to his son, Demonic immediately pops out and kills everyone. One could assume these events were happening simultaneously with Demon in the Box, but again, there are narrative anachronisms. Meanwhile in the third dimension, Mirror waits for his opportunity to exit. It seems some reflective surface has to be readily available. He finally sees an opening and escapes the third dimension.

When he arrives on Earth, Mirror sees Demonic causing havoc. He wastes no time in attacking him. Demonic counters with his hell beam. Mirror pulls out his sword and cuts off Demonic’s hand. Demonic runs off and retreats to the top of a building. A very familiar sight for both of them.

Cornered, Demonic uses the box on Mirror, trapping him inside. The box emits an electric shock, causing Demonic to drop it. He floats down from the building and attempts to search for the box in a nearby sea (?). After having no luck finding it, Mirror emerges from a nearby reflective surface and gets the jump on Demonic. Mirror taunts Demonic with his box. Demonic unleashes his hell beam onto Mirror, sending him flying into a nearby barn (??).

Demonic lunges after Mirror in the loft of the barn. He then grabs Mirror by the shirt and attempts to throw him onto a bed of spikes below. But instead, Mirror stabs Demonic with his sword and traps him back in the box. Mirror then drops the box onto the spikes, destroying it. He goes to exit the barn when he falls through a weak floorboard in the loft and into a reflective surface. We end with another new recap and freeze frame. THE END.

THE ELIMINATORS: THE LIMITED SERIES

Through all of the side projects they went through, the idea to form a proper team seemed to come about when a name did. I had written a one-shot featuring members of the disbanded Destructors team coming together to save the President of the United States from a hostage situation. I named that story The Eliminators, probably because it was very similar to the Destructors. But eventually, the Destructors reformed which left this name dangling in the wind. So, I decided to put it to good use.

The story kicks off with Zack wanting to form a team. He claims to have been a Destructor, but I never recall adding him to the roster. Demonic and Demolition, now taking on human forms and names, agree to the idea and even come up with a name and logo on the spot. It’s just that easy, folks. Since they were apparently just walking down the street, they spot to figures fighting in the distance. Demonic decides to check it out alone. We find Mirror and Shadow play fighting. Demonic intervenes, causing Demonic to turn his sword onto Demonic’s face, turning him back into a demon. I guess I was using “Hulk” rules here. Demonic and Mirror have a little back and forth banter, before Zack steps in and offers them a spot on the team. Much to the chagrin of Demonic, Mirror gleefully accepts. Later, they already have a team helicopter with a logo on it. Now, they just need to find a base of operations. And wouldn’t you know it, they find it! It’s just that easy, folks.

They conveniently find a cave to make their base of operations. And in no time, they fix it up, adorn the outside with their logo and a flag, and now they are officially a team. THE END.

Clearly, this entry was nothing more than assembling the team together. It could have been a great opportunity to flesh these characters out more and feel out their dynamics. But I was just an impulsive kid who just wrote slapdash, especially when an idea wasn’t exciting me. You can even see it in the art that I wasn’t fully invested in this story.

Six months later, nothing has happened. Like clockwork, when boredom set in, the villains arise. And since they only really had one set of villains to fight, I brought back the Diminishing Demons who appear right outside their door. Convenient! Demolition spots them by chance and decides to start a fight. He quickly catches Hammer Ram off-guard and snaps his neck. Demolition then unleashes his hell beams at Slain and Blood Taker. The new giant member grabs Demoltion from behind. Mirror appears and impales the giant with his sword. He then uses the sword to slice the giant’s neck, finishing it off. Blood Taker is getting concerned when Demonic unleashes his hell beam.

Blood Taker dodges Demonic’s attack. Zack shoots Slain in the head, while Demolition uses his hell beam on Slain’s face, finishing him off. Blood Taker accepts his fate and is finished off by Demonic. Then, after proving what they are capable of, Zack hands each of them a ring and tells them to activate the ring when danger arises. But until then, it’s time to go. END

I believe this was meant to be a full-fledged series. But when I couldn’t come up with a string of solid ideas to write from, I pivoted to making this a limited run series and tried to figure out what to do from there. I did love these characters. I just wasn’t sure how to properly integrate them into this world I was developing.

THE RETURN OF THE ELIMINATORS

After some time had passed and I had left these characters dormant for a bit, an idea came to me for an Eliminators story that would be a bit of a crossover event. But considering I had closed the door on the series idea, I started thinking about the idea from a different angle. What if I wrote this as one of my “movie” ideas. An Eliminators movie? It would make sense considering where all of the characters started. So, I decided to push forward and make The Return of the Eliminators my first “comic book movie.”

This almost full page introduction is something I started doing regularly since it felt more cinematic to me. You may notice the names “Dominique Williams” and “Dave Blake”. Those were the names I gave Demonic and Demolition, because they couldn’t walk around like demons all the time. Anyway, a demon aide calls for the Diminishing Demons and asks if they completed their mission. They respond positively but mentioned they had trouble with Demonic and Demolition. Now, one could assume they meant their last encounter with them, but what kind of mission did they even complete? The demon aide tells them not to worry as they are being assigned a new mission with promotion.

Meanwhile in San Francisco, Demonic complains that the city is dull. Zack then comments that being bored got them Trixter last time, which could be an anachronism. However, there is a time jump between the second and third entries of Trixter, so perhaps the Trixter stuff is kinda canon. Doesn’t matter. The Diminishing Demons arrive on Earth once again, this time with a makeover. The now General Blood Drainer (sigh) orders his troops to destroy the city, as per usual. Dominique awakens to the chaos and yells for Zack to wake up. Zack argues but Dominique demands he get up. Soon after, they are driving to the chaos discussing the concept of a plan.

I’m not sure which story was first adorned with “Diamond Pictures,” but I know it isn’t this one. I wish it was though since this felt like my first serious approach at the material. I’m not saying this is the stand out among them that truly shows what I’m capable of. But you can see that I’m actively working on character development. It’s not perfect, but I was at least trying.

Demonic is convinced these demons are new and will be a breeze to take down. But he soon learns they aren’t going to be pushovers, like he assumed. After he recovers, Dominique recognizes Slain. Zack calls Dominique on their communicators, and informs him he has spotted Deuce, the giant demon. They both deduce that the Diminishing Demons are back. Dominique tells Zack to go find the rest of the team while he holds them off. Dominique transforms into Demonic and goes after Slain, only to be caught off-guard by his hell blast. Knocked to the ground, Demonic looks up to see Hammer Ram and Slain standing over him.

Zack heads to the headquarters of the Destructors, a team of superheroes operating out of Los Angeles that Zack claimed to be a member of. He is greeted by Stephen White, leader of the Destructors whom Zack met previously in *Demon in the Box* despite looking like the *Tasdevils 2020* version. Despite that glaring plot hole, Zack pleads for Stephen’s help to find his teammates, Mirror and Shadow. Stephen agrees and soon they are in the air, discussing a plan to bring everyone back. Zack mentions finding Demolition first, as he will be able to bring Shadow and Mirror back. Stephen then sends other Destructors to assist civilians and law enforcement.

Demonic has been captured by the General. Demonic asks what they are up to. The General mentions they are looking for a demon hunter who killed the demon king, Darkness, some years ago. Demonic knows exactly who they are after.

Stephen commands his team. Destructors Polar and Device are extinguishing fires. Deuce approaches another Destructor, Battler, and reaches for him. Second team leader Lightning Bolt flies in and hits Deuce with a lightning bolt to his head, knocking him to the ground. Everyone else has arrived at a giant pool of water where Demolition is apparently sleeping in Demonic’s old box. Another Destructor, Whiplash, volunteers to retrieve the box, which he does and tosses to Zack. Zack activates the box and releases Demolition. Zack explains that he needs him to find Mirror’s mirror, so they can bring him and Shadow back. Demolition warps himself to the third dimension and retrieves the mirror. Using very specific magic, Demolition revives Mirror and Shadow. Right in the nick of time too, as the General continues to kick in Demonic’s rib cage.

Mirror catches Slain off-guard and decapitates him. Shadow sneaks up behind Hammer Ram and finishes him off as well. As the General monologues, Demolition takes the opportunity to attack him from behind. The General retaliates, knocking Demolition backwards. Stephen appears to taunt the General, much to his excitement as Stephen was the one he was searching for. Unfortunately for the General, his troops have been subdued. Furthermore, Demonic has fully recovered thanks to Zack giving him the box, and both even received spiffy, new leather jackets, complete with team logo. It’s amazing they had those lying around. Demonic and Demolition unleash their hell beams onto the General, which apparently renders him mortal and allows Zack to finish him off. As they go to celebrate, Deuce awakens and recovers the bodies of his teammates. He devours their bodies and begins transforming. As Zack makes a joke about small threats, he is confronted by a much bigger one.

Deuce has transformed into an amalgamation of the Diminishing Demons with the power to destroy anything by pointing at it. However, Demonic is not deterred. He says that they too must combine their powers. Mirror and Shadow throw their swords in unison, while Demonic and Demolition combine their hell beams with the swords for the ultimate attack. Stephen comes in for the final blow, finishing it off completely. The way it died was a nod to one of my favorite movies, *Fright Night (1985)*. Demonic tells Stephen what their plan was, and Stephen thanks them for their efforts to keep him safe. I guess that means the team is back! THE END

After finishing this story, I realized that this was the proper approach going forward. The threats the Eliminators were facing were too big for a regular series. These were events. So, I decided that any ideas I had for the Eliminators in the future would be adapted as one-shot stories, or “movies” as I like to think of them.

Not sure when the idea came about, but apparently I had considered doing a remake of this story. As usual, I only got two pages in.

THE ELIMINATORS: CROLOX

Even with this new approach to the material, I didn’t have any great ideas waiting to be adapted. Some time during high school, I remember my best friend Jamin Sponaugle had come up with a new demon character. He mentioned that it was a different take on the son of the Devil. As opposed to doing a “Damien”-style story, he wanted to flip it on its head. Needing a new villain for my demon hunters, I expressed interest in adapting this story for the Eliminators, and even suggested that we collaborate on it.

The collaboration was meant to go beyond writing it. I thought it would be a great idea to draw it together as well. Little did I know how difficult that would be without a proper script. Fun fact, I never wrote scripts for any of my comics. They were written and drawn directly from my head to paper. This will explain many abandoned projects that I’ll talk about. I should have led with that information, but it never came up until now. In any case, we attempted to collaborate, but ultimately never finished. So, after high school, I worked to finish this story and remember being very proud of this one. Let’s see if it holds up.

You’ll notice that the credits are becoming a bit more complex. I acknowledge in the credits that this is a “Diamond Comics Original Film,” meaning that I had separate entities already existing in my head. The story kicks off with some clunky exposition. In summary, the Devil wanted a son, so he raped a whore specifically (you know, because she had to be) and ripped the baby from her womb prematurely. That infant grew up to be Crolox, who was raised to be the heir of Hell. Unfortunately for the Devil, Crolox’s human side led him to turn on him and begin inquiries about his mother. So, now with the Devil imprisoned, Crolox learns of his mother’s fate and decides to bring his mother back to life and allow her to enact her own revenge against his father.

On Earth, the Eliminators are settling in to their new base. Apparently, between this story and *The Return of the Eliminators*, the team gained three new members. The first two were the demons that I planned to use in *Demon in the Box 5*: Phorax and Bazuza. Since I was convinced I’d never write that story, I figured I would just add them to the team and worry about the narrative later. The third was Pitchfork aka Jamin Sponaugle from Stephen’s Wacky Maze. I hadn’t used the character since that series and thought it could be fun to expand on him. Hell, his inclusion probably would have made more sense in the last story, but I wasn’t there yet. Anyway, the team just makes random comments about previous threats and the real possibility of another coming at any time. Back in Hell, the Devil asks Crolox how he plans to get to Earth. Crolox responds that he will be conjured because he isn’t foolish enough to defy God’s laws.

I’m not sure why I decided to suddenly follow rules in this universe. Most demons before now just arrived on Earth whenever they damn well pleased. Looking at you Diminishing Demons! There may have been some logical reason I had, but nothing comes to mind now. Just feels odd to include that now considering everything prior. I don’t know. Let’s move on.

Crolox mentions he has a human connection. Back on Earth in the slums of the city, a man by the name of Dewey Calvin is contacted by Crolox via telepathy. He instruct him to summon him to Earth. Moments later, Mr. Calvin has drawn a pentogram on the ground with his own blood. He begins chanting in another language. Soon, a portal opens in the center of the pentogram, and Crolox climbs out. Crolox turns his attention to Mr. Calvin and “rewards” him by making him his new servant.

At a similar time, the Eliminator’s demon alarm is sounding off. Sponaugle informs Dominique that a gate to Hell had been opened, but the demon has not been identified. So, the team decides to go check it out. Crolox gets a sense of where his mother is buried. Some time later , he stands at a headstone that reads “EVE”. He laments that they have lost so much time together before using his powers to revive her. Once revived, Crolox calls out to her, but she is confused and disoriented. Crolox explains who he is and what his plans are, and promises her the revenge she deserves.

As Crolox and Eve prepare to return to Hell, the Eliminators arrive to stop them. Demonic threatens to send them back to Hell, but Crolox informs them that they are already on their way back. When Zack attempts to call his bluff, Crolox tells them he’s going to destroy the Devil. That statement raises Demonic’s curiosity and he asks the demon’s name. Crolox responds, confirming Demonic’s suspicion. When Crolox asks who Demonic is, he responds in kind. Crolox is also aware of Demonic and his exploits, but is unimpressed and demands that he move. Zack steps in to ask Demonic what the harm is in letting them go. Demonic explains that there are rules of engagement that both Heaven and Hell must abide by. If Crolox kill the Devil, then all bets are off. Crolox scoffs at their accusations and demands they move. But Demonic responds with a blast of his hell beam. Irritated by this inconvenience, Crolox calls in his backup, the homeless man he has now dubbed Top Hat. Demolition uses his hell beam on Top Hat but is countered by Top Hat’s own hell beam. Crolox uses his hell beam on the rest of the Eliminators. Phorax and Bazuza take their shots, but Crolox is unaffected.

While I’m not frustrated at the idea of a contractual agreement between Heaven and Hell, I wish I had given this idea just a bit more thought. Conceptually, in the most basic form, it works. But when you begin asking more and more questions, it starts to fall apart. Perhaps, there is an easy solution to fix it, but something tells me it won’t be that easy.

Crolox retaliates and knocks back Phorax and Bazuza. Demolition squares off with Top Hat. He punches him in the face, while Shadow impales Top Hat from behind. As Crolox becomes increasingly frustrated, Mirror takes a swing at Crolox with his sword, slicing his stomach. Crolox knocks Mirror back. Shadow begins to envelope Crolox. Shadow then creates spikes out of his body and thrusts them into Crolox. Crolox is injured but knocks Shadow off him with his hell beam. Demolition steps up to Crolox and kicks him in the stomach, followed up by a double-fisted uppercut. Crolox retaliates by punching Demolition in the face.

At that moment, Pitchfork steps in to get Crolox’s attention, allowing Demonic, Phorax, Bazuza, and Demoltion to attack Crolox with their hell beams. Pitchfork also assists with his weapon. Seeing her son writhing in pain and hearing his calls for her help, Eve transforms into something more demonic. Pitchfork takes note of this, but Demonic orders him to hold steady. Zack opens fire on Eve. Mirror grabs her by hair and holds her for Shadow to decapitate.

As Shadow goes to kill Eve, Top Hat flies in behind him and grabs him. This distracts Mirror enough for Eve to swat him away. Even then turns her attention to Zack, hitting him with her own demonic energy. In a panic, Pitchfork breaks from the group to help Zack and attacks Eve with his trident. Shadow transforms a part of his neck into a giant axe head and uses it to decapitate Top Hat. Crolox breaks free from the hell beam barrage. He attacks each member of the team, incapacitating them all. As Crolox and Eve move in to finish the job, the Devil appears and destroys Eve. He then knocks Crolox to the ground and makes his anger known. Crolox asks how he escaped. The Devil informs Crolox that his hold on him became weaker the longer he stayed on Earth, and then condemns Crolox to his own personal Hell as was done to him. Once Crolox vanishes from Earth, the Devil turns his attention to Demonic.

The Devil makes his feelings known about Demonic and his team but acknowledges that without them Crolox would have succeeded. When Demonic asks for some clarity about what he’s trying to say exactly, the Devil turns around and walks away. Demolition asks Demonic if he expected a thank you, to which Demonic replies, “You know, for a second, I was.” END

I think I know now why I have always considered this one of my best stories. The narrative is pretty solid and the action is superb. Even if you don’t fully buy in to the whole “rules of engagement” bit, everything still works. While I do like a certain elements of the ending, it kinda feels a bit like a cop out when the Devil appears. I know what my intentions were at the time, but I’m not sure I earned that ending proper. The idea of the ultimate evil having the slightest inkling of gratitude fascinated me. Unfortunately, life has proven to me that not all bad people are redeemable.

This is actually one of the few stories that I finished right after high school and was probably one of the last I ever completed. I feel confident in saying it wasn’t the last. As I mentioned earlier, this was meant to be a collaboration with my friend, Jamin Sponaugle. But since I didn’t write any blueprints for the story, it stagnated until we both forgot about it. Fortunately, I have the original pages we worked on together, and you can see what we were attempting to do. I wanted him to draw Crolox and Top Hat, and I would draw the other characters. Not sure it was the best way to collaborate, but it was an idea nonetheless.

The original panels for *The Eliminators: Crolox* featuring Jamin Sponaugle’s art. I’m at least glad I have some piece of this collaboration, to know that I did not imagine this idea. It’s fun to compare the first few pages as well to compare art and dialogue.

It does disappoint me that we never finished this or any collaboration together, but I am glad that I decided to include the character of Jamin in this story. Considering he had not been seen since Stephen’s Wacky Maze, it occurred to me that Jamin could be a superhero now. AND considering his love for horror, being a demon hunter would be right up his alley. So, I worked on creating a superhero persona for Jamin. I gave him a powered battled suit, à la Iron Man, and a trident-style weapon. Yet, I dubbed him Pitchfork. In any case, it felt right and long overdue. Although I would possibly workshop the name more now.

I lost my best friend on December 24, 2016. He was one of the few people in this world that understood my weirdness. Sometimes, I think he didn’t feel the same. Not that he didn’t understand me, but that I didn’t understand him in the same way. I often wonder what demons he was battling internally that led to his premature passing. I often wish I would have told him how much his friendship meant to me over the years. I have many regrets regarding it, but perhaps through these stories, he knew how I saw him.

Memorial sketch I made in honor of my friend.

UNDEVELOPED CONCEPTS

As I mentioned earlier, The Eliminators: Crolox was one of the last comics I ever wrote and drew. It was definitely the final Eliminators story. But I was unaware of that at the time and that didn’t stop me from thinking of new ideas. Considering the Diminishing Demons were a constant, I started thinking of ideas involving them. Coming up with new designs for the Diminishing Demons was something I enjoyed doing, so I started developing new looks and trying to decide what their next move could be. I even considered adding a fifth member that would turn out to be a spy for their boss.

It was also during this period that I had really worked on expanding the hierarchy of Hell. I wanted an entity known only as “The Devil” to be a dark void of a figure that is the epitome of evil. Hence, why he was nothing more that a shadowy figure in The Eliminators: Crolox. Hell would be comprised of the nine circles, each overseen by a powerful demon king. So, Lucifer, Satan, Beelzebub, Darkness, and Larathos got me more than halfway there. I really worked to make each demon look vastly different. I believed if I could get this element sorted out, it would open doors for numerous ideas for the Eliminators.

At one point during one of my planning phases, I had the idea of deconstructing the character of Stephen. In 1995, I had written a story arc in The Destructors where Stephen dies and was reborn as this all-powerful hero. The Death of Superman storyline had occurred during this time, so I obviously had to rip it off. Eventually, I thought about doing the opposite and putting his true heroics to the test. This would have led to him being depowered and feeling lost. The effects of his depression would have caused him to walk away from the Destructors. During this period of feeling like he had no purpose, he would reconnect with Jamin who invites him to join the Eliminators. This dynamic felt like it could be fun to explore since Stephen had been a leader for so long. To just be a member of the team would have changed things immensely.

Stephen, as a member of the Eliminators. There is also another new member named Sorcerer. He must have been a one-note idea because I can’t remember anything about him.

When that idea came about, it led me down another path. I had built this legend around Stephen and his past, but Stephen’s Wacky Maze was devoid of any real detail. So, it became a situation of trying to retcon some details into those stories. Since I had created this new wrinkle with Stephen becoming all-powerful, I began thinking that this power could be given to someone else, all the same. So, when Stephen has a fall from grace, another person is tapped to pick up the mantle. That then led to me thinking about what that interaction would be like for Stephen, which led to me spiraling with so many ideas. Eventually the concept became known as Warriors of the Blood Moon.

The basic premise would have involved Jamin Sponaugle, still active as a hero and demon hunter, attempting to recruit a team to defend the world against a god-tier demonic threat. That alone raises about the Eliminators, which gets even more curious when you see Demonic looking like he crawled out of a dumpster. However, narratively it tracks, if you count the events in Trixter: The Resurrection as canon. Stephen would have been hiding out as a priest in a small town. The cast then would have rounded out with two new heroes, both of which were meant to represent the new heroes that have ties to an old legend. I truly feel as though there is a solid narrative in these ideas. There’s just quite a bit of backstory to fill in. I did actually start working on the story, but never got past the second page.

If you can read any of the opening exposition, have at it. Just from the fragments I can read, I see what narratives I was stealing from at that time. I was getting better at dialogue though, but still had work to do. I was also attempting a more dynamic form of storytelling. Basically trying to make my comics look more like professional comics.

THE DAMNED

At some point in the early 2000s, I started to rethink my stories, characters, and the entire universe as a whole. I knew that most of my stories had so many plot holes and retcons that it was an absolute mess. So, I began to look at each big series that I had, and started asking questions about how I would approach the material today. And when I thought about the stories, I was focused on telling the best possible version of the story. Tying all of the characters together was the farthest thing from my mind at that moment.

Considering how drastically different every character had become from Demon in the Box to The Eliminators: Crolox, I knew I needed a fresh new approach. I started with Demonic, Demolition, Phorax, and Bazuza. If these were demons that were inherently good, the question became why are their souls damned for eternity? This then led to an introductory story for each demon that would show who they were in life, and what decisions they made that condemned their souls. Each demon would return to a familiar place in their life, struggling to remember who they were, but are soon confronted with the life they lost years before. That premise is what led to the series being renamed The Damned.

I developed backstories for each character and decided to rework the names of my main two demons. While Phorax and Bazuza sounded like they could pass for demons, the name “Demonic” is too on-the-nose. So, he became Demanak which is very similar. I didn’t work on that one too much. Demolition isn’t a bad codename, but doesn’t quite fit with everything else. So, I thought about a few different names and settled on Grathas. While I was adapting these stories using characters from The Eliminators, I knew trying to work in Mirror and Shadow would only complicate matters, so they were never considered.

I had strong hopes for this story. So much so that I wrote a treatment for Demanak’s introduction, which featured Zack as a police detective that interrogates him after he is arrested. This is something I actually did handwritten before I had my own PC. So, should I ever create a digital version of that treatment, I will post it here.

I wanted each demon to be, at their core, a good person who made some bad decisions that hopefully the audience could relate to in some way. I felt this helped their redemption arc feel more believable. I would love to see this idea developed fully and even turned into a series. There’s a solid narrative in there. I just need the time to craft it, which may never happen. So if not, I can look back on the idea fondly.

ADDITIONAL ARTWORK

Being reintroduced to these characters in this way really give me a new perspective on the material. While I have no delusions that something like Demon in the Box is demanding a rewrite, these characters have a life about them that I want to keep exploring. They are a motley crew of misfits that shouldn’t be working together but, for some reason, the dynamic works. Who knows? I may come up with another adventure for them.