Review - Reign in Hell - #1-8

This is an older review I wrote May 1st, 2009.

WRITER: Keith Giffen
ART: Tom Derenick, Bill Sienkiewicz, Justiniano and Chad Hardin
COVER BY: Justiniano

Hell is being attacked and nobody really knows what to do.

I have always been a sucker for these huge stories that have all the different characters in a single book trying to save the world/galaxy/universe/multiverse. I usually wait until all the issues come in for a limited series before I read it, just so I can keep the flow of the story. And I've always liked Keith Giffens work, especially his Annihilation story he did for Marvel a couple years ago.

Satanus, the ruler of Purgatory along with his sister Blaze launches an invasion against Neron and his hosts to take Hell. Using dirty tricks, like hope, Satanus initially takes the advantage in the war. But after the initial attack, Neron calls back all the demons on Earth back to Hell to fight. This is when the magical heroes try and figure out whats happening.

Admittedly, I didn't know all the characters in this book, but I knew enough to keep up with the plot. Most all the major demonic/magical characters are there. Etrigan, Zatanna, Dr. Fate, Blue Devil, Doctor Occult, and some lesser known characters like Sargon, Ibis, and Black Alice, who were unknown to me were all part of the story. Also, there are now different areas of Hell, each with their own function. So it took me 2 or 3 issues to get into the swing of the story.

Another reason I picked up this series was the name Bill Sienkiewicz. With his distinct expressionistic style, I love just about anything he works on. As an inker, it seems he actually stayed "within the lines". And with Tom Derenick, I found the art to be very detailed and appropriate for a story set in Hell.

All in all, I thought this story was ok. Not great, but worthy of a read. For people not in the know of all the DC magic, they might get confused. But there is enough going on with all the different plotlines to keep the reader engaged.