Written by R.H. Stavis
Art by Walter Geovani; Jonathan Glapion; Andrew Hennessy; Brad Anderson; Andrew Crossley; & Chris Eliopoulos
Cover Art by Randy Queen; Andrew Crossley; & Sarah Oates
SUMMARY:
Published by Marvel Comics for Maxum Games in August 2007, this adaptation is meant to hype a Maxum video game. Evidently, Philadelphia is destroyed in December 2008. Four years later, the opulent New Delphian Museum’s opening night charity ball finds Amazon-like assassin Mercy’s mission is to terminate this event’s emcee.
Spotted by one of her target’s meta-human bodyguards, Mercy’s escape is foiled by local cop Hayes. She later refuses legal help from a minion of powerful Damon Winters. An uncooperative Mercy reluctantly agrees to play undercover bait that same night for Hayes to avoid instant jail time. Knowing two female undercover cops are presumed dead from the same assignment, the scantily-clad assassin sets out to trap an unknown monster targeting prostitutes in a dangerous part of town.
REVIEW:
Flashy art aside, this inaugural promo goes by so fast that it reads like a superficial extended teaser instead of an actual story. Clearly, writer R.H. Stavis doesn’t explain anything re: the destruction of Philadelphia; Mercy; or what type of parallel world she resides in. What little readers are told conveys that Mercy is an enigmatic anti-heroine with a notorious triple-digit kill list dating back to her childhood.
Beyond that, is Mercy a mutant? Is she some bio-engineered human weapon specializing in black ops? Where did she obtain her sword and nunchakus resonating with electrical energy? Is this ominous Damon Winters her ex-boss or ex-lover (maybe both)? Again, Stavis declines to say. The main asset of Demons of Mercy is that its excellent artwork helps compensates for such minimal character depth.
Note: As to the comic’s ‘mature’ advisory, curiously, there aren’t any R-rated profanities or shock value violence to justify it. Mercy’s flimsy prostitute ensemble is no worse than what other comic book companies (i.e. Image Comics) deploy in various titles.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
In a single-page interview, writer-creator R.H. Stavis, compares his ‘Mercy’ to Tomb Raider’s Lara Croft.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 5½ Stars
