
Deadman gonna look spectacularly horrific throughout this series. Thanks, Kelley Jones!
That wasn't sarcastic! I prefer when Deadman looks hideous. He should be a memento mori in a circus performer's spandex rather than just some normal clown in white face paint that nobody can see or hear. Also I don't care how anatomically correct Jones makes him because have you heard how many fucking people rave about the artists that went on to form Image? Let me enjoy my horrific body dysmorphia while y'all enjoy your "The Artist Just Never Really Took the Time to Learn Anatomy And Sometimes They Forget to Draw All the Legs But Don't They Look Sort of Hot if You Squint Just Right" body dysmorphia. I think there are people that were maybe five or more years younger than me at that time whose hormones were raging so hard fell in love with this style because their out-of-control young horndoggedness caused them to believe they were looking at great art whenever a woman with a nearly naked ass at the base of a too long torso, sitting on top of too long legs, turned her upper body at too large an angle so that her enormous tits were also showing, her clothing not even drawn because the artist couldn't draw clothes because they didn't care about drawing clothes which forced the colorist to do most of the work of dressing the naked character the artist had drawn by just adding different colors to different parts of the naked woman.
I'm generalizing because some of them could draw clothing. The outfits with too many pockets and pouches had to have come from somewhere!
This issue begins with a brief one-page summary of Deadman's history for new readers unfamiliar with him. The narrator sums up Deadman's career until now as "wasting time". By the end of that first page, we're already getting to the good stuff.
I'm generalizing because some of them could draw clothing. The outfits with too many pockets and pouches had to have come from somewhere!
This issue begins with a brief one-page summary of Deadman's history for new readers unfamiliar with him. The narrator sums up Deadman's career until now as "wasting time". By the end of that first page, we're already getting to the good stuff.

Fuck yeah, man! I feel you, dead dude!
Later, he met a hot ghost named Ann whom he helped save from her warlock husband. This took place in Baron and Jones' Deadman: Love After Death. The cover of Book One of that series was basically softcore pornography. So it's understandable that the flashback to Ann in this comic book is super fucking sexy.

Ghosts can have sex?! I hope I own Deadman: Love After Death because it's been some time since I developed a new kink. Necrophilia can't be that bad if it looks this hot, right?
Deadman: Love After Death was published at a time in my life when I easily could have missed it. It was my first year of college and my immediate thoughts were not often, "Oh! I wonder what's new at Pegasus Comics across the Willamette River this week?!" I would like to say my thoughts were, "How do I breathe underneath all of this college pussy?!", but they weren't that. Or, um, were they?! You know what? Obviously that was what was going on. It's basically all I could afford to eat at the time. That and Hormel Chile.
Deadman's "Story So Far" ends with him forgetting his Karmic mission, lying down in a graveyard, and going fucking nuts. And thus begins the story of "Exorcism" as two young lovers drive into the haunted woods of Vermont horny for a quick fuck in a cute Bed and Breakfast. But what they find is a "No Trespassing" sign and what looks like an abandoned monastery.
Deadman's "Story So Far" ends with him forgetting his Karmic mission, lying down in a graveyard, and going fucking nuts. And thus begins the story of "Exorcism" as two young lovers drive into the haunted woods of Vermont horny for a quick fuck in a cute Bed and Breakfast. But what they find is a "No Trespassing" sign and what looks like an abandoned monastery.

So judgmental! What if I walked into YOUR place of worship and was all, "Eww, that guy nailed to the wall is fucking creepy!"?
I'm not a Satanist but if I were into some kind of organized religion, it's be Satanism. I'm an atheist in the pure sense of atheism. I'm agnostic about a lot of things in our universe. I don't believe we can ever know what happened before "The Big Bang" or even know for certain that "The Big Bang" is more than a fairly well-evidenced hypothesis. But if you're going to say God is a being that has existed forever and looks like us and uses powers that make no sense in the reality we live in, a reality with rules we have learned to predict across time, every new rule closing another door on the answer "Well, it must be God", then I'm going to say, "Um, bullshit." Which makes me an atheist. People love to call themselves agnostic because they feel being open-minded about any old bullshit is smarter than actually not believing pure fantasy. But most of them are actually atheists if you pin them down on the actual thing that atheism defines. "Sure, I don't know why we're here but I guess I don't believe in the God of the Book." Atheist!
But, man, I really want to be cool enough to be a Satanist. I bet baby's blood tastes so good!
Kathy and Carl make themselves at home in the abandoned church while Deadman makes himself at home inside Kathy.
But, man, I really want to be cool enough to be a Satanist. I bet baby's blood tastes so good!
Kathy and Carl make themselves at home in the abandoned church while Deadman makes himself at home inside Kathy.

Is "I was possessed by an asshole ghost" a reliable legal defense? I've got some plans that would really help if I could blame it on Negative-Casper.
Carl flees from the abandoned church to go report his wife to the police, leaving her topless in the dark and the rain. All because she told him that she fucked guys before him and then whipped him with her bra? What are the police going to charge her with? Being too totally awesome?
I'm not sure what Carl says to the police but the chief decides to go help Carl get his wife's bra back on. On the way back to the church, the Chief tells Carl a little of the church's history.
I'm not sure what Carl says to the police but the chief decides to go help Carl get his wife's bra back on. On the way back to the church, the Chief tells Carl a little of the church's history.

Oh sure. Roman ruins in Vermont. The history of the DC Universe must be fucking crazy.
Carl and the Police Chief find Kathy back to normal except she doesn't remember what happened. All she knows is that she went off to take a piss and then Carl was abandoning her. They might be able to make up tonight but this relationship is fucking over. Carl's going to keep thinking about the things Kathy said but doesn't remember. Kathy's going to keep thinking about how Carl, out of nowhere, just left her in a dark, scary church. This is pure relationship cancer. Good work, Boston Brand! I hope this helped balance out the world's Karma!
I know Deadman isn't bothering with all that Rama Kushna garbage anymore and he just did this for the LOLs. I'm just a dick who doesn't let reality get in the way of being a dick.
The scene shifts to Boston because Mike Baron doesn't care if I'm confused from here on out as to whether a character is speaking about the person or the place. The therapist of a guy named Hugh decides to flush her entire career down the toilet in an attempt to cure him of these strange blackouts he's been having. First, she offers to tail him so she can observe what happens the next time he has a blackout. While that's a strange offer and definitely not something she should be doing as a professional therapist, her next offer proves she should burn her diploma. She decides to send Hugh to a medium, a psychic. "You are so fucked up, Hugh, and I'm so willing to believe that you're a good guy, I'm willing to believe you've been possessed by a malevolent being. Certainly your nightly blackouts and your bloody hands and torn clothing have nothing to do with the local gay bashings happening nightly. This is Boston in 1989, after all. That shit's endemic." Hugh, of course, points out that he would never bash a gay. But then Hugh also doesn't have any actual clue what he's been doing lately. Even his wife doesn't believe him. But his therapist? She believes in Hugh!
The medium is Madame Waxahachie, a massive woman in an even massiver hat and fairly massive oral fixation.
I know Deadman isn't bothering with all that Rama Kushna garbage anymore and he just did this for the LOLs. I'm just a dick who doesn't let reality get in the way of being a dick.
The scene shifts to Boston because Mike Baron doesn't care if I'm confused from here on out as to whether a character is speaking about the person or the place. The therapist of a guy named Hugh decides to flush her entire career down the toilet in an attempt to cure him of these strange blackouts he's been having. First, she offers to tail him so she can observe what happens the next time he has a blackout. While that's a strange offer and definitely not something she should be doing as a professional therapist, her next offer proves she should burn her diploma. She decides to send Hugh to a medium, a psychic. "You are so fucked up, Hugh, and I'm so willing to believe that you're a good guy, I'm willing to believe you've been possessed by a malevolent being. Certainly your nightly blackouts and your bloody hands and torn clothing have nothing to do with the local gay bashings happening nightly. This is Boston in 1989, after all. That shit's endemic." Hugh, of course, points out that he would never bash a gay. But then Hugh also doesn't have any actual clue what he's been doing lately. Even his wife doesn't believe him. But his therapist? She believes in Hugh!
The medium is Madame Waxahachie, a massive woman in an even massiver hat and fairly massive oral fixation.

Hopefully Mike Baron doesn't fumble this moment because I'm on the verge of having a new favorite DC character here.
Madame Waxahachie hypnotizes Hugh hoping that in a hypnotic state, he'll remember his blackouts. Or, being a psychic, she just wants to attune his mind to that time so she can project herself into his memories and confront whatever was in control of his body during those blackouts. She discovers Hugh has been possessed by Deadman cosplaying a 17th Century fire and brimstone preacher. I guess Boston heard too many of the local legends from that police chief while Boston rolled around in the cemetery going stark raving cuckoo.

Sounds like Deadman's possessed by The Spectre.
I guess ghosts can possess ghosts. I won't speculate on how that works because ghosts aren't real and anything Mike Baron wants to tell me about ghosts in the DC Universe, I'm just going to buy into wholeheartedly. Ghosts can manifest enough physical matter to give hand jobs? Cool! Ghosts can possess small dogs, making them walk upright, express extreme bravado, and yell, "Prepare to splat!"? Awesome! Ghosts are actually fungal spores that have absorbed so many human brain waves that they think they were once living humans? I'm in!
Seeing that Deadman has been possessing Hugh and Reverend Shattuck has been possessing Deadman, it seems Hugh has absolutely been gay bashing on the weekends. Hugh had better seriously hope that "I was possessed by an asshole ghost" works as a reliable legal defense in the DC Universe. I'm fairly certain it wouldn't work here although it's just the sort of bullshit some homophobic creep would try to use to get away with acting on their terrible beliefs. People with terrible beliefs rarely express those beliefs proudly except to other people they know share those beliefs. That's how you can tell if you're an awful person. If you believe in something that you avoid expressing around everybody equally, you are almost certainly a piece of shit.
I mean that in the context of the Year of our Lord 2025! Obviously there were many, many years where we were all forced to hide our beliefs and real selves because the awful people were allowed, often legally, to inflict whatever violence they wanted on people expressing those beliefs. It's why assholes don't understand self-censoring. They never had to do it and never realized how many people were doing it around them because those people knew the asshole would fucking go nuts if they were confronted by compassion and actual justice. It's why they think criticism is censorship now. They've been free to express terrible beliefs with the backing of a fucking shit society for so long that now when people (who have stopped self-censoring because we have no more frontiers to run to and we have to stand our ground against these assholes) call them an asshole to their face, they think they're being censored. No, dick-for-brains, you've always been an asshole. It's just time you knew that we've all been thinking it all this time.
Madame Waxahachie's plan to help Hugh: road trip to Vermont! But they get lost fairly quickly and need to ask directions from some super cool kids.
Seeing that Deadman has been possessing Hugh and Reverend Shattuck has been possessing Deadman, it seems Hugh has absolutely been gay bashing on the weekends. Hugh had better seriously hope that "I was possessed by an asshole ghost" works as a reliable legal defense in the DC Universe. I'm fairly certain it wouldn't work here although it's just the sort of bullshit some homophobic creep would try to use to get away with acting on their terrible beliefs. People with terrible beliefs rarely express those beliefs proudly except to other people they know share those beliefs. That's how you can tell if you're an awful person. If you believe in something that you avoid expressing around everybody equally, you are almost certainly a piece of shit.
I mean that in the context of the Year of our Lord 2025! Obviously there were many, many years where we were all forced to hide our beliefs and real selves because the awful people were allowed, often legally, to inflict whatever violence they wanted on people expressing those beliefs. It's why assholes don't understand self-censoring. They never had to do it and never realized how many people were doing it around them because those people knew the asshole would fucking go nuts if they were confronted by compassion and actual justice. It's why they think criticism is censorship now. They've been free to express terrible beliefs with the backing of a fucking shit society for so long that now when people (who have stopped self-censoring because we have no more frontiers to run to and we have to stand our ground against these assholes) call them an asshole to their face, they think they're being censored. No, dick-for-brains, you've always been an asshole. It's just time you knew that we've all been thinking it all this time.
Madame Waxahachie's plan to help Hugh: road trip to Vermont! But they get lost fairly quickly and need to ask directions from some super cool kids.

Do they sell that lady's camping outfit at REI?
Dammit! I forgot this comic book was written in 1992 and I just found out Mike Baron was 43 years old when he wrote it so obviously the cool heavy metal band are actually a bunch of dicks. The girl with the pink hair calls Madame Waxahachie "Aunt Jemima" and now I'm super sad that I lusted after her for one panel. I also just noticed that the buff member of Abscess plays the, um, pistol? Is that in lieu of a drumkit?
Turns out the kid playing guitar is actually pretty cool and maybe the girl asking Madame Waxahachie where the pancake's were was just a remnant of something a not-actually terrible person in 1989 felt was funny because they lived in a society that truly believed racism was "just a joke". We can still accept that she's a dick though while reserving judgment on the pistol player and hugging and kissing the guitar kid for being friendly and helpful. The band is just like society! Some people are chill and some people are dopes and some people think firing a gun is music.
Joanne the Therapist, Hugh the Possessee, and Madame Waxahachie arrive at the church. Deadman/Shattuck believes they were sent by The Old Ones, whomever they are, because he doesn't think Madame Waxahachie has the power for tracking him down herself. Madame Waxahachie gives Hugh a "mojo" to keep him safe but he immediately loses it to a bird possessed by Deadman. Once the mojo no longer protects Hugh, Deadman possesses him and heads over to piss off Abscess.
Turns out the kid playing guitar is actually pretty cool and maybe the girl asking Madame Waxahachie where the pancake's were was just a remnant of something a not-actually terrible person in 1989 felt was funny because they lived in a society that truly believed racism was "just a joke". We can still accept that she's a dick though while reserving judgment on the pistol player and hugging and kissing the guitar kid for being friendly and helpful. The band is just like society! Some people are chill and some people are dopes and some people think firing a gun is music.
Joanne the Therapist, Hugh the Possessee, and Madame Waxahachie arrive at the church. Deadman/Shattuck believes they were sent by The Old Ones, whomever they are, because he doesn't think Madame Waxahachie has the power for tracking him down herself. Madame Waxahachie gives Hugh a "mojo" to keep him safe but he immediately loses it to a bird possessed by Deadman. Once the mojo no longer protects Hugh, Deadman possesses him and heads over to piss off Abscess.

Where did Shattuck learn to flip people off?
It's possible Deadman isn't possessed but just going insane and believing he's Shattuck, occasionally, because of the environment he's chosen to go crazy in. He might be possessing Hugh not to gay bash but to gay basher bash. And why would he scare away Kathy and Carl earlier? He could be trying to scare people away because he doesn't want them setting the other spirits free, the ones hidden beneath the pulpit's lectern.

Whoops!
The spirits freed by Madame Waxahachie are a Puritan religious figure, a Native American warrior, and a Roman Centurion. Deadman introduces them as Reverend Shattuck, Chief Nebagamon, and Lucian Camponis. Deadman suggests that Hugh deserved whatever Deadman was doing to him so it's possible Hugh was gay bashing and Deadman was punishing him somehow. It sort of doesn't matter though because after Deadman forced Hugh to moon Abscess, Deadman than climbed up a tree with Hugh's body and left him there. Hugh, not being a circus performer, slipped and fell, breaking his neck on the forest floor. Abscess saw the whole thing but, once again in the "That doesn't matter" department, Abscess are all possessed by the three recently released spirits. Their plans now that they're free? To, um, take back the church and remain there, I guess?
As for all my attempts to defend Deadman against being the person responsible for Hugh bashing gays, I should apologize. Because Mike Baron decided Boston Brand is a hateful homophobe, apparently. I was working under the assumption that he was one of DC's heroes and that he'd be better than most people and he wouldn't harbor any bigoted hate in his heart. Boy, was I fucking wrong.
As for all my attempts to defend Deadman against being the person responsible for Hugh bashing gays, I should apologize. Because Mike Baron decided Boston Brand is a hateful homophobe, apparently. I was working under the assumption that he was one of DC's heroes and that he'd be better than most people and he wouldn't harbor any bigoted hate in his heart. Boy, was I fucking wrong.

You know, Mike Barron, just because he's named Boston it doesn't mean he has to be a Boston stereotype.
Well, at least I can still root for Madame Waxahachie! Also, I haven't totally given up on Boston Brand. He sounds like he's spewing the beliefs of Shattuck. According to the Police Chief's local legends, Shattuck was burned as a warlock. So he probably set up some kind of magical traps to capture ghosts, driving them insane and infusing them with his brand of hatred.
If you were hoping Mike Baron wasn't done with his characters slinging slurs, let me assure you that the ghost of Reverend Shattuck possessing the friendly guitar player drops a doozy on the next page. Although why you might be hoping that, I don't know. Are you okay? Is everything alright at home? Do you have anything in your life that brings you joy that doesn't also make other people suffer? Maybe try reading a book?
Deadman flees when ghost-possessed Abscess arrive on the scene. They take the therapist and Madame Waxahachie prisoner and drag them down to the Roman ruins beneath the church.
If you were hoping Mike Baron wasn't done with his characters slinging slurs, let me assure you that the ghost of Reverend Shattuck possessing the friendly guitar player drops a doozy on the next page. Although why you might be hoping that, I don't know. Are you okay? Is everything alright at home? Do you have anything in your life that brings you joy that doesn't also make other people suffer? Maybe try reading a book?
Deadman flees when ghost-possessed Abscess arrive on the scene. They take the therapist and Madame Waxahachie prisoner and drag them down to the Roman ruins beneath the church.

I guess some of the first marble quarries in Vermont were started by Romans?
Out of the three ghosts, only Lucian projects no hostility. He explains that he and his people arrived in Vermont due to chasing pirates across the ocean. Once stuck in America, they had nothing better to do than recreate Rome, I guess.
Once beneath the church, the ghosts outfit their new bodies in garments from their past. After that, they precede to call the two women witches and take them to an underground lake to drown them. Lucius doesn't seem totally up for this but the other two are all, "All women must die! I mean, all witches must die! That's what we meant!"
Above ground, Deadman possesses the corpse of Hugh and stumbles back to the church to save the day. But does he really need to save the day when DC has much cooler, more powerful, and far less homophobic supernatural characters? I think not.
Once beneath the church, the ghosts outfit their new bodies in garments from their past. After that, they precede to call the two women witches and take them to an underground lake to drown them. Lucius doesn't seem totally up for this but the other two are all, "All women must die! I mean, all witches must die! That's what we meant!"
Above ground, Deadman possesses the corpse of Hugh and stumbles back to the church to save the day. But does he really need to save the day when DC has much cooler, more powerful, and far less homophobic supernatural characters? I think not.

Now that I think about it for more than three seconds, The Phantom Stranger might not actually be a less homophobic character. But he is cooler and more powerful!
Deadman: Exorcism: Book One Rating: B-. I'm not entirely sure what's going on in this thing. It started off so well with Deadman being all, "I DON'T WANT TO LIVE!" But then the story decided to center on the location that Deadman has decided to spend eternity pitying himself? But, to make sure more happens than the occasional horny couple wandering in, Boston decides to go on field trips to, well, Boston to assault gay people? What the fuck? I wish it didn't feel this way, because I like Mature Titles that deserve that title because they're just telling open, honest stories not aimed to younger people, but it feels like Mike Baron was told this would be a Mature Title so he felt he needed to throw in a few slurs, some tits, and the ass of a man who dies a few pages later. Anyway, I love the art!
You say someone forgetting the mean things they said and being left alone in a strange place should result in a dead relationship
ReplyDeleteBut as someone with experience of being in relationships where both parties have done a lot of work on their respective mental illnesses but still have bad days, I’ll affirm the kind of scenario depicted here is just what happens sometimes and well possible to work past 🩵