The Fury of Satan's Son!

During the early 1970s, both the Ghost Rider and the Son of Satan would benefit from extensive (albeit bimonthly) exposure in Marvel Spotlight before being given their own titles. In the case of the latter, the Satan-son would actually make his first appearance in the nascent Ghost Rider title--though it wasn't the fiery, trident-wielding character we would first lay eyes on, but rather exorcist Daimon Hellstrom, who had been contacted by two residents of an Apache reservation to treat a woman feared to be possessed. Hellstrom is obviously a man with a secret, who is wrestling internally with something that he strives to keep in check during the hours that span dusk to dawn--but is his resolve strong enough to resist the force inside him that demands to be released?

The answer is forthcoming, as the Ghost Rider segues to his own title, while Hellstrom (along with the curse he lives with) takes the Rider's place in Marvel Spotlight, where his readers would explore his tempestuous character for the next two years.

Created by Gary Friedrich and (presumably) Jim Mooney*, the Son of Satan in these early stories is considerably more an entity unto himself than the Daimon Hellstrom who has come to terms with his dark side by the time he begins appearing in The Defenders; here, the man we see fully embraces (and even revels in) his heritage, and makes no apologies about it.  (Nor would I recommend suggesting he do so.)  Aside from that, the 1973 reader was perhaps wondering whether or not to invest in a comic book which features none other than Satan on a semi-regular basis, even though those waters had already been tested to an extent with our exposure to the demon Mephisto, as well as with his Ghost Rider appearances; but in addition, we have the son of Satan to contend with, clearly part of a dichotomy that's being presented of two men who at this point in time are literally the difference between night and day--the nearly-ordained Daimon existing during daytime hours, with the satanic Hellstrom emerging at night whenever possible.

*You see a flash of the Son of Satan's costumed lower body in Mooney's Ghost Rider segment, but the character isn't fully revealed until page one of the Marvel Spotlight issue, which Herb Trimpe has been tapped to pencil. With the two issues being published in the same month, it's difficult to make the call as to which artist first drafted the character visually (if either), unless the facts have been detailed elsewhere.

Put another way: Just as Daimon embraces his vocation of religious fealty to God, it's Hellstrom who practically craves and very much enjoys flaunting his fearsome and uninhibited nature, in spite of the measure of restraint that occasionally surfaces briefly and returns his focus to whatever matter is at hand. And as he conducts his search for Silvercloud's fiancée, Linda, respect for and acknowledgement of his station must come hand in hand with any help he deigns to give.

In addition, there is the absolute euphoria he experiences when he calls upon the power and trappings which his heritage makes available to him, with no ambivalence or feelings of ignominy whatsoever in how such displays might be perceived by others. It's quite a bold direction that Friedrich charts here--and, I must say, in terms of comics fiction, a refreshing one.

Hellstrom's interest here is two-fold: by finding the possessed Linda, he also confronts his father in the process, which is of prime importance to him. It's that arrogance which partly sees him through this mission; whether it will be enough to sustain him when the moment comes might be another matter. (Though given the formula for Satan by which Friedrich will level the playing field, in tandem with the desire to make this a successful launch of a new character, we can make a fair guess of the outcome.)

Elsewhere, Roxanne Simpson, the girlfriend of Johnny Blaze, who has been witness to the abduction of Blaze and Linda by the mysterious "Witch-Woman" (who will be revealed as Satan himself), has fallen victim to a biker gang. It goes without saying that her knight in shining armor will be anything but. (On the plus side, it's obvious that artist Herb Trimpe is having a great deal of fun with this story, and this character.)

And if you thought you'd see a typical scene where the hero reassures the damsel in distress that everything is all right, well...

(By the way, it's news to me that Hellstrom has the strength of one-hundred men.  He should probably have appeared in the Super-Mediumweights category in Mark Gruenwald and Bob Layton's strength lineup.)

Under duress (to say the least), Roxanne describes the incident where Blaze and Linda were taken by Witch-Woman--a name Hellstrom recognizes as one of Satan's many guises. With the knowledge that Satan has the two souls he sought, Hellstrom now knows precisely where to find them all. Here, you would expect Hellstrom to vanish in a dramatic flash of fire (and perhaps a little brimstone for effect) as he transports to Hell; instead, the gateway to the stygian depths is reached more conventionally, with a simple passage through a cavern which descends through the bowels of the Earth, a curious choice for Friedrich and Trimpe. Soon enough ("soon" translating to all of three panels), Hellstrom reaches the throne room of his father--and the response, like his passage, is almost immediate.

Again, however, Friedrich does the unexpected. Rather than cutting to the chase and plunging Hellstrom into all-out battle, Hellstrom indulges in a little provocation by grinding his father's nose in perceived inadequacies--an exchange meant perhaps to put Satan off his guard, though a minor point for Hellstrom since he clearly takes satisfaction in the effect his blunt, stinging words have on the one he faces. We also see how Friedrich uses the metal of Daimon's stolen trident to put the two on equal footing; otherwise, this conflict would be over before it started, to Hellstrom's detriment.

Yet the source of this "weakness" makes no sense, given what we would learn of Hellstrom's origin in the follow-up issue. For one thing, why would Satan have wielded the trident that Hellstrom would later steal for himself, if its metal adversely affected his power? And why would he have his minions mining that metal?

And speaking of minions, there's no shortage of them as Satan sends wave after wave of them against his son. But Trimpe showcases this new character well, and we know by now that Hellstrom's rage is not to be denied.

It's a somewhat disappointing finale, which, for one thing, proposes that all of Hell can be destroyed because of what amounts to a design flaw: its entire roof being supported by a simple bridge. (Hell can not only be reached by a cavern passage--it also has a roof that could cause its destruction if it collapsed. Who knew?) For another, Satan--Satan, mind you--certainly caves quickly for one who is the essence of evil, not only giving up his prizes but vowing revenge like any defeated villain you'd find topside.

Once Hellstrom and the others have left the cavern, we finally see Satan unleashed, as a suddenly exploding volcano rains fire and boulders down on our hapless trio. But Hellstrom has only to summon his fiery chariot to escape the danger; and with Linda remaining unconscious, it falls to Blaze to give his own impression of Hellstrom, which is formed solely on the basis of Hellstrom dropping the pair in a barren area while he continues on: "Truly your heart is as cold as that of your father!" Quite an assessment to make of the man who just saved your butts, Blaze--to say nothing of your souls.

Marvel Spotlight #12 Script: Gary Friedrich Pencils: Herb Trimpe Inks: Frank Chiaramonte Letterer: John Costanza