Review: Reign in Hell 1

I'll apologize up-front for the long post. But when you are passionate about something, as I am about the Linda Danvers character, you tend to be verbose with your opinions.

I wasn’t going to read Reign in Hell until Dan Didio leaked that Linda Danvers was going to be a part of it. Like most Linda fans, I had mixed feelings. Part of me was excited to see the character again, especially given that Didio had said she had been ret-conned out of continuity in the past. But there was another part that was worried that the writers would not treat her with the respect that I have for her. I would rather have her in limbo than poorly portrayed.

Alas, after reading Reign in Hell #1, I am still of mixed feelings.

The issue is a nice opening chapter setting up the story and opening with a bang. Lord Satanus and his sister Blaze, the overseers of Purgatory, have declared war on Hell. The first few pages show Satanus’ army over-running The Odium, a resource rich and densely populated province in Hell.

Satanus’ motives could actually be labeled noble. He doesn’t understand why sins committed in the transient mortal realm should equate to eternal damnation and punishment. He is offering a message of hope to the sinners in Hell. Satanus will re-write the rules … there will be punishment but also redemption. There will be hope. And if it takes a war to accomplish that, so be it.

I wonder if Satanus’ words are true or if this is simply what he is saying to accrue his army, his real motives hidden. I mean he is a demon; you can't really trust him, right? I also wonder how long Satanus and Blaze will be acting together, given that they have battled each other in the past. What are Blaze’s motivations in all this?

Neron, the current ruler of Hell, hears of the overtaking of the Odium and demands a response. He also realizes that a message of hope could take root among the tormented. The damned outnumber the hosts of Hell by millions to one. Even if they are little more than cannon fodder, by sheer numbers the damned could overtake Hell for Satanus. Realizing he will need reinforcements, Neron calls upon the demon Mother Lilith to recall her children, those indebted to Neron, back to Hell.

Cut to Gotham City, where Shadowpact has a lead on someone they need to capture. That person is Linda Danvers.

Here they confront her as she tries to enter her apartment.

Yes, I see that Linda is currently a blond and that she was a brunette before. I don’t mind this as much as it seems to have bothered others around the web. Linda wants to go into hiding, changing your hair color is an easy way to change your looks. Also, she spent half her heroing life as a blond, as Supergirl … maybe she simply likes the look. I would think the editors would know Linda was a brunette and didn't just make a continuity gaffe.

But hiding out in Gotham City?? If you wanted to go into hiding (which she stated emphatically in her last appearance in Supergirl #80), why would you go to a city patrolled by the ultra-paranoid and world's greatest detective Batman? Of course I remember this part of Linda's farewell letter in Supergirl #80 …

A place where a lack of conscience and cold ember instead of a soul are pluses? On the mortal world, Gotham City might fit the bill.

In response to the confrontation, Linda goes into what appears to be her Angel mode, powerful with fire wings.

So this is a bit harder for me to swallow than her being depicted with blond hair. It doesn't sit well. How does she have these powers? We know Linda didn’t have her angel powers at the end of her Supergirl title, that the Angel of Fire fused with the character Twilight. Here is the 'new' Earth Angel from Supergirl #74.


The angelic Linda then takes on the whole Shadowpact team and despite being outnumbered, seems to be in control of the fight. Throughout, she is cursing, yelling that she will kill Shadowpact for finding her ... kill them! So this characterization also does not sit well with me.



Maybe it is simply hyperbole, like when people say they want to kill their boss or their in-laws but don't really mean it. I don’t want Linda to be someone who would actually kill other heroes.

The battle ends suddenly when Linda disappears, being called back to Hell presumably as one of Mother Lilith’s children.

And this really doesn’t sit well with me. Linda before the merge with Matrix certainly was a flawed person, even evil. for example, here is an adrenalized Linda feeling frisky after taking part in killing Leesburg’s local pastor (see the body pin-cushioned with knives?), a chilling scene from Supergirl #2.

So maybe she is called to Hell for her past sins, those she did pre-merge. But I always felt that Linda had redeemed herself when she was merged as the Earth Angel Supergirl. Even when the Angel aspect merged with Twilight, it was only after Linda had made the ultimate sacrifice, dying in battle to save Mary Marvel. So I don’t like her being called to Hell if that is the reason.

That said, Linda did evidence some mystical power and used it to kill Xenon in Supergirl #80. Murderers, even justified murderers could be damned and maybe that is why she is called to Hell. But I would not like this explanation either.

Or maybe she regained her angel-like powers by making a deal with the devil and that is why she is called back to Hell. I like this explanation even less. Linda is not Spiderman in my mind.

In fact, despite being thrilled to see her again I felt uneasy with how Linda was portrayed throughout these pages, feeling she acted more like a villain than the hero I remember. It is the same duality of feelings that I had before this issue was released.

Hopefully all these continuity glitches: the blond hair, the angel powers, the killing mentality, the debt owed to Hell ... hopefully they'll all be explained in a satisfactory way. Hopefully. But I am not holding my breath. Sigh.

I keep having to remind myself that this is the first issue of an 8 issue mini-series. I keep having to tell myself that Linda appeared in 4 pages and that I should wait and see what happens before passing total judgment. But I would have liked this issue much more if she was shown to be clearly on the side of good.

Overall, the story about a war in Hell is interesting and looks like it will encompass all of the DC magic characters, with Zatara, Zauriel, Dr. Occult, and the Dibny ghost detectives all showing up. Tom Derenick's art is a lot muddier than I am used to, sort of like Denys Cowans or Bill Sienkiewicz, but that fits the tenor of the book.

Still, for me the success of this series hinges on the treatment of Linda. I hope Giffen treats her right the rest of the way.

Grade: B, but with concerns about Linda