Originally published on Patreon
Last issue's Sword of Azrael introduced some interesting new features to the history of the character, as we learned how the ancient order of St Dumas made their 'angels'. But the revelation of the ancient Mother Box wasn't the most shocking thing, as at the end of the issue Azrael came face to face with the first angel, the monstrous Satan.
This issue picks up where that one left off, with Jean-Paul prisoner of the huge beast. We get a quick flashback that shows more of the origin of the order, and how the decision was made, by St Dumas himself, to create Azrael, before heading back to the present to deal with the issue of the giant, powerful being that has our hero prisoner.
Convincing the monster to free his arms so that he can pray before meeting his end, Jean-Paul uses it to break free from his bonds. Unfortunately, Azrael doesn't seem to want to come out to play; leaving it down to him to get himself out of this. The fight that comes isn't what we're used to seeing from the character, because Azrael isn't taking the lead now. Instead, Jean-Paul has to try escaping and running, as whilst he's got some skills, he's not as good as the angel in his head.
The result is Jean-Paul getting absolutely battered to the point where I was genuinely surprised that he got back up. Luckily for him, he'd managed to injure Satan enough that his organs begin to fail, and he's able to drag the monster away from his healing chair, letting the creature die of his wounds.
And this is a big moment for the character. He's used to switching off, to letting Azrael take control and do the killing, and this time he had to do it himself. He has to be the one to hurt someone, to drag them away from the thing that's going to help them, and watch as they die. And this has an effect on him.
And the latter parts of the book focus on that, and we see the weight of those actions on Jean-Paul as he's wracked in guilt because of it. And this is something that I don't think I've seen with the character before. I like that Dan Watters is bringing a bit more humanity to the character, making him more complex and layered than just a killer programmed by a religious order. Watters feels like the best writer that Azrael has had in years, and this series is super refreshing.
The artwork, which has been really good all series, feels a little frantic at times, with some of the action scenes feeling hard to follow. I don't know if that's intentional, as a way of showing that Jean-Paul isn't as good as Azreal, can't keep up and make sense of it all, or if it's just the style not quite working here. If it is intentional, the draw back is that some of the fighting is a bit rough to read.
Overall, this is a great issue that really builds on the character, after the previous issue built upon the mythology. The series seems to have a good focus on both the character and the world he inhabits, and it's super enjoyable.
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