GVN Talking Comics Review: Mad Cave Studios ‘Exorcists Never Die’ Issue 3

Last Time

When last we left Exorcists Never Die, Syd and Ellen had taken out Lust. However, it seemed to reignite the conflict that had plagued them as a couple. The need to receive their just due. Syd due to his family name and Ellen because she felt that as a woman, she was always dismissed as not worthy. Even though she worked as hard or harder than any man. This was amplified when Syd took off by himself to confront their next opponent, Gluttony.

On Her Own

Of course, this left Ellen to deal with a Conjurant and its lesser demon lackies. At least when you excise the Conjurant, the rest of the party loses power. Like a Wi-Fi Hotspot. Kill the signal and the rest of the equipment goes offline. Which still leaves the problem of why Syd left her to pursue their upcoming opponent by himself.

The Influence of Gluttony

This seems to be revealed by the constant monologuing of Syd as he climbs down further. Espousing how Ellen was holding him back, trying to live off of his reputation, and siphoning off the credit he so rightly deserved. All of which made sense…when under the influence of Gluttony. In Gluttony’s world, you can never have enough credit, riches, fame and acknowledgement. Considering Ellen and his relationship and the issues they had dealt with, it was the perfect storm for Syd to fall prey to.

Ellen vs Syd

This naturally came to a head when Ellen came down to meet him. Former allies came to blows as Ellen tried to reason with the under the influence Syd. As for Syd, he thought that this battle was inevitable. In fact, deep down, Ellen probably wanted this confrontation. But while there may have been a hint of truth in that statement, what she really wanted was for Syd to wake up. She brought forth the power of Jehoel: Angel of Fire to attempt to cleanse Syd of his delusions. It worked, as Gluttony’s control was burned away under the righteous fire. Despite Gluttony’s attempts to maintain it.

The Power of Sacrifice

Syd invoked the power of Azazel, Angel of Sacrifice. Under its power, Ellen could attack Gluttony with impunity while Syd suffered all the injuries and pain. Hopefully, Ellen wouldn’t take too long to take him out. And while Syd took a beating, Ellen followed through, using Syd’s sacrifice to put an end to Gluttony. Leaving no trace after its exorcism, just like what happened with Lust. So far, only Sloth had remained after its defeat. A question that still needed to be answered. But for Syd, he felt nothing but remorse about what he had said to Ellen. He told her that it wasn’t how he really felt, although he admitted that he was nervous about working with her again. Perhaps those fears made him susceptible to Gluttony’s influence. Either way, he was sorry.

Next: Greed

But before anything else could be said, some golden demons appeared, gathering up Ellen and Syd and taking them to see their master. He who wanted everything of value to be collected for his own. Next up: Greed.

Thoughts

Once again, writer Steve Orlando and artist Sebastián Píriz takes us further down the pits where Syd and Ellen’s own demons contribute as much to their battles as the actual demons do. This time, Gluttony takes advantage of Syd’s insecurities to pit him against Ellen. In truth, its ploy might have worked on Ellen as easily as it did Syd.  Because in both cases, they felt that they were not being recognized for their own strengths. In retrospect, this might have been a mistake by Gluttony by not taking control of both of them. Perhaps then, it could have had a better chance of them destroying each other. Good news for the good guys that it didn’t.

As I have mentioned before, I am always excited to see Sebastián Píriz take on each of the seven deadly sins. He has not disappointed with his concepts and Gluttony was no different. His Gluttony was a slimy, obese and utterly revolting example of the ravenous sin. In other words, perfect. It is part of what makes each issue of Exorcists Never Die a must see.

Mad Cave Studios Exorcists Never Die, Issue 3 by Steve Orlando, Sebastián Píriz and Carlos M. Mangual is available now through the Mad Cave Subscription site and where great digital comics are sold.