Have you ever played any of the Devil May Cry franchise? If so, then great – you might enjoy the backstory that you get out of this comic. If not, then both the plot and the structure of the comic itself will likely confuse the Devil Trigger out of you. Hang on with me here.

First, Some DmC Background:

Devil May Cry is a video game series that was initially intended to be a continuation of the Resident Evil plot line, but became its own franchise due to the focus on fast-paced, stylized combat. The game follows Dante, a “devil hunter” who is the son of the demon Sparda and the human Eva. Sparda was a powerful demon knight who served Mundus, the king of the underworld.

Mundus strove to reign over all of humankind, but Sparda chose the path of justice, defeating Mundus and sealing off the underworld. In an act of revenge, Mundus sent demons to kill Sparda’s family. Eva hid 8-year-old Dante and his twin brother, Vergil, and died at the hands of the demons. To protect his sons, Sparda wiped their memories and sent them into the human world to grow up and live “normal” lives (yeah..right).

Now that we’re all on the same page, let’s get to the pages of this comic, shall we? I’ll tell you the gist of the story, and then I’ll dish out the good and bad. DmC is Kinda Weird, and the Comic Continues the Weirdness.

It has never been a hotter time to be a fan of Sherlock Holmes. The old chap now has two blockbuster Hollywood movies. Plus, Sherlock has a highly rated and successful BBC television series. The only thing he is missing is a comic book.

His mortal enemy Professor James Moriarty is brilliantly featured in his own series published by Image comics called, what else, Moriarty. It is the beginning of the 20th century, the dawn of World War 1, Sherlock Holmes has been dead for twenty years, and Moriarty has been drafted into service by MI5.

This issue is part four of the storyline called The Lazarus Tree.  A full-scale riot breaks out in the streets of Kyauktada, and the British authorities sweep in to take control. The mystery begins to unravel, and Moriarty becomes aware of the lurking threat of Moran’s sniper rifle hunting him in the shadows.

The characterization of Moriarty is brilliant. He is essentially an evil Sherlock Holmes. He sees common details that people miss, he is a brilliant doctor, and he is even a brilliant professor, dealing with concepts and theories that are way beyond his time. The major problem with the character is that even though he interesting; the writing never truly gives us a reason to like him.

This is part two of this week’s Pull List, check out part one here!

Deadpool #10 – Marvel – $2.99
Score: 8.0
What’s the one way to make an already funny book like Deadpool even more entertaining? Pair him up with an individual who–while may not be as funny–has a more twisted view of the world. That’s what happens in this issue as Norman Osborn decides to send in one of his heavy hitters, Hawkeye a.k.a. Bullseye, to take on the ‘Merc with the Mouth’.  The interesting thing is that Bullseye is pretty funny himself, in a very sick kind of way. The back and forth between the two makes the interaction feel something like the Odd Couple on acid. Surprisingly, Bullseye isn’t present through most of the issue, but instead Daniel Way takes the reader through one of Deadpool’s lowest paying and comical hits before letting the two psychopaths cross… um, paths. What follows are some greatly choreographed and intelligently put together action panels that rival most well done action movies.