THE DEVIL THAT WEARS MY FACE #6, by Mad Cave Studios on 5/8/24, ends the Gothic possession story with a twist when Father Vieri comes face to face with Legion, armed with steel and a bit more.
Credits:
- Writer: David Pepose
- Artist: Alex Cormack
- Colorist: Alex Cormack
- Letterer: Justin Birch
- Cover Artist: Alex Cormack
- Publisher: Mad Cave Studios
- Release Date: May 8, 2024
- Comic Rating: Mature
- Cover Price: 4.99
- Page Count: 32
- Format: Single Issue
Covers:
Analysis of THE DEVIL THAT WEARS MY FACE #6:
Plot Analysis:
In issue #5, Legion “killed” Santiago’s body, casting Father Vieri’s soul into a form of limbo to confront whatever awaits in the Great Beyond. There, Vieri fends off darkness and demons, but he’s finally rescued by the hand of the man whose body he occupies – Santiago.
In The Devil That Wears My Face #6, we begin with a brief flashback showing how Father Vieri was brought into Pentecost’s care and protection as a boy. Sadly, Vieri’s life as a priest began when Pentecost and his men sought to purge the world of undesirables, and Vieri’s mother was one of the casualties. Orphaned, Pentecost chose to raise Vieri as his own to become a holy man in service to the Catholic Church.
Father Vieri, still trapped in Santiago’s body but now teamed up with Santiago’s soul, finds Maria in the chaos. He tells her to go to Pentecost’s archives to retrieve the Iscariot Blade and a second item. Meanwhile, Legion revels in his new position as Pope by horribly mutilating every priest within reach and defiling the altar with blood.
Suddenly, Legion hears someone speaking the Lord’s Prayer, so he leaps to attack the only person bold enough to confront him, Father Vieri. The two begin, but Legion shifts the odds by calling on an army of rats to swarm his foe. Meanwhile, Maria races through the shadowy archives to find what Vieri requested, but she has to face a possessed priest before her task is done.
Vieri fights against the swarm of rats, but the numbers are too great. When all hope is lost, Maria arrives with the Iscariot Blade and tosses it to Vieri. Legion reminds him that the blade won’t work unless you have faith, and Vieri reminds Legion that he’s not alone in Santiago’s body and that one of his tenants is a true believer.
Vieri runs Legion through with the blade to hold him fast. Then, Vieri pulls out the object retrieved by Maria – a medallion depicting the Star of David. The medallion channels Vieri’s belief because the purge shown in the prologue was a culling by the Catholic Church against the Jews, which included Vieri’s family. In a symbolic final act, Vieri casts Legion out of his body and into the nearby swarm of rats, paralleling Jesus’s exorcism of Legion in Matthew, Chapter 8 from the Holy Bible.
The issue ends with renewed hope, new directions, and a parting of ways.
Character Development:
As you would expect from any proper finale, Vieri’s adventure ends with a revelation (no pun intended) about himself, his beliefs, and a newfound purpose in life. In every practical way, this story is a hero’s journey.
Artwork and Presentation:
Alex Cormack starts the series strong with creepy, disturbing imagery, and he ends the miniseries at the same high level. The action is dramatic, and thankfully, not as over-the-top as in the previous issues. The depiction of Legion’s attacks would terrify anyone and Cormack’s depictions of gore are stomach-churning, as they should be.
Art Samples:
Pacing and Structure:
This series has never been short on energy or thrills. David Pepos pulls out all the stops to send Vieri and Maria on a non-stop sprint from burning city to desperate battles on multiple fronts and beyond. Further, Pepose’s balance between action in multiple threads and the transitions between each locale is seamless.
Thematic Exploration:
The downside is the jarring development surrounding Vieri’s upbringing and revelation about his beliefs. The reveal that Vieri was born Jewish and that he now, suddenly, is somehow empowered by God through his Jewish faith comes out of nowhere and lacks the setup to be believable.
We don’t know when Vieri was taken by Pentecost, how much Jewish teaching he received before he was taken, or how much of the teachings, presuming he had any, informed his connection to God. You get the heavy-handed impression that Pepose is trying to make a statement about the contrast between Judaism and Christianity, as far as which is the better faith, but there’s not enough detail for the point to be clear.
Still, the concept of a classical hero’s journey is plain and executed well.
The Bigger Picture:
Series Continuity:
Pepose ends the miniseries with a literal ride off into the sunset. However, a brief tease in the last panel suggests Vieri’s encounters with demonic forces may not be over as he heads off to his ancestral home of Poland.
Historical Context:
Pepose never references a specific historical event that influences the life of Vieri as a fictional character, but the flashback shown in the prologue takes place in Rome in 1707, which is also the birth year and place of Italian Jewish rabbi, kabbalist, and philosopher, Moshe Chaim Luzzatto.
Final Thoughts:
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THE DEVIL THAT WEARS MY FACE #6 ends the miniseries with an action-packed, bloody fight between a trio of believers and the demonic Legion. Pepose and Cormack keep the energy high, the drama intense, and the conclusion somewhat satisfying. That said, an out-of-nowhere revelation about Father Vieri that makes the ending possible is a head scratcher.
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