The Demon
The Demon
A rhyming demon by the name of Etrigan who has been mystically bound—by Merlin the Magician—to the soul of a mortal man, Jason Blood, since the time of the fall of Camelot (first appearance: The Demon No. 1, Aug/Sep 1972: "Unleash the One Who Waits"). Superman meets the Demon after attending the opening of an exhibit at Gotham City's Riverside Museum. Superman is present in his secret identity of Clark Kent as the date of Lana Lang, daughter of famed archaeologist Professor Lewis Lang. Professor Lang has unearthed what he believes to be a 2,000-year-old Scottish wooden statue. In reality, the "statue" is a magically-preserved Druid sorcerer named Blackbriar Thorn! When the supposed work of art is unveiled, a ray of moonlight shining through the museum's skylight brings the diabolical ancient mage back to life, albeit still in the form of a wooden sculpture. In the ensuing chaos, Kent slips away to change into Superman while "noted demonologist" Jason Blood likewise secretly takes the form of Etrigan the Demon. After a brief skirmish with the two heroes, the resurrected Druid escapes and wreaks havoc in Gotham City. Superman attempts to enlist the aid of Gotham's resident champion--the Batman--but discovers that he is away on a mission with his allies, the Outsiders. Soon, Blackbriar Thorn causes the foliage of a Gotham park to grow out of control—threatening to envelope the city. Superman and Etrigan regroup and vanquish Thorn by flying him into the sky, severing his connection to the earth and causing the power already collected by the mage to consume him and reduce him to ash (DCCP No. 66, Feb 1984: “The Resurgence of Blackbriar Thorn!â€).
