The House of Daemon
Encyclopedia
The House of Daemon was a comic strip
published in the British
comic book
Eagle
, from issue 25 (dated September 11, 1982) to issue 47 (dated February 12, 1983). It was written by Alan Grant and John Wagner
, and drawn by José Ortiz
.
The strip was a horror
-themed adventure about architect
Elliot Aldrich, who had constructed a dream house for his wife Cassandra. However, despite being built on a deserted rock outcrop, the house became possessed by an "evil presence" calling itself Daemon . After a short period of paranormal activity
, Daemon was able to trap the Aldritches, along with workmen
, police
, and paranormal investigators, in nightmarish worlds of his own devising 'inside' each area of the house.
Daemon's abilities seemed limited only by his own demented imagination; for example, the kitchen
became a large jungle
which took several days to cross, in a recreation of the Vietnam War
, complete with thousands of American G.I.s (who referred to it as "Hell's Kitchen") and Vietnamese. In this way, the strip appeared to be a forerunner to The Thirteenth Floor
, which had both the same creative team and the same 'virtual torture' concept.
Over the course of the story, Cassandra was revealed to possess psychic powers
, that enabled the group to battle Daemon; for example, by navigating through the house despite its appearance. She also located three apparent "wizards" in a peaceful sanctuary within the building's lounge
. They revealed that they and Daemon were from the 26th century, where humanity had perfected psychic powers, but not evil
. Daemon, an exceptionally powerful "child of darkness", was imprisoned
within the still-standing house that Aldritch had built with the three wizards combining their power to act as his jailers. However, Daemon was able to reach over half a millennium
into the past, to torture those on the site of his future prison, with the wizards only able to follow him, not stop him.
Eventually, they located Daemon in the house's attic
. The people supposedly killed in the house were revealed to be alive, due to Daemon's reality-manipulation abilities; he intended to torture them indefinitely. Cassandra herself temporarily defeated his physical form with poison
, and the group escaped. Elliot Aldrich and his building firm encircled the house with high brick walls, hopefully isolating Daemon within until his imprisonment in the 26th Century.
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
published in the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
Eagle
Eagle (comic)
Eagle was a seminal British children's comic, first published from 1950 to 1969, and then in a relaunched format from 1982 to 1994. It was founded by Marcus Morris, an Anglican vicar from Lancashire. Morris edited a parish magazine called The Anvil, but felt that the church was not communicating...
, from issue 25 (dated September 11, 1982) to issue 47 (dated February 12, 1983). It was written by Alan Grant and John Wagner
John Wagner
John Wagner is a comics writer who was born in Pennsylvania in 1949 and moved to Scotland as a boy. Alongside Pat Mills, Wagner was responsible for revitalising British boys' comics in the 1970s, and has continued to be a leading light in British comics ever since.He is best known for his work on...
, and drawn by José Ortiz
José Ortiz (comics)
José Ortiz Moya is a Spanish comics artist, best known for several collaborations with Antonio Segura, such as the series Hombre.-Biography:...
.
The strip was a horror
Horror fiction
Horror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...
-themed adventure about architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
Elliot Aldrich, who had constructed a dream house for his wife Cassandra. However, despite being built on a deserted rock outcrop, the house became possessed by an "evil presence" calling itself Daemon . After a short period of paranormal activity
Haunted house
A haunted house is a house or other building often perceived as being inhabited by disembodied spirits of the deceased who may have been former residents or were familiar with the property...
, Daemon was able to trap the Aldritches, along with workmen
Construction worker
A construction worker or builder is a professional, tradesman, or labourer who directly participates in the physical construction of infrastructure.-Construction trades:...
, police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
, and paranormal investigators, in nightmarish worlds of his own devising 'inside' each area of the house.
Daemon's abilities seemed limited only by his own demented imagination; for example, the kitchen
Kitchen
A kitchen is a room or part of a room used for cooking and food preparation.In the West, a modern residential kitchen is typically equipped with a stove, a sink with hot and cold running water, a refrigerator and kitchen cabinets arranged according to a modular design. Many households have a...
became a large jungle
Jungle
A Jungle is an area of land in the tropics overgrown with dense vegetation.The word jungle originates from the Sanskrit word jangala which referred to uncultivated land. Although the Sanskrit word refers to "dry land", it has been suggested that an Anglo-Indian interpretation led to its...
which took several days to cross, in a recreation of the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, complete with thousands of American G.I.s (who referred to it as "Hell's Kitchen") and Vietnamese. In this way, the strip appeared to be a forerunner to The Thirteenth Floor
The Thirteenth Floor (comic strip)
The Thirteenth Floor was a story originally published in the British horror comic Scream! from March 24, 1984, and also in Eagle when Scream! was absorbed into it. It was written by "Ian Holland", a combined pseudonym of Alan Grant and John Wagner, and drawn by José Ortiz.Originally, The Thirteenth...
, which had both the same creative team and the same 'virtual torture' concept.
Over the course of the story, Cassandra was revealed to possess psychic powers
Extra-sensory perception
Extrasensory perception involves reception of information not gained through the recognized physical senses but sensed with the mind. The term was coined by Frederic Myers, and adopted by Duke University psychologist J. B. Rhine to denote psychic abilities such as telepathy, clairaudience, and...
, that enabled the group to battle Daemon; for example, by navigating through the house despite its appearance. She also located three apparent "wizards" in a peaceful sanctuary within the building's lounge
Living room
A living room, also known as sitting room, lounge room or lounge , is a room for entertaining adult guests, reading, or other activities...
. They revealed that they and Daemon were from the 26th century, where humanity had perfected psychic powers, but not evil
Evil
Evil is the violation of, or intent to violate, some moral code. Evil is usually seen as the dualistic opposite of good. Definitions of evil vary along with analysis of its root motive causes, however general actions commonly considered evil include: conscious and deliberate wrongdoing,...
. Daemon, an exceptionally powerful "child of darkness", was imprisoned
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
within the still-standing house that Aldritch had built with the three wizards combining their power to act as his jailers. However, Daemon was able to reach over half a millennium
Millennium
A millennium is a period of time equal to one thousand years —from the Latin phrase , thousand, and , year—often but not necessarily related numerically to a particular dating system....
into the past, to torture those on the site of his future prison, with the wizards only able to follow him, not stop him.
Eventually, they located Daemon in the house's attic
Attic
An attic is a space found directly below the pitched roof of a house or other building . Attic is generally the American/Canadian reference to it...
. The people supposedly killed in the house were revealed to be alive, due to Daemon's reality-manipulation abilities; he intended to torture them indefinitely. Cassandra herself temporarily defeated his physical form with poison
Poison
In the context of biology, poisons are substances that can cause disturbances to organisms, usually by chemical reaction or other activity on the molecular scale, when a sufficient quantity is absorbed by an organism....
, and the group escaped. Elliot Aldrich and his building firm encircled the house with high brick walls, hopefully isolating Daemon within until his imprisonment in the 26th Century.