In Hell to Pay, Hell is a real place. It’s not quite the concept we imagine but a cross between the torture and functioning society where money is exchanged for goods. And it’s that money that’s the focus. Hell to Pay #1 introduces us to Maia and Sebastian Stone who work for The Shrouded College. In exchange for magic, they need to track down the 666 Devil’s Dollars that have made it to Earth. What should be a straightforward mission becomes much more complicated… in multiple ways.
Written by Charles Soule, Hell to Pay #1 is an interesting beginning. The concept itself doesn’t excite me too much. A secret society dealing with real demons must get items back. It’s an overall concept we’ve seen so many times before. But, Soule doesn’t keep things simple. He throws in three details that makes the series interesting.
Maia and Sebastian are interesting leads. Married, their interaction is solid but there’s multiple bits of motivation that Soule puts into the story that makes their deal with The Shrouded College all the more interesting. Their choice isn’t one as much about machismo and the usual action story “tough guy” motivation but feels more of being forced to make.
Soule keeps that going by making things not as open ended as this type of story can be and a bit of a monkey wrench into their mission. Not only is there a time factor to the story that’s interesting but also a potential endless length to their mission. It makes the series intriguing and bit more than what we’ve seen before.
The art by Will Sliney is a bit hit and miss for me. With color by Rachelle Rosenberg and lettering by Chris Crank, the visuals are where the the comic slips a bit. The design overall is great. The characters and creatures, especially the scenes in Hell, are engaging and interesting. There’s just some quite a few panels where the positioning of people’s bodies doesn’t make sense delivering unnatural movement and body language that’s distracting. It’s not a killer aspect to the comic but when things are entertaining and good in so many ways, it enhances issues like this. There’s also some very interesting page layouts in the comic that make it one to get a physical copy.
Hell to Pay #1 has a lot of potential. An interesting concept is given a boost by a time aspect upping the stakes of it all. It’s a fun start that’s worth checking out for those interested in action films of the 90s.
Story: Charles Soule Art: Will Sliney
Color: Rachelle Rosenberg Letterer: Chris Crank
Story: 8.0 Art: 7.0 Overall: 7.65 Recommendation: Read
Image Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Purchase: Zeus Comics – comiXology/Kindle
