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"Whatever Happened to Farley Fairfax?":

Fantasizing, am I? Is the curse of Farley Fairfax fantasy? Is this --- This face fantasy? No! He'll be here! Satan will come -! He'll come here and return the soul and face of Farley Fairfax! And I shall be free of this curse!
The Phantom

The Demon #9 is an issue of the series The Demon (Volume 1) with a cover date of June, 1973.

Synopsis for "Whatever Happened to Farley Fairfax?"

When an evil sorcerer raised unholy creatures to attack a quiet village, he did not know it was protected by and\ even more fearsome entity. The Demon was too much for the lesser fiends, forcing them to retreat from his savage power. Only the Sorcerer stood strong, fighting the fury of Hell with magic cold. The warlock's staff coated in eldritch cold may have burned Etrigan's flesh, but his magic was greater. The Demon heated the very air with his demon-flame which swept the sorcerer up into the sky, never to be seen again. The townspeople then witnessed their demonic saviour transform into a man they all recognised, but knew nothing of. A man who remained young while they all grew old. A man who left the town that very night.

Jason Blood tries to break free from Harry and Randu, desperate to save Glenda from the mysterious Phantom. Jason despairs knowing that he used the power of the Philosopher's Stone to extinguished Etrigan, the only person that can rescue Glenda. He demonstrates the intense magical cold he produced to destroy the Demon inside himself to his friends' astonishment. After he thaws, he asks Randu to turn on the news, only to be reminded of the ongoing search for Glenda, and the elusiveness of the Phantom. Jason fears it is up to them to save Glenda, as he suspects there is something supernatural about the abductor.

In the secret sewer lair of the Phantom, Glenda huddles in fear having seen her captor's terrifyingly disfigured visage. She pleads with him, trying to convince the masked man she is not the Galatea he raves about, but the Phantom is insistent, binding her up. When the sewers are clear of police, the Phantom carries his captive across Gotham City via the maze of tunnels. He stops to watch Jason Blood separate from his two friends to cover more ground before whisking his bundled beauty up the shaky old stairs of an abandoned theatre. As the Phantom steps onto the disused stage, he slips further into delusion, introducing himself to his invisible audience. He proclaims his adoring fans will witness an evening of magic, as the witch who cursed Farley Fairfax all those years ago has returned to the stage.

Jason searches relentlessly, finding himself out of his depth when he looses his footing. He clutches at wires to keep his head above water but the ancient stonework crumbles on top of him. He reaches for an old circuit board to keep himself from drowning, but power still flows through the device and Jason is electrocuted. His body falls limp and floats downstream. Miraculously, Jason recovers and drags himself to the edge. Amazed that he is still alive, Jason removes the philosopher's stone from his pocket, realising it must have saved his life. It makes him wonder, if it can protect him from death, can it also restore life? Instead of cold, this time Jason engulfs himself in intense heat. As infernal demon-flame dies out, a familiar transformation begins, but is not complete. The distorted amalgam of man and monster collapses, drained of strength.

Back on the stage, the raving Fairfax laughs at Glenda's protests of innocence. Fairfax hauls a trunk of old props onto the stage, demanding Galatea reverse the curse she cast many years ago and return his soul. As Fairfax bickers with his perceived enemy, a trapdoor opens in the wings, and Etrigan emerges, following the scent of evil.

Appearing in "Whatever Happened to Farley Fairfax?"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

Antagonists:

  • The Phantom
  • Master Sorcerer (Only appearance, unnamed, dies in flashback)
  • Demons (Flashback only)

Other Characters:

  • GCPD
  • Galatea (Wax sculpture only)
  • Merlin (Mentioned only)

Locations:

Items:




See Also


Links and References