DAEMOND
Real Name: Unrevealed, possibly Daemond
Identity/Class: Extraterrestrial (Fortisquians) magic and technology user
Occupation: Demonic Priest
Group Membership: One of the Fortique traveling aboard the starship, the Comet
Affiliations: Former agent of the Beyonders; ally of the Balkatar, the Cat People, and Martine Bancroft; former associate of Rabbi Krause
Enemies: Arcturans, Caretakers of Arcturus, Morbius, Tara
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: Reverend Daemond, Daemond the Sorcerer
Base of Operations: Los Angeles, California; formerly Arcturus IV
First Appearance: Adventures into Fear#20 (February, 1974)
Powers: Daemond possessed advanced technology and knowledge of sorcery, although it was usually difficult to tell which he was using. He possessed superhuman mental powers, allowing him to mesmerize others and project bolts of psycho-kinetic energy. He possessed a life span of over one hundred centuries.
Daemond used a bunch of demon creatures as servants. These creatures may have actually been demons summoned from other realms, or they could have been genetic creations designed to look like demons.
History: Daemond was one of the natives of Arcturus IV who were sent to Earth aboard the Starship, the Comet, to oversee the protection of the Savage Land after the Great Flood, @ 10,000 B.C. (see comments below). When the Comet crashed on Earth, Daemond apparently was separated from the others, who went on to become the group known as the Caretakers.
Daemond's activities over the next millennia are undisclosed (see comments below). However, Daemond's goals differed from the teachings of the Caretakers, and he sought to bring humanity into sorcery, etc. In the modern era, Daemond posed as a priest, and befriended a rabbi, Krause. Krause and Daemond together encountered the living vampire, Morbius. Krause attempted unsuccessfully to cure Morbius. Daemond suddenly revealed his true nature and took control of Morbius, forcing him to kill Krause. Daemond then sent Morbius to slay his greatest enemy, who turned out to be the woman-child Tara.
Tara was actually a creation of the other Caretakers who had rebelled against them and conspired to pit them against Daemond. Morbius could not bring himself to kill the woman-child, although he did apparently overpower her. Morbius then encountered the other Caretakers, who convinced Morbius to attempt to slay Daemond in exchange for their helping him to locate his lost lover, Martine Bancroft.
Daemond apparently (I don't think this was ever elaborated upon) knew of Morbius' connection to Martine, and mentally ensorcelled her, forcing her to act as his ally against the others. When Morbius arrived to attack him, Daemond summoned the Balkatar, the title of the Cat Person sworn to heed the summons of a human sorcerer. Daemond instructed the Balkatar to lsay Morbius, but he instead transported him to the Land Within, under orders from his ruler, King Gerark.
Upon Morbius' return, he allied himself with Tara, and was pulled into the middle of a three way struggle between the Caretakers, Daemond, and Tara. Daemond succeeded in capturing Morbius and sought to gain even greater power by sacrificing him to unknown sources. The Caretakers wished to prevent Daemond from obtaining this power and sent their agents to stop him. When this failed, they confronted him themselves. In the height of the battle, Tara suddenly reappeared and attacked both groups, taking control of the as yet unborn Children of the Comet and forcing them to attack Daemond and their creators. Morbius, however, then attacked and apparently slew Tara by draining her blood. In her death-throws, she destroyed Dameond's base, causing it to explode and kill everyone except Morbius, who escaped.
Comments: Created by Mike Friederich and Paul Gulacy, then Steve Gerber and Doug Moench.
Tara claimed to have manipulated Daemond to make him separate from the Caretakers and pose as a demon sorcerer to generate further violence to feed her. This could have been said purely for inflammatory value, and I see no reason to believe her. All pictures of the Caretakers acting over the millennia show only the three who have always been together. The creation of the Children of the Comet was initiated in the last century, so Tara strikes me as a big, fat, liar. ...That, and the fact that the whole last issue seemed to be a desperate attemptto end a saga where the writer had no idea how to do so. I'll stick with my version until I see further evidence to the contrary.
Although this is never stated or implied, I find it more likely that Daemond, rather than the other Caretakers, was the one who created the first Werewolf. His interest in sorcery and demons just fits better. His interaction with the Balkatar might imply that it was also he who guided Ebrok to create the Cat People.
Also, the great cataclysm and sinking of
Atlantis is usually stated to be around 18,000 B.C. A second
cataclysm, resulting in the splitting of the Euro-African
continent, has been reported to have occurred @ 9,500 B.C. The
Caretakers are supposed to come to Earth just after the sinking
of Atlantis, but their story brings them to Earth @ 8,000 B.C.
Perhaps they have the Arcturan equivalent of Alzheimer's
syndrome.
Appearances:
Adventures into Fear#20 (February, 1974) - Mike Friederich (writer), Paul Gulacy
(writer), Jack Abel (inker), Roy Thomas (editor)
Adventures into Fear#21 (April, 1974) - Steve Gerber (writer), Gil Kane (pencils), Vince Colletta (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Adventures into Fear#22 (June, 1974) - Steve Gerber (writer), Rich Buckler (pencils), Luis Dominguez (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Adventures into Fear#25-26 (December, 1974 - February, 1975) - Steve Gerber (#25) & Doug Moench (writers), Frank Robbins (pencils), Frank Giacoia (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Last updated: 12/29/12
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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