![\"\"](\"http:\/\/onceuponageek.com\/images\/blue_devil_ww85.jpg\" "\\"Blue")
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It\u2019s BLUE DEVIL WEEK<\/a> here at Once Upon a Geek! In the grand tradition of FLASH WEEK<\/a> and AQUAMAN WEEK<\/a>, we’ll be exploring another of my top five favorite superheroes this week.\u00a0 And to finish it off on Friday we’ll feature an exclusive ONCE UPON A GEEK interview with the Blue Devil creators!<\/strong><\/p>\n A blast of supernatural energy trapped Dan Cassidy — special effects master and stuntman supreme — in the skin of his greatest contraption! Forever after he would be an honest-to-goodness Blue Devil!<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n That was the brief description at the start of most issues of Blue Devil<\/a>.\u00a0 It was a good recap, but it didn’t capture how funny and endearing the character was.\u00a0 One of Blue Devil’s greatest traits is that he’s a regular guy.\u00a0 Regardless of how crazy the situation is around him, you can count on Blue Devil to provide a perspective you can relate to.\u00a0 Whether we’re talking about the original Blue Devil<\/em> series or the more recent Shadowpact<\/em> series, he’s always maintained a Jimmy Stewart-like quality.\u00a0 He’s the guy whose situation has spiraled out of his control, and yet he’s still struggling to do the right thing.<\/p>\n The humor that Blue Devil is known for typically comes from these outlandish situations and his responses.\u00a0 In fact, that’s when Blue Devil works best in a comic; when he can spout off a bunch of one-liners in response to the insanity he’s caught up in.<\/p>\n Another reason I like Blue Devil is that I got in on the ground floor.\u00a0 I picked up issue #1 off the shelf in 1984.\u00a0 Here was a brand new hero that was funny and I could relate to!\u00a0 I didn’t need to know 40 years of continuity and I felt like I was blazing my own trail of fandom (rather than just following the herds to Uncanny X-Men<\/em> or New Teen Titans<\/em>).\u00a0 It felt like I was cheering for the underdog.<\/p>\n Finally, Blue Devil just looks cool. Paris Cullins work on the first six issues of Blue Devil<\/em> is downright phenomenal.\u00a0 Cullins has an incredible sense for layout & storytelling, and has a way of making static figures look dynamic & fun.\u00a0 In Shadowpact<\/em>, they redesigned Blue Devil’s look and gave his costume a much more “regular guy” appearance.\u00a0 The new look of a t-shirt and pants really works for Blue Devil.\u00a0 Now the look Blue Devil sported during his JLA years should be forgotten (1995-2005).\u00a0 Yuck.<\/p>\n The much-beloved Blue Devil<\/em><\/a> monthly series lasted 31 issues and one annual (1984-1986).\u00a0 Blue Devil was created by the writing team of Dan Mishkin and Gary Cohn, and they did the entire Blue Devil<\/em> monthly series.\u00a0 In that series, Dan Cassidy’s powers came from the amalgamation of his stunt suit technology and the sorcery bestowed upon him by the demon Nebiros.\u00a0\u00a0 While he used his powers to help people, he was always the reluctant hero.\u00a0 He would rather have found a way to remove the costume that had become grafted to his body.<\/p>\n After that, Blue Devil dropped off the radar for about seven years until he reappeared in a six-part story in Showcase ’93<\/em><\/a>, again written by Mishkin & Cohn.\u00a0 He later joined the Justice League America<\/em><\/a> (1995-1996) written by Gerald Jones.\u00a0 During the Underworld Unleashed<\/em><\/a> crossover (1995), he made a deal with the demon Neron for fortune and fame.\u00a0 This deal resulted in a drastic transformation for Blue Devil into a true devil; he was no longer just a human in a suit. During this period he joined up with the Sentinels of Magic, and found himself roaming the Earth with Lucifer’s Trident banishing escaped demons back to Hell.<\/p>\n Blue Devil returned to the spotlight in the excellent Day of Vengeance<\/em><\/a> (2005) mini-series by Bill Willingham.\u00a0 This led to a fantastic spin-off called Shadowpact<\/em><\/a> that was written by Bill Willingham and Matt Sturges.\u00a0 Shadowpact<\/em> lasted 25 issues (2006-2008), giving Blue Devil a real chance to shine once more.\u00a0 Finally, Blue Devil recently appeared as part of the Reign in Hell<\/em><\/a> (2008-2009) mini-series.<\/p>\n The years after the monthly series and before Days of Vengeance<\/em> were not stellar for Blue Devil (1986-2005).\u00a0 During that era Blue Devil died no less that three times.\u00a0 I’m not kidding.\u00a0 Once in Underworld Unleashed<\/em> #3 (1995), next in Starman<\/em> #38 (1998), and finally in JLA: Black Baptism<\/em> #4 (2001).\u00a0 Each time he managed to come back to life.\u00a0 It sort of became a running joke.<\/p>\n Come back later this week as we cover things like: cool covers, favorite stories, supporting characters, action figures, trading cards, and Who’s Who<\/em>.\u00a0 Even if you are not a Blue Devil fan, I think you’ll find things of interest this week. On Friday be sure to catch the very first ONCE UPON A GEEK creator interview with Dan Mishkin & Gary Cohn!<\/strong><\/p>\n \n \u00a0<\/p>\nWhy I Like Blue Devil…<\/h3>\n
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A Little History Lesson…<\/h3>\n
More to Come…<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/onceuponageek.com\/images\/blue_devil_sp14.jpg\" "\\"Shadowpact")
<\/p>\nTell the world about ONCE UPON A GEEK:<\/h3>