The Marquis, Volume 1: Inferno

The Marquis #1-2

by Guy Davis

In eighteenth-century Venisalle, faith governs life and death, and the guilty hide their shame behind masks, showing their faces only in the secret rites of the Confessional. It is to this stronghold of the Inquisition that the souls of Hell have escaped to possess the living, spreading sin, murder, and chaos. Amid the carnage, one man is blessed with the clarity to recognize the demons that prey on his countrymen--and the means to return them to the fires of Hell. But as the stakes rise, the lines separating good and evil begin to blur, and the Marquis--the dark avenger whom even demons fear to cross--finds himself torn between the blind faith that has defined his life and the bitter truths exposed under his new sight.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Horror, Fantasy, Sequential Art, Fiction, Historical

336 pages, Paperback

First published August 25, 2009

About the author

Guy Davis is a comic book artist primarily known for his work on Sandman Mystery Theatre and the Hellboy spin-off B.P.R.D. He is also the creator of The Nevermen and The Marquis.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.

See Guy Davis for the author of Children's books.

Reviews

[Rick Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Marquis takes place in mid-18th century France (or rather a fictionalized version called Venisalle) where a highly divided society is governed almost exclusively by the Church. The titular "Marquis" is Vol de Galle, a former inquisitor of the Church who has an unnatural ability to see demons hiding in plain sight wearing human skin. De Galle is no different from other fictional monster hunters like Hellboy or Van Helsing, but he is distinguished by dual wielding a set of anachronistic machine guns with which he doles out his version of justice. Over the two stories covered in "Inferno", we see de Galle begin to doubt his purpose and this is particularly evident after a brief jaunt into hell during "Danse Macabre". Following his reawakening, de Galle continues to hunt demons but his relationship to the Church begins to wither.

While this wasn't a really complete story - and Guy Davis doesn't seem to be making any more of these - I still would say The Marquis is a worthwhile read, especially if you're a fan of Mignola's Hellboy or BPRD. Tonally, The Marquis could almost fit in with those comics, but Davis imparts a distinctive visual flair that makes the comic wholly unique. The linework has an almost scribbled fashion to it that at times look uncontrolled and incomprehensible, but when taken as a whole it becomes something highly structured and grandiose. The establishing shots of the various architecture found in this comic are truly spectacular bits of art, with Davis taking inspiration from Renaissance era constructions to more contemporary baroque or gothic influences. Yes, The Marquis plays fast and loose with the historical basis behind it, but the result is an intoxicating blend of classic and steampunk that just works really well.

[Ashkin Ayub · Rating 4 out of 5]

who can argue with the holy man of the 18th century who turrets machinery weapons, and takes down devils that can only be seen by the living? the Marquis is a fascinating character concept, further perpetuated by our unreliable narrator, protagonist's respectful considerations of absolute belief in an abstract god, evaluative views in storytelling and questionable health.

the amazing art of davis is often problematic. its style is extremely jarred loose and abstract, making it hard to read the comic in small monochrome panels in tandem with a huge number of lines and details. this is partly the originally meant book aesthetic. it is therefore necessary to challenge through it, but it is complicated to act, and it is hard to identify faces.

this still is fabulous reading, meanwhile, as well as the grounds for what can be a fabled story of comics for the ages.

[Orrin Grey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before Bloodborne. Before Blasphemous. Before plague doctor masks had become de rigueur. Guy Davis produces one of the most dazzling-illustrated comic books of all time in this cacodaemoniacal grotesquerie about devils, the men who fight them, and the terrors of religious zealotry.

[G · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting graphic novel apparently set in the France of the late Middle Ages. An inquisitor becomes a vigilante punisher of sin as gradually the town descends into a hellish, lawless chaos. Only the general tasked with finding and capturing the inquisitor-turned-marquis and presumed demon seems able to resist the descent into violence against others, as he attempts to approach the problem rationally and with the least faith of anyone. As the general notes towards the end of the book, the marquis's sins become just one among many in a community where the religious establishment is torturing witnesses to root out the supposed demons lurking within them.

The comic can get more than a bit bizarre (the giant vulva-demon running around town comes to mind), and there's some interesting analysis of the treatment of gender to be made here. It's going to take a little more digestion on my part to fully form an opinion on this one. It's an entertaining story, though, and it has me thinking about Dostoevsky and and Dante and a host of other things.

[El · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Marquis is set in a town in a fictionalised 18th Century France, where the Church and the Inquisition are in charge and people attend confession masked elaborately. The protagonist, Vol de Galle, wears a mask for a different reason: he is hunting down souls escaped from Hell. Unfortunately they seem to be hiding inside the townsfolk and his justice leaves mutilated bodies behind - leading to a manhunt for what the town's leaders consider to be a dangerous madman and murderer. Or a demon himself.

Vol de Galle isn't a happy demon hunter. He doubts, all the time, and spends most of his time supplicating a saint he thinks has given him the power to see the demons. It always seems to be winter, and the snow coupled with the stylised black and white artwork give a chilly and bleak feel. The costume of the Marquis is instantly eye-arresting (why I bought this in the first place) and Davis' monsters are brilliant. Really enjoyed this.

[Acturi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not only is this comic tremendously awesome from an art perspective, and fascinating from a setting and story perspective, but this particular book has one of the most interesting sketchbook sections I've ever seen.

I will admit that I've read this three times, and I never really have noticed that this guy has a horse's ass for an arm, and this guy has horse legs comings out of his mouth, and omg horse parts. It's a great example of the stuff that as a reader, I don't consciously think about. But when you look at it later, you think "oh! That's why this works so well as a whole."

Because everything is horses.

[Chumbert Squurls · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Marquis starts pretty slowly. In the first 150 some pages The characters speak in endless exposition and the plot moves with no propulsion. Here, Guy Davis is still finding his footing, still trying to figure out how to execute his brilliant premise. Towards the end when the exposition begins to subside and the monsters become more grotesquely realized Davis has found the demon he came to slay. Brilliant art(beautifully rendered gothic architecture and costumes) and decent story, this comic is a bonus for those that can't get enough of his work on BPRD.

[Matt Ryan]

Visually striking, especially the demons and the city-scapes, the narrative was repetitive, and a rather simple situation - the marquis is empowered by the devil to return escaped demons to Hell - is purposefully kept obfuscated for too long. The protagonist's moral turmoil is ultimately banal; we know he is going to accept Satan's help to keep the bloodshed flowing in future issues.

The black and white style suits Davis' artwork, much better than the color treatments in the BPRD publications.

[Sezer Turgay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tek kelimeyle mükemmel bir evrende geçen mükemmel bir kurgu çizgi romanı.

18. YY Fransa'sında (kurgusal bir Fransa tabi) geçen din adamlarının yönetimi ele aldığı bir ortamda halkın arasına karışan şeytanları bulup cehenneme yollayan bir adam Le Marquis.Şeytanlar da ondan korkuyor din adamları da.Neye hizmet ettiğini bilmiyor Marquis ve bir arayış içinde aslında.

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful and spooky and a really great read. New stories coming out in a month and I'm quite stoked.

[Eric Orchard · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best comics ever. Rich in art and story, compelling and intelligent. A great book.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wonderful artwork, but emotionally flat. Perhaps because the protagonist his hidden behind a huge mask 90% of the time?

[Aksel Dadswell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent graphic novel, with some of the most original demons I've ever seen, fantastic artwork and story. Can't wait for volume 2 next month :)

[Stephane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hard to pin down, this. There are some passages, some long two-characters dialogues that are quite frankly hard to get through, but once in a while you get some interesting reflection, about faith, fear, hell and religion. The question of whether men create evil from his volition, or if men is only victim of interferences by the devil, used to actually be a real hot topic. It is at the center here. Without saying too much, a crack has opened in the borders of hell and some demons have returned to Earth. The Marquis is assigned to slaying those demons and return them to hell. There is going to be lots of talk about religion in there, Saints and Satan, and the blurred borders between good and evil. Who serves who, at the end?

The art is messy, it serves very well in the background for instance which are amazingly detailed. The demons are also great, so is the depiction of hell. At time this messiness confuses things a bit, and some characters can be hard to recognize. But it is certainly moody, and gloomy with a gothic feel, so it is very suitable. Slow to start but will suck you in while you get going.

[Sol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Guy Davis was a big part of what made the first long arc of B.P.R.D. so great - his art looks like it should be a jumble of sketchy lines, but it form coherent images, and his faces are uniquely nose-oriented in comic art. The art here is sumptuously detailed in costume, architecture and monster design, forming a seamless whole.

The story is an action-horror romp, with a possibly insane man convinced he is killing devils possessing humans, set in a snowy religious dictatorship, reminiscent of 18th century France. The story reads as more of the opening couple of chapters of a larger story, which is apparently the case given that Davis intends the series to be 5 volumes long. Given that this came out in 2009, and 10 years later the second is nowhere to be seen, I'm a little skeptical it'll ever be finished. This by no means a huge flaw since there hasn't been that much plot development, but it's there.

[Danny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m not usually a fan of stories with heavy religious themes, but this one seriously held my attention. Although it’s a story about “purity versus sin”, the story continually makes you question what it means to be good or evil. There are no boundaries between reality, faith and surrealism here. Is the protagonist even seeing true reality? Who knows. It’s confusing, but it damn well works.

Note on the monsters: they’re excellent. Not just design wise, but the way they morph and evolve through the panels. They’re seriously grotesque, and the best visual representation of devils I’ve seen.

4/5 stars because it’s just SO heavy on religious theme. Being a non-religious person, it felt very repetitive and harder to relate to. Also the guards are SO INCOMPETENT.

[Z · Rating 5 out of 5]

"A devil without sin is nothing at all."

This is my go-to Halloween comic. It's a wonderfully baroque world that Davis creates with pen and ink and words. Sometimes, with a few too many words, but my patience with the script varies year to year. I remember last year thinking it plodded a bit, but this year I flew through it. The flourished Davis put in the characters mouths worked for me this year, echoing the ornaments on dress and facade perfectly.

Hard to overstate how underappreciated this book is, give it a read if you haven't.

[Etain · Rating 4 out of 5]

I could say quite alot about this. Fully analyse it and whatnot but I'm tired so I'll just say
Pretty cool Comic but oh my god i wish it could have reached its actually potential. It could have been one of the greatest series of all time.... with more time.
The imaginary Marquis volumes 4&5 are the greatest stories ever to grace the medium. Whereas this is.... Fine, pretty cool.

[Elequis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Este es un comic para los interesados en el terror sobrenatural, y también con interés en recreaciones del infierno, y no decepciona, lastimosamente la historia aun esta inconclusa, desde hace 10 años...

[Ariel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Stunning artwork, but the story didn't interest me. Not my kind of thing I guess.

[Mark Lyndon Workman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent horror.

Excellent art on this spooky story.Not for the faint of heart. The monsters are particularly hideous and Davis's gritty artwork perfectly suits the story.

[Linnea Gelland · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful abomination.

[Damian Mxyzptlk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bloodborne!

[Crazy Jedi · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Manuel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vol de Galle fue durante muchos años la autoridad del Ministerio de la Inquisición de Venisalle, una ciudad tan pervertida y pecaminosa que muchos de sus habitantes portan mascaras por pura vergüenza. Durante su servicio torturó y juzgó implacablemente a cuanto pecador cayera en manos del ministerio. Ahora viejo, retirado y testigo de los nulos resultados de su lucha, busca respuestas en su devoción por Sainte de Massard, una santa que se dice, rescato al salvador del mismísimo infierno cuando fue secuestrado por diablos.

Una noche, sus plegarias parecen ser escuchadas, cuando una oscura figura se aparece en su habitación mientras rezaba. La extraña presencia le encomienda devolver al infierno a todo diablo que encuentre en la ciudad, para lo cual le proporciona armas de fuego, una espada y el poder de ver a los diablos ocultos en los cuerpos de personas comunes a través de una mascara.

Sin mas, Vol de Galle emprende la sanguinaria cruzada a espaldas del misterio, asesinando brutalmente a horripilantes diablos que solo el puede ver y que a vista del las autoridades son solo personas inocentes masacradas por una asesino demoníaco.

Pero la fe renovada de Vol de Galle le ha segado de cualquier duda, incluso de cuestionarse si quien le encomendó esta misión haya sido realmente Sainte de Massard.

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fabulous and deeply unsettling horror comic. Taking place in (some version of) 18th century France, it focuses on an aging Inquisitor who, wracked by doubt, is suddenly able to see souls possessed by the demons and is able to (quite violently) return them to Hell. The story can be a bit obtuse and confusing for the first issue or so, which while frustrating, is intentional, as the comic creates a tension between whether the Marquis is blessed or insane (and one wonders during these first or second issues why he is called "the Marquis" anyway). But the nature of the plot soon becomes much clearer. The art perfectly matches the story and is beautiful and horrific, reminiscent of Francis Bacon and French BD art, among other works. It is, in the end, the incredibly confident work of a single author, however.

[Koen Claeys · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved Guy Davis on B.P.R.D. His deceptively simple artwork has a haunting quality to it, which suited those bizarre adventures perfectly. Before B.P.R.D., there was 'The Marquis', a creator-owned series that drew me in from the first page. We get an intriguing, unique horror adventure story about a man in the 18th century who fights demons only he seems to see... A minor criticism is that there's a little too much talking in this book but the dialogues are very strong. Now that Davis is off B.P.R.D. Dark Horse will be publishing the remaining storylines as original graphic novels beginning with “The Marquis and The Midwife”, to be followed by the last two books that tell the complete story of the Marquis Vol de Galle. I can't wait to get my hands on these books.

[Charlotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Guy Davis must have thought to himself at a certain point, "What's popular with comic book readers? Oh, yes: boobs and monsters". So he drew lots of boobs on frightening monsters. And the occasionally penis, because Davis shuns nothing, and realised there's at least half an audience left hungry in the usual comic books. No Marvel inner-thigh dropshadows here. Only dramatic shadows allowed.

Or Guy Davis didn't mean to pander to any imaginary audience, and just drew what he saw in his mind. Which is the more frightening answer, since this means Davis's mind leads straight into Hell. This book basically proves it, though.

Masterful art, amazing monsters. The dialogue sometimes drags a bit, but who cares? More pages of Davis art to gawk at.

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book drew me in with the cover and hooked me with the intricate drawings. The illustration, while confusing at times because so many things are happening in some frames, is of the highest quality.

The story itself is what I can only describe as a mix of V for Vendetta with a religious spin and Constantine. Without giving away too much of the story, Vol de Galle begins seeing demons from hell when he puts on a special mask and takes it as a sign from the "saints" (which seem to be gods in this universe) that he is to rid his medieval French city of demons. The story is a little rambling and confusing, but this is definitely worth a read.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an incredible book hampered only in that it is the first book in a series. There is a lot of world building and exposition, which was necessary in its original format (a miniseries and a few short stories, sometimes as much as a year apart) but doesn't translate well into the final trade format.

It is a must read for horror fans. Since future volumes will be written for the graphic novel format, I expect tighter storytelling. Not to mention Guy Davis has had a decade to hone his craft. "The Marquis and the Midwife" should be due for release late 2012. Look out for it.