Graphic Mythology: Hellsignor

Not all mythic characters can be heroes. For the sake of writing an interesting story, one must have villains, including those of the supernatural variety. Hellsignor is a good example of this in Part 2 of The Dark Age storyline from Astro City.

I like the way that this character typifies evil. He’s a conceited blowhard whose power is wasted on his ego, and his appearance is appropriately brief. His accomplishments? Well, he enslaves some susceptible souls as his acolytes, takes innocent captives, and defeats various superheroes only to have one of them, the Point Man, foil his plans. During Hellsignor’s boastful proclamations and his preparations to receive the power of something called the Gem of Thebis, the Point Man swipes the stone and throws it around the neck of a captive bystander. She is transformed into the latest incarnation of Cleopatra, the superhero who immediately sends Hellsignor into another dimension.

This is satisfying. Threaten, conquer, boast, and – Poof! You’re gone. Even the most powerful dictator is a squashed bug on the windshield of history, a mere foil for something or someone more enduring and important. I fear that there is at least a trace of the egomaniac in all of us, and he needs to be vanquished accordingly.