Review: Daemonifuge

Daemonifuge by Kev Walker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Rating 4 out of 5| Grade: B+; Nuns with guns, in Space!

The Adepta Sororitas, or the Sisters of Battle always had a special place in my cold dead mechanical necron heart. There is something so mesmerizing about Nuns in space unloading a truck load of lead onto the heretic, mutant & xenos in one hand, and on the other hand preach the holy word of the Emperor so that you may reach salvation that only his divine grace may bring forth.

Plus there are a slap in the face of anyone who says that nerds only like female characters in scantily clad 'boob armor'. The Sororitas are an insult to such comments. I mean, look at them, clad in armament & swagger. They are the freaking emperor's favorite daughters.



Plus, plus, there are much needed inclusion in the sausage fest that is the Imperial roster, filled with Astartes, Mechanicus & the Imperial guard. I mean, the Aeldari & Drukhari have, let's say, 'strong' female characters, and the Emperor knows that the temptation they offer can sometimes make me question the Imperial Creed. So, having a bunch of nuns to simp over, reaffirms my faith in the Emperor. No Heresy.



When it comes to WH40k media, as far as I've seen, the Sororitas have gotten the short end of the stick. Almost all stories written are predominantly about the Space Marines, the Imperial guard or the Inquisitors. So this was a breath of fresh air.



The story follows the journey of Ephrael Stern, a Sister of Battle, the sole survivor from her group which was dispatched to investigate a long lost branch of their order. Her unlikely survival, combined by the fact that the Imperium is well, the Imperium meant that everyone strongly suspected her to have some manner of chaos taint.

Septimus Grinn an Inquisitor of the Ordo Malleus is dispatched to interrogate her. And if you know anything about the Inquisition, being in their radar in any capacity is definitely not a good thing. What transpires to Sister Stern, and what is mystery of her survival forms the crux of the narrative.

Art Style

The Art of Daemonifuge is reminiscent of the early era of Warhammer, where everyone was stout, muscular and masculine; even the women. Plus, it is all rendered in grayscale, which is something that I hate & like.



For one, this renders the frames with an eerie quality befitting the horror aesthetic of the story. But on the other hand, it makes the pages sort of blurred, making it seem like the whole thing is mist filled fever dream, and wreaking havoc in the pages which are action heavy.



But in pages where there is less clutter, and the art is allowed to breathe, it invokes an almost Mordor level of gravitas, which is something that I appreciate.





And it's not like the illustrators aren't trying. When they want to, they can draw massive, psychedelic, busy panels, which nonetheless are rendered with perfect clarity and flow.




Characters

The roster of the story, which focuses mostly on Ephrael Stern & the Inquisitors Silas Hand & Septimus Grinn are engaging. The Inquisitors, in their typical skeptical, paranoid, inquisitorial ways, are still those who are true to the Emperor's light, and show great conviction when faced with the forces of Chaos.



Sister Stern herself, a survivor of a great tragedy, and someone who repeatedly finds herself being captured, betrayed and sucker punch'd by the forces of Chaos, bears it all with a grace and dignity befitting of a sister of battle. At no point, even when she is in the underbelly of the beast, does her conviction & faith falter. She is willing to stand her ground in defiance until her last breath. And that makes her a charismatic and endearing lead, in her own gruff and competent way.



One gripe I have is how, half the time Sister Stern and co, find themselves fighting not against the daemons of chaos, rather the heretics and traitors amongst themselves. Those who have infiltrated like a rot, so deep into the echelons of the Ecclesiarchy, and every the Ordo Malleus. It almost feels like Chaos has no need to do anything, seeing as how the Imperials are so eager to murder kill each other.

The paranoid nature of the Inquisition & the Ecclesiarchy, is shown to be a double edged sword. One, giving them an edge in finding and rooting out the corrupted taint of chaos. On the other, it also makes them f**king paranoid to the point that they are willing to sacrifice no matter how many in an effort to eradicate it. Even when said people might be their best bet against facing this threat.



Daemonifuge by Kev Walker is a great entry to the Warhammer mythos, and I would recommend that you pick it up, bar some negatives.


View all my reviews