A silent war has been brewing in Hell to Pay, and it’s between Hell and Earth, with humans the collateral damage. Over the course of five issues, Hell To Pay has revealed capitalism as we know it was due to demons influencing humanity. In the final issue of the first story arc within the Shrouded College universe, we see all that work potentially being stopped thanks to a man who wants to kill capitalism. Seeking a meeting with the devil, can our heroes save themselves and stop the villain from getting what he wants?
Hell to Pay #6 opens with Mr. Bhutto getting to work to meet with the devil. We soon learn most demons don’t have direct contact with the devil, but they’ll take a coin — usually worth a great sum of money or anything you wish for — to find another demon who might. As these transitions take place, Maia Stone is trying to make a deal with a demon to save her husband, Sebastian.
The latter scenes supply plenty of action and another point of view on the entire affair. Bhutto’s helper is tasked with stopping Maia, a formidable foe, allowing for plenty of interchange of dialogue. It’s a little funny how much they say, but the points are interesting enough. Along with some magic and demonic help, things play out about as you’d expect, leading to a showstopper scene with the devil himself.
The demons continue to look quite cool in this series.
Credit: Image
That scene is incredible, starting with Will Sliney’s design of the devil. He’s literally twisted and freaky looking with a great touch of color by Rachelle Rosenberg. He’s godly like one might imagine seeing in an ancient scripture. Soule also gives him an interesting personality that’ll catch you off guard in a good way. Magical effects are another highlight in the art department, with the use of slanted layout design continuing to impress in the series.
I won’t spoil it, but Soule also offers up an intriguing explanation from the devil himself about what capitalism is all about. There’s a sci-fi concept used to explain what capitalism is and it’s a frightening and honestly realistic take given his perspective.
Aside from the overly wordy fight scene, this issue suffers a bit with Bhutto’s seemingly well thought-out plan backfiring on him. From the silly nature of having to ask demon after demon to how things play out, it’s a little unsatisfactory, given how leading up to this issue. He seemed to have done his homework. Pair that with where our heroes end up, and it’s a finale that’s more of a to-be-continued than I’d have liked.
That said, this issue has enough setup to make you want more. Soule and Sliney are planning multiple miniseries set in this horror universe, and by all accounts, Hell to Pay is a great taste tester for much larger and scarier threats to explore. The Shrouded College universe ends, making you want more as the pairing of action and adventure is strong with its meaningful themes and horror visuals.
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