Reign in Hell is a 2008-2009 comic book

Comic book

A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...

 limited series

Limited series

A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....

 written by Keith Giffen

Keith Giffen

Keith Ian Giffen is an American comic book illustrator and writer.-Biography:Giffen was born in Queens, New York City....

, pencilled by Thomas Derenick and published by DC Comics

DC Comics

DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...

. The title is a reference to a line spoken by Lucifer

Lucifer

Traditionally, Lucifer is a name that in English generally refers to the devil or Satan before being cast from Heaven, although this is not the original meaning of the term. In Latin, from which the English word is derived, Lucifer means "light-bearer"...

 in John Milton

John Milton

John Milton was an English poet, polemicist, a scholarly man of letters, and a civil servant for the Commonwealth of England under Oliver Cromwell...

's Paradise Lost

Paradise Lost

Paradise Lost is an epic poem in blank verse by the 17th-century English poet John Milton. It was originally published in 1667 in ten books, with a total of over ten thousand individual lines of verse...

: "Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven."

Plot

During the events of Reign in Hell, the Underworld is thrown into a massive conflict as Neron

Neron

Neron is a fictional demon, a comic book character published by DC Comics. He first appeared in the DC Comics cross-over event Underworld Unleashed #1, , and was created by Mark Waid and Howard Porter.- Publication history :...

 and his generals are confronted with a rebellion led by Lord Satanus and Lady Blaze

Blaze and Satanus

Blaze and Satanus are fictional demonic siblings published by DC Comics. Blaze debuted in Action Comics #655 ; she was created by Roger Stern and Bob McLeod...

, the rulers of Purgatory

Purgatory

Purgatory is the condition or process of purification or temporary punishment in which, it is believed, the souls of those who die in a state of grace are made ready for Heaven...

. Neron soon discovered that the rebel demons were offering the damned hope, and that this was a powerful spur. Recognizing what would happen if the damned rose up against him, Neron has his consort Lilith

Lilith

Lilith is a character in Jewish mythology, found earliest in the Babylonian Talmud, who is generally thought to be related to a class of female demons Līlīṯu in Mesopotamian texts. However, Lowell K. Handy notes, "Very little information has been found relating to the Akkadian and Babylonian view...

, the "mother of all earthborn fiends," summon all vampire

Vampire

Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...

s, ghoul

Ghoul

A ghoul is a folkloric monster associated with graveyards and consuming human flesh, often classified as undead. The oldest surviving literature that mention ghouls is likely One Thousand and One Nights...

s, werewolves

Werewolf

A werewolf, also known as a lycanthrope , is a mythological or folkloric human with the ability to shapeshift into a wolf or an anthropomorphic wolf-like creature, either purposely or after being placed under a curse...

, and infernally powered humans to Hell

Hell (DC Comics)

Hell is a fictional location, an infernal underworld utilized in titles published by DC Comics. It is the locational antithesis of the Silver City. The DC Comics location known as Hell is based heavily on its depiction in Judeo-Christian mythology...

.

This unrest in the infernal realm attracts the attention of Earth's mystics, who are concerned about the outcome and possible repercussions of the war. Many magically powered heroes descend into Hell and take sides in the conflict, including Zatanna

Zatanna

Zatanna Zatara is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Murphy Anderson, Zatanna first appeared in Hawkman vol. 1 #4...

, Doctor Fate

Doctor Fate

Doctor Fate is the name of a succession of fictional sorcerers who appear in books published by DC Comics. The original version was created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Howard Sherman, and first appeared in More Fun Comics #55...

, the Shadowpact

Shadowpact

The Shadowpact is a group of magic-based heroes who fought against the Spectre in the 2005 limited series Day of Vengeance, published by DC Comics. They are a sort of Justice League for the supernatural elements of the DC Universe...

, Zauriel

Zauriel

Zauriel is a fictional character in the DC Universe. Originally a guardian angel who served Heaven for millions of years, he willingly fell to Earth and becomes a superhero, having been a member of DC's all-star Justice League. He first appeared in JLA #6...

, Sargon the Sorcerer

Sargon the Sorcerer

Sargon the Sorcerer is a fictional character, a second string mystic, superhero and sorcerer appearing in DC Comics during the Golden Age. The original Sargon first appeared in All-American Comics # 26, , and was created by John B. Wentworth and Howard Purcell...

, Ibis the Invincible

Ibis the Invincible

Ibis the Invincible is a fictional character, a comic book superhero originally published by Fawcett Comics in the 1940s and then by DC Comics beginning in the 1970s. Like many magician superheroes introduced in the Golden Age of Comics, Ibis owes much to the popular comic strip character Mandrake...

, Black Alice, and Linda Danvers. In the series' backup feature, Doctor Occult

Doctor Occult

Doctor Occult is a fictional character, a magic user in the . Created by Superman's creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, Doctor Occult is the earliest character created by DC Comics still currently in use in its shared universe fiction....

 also journeys to Hell but with ulterior motives -- to free the soul of his beloved Rose Psychic

Rose Psychic

Rose Psychic is a DC Comics heroine affiliated with the company's first superhero, Doctor Occult. They were created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, the creators of Superman. She first appeared in More Fun Comics #6 . She appeared in Dr. Occult's first story, and then disappears from the story...

.

Lobo, who is confined to the Labyrinth, Hell's prison, is freed as a result of the titanic battle between Etrigan the Demon and Blue Devil

Blue Devil

Blue Devil is a superhero featured in material published by DC Comics. He first appeared in a special insert published in Fury of Firestorm #24 . That story led directly into Blue Devil #1, also cover dated June 1984...

, a battle which results in Etrigan's temporary death at Blue Devil's hands. Lobo eviscerates the spirit-form of Zatara

Zatara

Giovanni "John" Zatara is a fictional character in the DC Universe. He first appeared in Action Comics #1 , and was created by writer and artist Fred Guardineer. He is a stage magician who also practices actual magic...

 (Zatanna's father) which forces Zatanna to destroy his soul rather than consign him to an eternity of pain and torment (In the Zatanna series, Zatara is later shown to have been saved by a demon who owes him a favor).

Lord Satanus reveals that he used the war to spread a modified viral version of DMN, the anagogic drug he had once used to destabilize Metropolis

Metropolis (comics)

Metropolis is a fictional city that appears in comic books published by DC Comics, and is the home of Superman. Metropolis first appeared by name in Action Comics #16 ....

 and confound Superman

Superman

Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...

. This version of DMN is airborne and, when combined with the magical word "Shazam

Shazam (comics)

Shazam is a comic book character created by Bill Parker and C. C. Beck for Fawcett Comics. He is an ancient sorcerer who gives young Billy Batson the power to transform into the superhero Captain Marvel...

," it transforms Neron and all of Hell's demons into soulless humans, all except Lilith who was not a true demon. Satanus then decapitates Neron and takes over as Hell's ruler. The Damned turn their rage upon the now human and powerless demons and imps, slaughtering them wholesale, and damning themselves anew.

Lady Blaze later takes advantage of her brother's momentary weakness during a moment when he allows Black Alice to touch him and sample his powers; this action shatters Alice's psyche and allows Lady Blaze to drain Lord Satanus' power and take the throne for herself. At the end of the series, the Unspoken Principium of Hell is revealed by Doctor Occult: "You can leave whenever you want."