CHOIRBOY COMMANDOES

Membership: None named

Base of Operations: Gotham City

First Appearance: Demon III #42 (December, 1993)

History:  (Demon III #42, 44, 45) - Asteroth set himself up as a Gotham crimeboss, and Etrigan, still fuming over the past injuries Asteroth had caused him, wanted to destroy him. Jason Blood didn't want Etrigan fighting an Archfiend in Gotham, fearing civilian casualties, and Etrigan promised that although he didn't care about civilians he'd keep innocents from dying if Jason let him out. Asteroth was already notorious for his brutality, beheading and impaling rivals, and disappearing anyone who dared stand up to him. Asteroth was prepared for Etrigan, having given a large donation to the Church of the Blessed Televangelist and procuring the services of the Choirboy Commandos, a religious strike force armed with holy water and sharpened crucifixes. The choirboys sang hymns and severely injured Etrigan, the holy water they used against him causing his flesh to slough off, and he fled before they could finish him off. Asteroth performed ritual sacrifices to perform the Lodestar Daemonique and summon the Gothodaemon, Gotham City's very own demon, and looked forward to the streets running red with blood. Asteroth told Reverend Frukker he'd need the services of the Choirboy Commandoes for a bit longer, and Frukker had no problem with this as long as he kept up his donations. Demon learned of his plan, and hired Hitman to help him kill Asteroth. Etrigan sowed discord among Asteroth's troops by telling Frukker that Asteroth was a demon. Asteroth prepared St. Jack's Cemetery for the final sacrifice, and was protected by the Choirboy Commandoes, forcing Hitman and Etrigan, who were on the scene, to lay low. Frukker confronted Asteroth, who snapped his neck, making him the final sacrifice to raise the Gothodaemon. The risen Gothodaemon spread his madness across Gotham, turning people into homicidal or suicidal maniacs. Hitman noted that the Gothodaemon resembled Batman, and Etrigan replied that such things were not to be discussed. Asteroth was weakened by the ritual, and Etrigan and Hitman used the opportunity to slaughter the Choirboy Commandoes with hellfire and gunfire. Etrigan cornered the weakened Asteroth, mutilating his face and ripping out his tusks while mockingly acting reverent towards an archfiend of Hell. The Gothodaemon absorbed Etrigan, planning on feeding off his pain, but the demon was a mere 500 years old, while Etrigan had over 1000,00 years of experience, and after chiding the stripling burned the Gothodaemon alive from the inside out. Etrigan returned to Asteroth and spent hours torturing him before sending him back to Hell.