Father Patrick Retter’s assistant, Charlotte, asks him why bad things happen to good people. Retter’s answer is delayed as he thinks back to the time he was maimed by an IED while serving abroad as a soldier. Later, his friend Detective Gregory Chua brings him some bizarre case files and says he needs Retter’s ‘expertise.’ The files detail several apparent suicides which all seem to have occult connections, and Retter has been helping Chua with occult work for a while, so Chua wants his insight on these new cases as well. Chua warns Retter not to draw attention as he investigates.
Retter visits the coroner Zubloski and talks to him about one of the suicides, a fellow soldier named Christopher Smith who set himself on fire. Zubloski reveals that Smith had a single match with a black head in his stomach; bizarrely, the match was undamaged by either the fire or Smith’s digestive system. Smith also had a dog tag with his Christian denomination scratched out. Retter then goes to the home of another victim, Javier Martinez, where he meets Martinez’s mother. Mrs. Martinez says that Javier prayed to Santa Muerte, a pagan saint, and she thinks this is god’s punishment for her neglect of Javier and her divorce. Retter tries to reassure her and says they can still pray for Javier. He then asks if he can take items from Javier’s shrine to Santa Muerte, and Mrs. Martinez gives him permission.
The shrine’s contents include a matchbook of matches with black heads as well as a flyer for a Halloween party at the library. Retter goes there and finds some librarians dressed as witches, but they claim not to know what Retter is talking about. Later that night, he stakes out the library, ignoring a text from his sister Dani asking him to go with her to see their ailing mother. He also texts Chua to explain what’s going on and ask Chua to investigate the library if he, Retter, vanishes. Figures enter the library and Retter realizes that one of them is Charlotte. He hurries after them; by the time he gets inside, Charlotte has lain down naked on a table and a cloaked man in a plague doctor’s mask is standing over her with a dagger. Chua arrives as most of the other attendees flee, and he finds Retter restraining the man with the plague doctor’s mask. But then Charlotte’s eyes suddenly glow red, she hisses, “Kill the shepherd,” and she jumps several feet straight up to escape out a skylight.
The next day, Retter is called on the carpet by his superior, Bishop Beige. Retter argues that he saved a life in his last case with Chua but Beige doesn’t care, only saying that Retter is no longer a soldier and that he needs to focus on filling pews and not fighting the occult. Retter meets with Chua at a diner and learns that everyone caught at the library insists they were just having a party. He then shows Chua the notebook and says it meshess with something he read in the ‘’Hora Noctis,’’ an occult tome discussing a demon named Blackfire. A suited man walks by them and whispers something in Chua’s ear, but Chua doesn’t seem to notice the man and he just idly lights one of the matches even as Retter yells at him not to. The match burns blue and both Retter and Chua collapse, their eyes glowing the same color as the match. The suited man leaves without looking back.
Retter dreams of a childhood memory when he hid in a treehouse while his mother and Dani tries to find him so they could attend a funeral. Then he sees himself, burning and maimed from the IED, as the incinerated corpse of Smith crawls over and blames him for everything. Retter finally wakes up along with Chua, who screams that dogs should stay away from him. The two are thrown out of the diner and Retter goes to do some research.
At home, Retter is surprised by another priest named Reginald Crane who was waiting in his living room. Crane says that Retter is a specialist in demonology and that’s why he was picked to be the local exorcist. He then says that Retter should join the Soulfinders, a group of priests who oppose Blackfire, and when Retter says the Soulfinders don’t exist anymore, Crane insists they’re still around. He explains that Backfire offers people supernatural knowledge in order to tempt them and was largely responsible for the rise of gnosticism. The Soulfinders, Blackfire explains, protect humans from his evil.
—Reginald Crane
Crane further explains that only priests with military backgrounds can join the Soulfinders, notes that he himself is a Vietnam veteran, and insists that Retter would be a great candidate to join their organization. He then says he’ll be in touch and leads, but not before revealing that the obsidian matches are used to summon Blackfire.
That Sunday, Retter preaches a sermon about Jesus’s Apostles driving out demon. He’s interrupted by a demon impersonating his dead father Paul and wearing the police uniform Paul had on when he was killed. The demon hints that Blackfire will target Dani and Mrs. Retter next, then leaves. Retter leaves church after the sermon and goes to visit his mother, who is dying of cancer and cracks jokes about his Catholic faith. He also runs into Dani, who jokes about Retter never being around. Mrs. Retter tells Dani to respect his faith and Retter leaves, only to find Crane waiting with a car. He tells Crane what happened at church, and Crane recalls how Retter once exorcized a kid whom he also saved from a burning home.
After Retter goes home, he changes into a sleeveless shirt which shows how one of his arms is still badly burned from the IED. He looks at an article describing how Paul was killed during a traffic stop and reminisces. Someone knocks and Retter looks through the peephole to see a police holding a photograph of the obsidian match taken from Smith’s body, but the officer is gone when he opens the door. Retter assumes Chua sent the photograph over and texts him about it. Chua responds and says he has no idea what Retter is talking about. Confused and disturbed, Retter lights a match from the matchbook he took from Martinez’s shrine.
Retter sees himself as young child in his treehouse begging his father Paul not to report for his shift at the police station. Paul says he has to go but will see Retter later, but Retter cries that he knows that isn’t true. Retter’s father suddenly appears in the treehouse and asks if Retter was going to become a police officer and follow in his footsteps if not for the IED. He tells Retter that he should live his own life and that he’s experienced so much suffering because he’s instead been living a lie. Retter notices that Paul isn’t wearing his cross necklace at which point the vision changes and Retter sees Paul being gunned down on the road. Paul’s corpse says that nobody can hear his prayers, but Crane and Chua arrive at that point and Crane exorcises Retter. Retter apologizes, saying he just wanted to see his dad again, and Crane tells him he still has much to learn.
Retter tells Crane that each diocese is required to have an exorcist and so, even though Beige doesn’t believe in possession, he’ll let Retter keep that role as long as Retter doesn’t get in the way. The two priests and Chua visit the home of the Lees, another of the suicide cases. They find a book with drawings of a snail-like demon called Limax. Retter has to leave early to hear confessions but Chua finds some photographs along with more matches; Crane sneaks up on him and yanks them out of his hand. However, Retter is attacked in his confessional booth by a demoniac woman who drags him out of it. Retter tries to restrain her only of the demoniac to stop manifesting her powers and scream that Retter attacked her. A congregant calls the police and Retter is arrested.
The police officer who interrogates Retter dismisses his talk of demonic possession and refuses to let him speak with Chua. Retter is throne in a cell and visited by Beige, who yells at him, Dani, who castigates him for being unable to support their dying mother, and Crane, who says he’s trying to get Retter released. Crane affects this by going to church and lighting a match from the matchbook Chua found. He sees himself back with his squad in Vietnam, but instead of participating in the vision, he orders Blackfire to show himself. Blackfire appears in the form of a snake and reveals the corpse of a soldier who threatens to torture Crane for eternity, Crane is nonplussed. Blackfire then produces a vision of Retter saving the child that Crane had previously mentioned; Blackfire says that Hell had plans for the kid and now he wants revenge on Retter (and Crane, by extension). Crane tells Blackfire to follow Chua if he wants to find Retter.
Chua finds the newspaper article about the killing of Paul on his windshield. He’s then possessed by demoniac dogs and his gun has no effect on them. He flees but is captured by Charlotte, also still a demoniac; she demands to be taken to Retter. Chua agrees and arranges this by talking to the police commissioner, who is friends with Crane. Retter is released and Chua slips him a cross and some holy water before leading him to an interrogation room where Charlotte is waiting. Retter asks her if she wants to be freed from her demon. It’s Blackfire, however, who responds, and he says he’d been planning on having Charlotte burn herself to death like the others but now finds she might be useful. The snake form of Blackfire crawls from Charlotte’s mouth and threatens to damn thousands for every soul Retter saves. Retter prays and douses Charlotte with the holy water,
Blackfire claims that Paul is damned and his mother will be too. As the police officer who interrogated Retter watches on the other side of the glass (and is unable to see the snake or Charlotte’s glowing eyes), Charlotte bites Retter. The area spontaneously ignites and the police officer panics; Retter’s leg is hit by fire, but this is the leg that he lost in the IED attack, so while his prosthetic melts, he himself is unhurt. Charlotte breaks free from the cuffs and uses her demonic strength to fight Chua, but Retter holds up the cross, prays, and manages to cast out Blackfire. Charlotte thanks him and Retter falls unconscious, his melted prosthetic pooling into a puddle on the floor.
Retter gets a call that his mother has been hospitalized. He goes home and gets a spare prosthetic, then visits the hospital, but he encounters a demoniac nurse who taunts him by saying that Hell knows where his mother is. Retter reaches his mother’s room and finds Blackfire with her, and he claims that he’s been tempting her for years. Retter sees himself as a soldier again and shoots Blackfire, but the bullets do nothing and Retter is shot in return. He begs for help and sees a vision of Paul telling him to hold the line. That inspires Retter enough to pray; his gun is energized with holy power and he’s able to effectively shoot Blackfire. The demon insists that he can still damn Retter’s mother even if she never gives in to possession, but Retter continues to pray and shoot, and Blackfire finally vanishes. Retter’s mother wakes up and she says she’s scared, but Retter is with her and comforts her. She says that she loves both Retter and Dani, and then she finally dies.
Later, Retter cleans graffiti off of Paul’s grave and tells Crane Dani is mad about missing their mom’s death. Crane reassures him and says he’s meant to be a Soulfinder. They discuss how pain can lead to a greater good and faith reveals itself when all else fails. Chua says he feels nobody is safe, and Retter tells him they should stick together. He then says, “May God with be with you,” and returns to the church.
This comic contains examples of the following tropes:
- Badass Preacher: Retter is a veteran and skilled exorcist who goes toe-to-toe with demons. Crane’s also indicated to be very tough as well.
- Demonic Possession: Blackfire does this to several people, including Charlotte.
- Double-Meaning Title: The title 'demon's match' refers both to the obsidian matches used to summon the demon Blackfire and also to Retter himself, who is Blackfire's 'match' in that he's a skilled and capable opponent. In other words, Blackfire 'met his match' when he encountered Retter.
- Driven to Suicide: Blackfire forced several of his demoniacs to incinerate themselves.
- Friend on the Force: Chua serves as this to Retter and informs him of cases and problems which have occult signifiers.
- Holy Water: Retter uses some in his fight against the possessed Charlotte.
