The Watcher's Test

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## The Watcher's Test

* Original Cover
* 2023 Reprint

### Publisher

Nobrow Press (2018)Union Square & Co. (2023)

**The Watcher's Test** is the first published graphic novel of the *DeadEndia* franchise, illustrated by the author, Hamish Steele. It was published on August 15th, 2018. The book was reprinted on May 2nd, 2023 by Union Square & Co.

## Biography

Barney and Norma are just trying to get by and keep their jobs, but working at Dead End also means battling demonic forces, vengeful ghosts, time travelling wizards and scariest of all - their love lives. Follow the lives of the employees of a theme park haunted house, which may or may not also serve as a portal to hell, in this comedic but moving graphic novel from the bestselling author of Pantheon.

## Plot

10,000 years into future, a figure with their face wrapped in cloth finds the spirits of a two people and a dog. In present day, Barney gets a job as a janitor from his high school friend Norma at a haunted house attraction called Dead End, inside of an amusement park called PollyWood, in the honor of actress Pauline Phoenix. Unbeknownst to Norma, Barney has run away from home and stays the night at Dead End with his dog Pugsley, where he discovers, to Norma's knowledge, that the seemingly broken elevator in Dead End turns into a portal to other realms.

Temeluchus, a demon king, comes through the elevator and a red demon announces to Norma and Barney that Temelechus will possess one of them, only for Temelechus to posses Pugsley and Barney to chase after him. The red demon introduces Norma to Fingers, and they realize that Temelechus can be harmed if a picture is taken of him. While Barney and Temelechus fight on a log ride, Norma uses the help of another park employee, Logs, to take a picture of the battle, killing Temelechus and erasing him from Pugsley's body. Pugsley is revealed to have been given the ability to talk and think after the incident and the gang are watched by the masked figure from the beginning.

Norma shows Barney around PollyWood as Logs discovers a faceless child, who Barney befriends. Courtney, the red demon, shows Barney and Norma Kushiel, the Angelic Punisher, who is on the lookout for a demon. Courtney explains to Norma about the 13 planes, with humans living on the 7th, angels living on planes 1-6 and demons on planes 8-13. The faceless child shapeshifts into Barney and takes up the name Other Barney, bonding with Barney and Pugsley, before Norma and Courney confront them, with Courtney telling Barney that Other Barney is an Echo from the 6th plane, who will change their appearances countless times based on people who influence them. A cowboy demon slayer, Murdoch, appears and attacks Barney but accidentally fatally shoots Other Barney, before he is impaled and killed by Kushiel.

Kushiel reveals that Murdoch was the demon they were searching for and Barney allows Fingers to bring a dying Other Barney to his plane, where his father shapeshifts into Barney as well. Murdoch appears in a strange dystopian plane with the masked figure sitting on a pile of souls in jars, who kills Murdoch with a laser beam. Norma recounts how Dead End was the first fear she managed to overcome to her therapist, Dr. Rupert McKinley, and how she had a nervous breakdown at a beach day. McKinley gives Norma and her sister Ana the Skull of Fear, which causes them to hallucinate the entire park crew as corpses, with the Skull being given to Pugsley. The park gang realize that everything the Skull is showing is fake, and they are attacked by McKinley, who is revealed to be a worm-like flesh creature feeding on fear, before Norma caves in his head with the Skull of Fear. Logs, who Barney has had a crush on, asks if Barney wants to go for a drink with him and Barney happily accepts.

A group of sack-faced figures known as the Cult of Princes mourns the death of McKinley; Badyah invites Norma to hang out with her, and Norma accepts though she doesn't want to go. While they are gone, Pugsley and Courtney discover that Pugsley can use magic and in the process, Barney is turned into a dog while at work drinks with Logs and Norma is turned into a cat while bonding with Badyah. They make their way back to Dead End and Barney is attacked by the Cult of Princes, but Pugsley defeats them, with the Cult believing Pugsley to be Temelechus, and thus, their new leader. A strange samurai suddenly attacks them but is accidentally killed by Pugsley, with the samurai disappearing just as Murdoch did.

Gord, the worm-like leader of the Cult of Princes, infiltrates a class that is going on a birthday party to Dead End. Barney's brother Patrick, who is part of the party, attempts to find Barney but is attacked by a strange creature that shoves candy down his throat, which Patrick then gives to the rest of the class and Courtney. Gord reveals himself to the park gang and they tell him that Temelechus is dead, though Gord still accepts Pugsley as his leader. He tells the gang that the creature is a Tristivore, which sucks all the negativity out of people and leaves them dead. Pugsley reveals that he unknowingly summoned it in order to cheer Barney up. Pugsley summons a Beautivore, which fights with the Tristivore, imploding them both. Courtney awakens and discovers the strange spirit of something behind a door.

In a flashback, Barney runs away from home due to his parents not accepting the fact that he is trans and does not want to be their daughter. Patrick bonds with Barney as three lookalikes of Pauline Phoenix arrive at her mansion, with Pauline choosing one of them and revealing herself to be a ghost flying around her own rotting corpse. Logs talks to Barney and they end up going for drinks, ending up at a bar where Badyah and Norma are, as well as Pauline Phoenix. Pauline performs and they realize that the performer is not Pauline, and that she is possessed. The next night, Badyah sneaks backstage and takes a picture of the lookalike, trapping Pauline's spirit in her phone.

Badyah sends the picture to Norma but Pauline ends up possessing her body; as Pugsley and Barney run, they are attacked by a Robin Hood reenactor, before Pauline appears in Norma's body and kills Fingers. Pugsley attempts to shoot a blast of energy at Pauline but she exits Norma's body and the blast strikes Norma through the face, killing her. Pugsley has a breakdown and his magic goes haywire, with Dead End collapsing and killing the reenactor and Barney. 10,000 years in the future, the masked figure finds the spirits of Barney, Norma, and Pugsley, and tells them not to worry.

The figure, known as The Watcher, partially revives them due to the fact that they defeated his challengers but Pugsley cannot speak or use magic. The Watcher reveals that five years into their future, the Demon Kings destroyed the world after Temelechus' death, killing everyone besides The Watcher, who amassed an army of souls in the hope of fighting against them, as he has been alive for 10,000 years. The Watcher sends them to multiple realities, but they realize that they have become the challengers themselves, and Norma allows herself to be impaled by Spring-Heeled Jack while Barney is decapitated by a gladiator. The Watcher attempts to trap their souls again but Barney and Norma begin to fade, although Pugsley doesn't.

In present day, Pugsley revives Barney and partially revives Norma as a half spirit/half human hybrid. They discover the spirit of Pugsley, which Courtney tells Pugsley is actually him, as Pugsley was killed the moment Temelechus entered his body and he has been kept alive by Temelechus' magic. The Watcher travels back in time to attack Barney and Norma, but Pugsley transports them to Barney's old room. Pugsley sends Barney back in time in order to kill The Watcher as a child, but Barney discovers a cardboard box in his own childhood kitchen full of puppies, one of them being Pugsley. The Watcher travels to the same moment as Barney and reveals himself to a future version of Pugsley.

The Watcher reveals to Barney that both him and Norma were killed in the war with the Demon Kings, then fights with Barney through multiple time periods. Pugsley realizes that The Watcher is himself and destroys the photo of Temelechus, killing both himself and The Watcher. At the funeral of Pauline Phoenix some time later, Barney works up the courage to kiss Logs; Courtney visits the Demon Kings and tells them that he knows who killed their brother: Temelechus.