Japanese folklore and Marvel collide in Demon Days: X-Men #1. In a beautiful debut from Peach Momoko, a traveling swordswoman comes across a village that is threatened by a demon. In book one of five of what is clearly going to be an epic saga, Demon Days: X-Men #1 doesn’t disappoint as it brings the audience on a journey filled with mutants, magic, monsters, and demons.
Writer: PEACH MOMOKO
Penciler: PEACH MOMOKO
Cover Artist: PEACH MOMOKO
From STORMBREAKER PEACH MOMOKO comes a Marvel story unlike any you’ve ever seen before! A wandering swordswoman with a psychic blade arrives at village that’s being targeted by demons. One demon is black and white with a terrifying red tongue and another may be the strongest demon there is! In the stunning kick-off issue of this prestige quarterly story, you’ll see a revolutionary reimagination of the Marvel Universe that could only come from Peach Momoko. Ready your katana and enter a mysterious world of demons, monsters, mutants, and magic! Book ONE of FIVE of the DEMON DAYS saga!
THE GOOD
In Demon Days: X-Men #1, we get a story unlike any other, with Marvel characters we know and love weaved into a world of Japanese folklore. While we have a much beloved character in Psylocke a.k.a. “Sai” and her trusty wolf sidekick, “Logan.” At first, looking for a bed to rest from her travels, Sai comes across a village where the crops have clearly been raided but the rest of the village is fine. The first person Sai encounters is a young girl named Tsuki who proclaims she doesn’t have time for Sai’s problems as she is off to kill an Oni – a massive ogre-like creature that’s responsible for wreaking havoc on the village’s crops.
However, the Oni is not the only mythical creature in their midst; the great snake, Orochi has taken over one of the temples. Sai, Logan, Tsuki, and Juju (a Jushi sorcerer) take on the great snake with the help of the Oni. But will their group be enough to take down the feared demon? Well, you’ll just have to read the comic book to find out.
Peach Momoko’s writing shines in her debut comic book. She creates a wonderful world that mixes Marvel and Japanese folklore in a way that’s intriguing for all readers. The book expertly combines both the new and the old perfectly, while also making a new and exciting world for the characters to explore. Coupling the stunning storytelling with Momoko’s beautiful artwork pulls readers into a bold new universe that I, personally, couldn’t get enough of.
Known for her beautiful artwork, Momoko’s painting in Demon Days: X-Men #1 truly leap from the page. From the very first page, Momoko’s artwork has the ability to transport readers right into the book themselves, adding to the atmosphere that plays out through the story.
Demon Days: X-Men #1 is a stellar debut from Momoko and I can’t wait to read what comes next in this grand adventure.
THE BAD
The only bad thing is that the saga doesn’t continue until June. It seems so far away, however, I will gladly wait for something I expect will be just as great as Demon Days: X-Men #1!
RATING – 5/5 Pocky
Britany Murphy is a pop culture writer and contributor at POCculture.com. She loves art, comics, film, writing & tomfoolery!
