Review: ‘Demon Days: X-Men’ Views Superheroes As Legends

When Marvel Comics announced Demon Days I don’t think anyone quite knew what to expect. Sure, an alternate reality heavily influenced by Japanese culture and folklore was obvious. However, I don’t think anyone quite expected this.

This stunning one-shot is the beginning of this new take on the Marvel Universe. It’s a world of folklore and magic, with an artistic influence unlike anything American comics have seen before. It was created by Peach Momoko, Zack Davisson, and Ariana Maher.

The peace between humans and yokai lasted for lifetimes, however the humans grew too ambitious, shattering the peace. Soon, a lone sword named Sai is drawn between the conflict in one villages’ citizens and their yokai neighbors. Can she mend the peace before a malicious demon consumes them all?

Momoko creates a stunning world to tell this story. The art is dreamlike, with moments of cartoony humor, then fluid action. Her painted colors create a very specific feel for the story, matching the folklore-ish quality of the script. Her layouts are very dynamic, evoking manga, without entirely telling a manga story. It’s one of the best looking and most unique one-shots I’ve read in recent memory.

The story is a lot of fun. Momoko clearly enjoyed reimagining Psylocke, Moonstar, Logan and Jubilee, and the Hulk and Venom are both terrifying in their own ways. The plot is pretty standard, and Davisson’s translated dialogue can be clunky, but overall it’s a strong story that drives the stunning art.

After this issue, I can’t wait to read more of Momoko’s new world. I’m not entirely quite sure where it’ll go, especially with its surprising ending. However, it’s gorgeous, unique and a very exciting new take on the familiar. It’s bound to be something special over the course of this entire mini-series.

Demon Days: X-Men is available now from Marvel Comics.