Demon Days Mariko #1 Review

“That was gross.”--Mariko

Story and Art--Peach Momoko

English Adaptation and Dialogue--Zack Davisson

Lettering--Ariana Maher

Cover Art--Peach Momoko

Demon Days Mariko is a story that is something completely different from Marvel and it is really exciting! This is a kind of story that you certainly don’t expect from Marvel and you see the Marvel Universe in a whole new light!

Peach Momoko has been increasingly more popular in the United States over the last couple of years. She has been popping up more here in the States working for Marvel, Boom, Dark Horse and others and her artwork is just absolutely stunning! I, for one, picked up her Marvel Variant cover for Women of Marvel of the Scarlet Witch. That cover is just beautiful. But, I’m not here to talk about that. I’m here to talk about the art and story in Demon Days Mariko. So, let’s get into it. 

Demon Days Mariko is something totally different. The art is done in a Japanese style...not manga...but something more traditional. The art is just phenomenal. Every panel just pops off the page. One page in particular has an oni (a Japanese demonic creature) and the red colors are just stunning! The colors are muted throughout but the little splashes of bright red just shine through the pages. If you haven’t seen any Peach Momoko art...this is a great book to start with. Go pick it up. 

Let’s talk about the story now. The story is about Mariko, who is being haunted by certain dreams of an oni. As the story goes on, we learn that Mariko has an interesting backstory and the Black Widow has been her nanny. You get little hints of Marvel stories, or seeing the Marvel Universe as you’ve never seen it, engulfed with Japanese folklore of oni and other creatures. I also enjoyed the back matter in the book that explained Japanese folklore in more detail. It was really nice to see Zack Davisson working on this book and he did a phenomenal job making Demon Days Mariko more accessible to the US audience. 

Reviewing a comic that is different from what you are used to has proven to be difficult. I have spent days re-reading parts of the book or looking at panels in the book. I have had to digest this one on a different level. But that digestion has certainly been a pleasurable experience. It was kind of like eating a meal from a different culture. Pleasurable, but you take the extra time to digest and savor it. I feel the same way with Demon Days Mariko. It was such a pleasurable book! I would highly recommend it.