Marvel's Merry Mutants are back as readers have never seen them before in the Demon Days miniseries. The first in a planned line of five oversized issues, to be published quarterly, focuses on the X-Men as the Children of the Atom from the singular vision of fan-favorite comic book creator Peach Momoko. Blending Japanese art styles and a feudal Japanese setting with the iconic Marvel Universe characters, the opening special is one of the most visually striking books currently on the stands, with Momoko reimagining the iconic characters in refreshing new ways while maintaining what has made them so endearing to audiences for decades in an impressive oversized special.
As an iteration of Psylocke, reimagined as a lone ronin, wanders the countryside, she comes across a remote village targeted by demons, each resembling a familiar Marvel character. And as Psylocke puts her psychic blade to defend the less fortunate from their intimidating foes, the stoic swordswoman quickly learns she's far from the only one in feudal Japan boasting incredible abilities that defy conventional explanation as she's joined by mythological figures to help her on her quest, as she realizes it may take demons to vanquish demons.
Momoko is pulling double duty as the writer and artist, with Zack Davisson handling the English language localization. Momoko is weaving folklore first and foremost, this is a fantasy story that prominently features characters based on Marvel superheroes and villains. This juxtaposition works well, and Psylocke is a fantastic choice as a protagonist for this lead-off special, recognizable right from the opening panels, yet fitting within the sensibilities of the world that Momoko is crafting. And as Momoko expands her roster of mythological superheroes, each character takes cues from bits of Japanese culture, history, anime and video games as much as they do from the wider Marvel Universe.
Momoko's art style is breathtakingly gorgeous from cover to cover, with watercolor spreads and a weathered look given to each page to make the special feel like it's been torn from the pages of a Japanese storybook. With clean linework and astonishingly good character designs, there truly is no other take on the Marvel superheroes like Demon Days, and Momoko is able to convey her entire story without saying a single word, with each character beautifully expressive and the action sequences completely fluid and popping off the page. There are set pieces within this book that feel like a Hayao Miyazaki attempt to adapt Marvel Comics, yet Momoko is bringing her own artistic sensibilities in full display as she delivers her own personal take on the universe that invites readers to jump into the immersive, bold vision.
Marvel recently declared Peach Momoko among one of its"Stormbreakers," artists poised to represent the next generation of Marvel superstars. Demon Days: X-Men #1 makes a strong case for Momoko to be more than deserving of the title, far more than just an artist relegated to illustrating variant covers. With a strong grasp on Marvel's characters that repositions them with a mythological twist on superhero tropes, Demon Days breathes new life into these venerable characters through the perspective of Japanese folklore and classical art. And with four more specials poised to explore different corners of the Marvel Universe through a similar artistic lens, Demon Days is quickly shaping up to be something special for Marvel fans.
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