Comic Review: Demon Days Mariko: Issue #1

Story and Art by Peach Momoko
Published by Marvel Comics

Demon Days Mariko is a manga-art style comic starring a young girl named Mariko. When we first encounter her she’s about to stab a male classmate. Word spreads around her school if the incident. When she arrives home we meet Mariko’s maid, Kuroki. Kuroki asks about school and Mariko’s expression suggests to Kuroki that there was another ‘incident’.

Mariko has a dream about Oni; or demons which wakes her up. She tells her grandmother of her dream and then her grandmother spills the beans about where Mariko actually came from.

As a toddler she was found in the foggy mountains of Kirisaki by Granny. She was found unconscious and laying on top of her mother who unfortunately was dead. Grandma decided to raise Mariko as her own granddaughter and kept Mariko’s past from her until now. Mariko, now knowing who she is decides to go on a quest to find out what happened to her mother.

If you are a fan of manga-style art, the cover alone should grab your attention; especially if you find it next to Captain America or Spider-Man. The cover art was also done by Peach Momoko.
It’s nice. I do like the watercolor look. The pages inside are drawn well. All of the ink appears to have been done lightly. You won’t find any thick lines in here on any of the characters or the environment. I found the colors used in the panels to be a bit dull, but I’m not sure if Peach is doing it on purpose to suggest any type of mood in the story or if she likes the colors. I have always found the sound effects in manga to be strange, such as in an American comic you would see an action with a “whack!” but in manga you might see “thnk” and I’m not disappointed at all here.

The story is quick, meaning there’s not much build up to the main point of the story. It kind of goes from introduction of some characters into a big revelation within a few pages then it’s off on a quest. It’s common in manga, so it’s not a bad thing.

Overall, I liked the story, the art is good, and it’s always nice to finish reading a comic and feel satisfied, even if the story doesn’t end. I’d give it a 4 out of 5.