Demon by Jason Shiga
Published by: First Second Books on October 4, 2016
Review Source: Publisher, Netgalley
Genres: Graphic Novel, Strangely Wonderful
Plot: Meet Jimmy. See Jimmy Struggle. See Jimmy kill himself… repeatedly… see Jimmy defy death.
Review: Just a heads up, minor spoilers ahead… I don’t always know what it is about a particular title that will make me want to read it, but there was something about Demon that caught my eye right away. The cover is this quirky, headless dude, just chillin’. I thought, “I can work with that”. It opens up with Jimmy, whose wife and daughter are gone, and so he’s throwing in the towel. The next few pages (all of which have a vintage Simpsons vibe, think Itchy and Scratchy) follow Jimmy as he offs himself, repeatedly. The guy keeps coming back to this same grungy hotel room. No white light, no pearly gates, no reaper. Just drab wallpaper and new way to end it all.
It takes awhile, but eventually Jimmy realizes that when he dies, his soul hops to the next closest person, thus making Jimmy a murderer and “demon”. It’s weird, and morbid, and extremely entertaining. There are parts that will make you squirm, and laugh, and question your morals. I’m not proud of it, but by golly I really liked it! Demon was a surprising delight that left me wanting more.
Rating: 4 out of 5 star
Who Should Snag It: If you like macabre humor and a touch of weird, this is your new jam.
*I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review*
