Demon Diary

    (Tokyopop, 2003-2004)
™ and © Lee Chi Hyong, Lee Yun Hee, and Kara

The back-cover description leads the reader to expect a sweeping epic of gods and demons, but the actual story included here is a much more intimate story of one of those plucky, unready heroes being made ready to be presented to a court of demons.

The art is simple, yet simply lovely, the use of detail sparing except when it comes to Hyong’s exquisite, angular figures and their intricate costumes. (Marvel really needs to start looking at Korean artists.)

The only trouble with the art is it keeps shifting back and forth between normal and “super-deformed” mode, which, along with being distracting, gives the suspension of disbelief a thorough workout.

TokyoPop believes in giving its readers their money’s worth, so, along with the titular main feature, there’s a pair of shorts, “Crystal Heart” and “Terra,” both of which also speak on magic and the human heart without getting all hearts and flowers.

— S.A. Bennett
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