What happens when even hell becomes bland and unsatisfying? Well, that’s the question at the very center of Touched by a Demon, a new Dark Horse series from writer-artist Kristen Gudsnuk (Henchgirl, Making Friends).
In Touched by a Demon, we follow the “low-level demon” Bifrons who, alongside his “assistant Zuzu and a damned soul by the name of Elaine,” opts to leave the underworld for the mortal realm. And what does Bifrons do upon his arrival on Earth? Attempt to save souls, with the end goal of lifting up enough of the damned so that “God in his heavenly mercy will give [Bifrons] a second chance…but can an entity of evil really change its nature?”
Along the way, Bifrons encounters your standard issues as a demon trying to go legit, as well as one especially interesting moral Wendy (who is his very first client in the soul-saving game). But does this singular tale truly work? Well, our own David Brooke enjoyed the debut, explaining that Touched by a Demon #1 is a “thoughtful, funny, and surprisingly tender debut that explores identity, trauma, and self-determination through Gudsnuk’s uniquely warm and weird lens.” And that’s a better recommendation than Beelzebub himself!
Touched by a Demon #1 is out now (dropping just yesterday, as a matter of fact). To better understand the scope and power of the book, we touched base with Gudsnuk recently via email. There, we talked about lessons brought in from her other works, the interesting depictions of Hell, some insight into our charming, demonic lead, and even some teasers from issue #2 and beyond, among other topics and tidbits.
Courtesy of Dark Horse Comics.
AIPT: I think lots of people are going to come into this book from Making Friends. As different (or perhaps similar?!) as these books may be, what did you take from Making Friends into Touched By a Demon?
Kristen Gudsnuk: A lot of my books have similarities, simply due to me being inescapably me, but I feel like Touched by a Demon is, in a way, a response to doing middle grade/kids books for so long and wanting to make a comic that’s full of the kind of stories I couldn’t subject cute innocent children to. And yet there’s also a sheltered teenager named Wendy, who’s the titular demons’ first client, who could easily have been a Making Friends character. She’s just unfortunate enough to have been born in a less happy universe than my Making Friends kids.
AIPT: Where did the idea for the story come from? Why are Heaven and Hell as concepts still so dang interesting, and how did you find something new?
KG: I got the idea from watching a bad Hallmark movie about a magical life coach who was so inept, I started wondering if she was actually evil. That sparked the whole comic! And the title is a play on the ’90s show Touched by an Angel.
Heaven and Hell are compelling because they’re an extreme barometer of one’s worthiness. I wanted to explore the idea of trying to be better than you are through a satirical lens, poking fun at self help culture and other elements of modernity through the view of demons who haven’t been to the mortal realm in a few centuries.
Courtesy of Dark Horse Comics.
AIPT: Bifrons seems like a really interesting lead, a demon trying to make a change. What’s your assessment of him – do you feel some sympathy for him, or did you hope he could achieve his “transformation” (and have it make sense of the story)?
KG: I definitely feel sympathy for him! He’s someone who wants to change, but also doesn’t know how, and doesn’t really believe he can. I relate to his character, because I am constantly making and then failing at one resolution or another. Unfortunately for both of us, he might be a bit of an author insert.
AIPT: How do you handle operating as both writer and artist? Are there unique challenges and opportunities to doing both?
KG: I love it, and hate it! It takes so much time. But it’s fun! And I can draw the characters’ acting just like I see it in my head. Plus a lot of the writing is actually decided in the layouts, things like angles and paneling where each choice changes the tone of the story and the reader’s focus.
AIPT: I’ve always been somewhat dubious about all things life coaching, and I think you handle it here with patience and humor. Why opt for this job for Bifrons, and what do you make of life coaching?
KG: I like the idea of a life coach, though I personally prefer to handle my problems myself, privately, so there’s plausible deniability when I lose interest and/or give up. So I’ve always been more of a self help book person. I always stop reading self-help books before the end because I feel like the last page will be like, “Congrats! Your problems should all be resolved now!” and I’m never ready for that kind of finality. However, a comic where a character reads a book and takes occasional notes would be boring, so here we are.
Courtesy of Dark Horse Comics.
AIPT: Do you have a favorite moment in issue #1? Maybe something that sets the tone?
KG: There’s a flashback to basically an office Christmas party in Hell, and I like that scene. It shows why Frons feels like such a failure as a demon, and his various regrets, and also there are a bunch of dumb jokes in the background to delight eagle-eyed readers.
AIPT: I also feel like you do a darn good job balancing YA-leaning/-centric stories with more “mature” fare. How do you achieve that balancing act in a book like this one?
KG: I’m always aiming for a balance of light and dark. I want the story to feel inviting, but then once you’re cozy I want to pull the rug out. It’s what I’m drawn to when I read or watch something. If a story is unrelentingly grim I start to disengage and laugh, and if a story is unrelentingly cutesy it becomes nauseating. But if it keeps me on my toes I’m engaged.
AIPT: I love the way Hell is depicted here. Did you have any influences and inspirations or an end-goal in this “version” of the underworld?
KG: For the exteriors, I was thinking a little bit of the Shadow-Cursed Lands from act two of Baldur’s Gate 3, and I wanted to breadcrumb a few ideas for the future, so I have a cityscape in the background, hinting at an expansive, modernized Hell. Beyond that, I was mainly thinking in terms of Hell-themed gags, like an Antichristmas tree decorated with screaming faces instead of ornaments.
Courtesy of Dark Horse Comics.
AIPT: The whole central idea of this story (“Can an entity of evil really change its nature?) seems interesting to release at this rather specific moment in time? Did you consider the socio-political climate at all?
KG: Not really! I think of comics as an escape from the endless depressing churn of news and the dire state of the world. If anything, I tend to just make fun of how the world sucks. Beyond that, I try to keep it somewhat timeless, because with the speed I work at, anything politically timely will be out of date by the time it comes out. Speaking of which, I’ve got to remove the “Howard Dean scream” subplot from issue #4.
AIPT: What about Wendy made her a good inclusion? And how does her relationship with Bifrons evolve after what happens at the end of issue #1?
KG: When we meet her, Wendy is a sheltered, earnest teen who’s trying very hard to be good enough to earn her emotionally neglectful parents’ love, which makes her an ideal first client for Bifrons and Zuzu, who are just setting out on a thematically similar quest to win back God’s approval. While Frons and Zuzu help her learn to take decisive action, their intervention in Wendy’s life brings real complications. After issue #1, we see whether her demonic life coaches have actually helped her with her problems and saved her soul.
Courtesy of Dark Horse Comics.
AIPT: What can we expect from the rest of the story across Touched By a Demon? Any moments/tidbits that stand out?
KG: Get ready for monkey’s paw shenanigans, a disastrous roller coaster ride, and depressing meditations on mortality and regret!
AIPT: Is there anything else we should know about Touched By a Demon, comics, heaven/hell, morality, etc.?
KG: Just know that for every copy sold, a demon gets its wings. So please support this book.
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