Demon Days is a five-issue mini-series released by Marvel in 2021. It's written and drawn by Peach Momoko, a Japanese illustrator, and adapted into English by Zack Davisson.
It's set in a version of the Marvel universe that is merged with Japanese mythology. More specifically, there exist Youkai, "spirits of earth and air, fire and water, life and death," were once myriad and plentiful, living in the forests and mountains, until the humans began encroaching on their land and upsetting the balance. Now, Oni have to raid human villages for food in order to survive.
The story truly begins when Sai, a wandering swordswoman, along with her dog Logan, enters the Kirisaki Mountain and finds a village that has been raided by local Oni and attacked by a snake demon called Orochi or Venom. Sai must find a way to save the village and make peace with the local Oni...all in return for a bed to sleep on.
This is the trailer for the first book.
The series began with Demon Days: X-Men in March 2021, followed by Demon Days: Mariko in June 2021 then Demon Days: Cursed Web in September 2021, Demon Days: Rising Storm in December 2021, and concluded with Demon Days: Blood Feud in March 2022. Another series, Demon Wars: Iron Samurai, will retell Civil War within the Demon Days universe.
Not to be confused with the Gorillaz album.
Tropes in Demon Days:
- Adaptational Species Change:
- The Hulk (or Hulkmaru) is an Oni, rather than a gamma mutated human.
- Venom is a Yōkai called Orochi rather than a symbiote. (Or perhaps the Orochi is covered the Venom symbiote.)
- And Logan is a dog, rather than a mutant.
- In fact, mutants don't seem to be mentioned at all in the book, meaning Sai, Tsuki, and JuJu might simply be humans, in contrast to Psylocke, Dani Moonstar, and Jubilee.
- Adaptational Villainy: While Venom would never be called a hero in the main Marvel universe, he's mostly been known as an anti-hero after his early days as a supervillain. Here, however, the Orochi Venom is a snake demon that eats people until it's full and always comes back.
- Bilingual Bonus:
- The name "Tsuki" is a Japanese word being "moon." The character Tsuki seems primarily based on Dani Moonstar.
- At the end of the book, Mariko sees goodnight to her governess, Ms. Kuroki. "Kuroki" just happens to be Japanese for "black tree" and Ms. Kuroki just happens to look like Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow.
- Canine Companion: Sai travels everywhere with her dog named Logan.
- Early-Bird Cameo: The issue ends with the introduction of Mariko and Ms. Kuroki, the Demon Days-version of Mariko Yashida and the Black Widow, both of which will be main characters in the next issue, Demon Days: Mariko.
- Elseworld: An alternate Marvel universe that's takes a lot from Japanese mythology.
- Heroic Dog: Logan, Sai's dog, who protects Tsuki at the cost of his own eye.
- In Name Only: A lot of the characters are adapted into the story in name only. For example: Logan is Sai's dog, rather than a fellow swordsman or fighter. Jubilee (or JuJu) is the local Jushi, or sorcerer, even though she still appears to be a young girl. On the other hand, Hulkmaru is pretty similar to the Hulk, a large brute that everyone is afraid of, but who only wants to be left alone.
- Mythology Gag:
- In the main Marvel universe, Logan has a half-brother named Dog Logan. In this book, Logan is a dog.
- Like in the main Marvel universe, this universe's Venom is susceptible to loud noises and fire...in this case, fireworks.
- In the book, JuJu, the Jubilee character, is the one who gives Tsuki the fireworks to set off. In the main universe, Jubilee's powers are often referred to as "fireworks."
- Sai has black and purple hair. In the main universe, the first Psylocke, Betsy Braddock, has purple hair, while the second Psylocke, Kwannon, has black hair.
- Nested Story Reveal: The end of the first issue shows that the events we just read are all part of a story read by a young girl named Mariko. And then, outside, we see Logan the dog.
- Oni: The story combines a Oni with the Hulk to get Hulkmaru.
- Rōnin: Sai is specifically called a "wandering swordswoman with a psychic blade."
- Sssssnaketalk: The Orochi Venom often hisses — in fact, the Ssssss rise from the temple they took over.
- The Straight and Arrow Path: In contrast to Sai and her sword, Tsuki uses a bow and arrow. They don't really do any good against the Oni, but she is able to hurt the Orochi Venom by shooting it in it's eyes.
- Yōkai: Sai and the villagers encounter two in the story: the Oni called Hulkmaru, who is actually peaceful and only attacks when he himself is attacked, and the Orochi, a snake demon also called Venom, who attacks the temple and eats people until it's full.
- You Make Me Sick: When they see Hulkmaru helping the humans attack them, Venom tells him, "Ssss...pathetic. An Oni as a pet to humans. You disgust us. You are a disgrace to yokai."
