The year is 2423, After Dominion Calendar. It's been twenty years since the civil war that wrecked the Republic of Koltenia. On a moonlit night, a bounty huntress named Ziggy gets roped into one last job involving the acquisition of an important object. Meanwhile, the actress Ari Laharis makes her stage debut in a presentation meant to celebrate the anniversary of Koltenia's independence—and finds herself in the middle of Ziggy's work...
So begins The Demon Mages, an incomplete independent comic drawn by Jason Robinson. An (incomplete) two-part miniseries, it tells the story of a very long night in the lives of four women (the orphan Tara finds herself involved in Ziggy and Ari's mess, and soon-after, the succubus Tess is roped in as well), the story takes place in a fascinating world... that sadly isn't very well developed.
Currently on hiatus, as Robinson's freelance work has taken priority.
Provides Examples Of:
- Amazing Technicolor Population: Ari is naturally tan. Ziggy has dark-brown skin, courtesy of her Basilisk heritage. Tara has gray skin—and the list goes on.
- All There in the Manual: Most of the backstory for both the Republic of Koltenia and the characters themselves is found on the Demon Mages' Tumblr page
. - Character Blog: Jason Robinson has a Tumblr account for The Demon Mages. Not only do the characters answer questions from fans, but piles of backstory and Koltenian history can be found there—and there only.
- Characterization Marches On: In the first volume of The Demon Mages, Ari speaks without any pronounced accents. Outside of the comics, she's known for her Southern Belle-type accent. Only in the second half of the second volume does it begin to show.
- Exotic Eye Designs: Tara's pupils are cross-shaped in her artwork. Tess's pupils are also commonly drawn like spirals.
- Impossibly-Low Neckline: Ari's dress reveals an ample amount of her ample cleavage. In most of her artwork outside of the comic, it also reveals a large scar on her left breast.
- Late-Arrival Spoiler: The first issue tries to pass Ari off as a "human, reportedly". Not only is she referred and portrayed as a Gorgon everywhere else, the second issue simply accepts the matter without much build-up.
- Little Bit Beastly: Many citizens of Koltenia feature some feral aspects, such as Ziggy with her horn and tail, or Saffron's bird-legs.
- Our Elves Are Different: Both Tara and her friend, Gabby, are Drow elves, but according to Tara, there are two types of Drow which differ from the traditional interpretation. Both types are descendants of the "original" Drow race, the Lolth.
- Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness: Tess is quite wordy...
- Sir Not-Appearing-in-This-Trailer: Inverted. Tess the Succubus is always portrayed with the other three girls—and yet, to date, she hasn't appeared in the comics.
- Squishy Wizard: The succubus Countessa "Tess" Tesryon (closer to an energy-vampire in this series) has insides that are described as being gel — like that of a spider. This has the effect of making her both physically durable (though still weak) and, to quote artist and writer Jason Robinson, "extra squishy".
- Statuesque Stunner: Ari's official height is 6'5'', making her taller that most people in the entire series.
- With Friends Like These...: Ari and Tess seem to have this dynamic, according to the Character Blog.
