Touched by a Demon-Advanced Review
- Blake Donaldson
- 4 hours ago
- 2 min read
Publisher: Dark Horse
Writer: Kristen Gudsnuk
Artist: Kristen Gudsnuk
Colorist: Kristen Gudsnuk
Letterer: Kristen Gudsnuk
Release Date: 01/21/2026
Where to Buy: From Image Directly or Your LCS
Price: $4.99
Age: 14+
Solicit:
Dissatisfied with tormenting souls in Hell and longing for the halcyon days when he lived in Heaven, a low-level demon named Bifrons attempts to earn redemption by opening a life coach agency in the mortal realm. With the aid of his assistant Zuzu and a damned soul by the name of Elaine, Bifrons is determined to help humans save their souls in the hopes that maybe with enough good deeds, God in his heavenly mercy will give him a second chance…but can an entity of evil really change its nature?
REVIEW
Remember that TV show from the 90s, Touched by an Angel? It’s about these three angels who travel all over and find people at a crossroads in their lives and help them learn valuable lessons and find God. This is kind of like that, but if the angels had all of the finesse of Jack Skellington stealing Christmas and were, ya know, demons.
After deciding eternal damnation isn’t all it was cracked up to be, demonic business partners Bifrons and Zuzu are on a redemption mission in Scepter City to life-coach their way back into God’s good graces and reclaim a spot in Heaven one soul at a time. While neither of them has a shred of subtlety to their name, the same can’t be said for writer and illustrator Kristen Gudsnuk. From background cameos at the office Anti-Christmas party to hilarious sight gags throughout, Touched by a Demon is packed with Easter eggs for detail-oriented readers. Despite Gudsnuk’s bright colors and Adventure Time-esque art style, the overall plot of this issue is actually pretty dark. The darker elements of the story are always balanced out with moments of levity, but Gudsnuk does a great job of letting the more serious moments stand on their own without becoming a punchline or overstaying their welcome. There are a lot of opposing ideas and tones being juggled throughout the issue, but she never drops the ball and the result is a wickedly funny, grounded start to Bifrons’ journey to salvation.
Kristen Gudsnuk has such a uniquely witty approach to comics storytelling that I really gravitate toward. I was a huge fan of her series Henchgirl (TPB currently available through Dark Horse!) and I’m thrilled to have a new book from her to look forward to each month. If you’ve never checked out her stuff before, Touched by a Demon is a perfect potion of humor and horror to get you started.
Who knew escaping Hell could be so much fun!
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