Writer / Penciller / Letterer: Will Humberstone / B&W
Review by Paul Dunne
5th December 2023 (Released 11th November 2023)
The Pitch: Three-piece riot grrrl band, Demon Smooch, prepare for their hellfest tour; an all-encompassing festival hosted across the infernal realms. Friction in the band presents problems before they can play the Court of the Mad God, a famous Avernus venue. Abbi and Rose must repair their broken band if they are to overcome a demon from their past.
Sometimes in comics, the problem is the message. People pick up a book, maybe not knowing the writer or artist. They flick through, like the look of it, buy it, take it home. They plonk their arse on the couch, warming beverage or cheeky beer beside them, open up their book again, and read it, only to find... It. Contains. A. Message.
Ugh.
This is especially true of small press and indie books. Messages everywhere. And not always a positive one, either. Some of them are downright dour. Where's the 'comics are supposed to be fun' crowd then, eh? Into this, comes Will Humberstone, with this book. He knows how to have fun. He knows that sometimes, comics can just be about things you love.
You heard me right, people. A book about the things you love. Hard to imagine, innit? This book is about a riot grrl band called Demon Smooch, who just want to play WellFest, a music festival for other monsters and demons. They want to win. They're just not sure why. Their drummer quits, citing the band's general lack of apathy about success ('This band Sux!'), and by the time Wellfest rolls around again a year later, they're still in desperate need of a drummer. Will they find one in time? Do they even care? Humberstone inhabits a personalised little corner of comics with this. You can see the influences, all things he has a heartfelt passion for: Adventure Time, Riot Grrls, good hard bands, beer, sleeping in, staying up late, Scott Pilgrim, horror films, and D&D. They're all present in the veins, and skin of this book. Humberstone imbues this concoction with a stripped-back vibe and art style, putting his attention on character and action, and lets it roam freely, picking up its own pace and energy. It doesn't feel structured or manufactured, but handmade, something that's critical in small press books.
This is not my first time reading Humberstone's work. It's not gonna be the last either, I hope. His storytelling is excellent. He knows how to let the themes of a book leech into the style of that book, so it all feels of a mood or piece. And despite my (satirical) rant at the top of the review, yes, there are messages contained in this book. But they’re messages you might need to hear. What's encouraged here are staying true to your principles and not being afraid to be independent and stand-alone (but, you know, together, as a band) no matter how much money is being waved at you. This is something I feel is probably true of the author, too. Valid points are made here about capitalism and art and how one doesn't necessarily aid the other in the ways it should. There's a rant or too, but the book itself is not a rant, a distinction I feel it's important to make. Humberstone has made the stand artists take fun with this. He's given it energy and life and created a viable world for you to visit, where there are no humans bar one (and she's a shit), but plenty of humanity. Demon Smooch has my loyalty now. I want to be at their next gig.
Demon Smooch is available at Gosh! Comics. You can get an exclusive Demon Smooch print from Will Humberstone's website, where you can also check out his other comics.
