Ava's Demon

Ava's Demon is a webcomic written and drawn by Michelle Czajkowski and colored by a number of colorists. The comic, which has been ongoing since 2012, is known for its painted art style and animations. The first physical publication of Ava's Demon was released in 2013 after a successful Kickstarter project.

Ava's Demon
Logo used for the Kickstarter campaign
Author(s)Michelle Czajkowski
Websitewww.avasdemon.com
Current status/scheduleOngoing
Launch date2012
Genre(s)Sci-fi, Fantasy

Premise

Ava's Demon is set in a universe of interplanetary travel and advanced medical science, where some people have obtained god-like powers through science.[1] The comic follows Ava Ire, a teenager that has a personal demon that has tormented her since her birth.[2][3] The demon, Wrathia, can briefly possess her and make her scream violent insanities, and has urged her to commit suicide.[1]

After Ava comes close to death, Wraitha reveals what she truly is – the ghost of an alien queen[4] – and offers Ava a pact. The pact requires Ava to bind more closely to Wrathia, and to help Wrathia defeat a being with numerous followers.[1] Wrathia seeks revenge on Titan, a god-like figure who destroyed Wrathia's empire.[5] Ava also learns that other people have demons as well.[1]

Development

Inspiration

Czajkowski said that she wanted to create comics since childhood, but to make money went into 3D animation and worked for both Pixar and DreamWorks.[4] While interning at Pixar, she was taught the process of creating successful stories. Czajkowski started working on Ava's Demon during her spare time while working at Dreamworks – at the time, she did not expect it to make a sustainable career.[2][4] Czajkowski described the original idea for Ava's Demon as "a collage of stuff I’ve absorbed that I really like, like The Fifth Element and Alien and Kubrick films."[4]

Production and format

According to its website, the art of Ava's Demon, Czajkowski's illustrations are colored by Czajkowski and five "official colorists", two of whom also run their own webcomics.[6]

The webcomic includes some pages which are a single panel, advanced by a button, which io9 said "give her comic a rhythmic, almost animated quality." In addition, occasional panels are animated, and some key scenes have more elaborate animations, played over music on Vimeo and YouTube videos.[1][7][8]

Physical printing

In 2013, Czajkowski started a crowdfunding project through Kickstarter to self-publish the first volume of Ava's Demon. Besides a full-color book, Czajkowski offered downloads for the animated comics.[5] The webcomic successfully raised $217,036 USD by June 2013.[9] In 2015, another Kickstarter campaign was launched to publish the second volume of Ava's Demon, as well as to re-print the first volume. Along with donation perks, an animated chapter video would be created by Studio Yotta, known for their animated videos for internet comedy group Starbomb.[10] The campaign was successfully funded.

Czajkowski has opened up a shop for Ava's Demon where the first two books can be purchased, alongside a variety of printed art and novelty items. Czajkowski is active on a variety of social platforms including Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, and Discord. On her Twitter, Czajkowski posts update announcements as well as any notices about hiatuses the comic will take.

In 2020, it was announced the comic would be republished by Skybound Entertainment. A Kickstarter campaign was held for a new hardcover edition of the first volume.[11]

Reception

In a 2013 review, Lauren Davis of io9 said that the comic "promises to be a funny and gorgeous epic", saying that the multimedia experience complements Czajkowski's sense of humor and that she enjoyed the surreal aspects of Czajkowski's storytelling. Davis described the comic as "gorgeous," but specified that Ava's Demon is "more than just a pretty face."[1] Paste Magazine rated Ava's Demon among the best webcomics of 2014 for the way it combined "gorgeous panels with an intriguing story,"[3] and in 2015, Juliet Kahn of Comics Alliance described Ava's Demon as "one of the most luminously lovely comics currently produced."[4]

Kris Straub, creator of various webcomics, praised Ava's Demon for its animation and its painted look.[12]

By 2015, Ava's Demon had raised over half a million dollars over two Kickstarter campaigns.[4]

References
  1. Davis, Lauren (2013-04-27). "In a spacefaring future, a girl must join with a demon to battle a god". io9. Archived from the original on 2015-12-08.
  2. Seitz, Olivia. "The Comic Artist Who Walked Away from DreamWorks". Patreon. Archived from the original on 2018-03-14.
  3. Jackson, Frannie (2014-12-17). "The 20 Best Webcomics of 2014". Paste Magazine. Archived from the original on 2016-03-11.
  4. Kahn, Juliet (2015-08-05). "Surround Yourself With Things That Make You Happy: Michelle Czajkowski on 'Ava's Demon'". Comics Alliance. Archived from the original on 2015-12-20.
  5. Davis, Lauren (2013-06-16). "Crowdfund cyborg cockroaches and horror comics for sleepless nights". io9. Archived from the original on 2015-09-18.
  6. "Ava's Demon". www.avasdemon.com. Retrieved 2019-08-01.
  7. "Michelle Czajkowski". YouTube. Retrieved 2019-08-01.
  8. "Ava's Demon". Vimeo. Retrieved 2019-08-01.
  9. Czajkowski, Michelle. "Ava's Demon: Book One". Kickstarter. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04.
  10. "Ava's Demon: Book Two Kickstarter". Studio Yotta. 2015. Archived from the original on 2016-03-12.
  11. Adams, Tim (Sep 1, 2020). "Ava's Demon: Michelle Czajkowski Fus' Webcomic Lands at Skybound". Comic Book Resources.
  12. Dane, Patrick (2014-10-27). "Broodhollow, Chainsawsuit, Horror And Webcomics: Talking With Kris Straub". Bleeding Cool. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04.
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