Following the release of Touched By a Demon #1, we recently caught up with writer and illustrator Kristen Gudsnuk to discuss her latest, brilliant work.
Touched by a Demon is published by Dark Horse Comics. The 4-issue series follows Bifrons, a demon on a quest for redemption. Once a resident of Heaven, and well on his way to becoming an archangel, Bifrons (better known as Fronz) decided to instead venture to Hell in favour of tormenting souls for a living. However, he grows tired of such insistent torment on mortal souls, and instead decides to earn redemption by opening a life coach agency on Earth. He does this along with his trusty assistant Zuzu. Together they launch their company, but get more than they bargain for when they meet their first client, Wendy. A timid young girl, Wendy is a victim of emotional abuse from her parents.
With Touched By a Demon out in the world — and receiving high praise, not least from ourselves — Gudsnuk is taken aback by the amount of love and support. “It is so exciting. I am really honored that so many people have picked up, read, and enjoyed issue 1! I wasn’t sure if people in the non-middle grade graphic novel market even remembered me (it’s been a while since I last did a comic for adults), but it turns out several of them do!”
So, where did the initial spark for Touched By a Demon come from? “I had the idea from watching this terrible movie called 12 Christmas Wishes for my Dog, where there’s a magical life coach who’s so bad at her job, I started to wonder if maybe she was secretly evil,” she explains. “Thanks to the magic of Letterboxd, I know I watched that December 8, 2023. So probably like 6 months of ideas percolating. Though I was pregnant at the time, so ‘ideas percolating’ is really just a euphemism for ‘constantly napping’.”
When I was reading issue #1, I couldn’t help but see Lucifer inspiration. In short, Touched By a Demon follows angel who falls from Heaven, then enters Hell as a demon, before ultimately fleeing the realm and starting a business on Earth. She takes the concept and runs with it, making it her own and delivering a stellar debut issue. “I watched a bunch of Lucifer while I was working on this. ‘For research’,” she says, “I bet there’s some Lucifer in Touched by a Demon‘s DNA. I also read almost all of Chainsaw Man while developing the comic (in between the aforementioned naps), and really enjoyed how brutal and cynical it is,” she adds.
Another influence, not least for the title, came from classic ’90s sitcom Touched By an Angel. “And of course, the 90s CBS drama Touched by an Angel was a huge inspiration. I rewatched a bunch of episodes, and was surprised how much I liked it, because I remember thinking it was the lamest thing ever when I was a kid. But the theme song is super catchy and there’s something so wholesome and heartfelt about it! Now I feel bad for making an evil version.”
In Gudsnuk’s story, we follow Bifrons and Zuzu. They’re a unique pairing to say the least. “I like them because even though they’re beings of evil, they love each other and have a really close bond,” she explains. “And they’re trying to be better than their nature. As for Frons, I like that he dreams big, and as for Zuzu, I like her blind loyalty, which is completely unhindered by any moral compass.”
Despite such whimsical and complex characters, she doesn’t have a favourite character to write. “For me, if a scene is coming together and making me feel feelings, I know I’m on the right track and it’s a huge rush. So it’s more about the way different characters are pinging off each other.”
“I know that I love characters with depressing backstories, and I wanted to give this issue some real stakes between the jokes, so I went with the kind of depressing family drama I myself am drawn to.”
When I picked up issue #1, I felt an overpowering theme of belonging; these are characters that are so desperate to feel loved and involved. For Gudsnuk, the theming wasn’t wholly conscious when she penned the scrips, but shone through later on in the project. “I usually approach it story and character first, and don’t usually think too much about the messages themselves— it’s more like I notice them later (while inking). I feel like at the root of this story is a question about the tension between the choice of unapologetically being yourself and being better than yourself. That’s a recurring theme for me. “
What challenged has she had to overcome? “Trying to balance the ‘client of the week’ subplot with the ongoing dramas in 24 pages,” he explains, going on to backtrack a little” “Actually, no, it’s definitely having a one-year-old who takes personal offense if I’m trying to work… and is always after my lucky Apple Pencil!”
How long will Touched By a Demon run for?
Right now, Dark Horse Comics has Touched By a Demon down as a 4-issue miniseries. Once that concludes, Gudsnuk already has ideas to keep the story going. “I was just saying to myself ‘I need to pitch the next part’ because I have a MILLION cool ideas for a second installment,” she teases. “I’m constantly getting little tantalizing flashes of possible future scenes, like I’m a psychic detective, but the crime I’m solving is… my own book.”
Touched By a Demon #1 is out now from Dark Horse Comics. Pick up your copy here.
