Did I need to see the devil getting head on the first page? Probably not, but it does set the stage for this rather twisted little tale. This premiere comic’s heroine seems to be the devil’s child. Read on, and you get the feeling that she isn’t all that bad, although she is definitely a bad-ass.

After giving us a lightning quick background on her character, we go along with Mathilda to her school where things are not quite right. Her uptight teacher fails her perfectly answered test because she didn’t show her work, it’s show and tell day, and there is something quite nasty with big teeth in the sandbox. Before you get too worried, know that Mathilda has a whiskey-drinking guardian angel who needs a shave and a vampire hunter who resembles Indiana Jones and Crocodile Dundee helping her out.

What’s not to like here? A demon-killing third grader who fights assorted badies, who seem to have names taken from Dungeons and Dragons or a college geek’s homemade LOTR. The plot seems to borrow themes from the typically gothic, demon, vampire, scary kid from the dark beyond subject pool, which while not bad, is a tad typical. Hints at humor, for example, the object of Mathilda’s show and tell going berserk and attacking a classmate, keep the story from taking itself to seriously which is a good thing.

The illustration, the high point of this comic, is crisp and detailed and reminds me of what I think of as classic comic drawing. Thin lines and varied shading technique give the art in this issue a professional feel more akin to something Marvel Comics would produce than a homegrown publishing outfit in Louisiana. The author probably could have cut his overly verbose introductory letter down a few paragraphs since he really doesn’t have to explain or excuse himself. Anyone can see he is talented enough to justify publishing his work.

Although not my personal bag of bats, I can see how this comic would appeal to the traditional comic-loving goth as it does have a lot of the elements so many favor and evil children seem to be in vogue these days. I can think of a lot worse things that take up paper like “Bridget Jones’ Diary”.