Ava’s Demon, Book Two: Aftermath by Michelle Fus

I adored the first volume of the Ava’s Demon series, and am even more impressed by this follow-up effort! My biggest complaint about the first volume is slightly alleviated here, too, as this cover is definitely less awkward than Volume One’s.

After the catastrophic events that capped Book One: Reborn, Ava finds herself battling Wrathia for control of a body that barely has enough energy to stay conscious. Odin collects her unconscious form and manages to make it onto the transport that Gil and Maggie, coincidentally, are using to flee the devastated space station. Maggie, ofc, is less than thrilled to be stuck on yet another spacefaring vessel with Odin and Ava, even before Odin explodes her lies to Gil. As the quartet try to figure out what to do next, they slowly learn more about each other and how to become more vulnerable and honest with one another… well, some of them do, anyway.

Meanwhile, Odin’s (adorable) sisters Crow and Raven are reporting back on their errant brother, as we learn far more about their family’s messed up dynamic as well as their fascinating background. Elsewhere, Strategos Six has been tasked with a mission from Titan following the destruction Wrathia caused, and has promoted a soldier to the position of Taxiarch Five.

Compared to the first book, not a whole lot of action happens here, but I genuinely didn’t even notice as I frantically turned the 300+ pages of this volume, lapping up both story and the gorgeous, gorgeous art. To the story first: these chapters were entirely necessary for the development of our characters’ interior lives, as well as the exposition into their demons’ (and even their own) pasts. I am dying to know what happened between Gil and Odin, and thought the bit with the storybook an incredibly clever if infuriating subversion. I was definitely a little confused by the epilogue, but have enough faith in Michelle Fus’ storytelling to believe that my questions will be answered in Book Three, which I can hardly wait for.

And now let’s talk about this AMAZING art. I loved what the author did with the first book, but they’ve gone way beyond even the glories of that volume with Aftermath. The switch between styles to suit different planets, the use of color and light, the seamless transitions between beauty and horror and cuteness and sorrow… Mx Fus is one of the most talented comic book artists working today, bar none. These two plus books have taken over a decade to produce but honestly, you can see why. I’m just so glad Skybound/Image has decided to put these into print so I can binge the pages all at once without getting lost on a webpage, as these were originally presented.

Ava’s Demon, Book Two: Aftermath by Michelle Fus was published June 11 2024 by Image Comics and is available from all good booksellers, including