KISS: The Demon #1
Written by Amy Chu & Erik Burnham
Art by Eman Casallos
Colors by Omi Remalante
Letters by Troy Peteri
Covers by Kyle Strahm & Greg Smallwood, Tom Mandrake & Mohan, Michael Adams, Ken Haeser
Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: January 25, 2017
Cover Price: $3.99

I think we can all remember our first concert/show, right? If you are an audiophile then I have no doubt you do. Well, KISS: The Demon #1 reminds me of my first show since the headliner was the aforementioned band KISS. Not only were they my first band to see live but, later on, they were the first group I ever went and saw without an adult.

So, to say they hold a special place in my heart is to understate things in an enormous way. The point is, I share that same feeling with the main character of this story, which is a prequel to the ongoing comic.

KISS Solo #1: The Demon
Written by Chris Ryall
Art by Angel Medina
Colors by Romulo Fajardo
Covers by Romulo Fajardo, Keith Leroux, Angel Medina, Tone Rodriguez
IDW Publishing
Release Date: April 10, 2013
Cover Price: $3.99

If there was ever a band that was destined to live beyond their years of rockin’ and rollin’ all night into a comic book legacy, then it has to be KISS. From almost the beginning of their career they were seen as larger-than-life superheroes, and it was inevitable that Stan Lee from Marvel would open the gates to them entering comic book history – complete with vials of their own blood added to the red ink.

Now, in the 21st century, as the band continues with their new album release Monster and consequent world tour, IDW continues comic book KISStory – and this time claiming new ground. Just like 35 years ago when the individual members released their own solo albums, IDW is releasing “solo comics,” each chapter focusing on one of the individual four-who-are-one.

The first installment of KISS Solo focuses on Gene Simmons, or rather The Demon, in KISS Solo #1: The Demon. Continuing on from previous issues of the IDW KISS line, The Demon finds himself in a city terrorized by potential war. He is intrigued by humanity, a species capable of such wide ranging emotional states that he has never experienced in his existence as one of the four warriors of the Elder.