The first time I saw Harriet Tubman Demon Slayer was when I got wind of the kickstarter in 2016. The title alone got my attention. I thought if Abraham Lincoln can fight Vampires, then why not right? Jump forward to 2017 when I met creator David Crownson at Khem Fest and was again intrigued by the storyline. Coupled with Courtland Ellis’ art, I was excited to review this new indie offering.

Harriet Tubman Demon Slayer is exactly what it sounds like. A fictional take on the real life of a conductor on the Underground Railroad, Harriet Tubman, who freed approximately 1000 slaves in her history as one of the nation’s fiercest abolitionists and freedom fighters. Crowson decided to extend that story to include Demons.

If Abraham Lincoln can fight vampires, why not right?

This first issue jumps right into the story when Caesar Edgefield wakes Venus Edgefield from her bed and tells her that they need to leave. In the dead of night they leave the plantation and meet Caesar’s wife Catherine who has procured a horse and wagon from another plantation. (this isn’t strange because many times slaves were sent between plantations to run errands and retrieve items for neighboring masters). It’s also not strange that masters often hired militia to patrol the roads at night to make sure that no slaves tried to escape.

What is strange is for those patrols to not just kill slaves but EAT them… because vampires.

A double katana wielding Harriett saves the day by successfully fending off the demon-militia-crazy-ass-white-men, but in doing so attracts a legion of other menacing creatures which is apparently where we’ll pick up in issue #2.

Harriet Tubman Demon Slayer is definitely a tween and up book because of strong language and violence, but it’s not over the top. The writing isn’t too verbose and I like the fact that Crownson found a way to show the love and familiarity between family members very naturally. The language does not get in the way of Ellis’ art either. I like the simple color palette worked well and the line art and facial expressions are consistent and the action scenes are easy to follow. I just hope that we get to see issue #2 before the end of 2017 and that this promising indie comic doesn’t get stuck in neutral as so many crowdfunded comics do these days.

TBG Review Rating*
8/10

HARRIET TUBMAN DEMON SLAYER

Digital –  $2.99

David Crownson

Courtland Ellis

30 pages

 Comixology

Peep Game Comix

*Rating System: A rating of 1= poor writing/storyline and poor artwork/lettering while a rating of 10= Excellent writing/storyline and High-quality artwork/lettering

• Have you read  Harriet Tubman Demon Slayer? What do you think? Comment below!