SDCC Coverage sponsored by Mad Cave
Sometimes, ideas don’t just happen to you. Sometimes it’s up to you to know how to move ideas to your head with U-Haul filled with products and place the furniture. This is how to explain the Jake Master’s comic, Demon Rush. Draw Smile, also known as Pedro Perez.
Demon Rush is set in a dark future where the demons have over the world. The interests are high. The final hope of mankind lies in the broken remnants of the holy knights and angels resisting the tide of the devil. The story centers around two men who were formerly friends and now situated on the other side of the war.
Beat caught up with Master and Draw Smile to talk about the comic’s current arc and future plans.
Eb Hutchins: What was the main inspiration for this comic and card game?
Jake Master: I’ve been a fan of anime and card games since I was 9, but now I’m 40! My gateway to anime was Dragon Ball Z, but I was also fascinated by old-fashioned animated films like Vampire Hunter D and Ninja Scroll, and even jumped into the industry, eventually becoming one of the world’s largest anime YouTubers.
As a child, I always had an incredibly vivid imagination and spent my student days drawing cartoons rather than listening to teachers. On the weekend, I traveled the US playing in the competitive Yu-Gi-OH tournament.
Making my own anime was a lifelong dream. By the age of 35, I finally felt ready to embark on that journey. I hadn’t kept up to my artistic skills while I was doing my normal job, so I preferred to find an artist who could capture my vision, but that wasn’t easy. Despite his art frequently circulating (he didn’t sign his art), it took him two years to find the draw smile, which was unknown at the time.
I wanted to create a dark power fantasy with dual protagonists that allows fandom to invest heavily in the story, while also allowing them to play card games together and form Demon Rush bonds. The idea was to use card games to tell more stories, showcase characters, and give story fans something concrete to play together.
What was the inspiration for making this a multimedia franchise from the start?
Mastar: I think the more industrial Demon Rush can come in, the more opportunities there will be to tell stories and grow our fanbase. One of my favorite video games was Diablo. I played through all four of them. I realized that if I could build a big world to explore, filled with magic, mysteries and interesting characters, I could adapt to all kinds of mediums.
Demon Rush is currently a graphics novel and card game, but I would like to take on the video game industry as well. I have an idea for a version of Demon Rush, like Dark Souls. There, multiple players can join the world, fight large angels and demons, level up characters, and level up PVP. My vision is epic and I hope that by adding more content I can generate, more fans will understand that vision.
I have noticed that this art has a considerable amount of struggle from Murata and Kubo’s works while it is lovely. What inspired you to draw these characters in that particular style?
The image that helped me discover Mastar: Drawsmile was a photo of Monster Garou from one Punchman, but it was not in the manga yet. It was so good that most people thought it was drawn by Murata himself! Drawsmile and I have involved one Punchman and his love for art. I love saving them for highlight moments, Drawsmile always delivers! But he’s a much bigger bleach fan than I do.
Drawsmile: I’ve been a bleach fan since my teens, so I studied, analyzed, and emulated Kubo styles with drawings. It helped to provide a solid artistic foundation, especially for Lineart, setup, impactful narratives and stylized action sequences. As for one Punchman Art, I learned how to build dynamic cartoon pages. I’ve also started to draw a unique style that comes from all my practice. I am constantly improving and developing my style, but now I am evolving in a unique shape.
As a fellow comic artist, the book has surprisingly good compositions and has tricky skills in the industry. What is the process of creating a great battle scene Choreo?
Master: Thank you! The main idea is to continue to increase the strength of the fight. This, interestingly, happens in card games as well. The choreography is a combination of both Drawsmile and my vision. Usually I sketch a particular scene I want to be specially displayed, and Drawsmile adapts it with his epic art. He sends you six pages of sketches at a time. If the panels feel too similar or stiff, then sketch them until they’re right.
There is a huge amount of care in the layout process. In terms of how the manuscript generates battle scenes, I go to pause action. So readers have time to listen to the characters’ internal monologues and digest what happened. This provides a breathing chamber. The weight of the battle is drawn from the reader’s emotions generated by the pause. That last attack is so intense that if the character barely survives, what will happen to the next attack and how will they defend themselves?
Drawsmile: As an artist, I love to thank every corner of the art world, so I am also a consumer of live action series, anime, photography, sculpture, film, music, and even video games. The first step is to build a scene in my mind about what the shot is. I know it’s a static image, but I visualize it as a film or animated scene so I can better capture what I need in any drawing. It could be a drama, suspense, horror, mayhem, or sometimes a simple comedy. Any inspiration is what you need to do to make a positive impact on your readers. I’m particularly inspired by film and music.
You were saying it has an old school vibe and feel like a card game in an interview with Fanbase Press. Some of the ratios used in the comic adaptation have noticed that they also have a 00S-like feel to them, especially female characters. Are there any plans to have more prominent female characters in the cast or game?
Master: Absolutely! The dual-main protagonists are both male, but we love female characters. Soren is joined by Esca, a highly intelligent engineer with the talent to learn spells quickly. She plays an integral role in Soren’s story, discovering clues, fighting and fighting, and advances his quest. Rush is pursued by Hernes, a gorgeous succubus who loves his innocence and does not slip cues to him to help him on his journey, although he is in danger too constantly for him to think of women. There is also a powerful angel woman who fights the Demon Lord.
Let’s say you can snap a finger and a boom! When it comes to Damon Rush, there’s a dream scenario. What is that?
Mastar: Provide a studio to turn it into an anime adaptation and film! We are looking for a streaming platform to work with the Devil’s Rush to bring it to life. If you can snap your fingers, the devil should hurry up on Netflix or theatres as an animated film.
What do you think the future of Demons will look like in the next five to ten years?
Mastar: Five years later, we think in Chapter 40, Soren and Rush went far beyond the story. I think when Demon Rush becomes mainstream, the fanbase will explode. And I think we will be adapting anime on major streaming platforms. Card games are played every week at hobby shops, and there are new video games where fans can bond.
Finally, what is the best way for readers to find more information about the Demon Rush?
Mastar: This link will take you to your YouTube channel, Discord, X, website, store, and more.
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SDCC Coverage sponsored by Mad Cave
