View source for Kill Six Billion Demons


{{Infobox comic strip
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| author      = Tom Bloom
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| website     = {{URL|https://killsixbilliondemons.com}}
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| first       = April 29, 2013
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| genre       = Fantasy, [[New Weird]]
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'''''Kill Six Billion Demons''''' (also referred to as '''''Kill 6 Billion Demons''''', '''''K6BD''''', or '''''KSBD''''') is a [[new weird]]/fantasy [[webcomic]], written and illustrated by Tom Bloom ({{ne|Parkinson-Morgan}}) under the name "Abbadon",<ref name=BleedingCool>[https://www.bleedingcool.com/2019/05/28/the-8-best-fantasy-comics-available-right-freaking-now/ Fantasy Comics: The 8 Best Titles Available Right Freaking Now], by Leigh Kade, at ''[[Bleeding Cool]]''; published May 28, 2019; retrieved June 25, 2019</ref> and published in print by [[Image Comics]]. It was created in 2013 and has yet to reach its finale, though current updates take place in what the author considers to be the series' final book. There are six books in total, named ''Kill Six Billion Demons'', ''Wielder of Names'', ''Seeker of Thrones'', ''King of Swords'', ''Breaker of Infinities'', and ''Wheel Smashing Lord''.

==Plot==
The plot follows an initially insecure sorority girl named Allison Ruth, who finds herself thrown into a plot many thousands of worlds larger than her. After Allison is forcibly given a powerful fragment of this setting's gods, called a "key", instead of her unstable boyfriend, she discovers that she – alongside a demon named Cio and an angel named White Chain – must fight through a council of seven other keyholders – known as [[demiurge]]s – who currently rule the multiverse, in order to save her boyfriend.
== Setting ==
''Kill Six Billion Demons'' is set throughout a collection of 777,777 separate universes called The Wheel, in which every being lives and travels between via spokes which branch off the city in the center of the wheel, known as Throne. This collection of universes is ruled evenly (111,111 worlds each) by powerful beings known as The Seven, the main antagonists of the plot, and is inhabited by numerous races and cultures.

There is also Earth, where the lead characters of Zaid and Allison are from, which is much like the real world but without Australia.

== Characters ==
Characters in ''Kill Six Billion Demons'' – namely many of the main antagonists – allude to several of Bloom's inspirations; namely religious ones.

* Allison Ruth, an unequipped sorority girl who is thrust into a world she doesn't understand, with a great power she can't control.
* Ciocie Cioelle (pronounced how [[Coca-Cola]] is spelled), a snarky, demonic secretary and fanfiction writer who follows alongside Allison, seeking a heroic story to write about.
* 82 White Chain Born in Emptiness Returns to Subdue Evil (or "White Chain", for short), a cold, unforgiving angel and ardent peacekeeper, who joins Allison to make sure she does not use her new power foolishly.
* Mathangi "Maya" Mantra, a drunkard, recluse, and incredibly powerful warrior, who slowly follows Allison from a distance.
* [[Gog and Magog|Gog-Agog]], The Queen of Worms, a maddened multiverse-spanning hivemind, and one of the seven demiurges.
* [[Incubus]], The Sword King, an ambitious, bloodthirsty swordsman who makes deals with Allison, and one of the seven demiurges.
* [[Jadis]], the Lady of Infinite Repose, an omniscient sorceress who sealed herself in a glass block, and one of the seven demiurges.
* [[Jagannath|Jagganoth]], The God Eater, a cunning strategist and invincible warrior, and one of the seven demiurges.
* [[Mammon]], the Grand Dragon, a greedy, ancient reptilian creature hiding within a vault of his own creation, and one of the seven demiurges.
* Nadia Om, the Blood Flower, a gluttonous queen who strips worlds of their resources to throw extravagant celebrations, and one of the seven demiurges.
* [[Solomon]] [[David]], the God Emperor of the Celestial Empire, obsessed with maintaining the perfection of his empire through the rule of law, and one of the seven demiurges.

==Origins==
According to the author, ''Kill Six Billion Demons'' was originally conceived around 2004. Early concepts involved a girl receiving a key from a fugitive, godlike warrior and were supposed to borrow elements from [[Shōnen manga]]. The comic began as a "[[gamebook|Choose Your Own Adventure]]" thread on the ''[[MS Paint Adventures]]'' [[Internet forum|discussion forum]] in 2012.<ref name=HeaveMedia>[http://www.heavemedia.com/2013/11/22/the-third-panel-kill-6-billion-demons/ The Third Panel: Godspeed You! Child Of Black Yis – Kill 6 Billion Demons], by Alex Borkowski, in ''Heave Media''; published November 22, 2013; retrieved June 25, 2019</ref> The author, then going by the pseudonym "Orbitaldropkick",<ref>{{Cite web |last=orbitaldropkick |title=BY THE POWER OF RA |url=https://orbitaldropkick.tumblr.com/ |access-date=2023-02-28 |website=Tumblr}}</ref> would allow readers to suggest what should happen next, while Abaddon would set the tone, draw the pages, and choose how exactly the world reacted to the protagonist's reader-chosen antics. Bloom converted it into a standalone webcomic in 2013, hosted on its own website. The first pages were released in monochrome format, however, by chapter 2, Bloom decided to gear his efforts toward fully coloured pages. [[Image Comics]] began publishing print compilations in 2016.

== Title ==
Bloom has noted that the name "Kill Six Billion Demons" was initially conceived under the pretense of the original "[[Gamebook|Choose Your Own Adventure]]"-style comic the concept originated from, claiming that "Kill Seven Black Emperors" would be more fitting to the current comic.<ref>{{Cite web |last=orbitaldropkick |title=BY THE POWER OF RA |url=https://orbitaldropkick.tumblr.com/post/107878216241/another-sketch-of-the-big-7-masters-of-the |access-date=2023-02-28 |website=Tumblr}}</ref>

==Reception==
''[[Black Gate (magazine)|Black Gate]]'' praised its "originality, scope of vision, and explosive visuals", calling it "disorienting, unsettling, inspiring, fascinating, (and) beautiful", and comparing it favorably to [[China Miéville]]'s ''[[Perdido Street Station]]''.<ref name=BlackGate>[https://www.blackgate.com/2016/12/10/absolutely-stunning-kill-six-billion-demons Absolutely Stunning: Kill Six Billion Demons], by Derek Kunsken, at ''[[Black Gate (magazine)|Black Gate]]''; published December 10, 2016; retrieved June 25, 2019</ref>  ''[[Io9]]'' described its art as "stuffed with sumptuous insanity", and lauded Bloom's ability to provide [[exposition (narrative)|exposition]] in a way "that would be tedious in a lesser comic".<ref name=Io9>[https://io9.gizmodo.com/warning-this-sumptuous-demon-filled-webcomic-may-brea-1679344609 Warning: This Sumptuous, Demon-Filled Webcomic May Break Your Brain], by Lauren Davis, at [[Io9]]; published January 14, 2015; retrieved June 25, 2019</ref> ''[[Bleeding Cool]]'' noted that the comic "starts out a little rough in the art department", but soon progresses "from a cool looking comic with a great read to a great looking comic with a fantastic read."<ref name=BleedingCool/> ''[[Publishers Weekly]]'', reviewing the first collected volume, called it "visually and textually stunning", and a display of Bloom's "impressive [[worldbuilding]] abilities", but noted that the illustration (although "never muddled") was nonetheless "sketchy", and observed that the plot of that volume "serves mainly as prologue".<ref name=PW>[https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-5343-0014-9  Kill 6 Billion Demons, Vol. 1, by Tom Bloom], reviewed at ''[[Publishers Weekly]]''; published October 17, 2016</ref> ''[[ComicsBeat]]'' praised the comic's writing and art – especially its establishing shots, noting that "Bloom creates amazing establishing shots of massive alien landscapes", and that "there are no generic character designs here. Every time the character enter a new, crowded area it feels like going into Mos Eisley's Cantina".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Vicknair |first=Maggie |date=2016-09-20 |title=Syndicated Comics |url=https://www.comicsbeat.com/webcomics-in-review-kill-6-billion-demons-go-big/ |access-date=2023-02-28 |website=The Beat |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Inspiration==
Bloom has stated that his art in ''Kill Six Billion Demons'' is influenced by the work of [[Wayne Douglas Barlowe]] and [[Jean Giraud]].<ref name=Heavy>[https://heavymag.com.au/killing-six-billion-demons-abaddon/ Killing Six Billion Demons with ABADDON], by Louis Brierly, in ''Heavy Magazine''; published September 21, 2017; retrieved June 25, 2019</ref> The author has also listed [[Geof Darrow]], [[James Stokoe]], [[Sheldon Vella]], and [[Noriyoshi Ohrai]] as influences on his work. Additionally, the comic and its setting draw inspiration from [[Hindu mythology]], [[Gnosticism|Greek Gnosticism]], the ''[[Berserk (manga)|Berserk]]'' series, and ''[[The Elder Scrolls]].''

==See also==
* [[Lancer (role-playing game)|''Lancer'' (role-playing game)]], co-created by Bloom

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Official|https://killsixbilliondemons.com}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20131108081216/http://mspaforums.com/showthread.php?47341-KILL-SIX-BILLION-DEMONS-%28NSFW%29-NOW-A-FRUITY-WEBCOMIC Archive of the original thread in which ''Kill Six Billion Demons'' was created]

{{Image Comics}}

[[Category:2013 webcomic debuts]]
[[Category:Fantasy webcomics]]
[[Category:American webcomics]]
[[Category:British webcomics]]
[[Category:Webcomics in print]]
[[Category:Image Comics titles]]
[[Category:Demons in comics]]

{{Wikipedia attribution|original_title=Kill Six Billion Demons|access_date=2026-03-04}}