Love Advice from the Great Duke of Hell

Energetic if ungainly, this debut from Unfins collects the first volume of his webtoon series and opens with a wicked hook: Paul, a lovestruck teenager, summons a demon to help him get a girlfriend. “I don’t want to set the world on fire,” he explains to Astaroth, the hulking, skull-faced duke of hell. “I just want to start a flame in her heart.” Paul trades his soul for six days with Astaroth’s powers, intending to snag his crush, cute barista Elena—not knowing that she’s secretly a demon slayer. Meanwhile, Astaroth is stuck hanging around Paul’s house doing chores and accidentally traumatizing his sister. It’s a delicious premise, but the script soon wanders into tangents involving side characters with their own drama and lore. The sketchy artwork, slapdash plotting, rapid-fire pop-culture references, and wacky humor (the thuggish enforcers of the secretive Holy Order spend multiple pages arguing over their favorite Powerpuff Girl) give this the vibe of an old-school, early-2000s-era webcomic. The lack of commercial polish can be refreshing, but subplots keep starting and sputtering out, and at times the art isn’t clear enough to make the gags work. Only the most dedicated fantasy fans will have the patience to stick around for the next installment. (Nov.)