Mark of the Succubus

Mark of the Succubus is a manga-influenced comic created by TOKYOPOP's Rising Stars of Manga 3 runner-up winners, Irene Flores and Ashly Raiti. The first volume became available in October of 2005; the second was released in November of 2006.

Volume 1

Volume 2

Synopsis

Mark of the Succubus revolves around Aiden Landis, a normal 17-year-old boy, mild-tempered and indecisive, who’s never certain about what he wants for himself. His father wants him to be a lawyer while his girlfriend wants him to change for her own social desires. His teachers are all convinced that he could be a top student if he'd only stop daydreaming. Aiden just wants to play his guitar and, perhaps, write a meaningful song. Then he meets Maeve, a succubus-in-training.

Maeve is a young succubus who hasn't yet gotten her license. She goes down to the human world nervously, enthralled by all she sees there- especially art and a certain teenaged human named Aiden Landis, who seems just as infatuated with her as she is with him. Maeve soon meets Aiden's quirky best friend, Devin, and his snobby, superficial girlfriend, Sandra, and learns about the wonders and perils of the human world.

However, things may not go as smoothly as planned for Maeve. There is a demon on her tail who will do anything in her power to catch Maeve breaking the Rules of the demonworld, all in order to increase her own wealth and social status. What's more, Maeve must decide who to place her deadly Mark upon- the Mark that inhabits the body of the first human she will kill.

She's not sure how to dress, or talk, or act around humans- and what's more, she isn't sure that she'd like to seduce and kill one. Which could prove a difficulty for her, as that is exactly the reason that she's being sent to mingle with humans in the first place. And when she ends up falling in love with the same mortal that she's placed her Mark on, sentencing him to die, only trouble can result from such a blatant breaking of demon law.

Characters

Maeve Age: 17 Hair: Black Eyes: Purple Height: 5'5" (162.5 cm) Classification: Succubus

Intent and studious, but a little absentminded, Maeve tends to stand out among demons and humans alike. Her quirky habits mark her as someone just learning the ways of a culture, and her utter inability to lie convincingly adds to the peculiar image she projects. Despite her training, she often forgets what she's meant to be doing among the humans and loses herself in the fun of the moment.

Aiden Landis Age: 17 Hair: Dark brown Eyes: Green Height: 5'8" (170 cm) Classification: Human

Indecisive, mild-tempered, and a bit withdrawn, Aiden rarely protests when others make his decisions for him, drifting along in whatever direction he's pushed with no real enthusiasm. All he really wants to do is play guitar, but only his best friend knows he's good at it; instead, he puts a weak effort into things he doesn't truly care about, avoiding conflict at the expense of his own dreams. Aiden is the first human Maeve meets and he quickly develops feelings for her. He is dating Sandra, but tries keep his distance from her.

Sandra Age: 18 Hair: Blonde Eyes: Blue Height: 5'7" (167.5 cm) Classification: Human

Haughty, shallow, and more than a little selfish, Sandra is one of the popular girls at school… and she loves it. For her, school is less a place for learning and more a place for social jockeying, and anyone that she thinks can help her climb the proverbial ladder is likely to get used in the name of her personal aspirations.

Veril Age: 965 Hair: Auburn Eyes: Grey Height: 6'2" (185 cm) Classification: Incubus

For most, Veril is a walking paradox. He has no qualms about seducing and killing humans, blackmailing his superiors, or playing dirty to get his own way. At the same time, however, he has a strong sense of justice and is fiercely loyal to those very few that are close to him. When his peculiar sense of humor is added to the mix, the incubus often comes across as a puzzle that's nearly impossible to figure out. Veril is a father figure to Maeve and helps her through her testing to become a succubus. He also suspects Sylne of plotting to corner Maeve and begins taking actions to prevent it.

Devin Wilshire Age: 17 Hair: Blonde Eyes: Brown Height: 5'9" (172.5 cm) Classification: Human

Loud and quite purposefully obnoxious to anyone he doesn't like, Devin is considered something of an oddball even by those closest to him. His love of science fiction and conspiracy theories has left more than one person wondering whether his somewhat far-fetched personal conjectures are real or just for fun. Devin is surprisingly observant, although he usually incorporates what he sees into his fantastic stories. He notices Junael's activities before any of the others.

Sylne Age: 1129 Hair: Silvery-blue Eyes: Turquoise Height: 6' (180 cm) Classification: Succubus

Charming, intellengent, and collected, there isn't much about Sylne not to like - on the surface, at least. Underneath, the woman's hand is always in some sort of scheme, and she's willing to sacrifice even those closest to her in an effort to gain more power. She's two-faced and underhanded, two very good things for a succubus to be. Sylne uses illegal human magic to enslave the imp Junael and sends him to spy on Maeve, who is her former student. Sylne hopes to catch Maeve breaking the rules so that she can turn her in and gain honor and wealth among the demons.

Junael Age: 212 Hair: Black Eyes: Reddish-brown Height: 5'2" (155 cm) Classification: Imp Animal Form: Crow

Somewhat reserved, Junael is the sort that prefers to handle things behind the scenes. He's meticulously neat and pays close attention to detail; usually, he knows more about any given situation than he lets on. Though his work requires him to make sure that the rules are followed, he's found that knowing them well enough allows them to be bent when the time calls for it. Sent to the human world as a spy, Junael follows Maeve as she learns about the human world but is noticed by Devin and is woven into his mob conspiracy theory.

External links

• The official Mark of the Succubus site.
• The official Mark of the Succubus forum.
• IGN's review of volume 1.
• Ain't It Cool News' review of volume 2.
• The Santa Maria Sun's interview with the creators.
• Newsrama's interview with the creators.