Let This One Be a Devil Volume 1

Let This One Be a Devil #1-4

by James Tynion IV, Steve Foxe, Piotr Kowalski (illustrator)

From the New York Times bestseller and multi-Eisner award-winner James Tynion IV (Something is Killing the Children, The Nice House on the Lake, The Department of Truth) and Eisner award-nominated Steve Foxe (Razorblades, All Eight Eyes) comes this ambitious comic book experience depicting bizarre stories of Cryptid encounters.

In the early 1900s, Henry Naughton returns home to the family farm in the swampy Pine Barrens of southern New Jersey. One night, he encounters a strange predator stalking the woods. This sends the young scholar on a research project that uncovers the legend of Mother Leeds and the terrible birth of the JERSEY DEVIL in 1735.

JAMES TYNION IV (Blue Book, Something is Killing the Children) and STEVE FOXE (Dark X-Men, All Eight Eyes along with PIOTR KOWALSKI (Bloodborne, Where Monsters Lie) bring the Jersey Devil to life in a supernatural tale of horror that peels back unknown layers of history and reveals local monsters and universal terrors.

Collects Let This One Be a Devil #1-#4.

Tiny Onion Studios and Dark Horse Comics present a line of upcoming creator-owned work from the mind of James Tynion IV across a broad spectrum of his interests, from non-fiction supernatural encounters to high concept coming-of-age monster comics.

Genres: Horror, Graphic Novels, Comics, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics

120 pages, Paperback

Published October 14, 2025

About the author

Prior to his first professional work, Tynion was a student of Scott Snyder's at Sarah Lawrence College. A few years later, he worked as for Vertigo as Fables editor Shelly Bond's intern. In late 2011, with DC deciding to give Batman (written by Snyder) a back up feature, Tynion was brought in by request of Snyder to script the back ups he had plotted. Tynion would later do the same with the Batman Annual #1, which was also co-plotted by Snyder. Beginning in September 2012, with DC's 0 issue month for the New 52, Tynion will be writing Talon, with art by Guillem March. In early 2013 it was announced that he'd take over writing duties for Red Hood and the Outlaws in April.

Tynion is also currently one of the writers in a rotating team in the weekly Batman Eternal series.

Reviews

[The Void Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let This One Be a Devil, Vol. 1
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5)
by James Tynion IV, Steve Foxe, Piotr Kowalski

A chilling reimagining of the Jersey Devil legend, this volume blends historical horror with creeping dread and folkloric mystery. Set in the eerie Pine Barrens of early 1900s New Jersey, Henry Naughton’s return home sparks a descent into local lore, where the infamous birth of Mother Leeds’ thirteenth child becomes more than myth—it becomes personal.

Tynion and Foxe expand the legend with layered storytelling and a scholar’s obsession, while Kowalski’s art evokes the swampy isolation and lurking terror with cinematic precision. The narrative unfolds like a fever dream of archival research and primal fear, peeling back the skin of history to reveal something monstrous beneath.

I loved how the creators built out the mythology—giving the Jersey Devil not just teeth, but roots. It’s a tale of legacy, obsession, and the monsters we inherit.

Happy reading 👾📚

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've always been fascinated by the Jersey Devil, so I really enjoyed this one. I don't think it's anything groundbreaking as far as Jersey Devil stories go, but if you enjoy stories about cryptids and the Jersey Devil in particular, this is definitely worth a read. The art fits the story perfectly as well. Really good read.

[James DeSantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A dark, jersey devil style tale. It has a great build up, and the two timelines really sell the book. I'm short on time to write a big review, but Tynion and Fox do a great job forming a horror slow burn tale.

[Alex Sarll]

I thought True Weird was just an anthology, but apparently it's also an umbrella brand for miniseries like this, though whether the interpersonal side of the story in the comic's main, 1900s, timeframe has any basis in fact there are no notes to confirm. If anything, I hope so, because the resentment of the younger brother forced to grow up fast for the big city book-larnin' of his older brother is so unoriginal that it'd make me disappointed in Tynion and/or Foxe if they troubled to invent it. And truth be told, I've never been that into the Jersey Devil anyway; sure, the story here goes back to the 1730s, but unlike yer man Bigfoot, or even a niche customer like the poor Squonk, he was nowhere to be seen during my big childhood cryptid phase, so I always regard him as somewhat apocryphal (see also Mothman, and don't even get me started on nightcrawlers). But Kowalski's moody art saves the day, never quite letting the creature settle into anything wholly knowable, and really going to town when there's any excuse for a hallucination.

[Michael Doane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This takes an obscure piece of American folklore and turns it into a mythos that carries old world weight. If you’re into cryptids, monsters, Victorian occult stories, dark fairy tales, or weird fiction, this one’s for you.

[Clint · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
One of Tynion’s better comic adaptations of “real” allegations of supernatural myths in recent years. The Jersey Devil backstory from the early 1900s and then the early 1700s is interesting enough, and well grounded in a (fictional?) story about a “college boy” returning home awkwardly to his small town roots. One hilarious bit of included trivia is that apparently Ben Franklin had a publishing rivalry with the almanac-producing Leeds family (who originated the devil myth), and the rivalry was nasty enough that Franklin mocked their fondness for astrology by predicting their adult son’s death based on astrology in his Poor Richard’s Almanack, then published a fake obit for him anyway when he didn’t die on the predicted date, and then claimed the still-alive son was an impostor or ghost until he genuinely died five years later. Hilarious but reprehensible stuff!

I appreciated the slightly wood-cut style of Kowalski’s art here.

[Ángel Javier · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ni fu ni fa. Tynion pone el nombre y se pira, y el resto de peña hace un cómic que, bueno, pues mira, no es que sea un bodrio total, pero no va a entusiasmar ni a los fans de los críptidos siquiera. Es, simplemente, la historia canónica del nacimiento del Diablo de Jersey, más vieja que el mear, con una cacería fallida de por medio, algún detalle más o menos curioso, como el del pobre canguro camuflado como Diablo para engañar a los tontos, y una chorrada sin sentido en la que unos chavales de hoy en día se van de camping a los Pine Barrens no se entiende muy bien si a descubrir la verdad sobre el Diablo de Jersey, o a filmar una peli sobre el bicho. ¿El dibujo? Bien, gracias.

Tynion, deja de hacer el Asimov, hombre. No pongas el nombre y luego te pires, que además se te nota, tío...

[Kathryn Grace Loves Horror · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve always felt like the Jersey Devil is a really under represented cryptid in horror media, so I was excited to read this period piece comic based on the urban legend. I love the ambiguity here - is the legend real? What exactly is the real story of the devil? My only complaint was that it was all over a bit too quickly. I would have loved a longer, meatier story.

[Chr*s Browning]

Fairly predictable coming of age/two brothers separated by calling short story married to an illustrated version of the Wiki page for the Jersey Devil. A bit better than that sounds, but still mostly slight.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oddly framed, but moving for a spooky tale.

[Anwar Vázquez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una buena historia contada aprovechando el medio del cómic. De inicio a fin es interesante, pero el final tiene ese toque interesante y cautivador

Muy recomendada

[Mee Too · Rating 2 out of 5]

I guess this was some sort of ode to the ‘jersey devil’ folklore 🤷🏽

Didn’t much care for it. Kinda boring and oddly written.

2.4🌟🤷🏽

[Pablo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it, main plot was just okay but art was amazing and it's kind of a tribute to the idea of the devil, which i enjoyed since it's one of my favorite monsters ever, specially the og folk tale.

[Kaitlyn Whitten · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5🌟

[Rickey · Rating 3 out of 5]

No real climax, just kinda is. Hoping there is more to it.

[milo in the woods · Rating 4 out of 5]

weird!!

not my favourite art style, but a very unique creepy folkloric story that managed timelines very well.