Nia Bowers
(Photo: Miko Montgomery)
Miko Montgomery stands at the crossroads of art and alchemy. This December, the Las Vegas-based writer, musician, photographer, and multimedia artist unwraps two gifts for the holiday season. Ravendiablo: The Complete Graphic Novel is a comic book featuring Ravendiablo, a vigilante working on behalf of the Goddess Kali. Wack City: Welcome to the Real Las Vegas is the audiobook adaptation of the novel of the same name. The horror novel is set in Las Vegas.
Both works reflect the same obsessions that run through all of Montgomery’s work. Though different in form, they both explore themes of morality, transformation, and the thin line between darkness and redemption.
Ravendiablo: The Complete Graphic Novel is a 228-page comic adapted from a novel that Montgomery originally published in 2010 called Ravendiablo: Agent of Kali. Ravendiablo is a hunter of predators, guided by the dark mother, Kali. Fierce, fearless, and morally unyielding, she delivers justice on her own terms. She seeks to restore balance in a world where morality and principles are hard to find. “Ravendiablo is a symbol of the need for justice and accountability,” Montgomery says. “She represents empowerment, giving a voice to those who have been silenced or dismissed. But most of all, she’s a symbol of rage… just like Kali.”
Kali is the Hindu deity famous for her multiple arms, protruding tongue, and fearsome presence. In the Western world, she’s often seen as a monster. Montgomery insists, “Kali is misunderstood and misrepresented. She’s definitely scary looking, but she’s not a monster. In many parts of the world, she’s known and even worshipped as Kali Ma, mother protector. Kali is especially protective of women and children. Ravendiablo is her instrument of justice.”
Ravendiablo: The Complete Graphic Novel represents a genre of heroic fantasy called wuxia. Wuxia is an Asian literary tradition with stories that focus on noble warriors who fight injustice. The term wuxia translates to both “Martial Hero” and “Martial Chivalry.” Montgomery shares, “Wuxia heroes are like Medieval knights, so they follow a strict code of chivalry. Their code emphasizes benevolence, courage, loyalty, honesty, and most of all, justice. Ravendiablo embodies the spirit of wuxia.”
Ravendiablo: The Complete Graphic Novel is illustrated with remarkable precision. Montgomery collaborated with a Brazilian artist, a rising star with an art style that’s visceral, elegant, and disturbingly gorgeous. The story moves with the velocity of a rocket, and the artwork mirrors the momentum.
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Wack City: Welcome to the Real Las Vegas was previously released in 2022 and earned praise for its mix of macabre storytelling and dark humor. “Audiobooks are very popular, so I decided to make Wack Cityavailable in that form as well. I share the narration duties with an actress. I think it makes the story more engaging.” The horror novel offers an unusual perspective of Las Vegas.
Montgomery shares, “As wack as it sounds, Sin City is a spiritual destination. Beneath the bright neon lies a dark truth hidden from view. Las Vegas is possessed by a strange and powerful energy. I’ve always called it the Vegas Vibe. This energy is transformative, and it amplifies and magnifies all that it touches. That’s why you have to be very careful when you come to Las Vegas. Because once you find Las Vegas, Las Vegas finds you.”
Wack City reimagines Las Vegas as a living entity, blessed, cursed, and alive with magical possibilities. There’s magic, but also madness and mayhem. The characters are ordinary people caught in moments where reality slips and the shadows take over. Montgomery adds, “Once you go wack, you never go back.”
Montgomery has deep ties to the city. One relative helped introduce jazz to Las Vegas in the 1970s, while another became a highly influential jazz guitarist.
“My family always saw the magic of Las Vegas”, he reflects. “I see it too. Las Vegas is the city of possibilities. That’s why people have always been drawn here. Like moths to a flame. The Vegas vibe is all about possibilities. The vibe is the magic, and the magic is the vibe.”
Montgomery is well aware of the recent gloomy headlines about Las Vegas, but he disregards them. “Lately, people are saying that Las Vegas is collapsing, but I see it differently. I believe in the magic of Las Vegas. So, I don’t see it collapsing, but rather transforming. Magic is about transformation. Las Vegas is going through a process of rebirth.”
Montgomery differentiates himself by upholding this perspective of Las Vegas, one that has been driven by the passion he has held for the city his entire life. “I love Las Vegas,” he shares. “The city is important to me. My roots are here, and I’m talking about spiritual roots. I found myself and my purpose in Las Vegas. I never realized I was born to be an artist until Las Vegas revealed it to me. I’ve been transformed ever since.”
In the end, Las Vegas didn’t just give Miko Montgomery inspiration– it gave him ignition. It became his mirror and his muse, reflecting the beauty and the darkness he was born to translate. And in that reflection, he found what he’d been chasing all along–the crossroads of art and alchemy where creation and transformation become one.