Customer Reviews

Demo

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Come to think about it, I don't remember how I found about DEMO. I somehow ended up pre-ordering the book three months ago without any expectations other than finding content as different from typical American comic as possible.

There are 12 short stories. After reading 3 of them I stopped in bewilderment. an hour later, I still don't know exactly what I feel about this work.

To put it in ordinary terms, there is very solid and unorthodox storytelling. The script is intelligent, unapologetic and sort of naturalistic in its approach to theme. The stories themselves are... what to say; the Amazon description says it's a collection of "stories of conflicted teens grappling with love, loss, and the joy of finding your own way in life" but that's just a bland and dumb description. It doesn't cut it; it doesn't encompass what this book is about. I can't categorize it myself, so I won't.

If anything, I'd say these stories break with the trivialities and clichéd themes seen in comic books for decades. This is stuff of the new century; this is material that speaks to the progressive and subversive mindset of a new an evolving generation. This is not about teenagers and their `angst-ridden antics'. There's a certain social commentary, it's hidden within the characters behavior and psychological dynamics going on around them. I'll just say that it struck me deeply. I felt as though I was identifying parts of my fragmented spirit, as though when I read, I looked through a mirror and I recognized the misery and virtue of my ordinary human experience.

The visual syntax of Becky's art is quite unique. She crafted a style that stands out (and odd) in the American comic book store. It simply defies the overly macho nature of the dominating comic style that saturated shelves for too long. This is legitimate art. I somehow felt the femininity in the brush strokes, a delicacy in the fountain pen traces, and the strength of the graphic representation of shape, volume, and space. I'm a sort of pseudo-connoisseur of all things Japanese and I know very well when a western artist tried to copy certain mangaka (manga artist) style. The resulting work is often weak and false (pretentious). Nevertheless, there are cases in which an artist successfully "reverse-engineers" the Japanese styles and integrates whatever features she/he wants into an authentic style. I see that sort of thing in DEMO; I call it harmonic ambivalence. It oozes with graphic sophistication, in spite of the often rough vignettes, while at the same time its 'punch' is carried by the weight and scope of its literary features like character development and various thematic experiences that yield a lasting insight into significant aspects of existence and modern life.

As I said before, I stopped at story #3. Why you ask, well, because it's a lot of substance to take in. I prefer to dig each story and enjoy it like it was a drink of exotic tea. I like to indulge in the sort of philosophical wandering, reflect upon this and that; let the story stir the imagination and intelect. Brian Wood and Becky Cloonan crafted an exceptionally honest and passionate work. Its visuals are grappling (and spoke to me as an artist), it entices emotionally with its storytelling, and it motivates to explore facets of identity and existence through its themes.

It's about time we break away from the tedious paradigms of traditional western comic customary clichés.

With DEMO Brian Wood and Becky Cloonan present an amazing set of dark stories with brilliant black/white art. Each story is short but telling, as we see several teens coping with the rougher side of having superpowers. This is much better reading and art than can be found in the similar Marvel comic NYX. I highly recommend this collection over the mainstream's version as it has more grit and more heart.

I read a lot of graphic novels -- actual stories, not just compiled superhero comics -- and I rarely come across anything this literary. Most of these twelve stories could easily have been published, without pictures, in a "little" magazine somewhere. The intriguing thing is how they evolve, first to last, from "NYC" and "Bad Blood," which actually are about not-necessarily-super powers with a Rod Serling twist, to "One Shot, Don't Miss" and "Breaking Up" and "Damaged," which will stay with you a long, long time. And the last panel of the last story will truly grab you by the throat. Amazing writing.

I read these stories when they were coming out as single issues a few years back. Picking up the collection, I forgot how compelling and different each story is. The major theme linking all of the stories is people with a dilema and some "power" that pushes the story to explore themselves. Each chapter is a stand alone story, yet a common idea runs through the whole book-that no matter what gifts we have about us it's how we use them. Some stories are happy, others depressing, but all have an air of truth that most of us can relate to.

I enjoy the rough, punkesque feel that some of the tales have. It's an atmosphere of being an outsider regardless of the situation and how the individual deals with it. Becky Cloonan's art is wonderful and changes in regards as to what the situations is. It can feel like manga, independent, or stylized but never repeats any of the other chapters. She amazed me by doing so much with so few pages. Wood's writing is quick, to the point and doesn't weigh down the flow. He reminds me of what it's like to be younger, struggling with growing up, fighting the world and ourselves to become something more. Each story plays up emotions ranging from love to hate to empathy to pride and more. Imagine a story where superpowers take a backseat to the heart and that is Demo.

Brian Wood's imagination brings these interesting stories and characters to life. Though the topics of uncertainty and disillusionment in early adulthood are fairly cliché, I got a lot of enjoyment out of this and I'm a pretty tough customer. Becky Cloonan's art is also worth mentioning as well.

This collection is incredible. Poignant, dark, real. I want to say cutting edge, but some of the best indie stuff has been doing this for decades. But this still has its own character and is highly original. You must get this.

The theme of ordinary people suddenly discovering that they have superhuman powers runs throughout much of our pop culture these days (see the television show Heroes for one of the popular current examples). It's the genesis for Demo, too, from writer Brian Wood (author of the excellent DMZ) and artist Becky Cloonan. Wood's inspiration for the series came long before Heroes, though, and owes more to his work writing about teenage superheroes for Marvel Comics. Those young heroes took to their powers like fish to water, for the most part. But what if there were young people who didn't want to be special? Or who simply didn't know what to do with weird and wild abilities?

The cleverly titled Demo plays on various motifs. Is it Demo as in a demonstration? A demo tape? Demolition? Truthfully, it works in many ways. Twelve individual stories make up the book, all of them separate yet connected in a strange, subtextual way. In each, a young character living in the "normal" world must deal with possessing odd powers while trying to overcome those daunting issues of modern life. One young girl refuses to ever speak because she long ago discovered that people did everything she told them to. "Drop dead!" becomes a deathblow. "Go away" is an undeniable command. The age-old proverb of being careful what you wish for bears out here.

Other characters grapple with their strange powers in bizarre, sometimes unexpected ways. There's a seriousness that hangs over Demo like a dark cloud (don't expect to see joyous flying heroes or happy-go-lucky protagonists in here), and all the characters can feel it. The comics medium may have long been the place where kids who dream of having special powers turn to for pure escapism, but here, they won't find any solace. This time, it's all deadly serious stuff.

There's nothing superheroic in Demo. The youngsters don't join a supergroup to fight crime or seek to solve the world's problems. The joy of flying is completely lost on them, mainly because they have bigger issues to face. They cope with the regular trials and tribulations most young people face, like feelings of isolation and angst based on dealing with overbearing parents, but also deeper, more disturbing realities. Sometimes deliberately frightening, Demo treats its subject matter with pathos but still manages to avoid slipping into overblown hysterics or melodrama.

The book originally unfolded as 12 separate comics, but the collected edition works better, allowing the full realization of what these kids are going through to sink in on a deeper level. Each story within the book is subtle, deliberately paced, and understated--so it's all the more surprising when you realize, just after finishing one of them, how much its impact has hammered home. This is what makes Demo work so well, giving it a resonating emotionalism that makes it relatable on a human (as opposed to superhuman) scale. There's hardly a wrong note hit throughout.

-- John Hogan

Today I'm going to review one of my favorites...

DEMO!!!

One of the most unique indie titles I've read. Its twelve single issue stories with no connections between them whatsoever, and I mean no connections at all. All of the stories follow the perspectives of ordinary people, with the twist of them having extraordinary powers. But not all of the powers are what you would define as useful or great. Like in some superhero stories, most of them have drawbacks and most of these drawbacks can be extremely dangerous, which suggests strongly that having superpowers can be more of a pain than a blessing.

These superpowers do not make them 'immune' to everyday problems either. Everyone of these stories have dysfunctions of some sort. The characters are as flawed as can be, they struggle (much like Megan in Local) with relationships, with their esteems, with their family members, with their lives. The stories explore those issues in a very poignant way.

And sometimes the characters end up with no real solutions even, making Demo a very desperate book, a very touching book to go through. You will be left thinking after every story here, I can guarantee that. Demo isn't a 'feel good' book per se, but it's a thinking man's book, and for that reason alone I recommend reading it. It's that important.

Overall, I think it's one of the best work both Becky and Brian has done. Something that, I believe, can never be done again. The creative process of Demo is just that raw. But one can never know, can they?

P.S: Brian, please get Demo 2 out soon...

I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked up "Demo". I was familiar with Brian Wood from "DMZ" and Becky Cloonan from "American Virgin," but I was totally unprepared for how amazing this series of short stories is. It starts off with a few tales of teenagers with telepathic or supernatural abilities, but quickly veers off into unexpected territory.

While the stories are not connected, similar thematic riffs appear throughout: The loss of love, teenage rebellion, anger, and nostalgia. Cloonan varies her style for each chapter, from manga to realism. It's a gorgeous body of work. Not every story worked for me, though--a few were average or just went over my head. That's to be expected with any anthology, and shouldn't detract you from picking this book up for a permanent space on your bookshelf.

This book collects the first series of DEMO (12 short stories). In my opinion it's the best work of Brian Wood so far. Both the text and the art evolve during this book, giving birth to great stories. For those looking for comics with soul DEMO is a must read.