by tonydoug wright

Demo: The Collected Edition, Brian Wood (Writer), Becky Cloonan (Artist), AiT/PlanetLar (Publisher)

Teens with supernatural powers and twenty-somethings trying to keep failing relationships afloat are the main ingredients for Demo: The Collected Edition by writer Brian Wood and artist Becky Cloonan.

The first six stories in Demo deal with young adults who possess some sort of mystical or paranormal abilities that have damaged their lives and the lives of their family and friends. These tales do not celebrate super-powers, but instead, they take a quasi real world approach at examining how supernatural abilities affect everyone. NYC, the opening story, deals with a heavily medicated teenager named Marie, who is escaping an abusive home with her boyfriend Mike with the hope of living life free of medications. Marie’s trip ends with her discovering that her hopes would be disastrous not only for her but for all of humanity.

Following NYC are five other stories that use the same formula, but take different routes. Emmy is about an ostracized young girl whose voice is the ultimate weapon; a teenager attends the burial of her father and discovers a bizarre family secret in Bad Blood; James’ strength is comparable to John Henry and Paul Bunyan, but he must choose the between a life of crime or complacency in Stand Strong; Kate, a chameleon of sorts, wishes someone would see the real Kate in Girl You Want; and a young boy gains revenge upon his neighborhood using his unholy powers in What You Wish For.

The next six stories stray away from the tortured soul possessing amazing powers to ones concerning young people dealing with relationships on the brink of disaster. One Shot, Don’t Miss is the transitional story of a soldier named John who faces an ethical dilemma while deployed in the Middle East. John is an accurate shooter, but he does not understand the need to kill others, which goes against the military way of thinking. The military is John’s only way to earn money for a better life for himself and his family.

Five stories remain and they too focus upon relationships. Mixtape and Breaking Up are two tales of love gone wrong. The suicide of Nick’s girlfriend Jessica is the theme of Mixtape, but the characters are extremely unlikable and at times incredibly insipid. Breaking Up is a glimpse into an uncomfortable break up and this too suffers the same problems as Mixtape. Yes, relationships are difficult, but it is hard to find any sympathy for these characters that come off as self-absorbed and unlovable. One Shot, Don’t Miss is the perfect shift, but Mixtape and Breaking Up fail to capture the power and emotion of One Shot, Don’t Miss, which is hands-down Wood’s best effort.

Damaged is a return to the supernatural; Midnight to Six examines the life of three slackers who face the reality of their dire situation; and Mon Dernier Jour Avec Toi is a wonderful tale of two lovers spending a day together.

Demo begins strong with six modern-day Twilight Zone- influenced tales, but quickly moves into stories about human relations and the complexities that we encounter. Wood’s writing, for the most part, is excellent and his stories capture the reader’s interest. He does have some disappointing moments, but they are outweighed by his ability to capture pain, confusion, and the awkwardness of young adulthood. The writing in Demo is strengthened by the black and white artwork from Becky Cloonan, a talented artist with a great eye for detail. Unfortunately she relies upon the magna style at times, and it hurts the story by giving it an immature quality. Despite the minor gripes, Demo: The Collected Edition is an impressive graphic novel that delivers something different and original for readers.