compound
Well-Known Member
I never found a thread about DEMO, the brilliant maxi-series by Brian Wood (Generation X, Channel Zero, DMZ) and Becky Cloonan (Channel Zero: Jennie One) on UC, despite a cursory search. Please merge, if need be.
With DEMO: The Collection being released this week at last, it seemed appropriate to finally start an exclusive discussion thread.
For those who aren't familiar -- and missed the well-deserved hype it recieved on comics blogs everywhere -- the basic premise is 12 self-contained, issues dealing with everyday interactions between people and their social environment, with each story being given a "superpowered" or other-worldly twist.
The mood spans from light-hearted to grim and foreboding, from one issue to the next, taking on diverse but "relate-able" situations like the demands of working life, family commitments, old pals, home-town secrets, and the like.
Artist Becky Cloonan's style is waaaaay versatile, spanning influences as broad as Sin City, shojou manga, and European art comics, while always retaining her characteristic punk-y touch, for lack of a better description. You've gotta see it to believe it.
(Incidentally, she is as hott as her art is. But that's neither here nor there.)
Oh, and it was nominated for a whole bunch of Eisners in this year's awards, if that kind of thing means anything to you.
*** Okay, from this point onwards, there may be huge spoilers. ***
* Did anybody else believe Green Day's video for "Wake Me Up When September Ends" felt like a watered down version of #7 (I think), "One Shot, Don't Miss". If you've read the series and watched the video, you ought to know what I'm referring to.
* I didn't honestly get what the "twist" was supposed to be in the "convenience store"/Slackers' Manifesto issue (#11?). I mean, it was great issue, but it felt ENTIRELY slice-of-life and down to earth.
* I seem to be the only person I know who liked "Mixtape" (#8?) least of all the stories.
* Does anybody else here think Becky Cloonan uses SuicideGirls members as her drawing references? That, or a Hot Topic catalog. Not that I'm complaining, mind you. It's gorgeous stuff. I'd want to see her do a fill-in arc, or guest covers, for Runaways.
* Was it really DEMO, as some detractors claim? Or just very heartfelt and raw and pathos-inducing, without falling into the trap of sentiment?
With DEMO: The Collection being released this week at last, it seemed appropriate to finally start an exclusive discussion thread.
For those who aren't familiar -- and missed the well-deserved hype it recieved on comics blogs everywhere -- the basic premise is 12 self-contained, issues dealing with everyday interactions between people and their social environment, with each story being given a "superpowered" or other-worldly twist.
The mood spans from light-hearted to grim and foreboding, from one issue to the next, taking on diverse but "relate-able" situations like the demands of working life, family commitments, old pals, home-town secrets, and the like.
Artist Becky Cloonan's style is waaaaay versatile, spanning influences as broad as Sin City, shojou manga, and European art comics, while always retaining her characteristic punk-y touch, for lack of a better description. You've gotta see it to believe it.
(Incidentally, she is as hott as her art is. But that's neither here nor there.)
Oh, and it was nominated for a whole bunch of Eisners in this year's awards, if that kind of thing means anything to you.
*** Okay, from this point onwards, there may be huge spoilers. ***
* Did anybody else believe Green Day's video for "Wake Me Up When September Ends" felt like a watered down version of #7 (I think), "One Shot, Don't Miss". If you've read the series and watched the video, you ought to know what I'm referring to.
* I didn't honestly get what the "twist" was supposed to be in the "convenience store"/Slackers' Manifesto issue (#11?). I mean, it was great issue, but it felt ENTIRELY slice-of-life and down to earth.
* I seem to be the only person I know who liked "Mixtape" (#8?) least of all the stories.
* Does anybody else here think Becky Cloonan uses SuicideGirls members as her drawing references? That, or a Hot Topic catalog. Not that I'm complaining, mind you. It's gorgeous stuff. I'd want to see her do a fill-in arc, or guest covers, for Runaways.
* Was it really DEMO, as some detractors claim? Or just very heartfelt and raw and pathos-inducing, without falling into the trap of sentiment?
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