Demo

(AiT/Planet Lar, 2003-2005)
™ and © AiT/Planet Lar

No tights, no flights. No capes, no megalomaniacal apes.

Demo is far removed from the stereotypical comic book about a teen-ager with special powers. The lead characters—a pair of punkish, anti-establishment types—are coming to terms with the fact that they are different from the rest of society as they make their way out of town. The female half of the romantic (in a Sid and Nancy kind of way) duo is trying to wean herself off pills that inhibit her mutant-like powers. When she goes too long without her meds, her body and mind go into spasms, leading to powerfully drawn scenes of painful withdrawal.

Cloonan’s sketchy, scratchy art would look a bit crude and rushed in a mainstream super-hero title, but it fits this particular brand of story well. Her liberal use of inks (love the splattering) is especially effective in giving the issue a feel of rebelliousness and lonely desperation. However, things never get too morose or hopeless, since the teen twosome seem to sincerely care about and trust each other and since the story has at its heart an oddly upbeat sentiment: that of finding oneself. These are definitely rebels with a cause.

— Brett Weiss

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