"Demo" Review!

There's a lot of stories out there about kids/teenagers that live a lah-dee-dah normal life, wake up one morning and BAM! they've got some kind of awesome power that somehow turns their life around for the better. You know...helps them socially defeat the pretty cheerleader or beat the $#*^ out of the bully that's been stealing their lunch money. "Demo" by Brian Wood and Becky Cloonan isn't one of those stories. Sure...it has the stories about the kids with special abilities, but what makes this collection most unique is the fact that, to these kids, the powers/abilities can be a CURSE.

I think that's what, to the reader, makes this collection most shocking. In most cases, there isn't even a happy ending. So often, our society shocks us senseless but fixes it with an "it's ok! See...the puppy found her owner after all! She may have gotten hit by a car, but it's all good in the end!". Our minds aren't wired to accept depressing endings. THAT'S what's awesome about "Demo". It goes against the grain.

Each chapter of the story is an individual story. Each story is about a different person with a different ability/mishap (some of them don't have any certain ability). I think the story that most got my attention was the story of Emmy (story #2). Emmy has the ability to make people do whatever she says. There was an accident. The story doesn't say what it is, but Emmy's mother was damaged as a result of whatever it is that Emmy said. She doesn't talk, she urinates on herself, and stares blankly into space. I'm sure there's some obvious answer that I'm missing... One day, while being harassed by a man at her workplace, Emmy tells him to "drop dead...". What choice does he have? Although he, obviously, doesn't want to die, Emmy's powers aren't a force to be reckoned with. He drops dead and Emmy runs home to say goodbye to her mother. She's now a woman on the run from the law. This is just ONE awesome story out of twelve, but you get the idea. It's a book full of awesomeness! Hooray!

So...here's the specifics.

Creativity of Writing: 5/5 I love this book so much more than The New York Four. It makes me very happy, and also impressed, to know that Brian Wood is such a versatile writer. Not only can he write specifically to one target group, but he can switch it up completely to cater to another group of people! I think the idea of a not-so-happy-ending collection is genius. The slice-of-life aspect of this is nice, too. The nice thing is that it's not too overwhelming. It's not CHEESY slice-of-life....it's informative...it's very basic. The characters are very believable and I find it very easy to relate to them. More importantly, I find it easy to sympathize with them. You feel emotions for these characters...you feel their misfortune and you understand their oddities where society might not. It's almost like you wish they were real so you could comfort them.

Creativity of Art: 5/5 You're not getting an art style here...you're getting art STYLES. Becky Cloonan is also extremely versatile. She changes the art style depending upon the story and the content. I don't think that there's even two stories that look alike. That takes a LOT of work and a lot of adjustment. On top of that, her art doesn't suffer because of it. Most artists are ok with many different styles. Or, they have just one and they're excellent with it. It's a rare gift to have what Becky has...awesomeness with many styles. It's having the best of both worlds. Whatever the style, its fitting, unique, and very well done.

Overall Casual Rating: 5/5 It's a long read, but definitely not boring. It feels like time goes by much faster than it actually does. I think this is because you're constantly changing stories. It's very fulfilling.

Note to the Creator(s): This is an AWESOME collection. I would LOVE to read more...or maybe read something Demo-esque but more extreme. Either way, you guys are a winning team and I'll be looking more into other collaborations.