books

Short Stories
Comix
Comics

Books like Demo, Vol. 2

Demo, Vol. 2

2011Brian Wood

4.9/5

Aptly titled, Demo Vol. 2 is the follow up the original Demo. And for the most part, ain't a damn thing changed. All the improvements for the series are purely cosmetic in nature. A freshly applied original set of paint, as it were, is all we're gonna get with this one. Instead of twelve, six paltry, nonsensical stories are, yet again, bound together by little more than a shared artistic team and the physical adhesives which bound the comic together.While the first in the series, for the most part, dealt with themes of youth, most everyone is all growed [sic] up in this one. Instead of weird mini-bilgdungsromans, this one seems more influenced by the latest publication of the DSM than anything. The litany of neuroses/mental-illnesses which propel first and illustrate our stories second branch out like a rash across the pages. I wish I was making this list up but, here we go (deep breath): Story #1 - Narcolepsy/Schizophrenia, Story #2 - Self-Mutilation/Cannibalism, Story #3 Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Story #4 Suicidal thoughts (via drowning), Story #5 Time-travel assisted homicidal tendencies, Story #6 Depression, Anti-social disorder, (and although its not clear to me) Incest.Perversions aside, there are some welcome improvements in this second addition. I found the art to be much more original (and thus enjoyable) than the previous which blatantly aped Anime/Manga themed styles with little in the way of personal inventiveness. Second, although the stories themselves are quite simplistic, they feel more cogent than there forerunners from the previous series. And thirdly, even though brimming with perversity, I did find modicums of pleasantness here and there.The failures are evident and the successes are clearly occluded. The true mystery for me however is, what's the point Brian Wood? What (if anything beyond a paycheck) were you trying to accomplish here?I doubt we'll ever find out.One thumb down.

Filter by:

Cross-category suggestions

Filter by:

Filter by:

Filter by:

Filter by:

Filter by:

Filter by:

Filter by: