DEMO TPB
Brian Wood (w), Becky Cloonan (a)
Dark Horse Comics

Liz says: Once upon a time (in 2001), Brian Wood developed a concept for Marvel’s MAX imprint that was to center around young mutants Rogue, Jubilee, and Gambit (as well as several others) with a focus on how their powers affected their lives, friends and family. Marvel ultimately deemed it unsuitable for their audience and aborted the project, reconfiguring their own version of it as the miniseries NYX. Brian Wood then teamed up with an undiscovered Becky Cloonan, went to a small publisher, and wrote Demo. Demo began as a twelve-issue mini-series, themed around the lives of young people struggling to reconcile a developing supernatural power with their lives and circumstances. Each issue contains an isolated story and is drawn in a different art style. The book was a critical success, receiving numerous Eisner nominations, and was followed up several years later with six more issues. For the first time, all eighteen issues have been collected in one definitive edition. It is easily my favorite of Brian Wood’s work and is a breathtaking introduction to the art of Becky Cloonan.