''Demo'' is a twelve-issue

limited series Limited series may refer to: *Limited series, individual storylines within an anthology series *Limited series, a particular run of collectables, usually individually numbered *Limited series (comics), a comics series with a predetermined number of ...

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

s by writer Brian Wood and artist

Becky Cloonan Becky Cloonan (born 23 June) is an American comic book creator, known for work published by Tokyopop and Vertigo. In 2012 she became the first female artist to draw the main '' Batman'' title for DC Comics.Beck, Laura (February 8, 2013)"Meet the F ...

, published from 2003– 2004 by

AiT/Planet Lar AiT/Planet Lar is an American comic book publishing company based in San Francisco, California. It was founded in 1999 by Larry Young and Mimi Rosenheim. The company focuses on releasing original graphic novels into the mass market, although the ...

. Each issue is an isolated story, but they all revolve around the lives of young people. Originally, the series was intended to focus on young people with supernatural powers—which many of the issues indeed do—but as the year progressed, the stories increasingly focused on people, relationships, and emotions, with the "supernatural" angle quietly deemphasized.

Publication history

''Demo'' was very well received. The series was not only embraced by the

indie comics Alternative comics cover a range of American comic book, American comics that have appeared since the 1980s, following the underground comix movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Alternative comics present an alternative to mainstream sup ...

world, but also found some crossover success with superhero readers. '' Wizard'', a steadfastly superhero-oriented comics magazine, named ''Demo'' its 2004 "Indie of the Year". The series was also nominated for two

Eisner Awards The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books, sometimes referred to as the comics industry's equivalent of the Academy Awards. They are named in ...

in 2005, for "Best Limited Series" and "Best Single Issue" (for #7, "One Shot, Don't Miss"). Initially, Wood and publisher Larry Young emphasized the single-issue aspect of ''Demo'', suggesting that the series would probably not be collected into a trade paperback. AiT/Planet Lar, generally seen as a publisher of

graphic novel A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...

s, held up ''Demo'' as proof that it had not abandoned the monthly-pamphlet format. However, the series was collected in 2005, minus the extra materials originally presented with the single issues. In September 2007, the publishing rights to ''Demo'' had reverted to the creators, and in November the

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...

imprint

Vertigo Vertigo is a condition where a person has the sensation of movement or of surrounding objects moving when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. This may be associated with nausea, vomiting, sweating, or difficulties w ...

was named as the publisher. They reprinted the original series as a 328-page trade paperback in June 2008 and later published a new 6-issue limited series, entitled ''Demo: Volume 2'', starting in April 2010.

Issues

Volume One: * #1: NYC * #2: Emmy * #3: Bad Blood * #4: Stand Strong * #5: Girl You Want * #6: What You Wish For * #7: One Shot, Don't Miss * #8: Mixtape * #9: Breaking Up * #10: Damaged * #11: Midnight to Six * #12: Mon Dernier Jour Avec Toi (My Last Night with You) '' istranslated, as the actual French text says "My Last Day with You"' Volume Two: * #1: The Waking Life of Angels * #2: Pangs * #3: Volume One Love Story * #4: Waterbreather * #5: Stranded * #6: Sad and Beautiful World

Collected editions

Both limited series have been collected into

trade paperbacks A paperback (softcover, softback) book is one with a thick paper or paperboard cover, and often held together with adhesive, glue rather than stitch (textile arts), stitches or Staple (fastener), staples. In contrast, hardcover (hardback) book ...

: * ''Demo: The Collection'' (328 pages, AiT/Planet Lar, December 2005, ) * ''Demo: Volume 1'' (328 pages, Vertigo, July 2008, ) * ''Demo: Volume 2'' (160 pages, Vertigo, March 2011, ) * ''Demo'' (496 pages, Dark Horse Comics, March 2015, ) The scripts have also been collected and published in their own volume: * ''Demo: The Twelve Original Scripts'' (AiT/Planet Lar, January 2005, )

Awards

* 2005: Nominated for "Best Limited Series"

Eisner Award The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books, sometimes referred to as the comics industry's equivalent of the Academy Awards. They are named in ...

References

External links

* *
Doing the ''Demo'' 1: Looking Back with Brian Wood

Newsarama Newsarama is an American website that publishes news, interviews, and essays about the American comic book industry. It is owned by Future US. In June 2020, Newsarama was merged with the website GamesRadar+, also owned by FutureUS. History N ...