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3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
Infidel - 3.5/5
A really solid comic which is undermined by the fact that everything takes a backseat to The Message. Now, the message here, about the insidious nature of racism/xenophobia and how it infests the core of people and systems, is important and well realised here but it overpowers the book to such an extent that things like character and plot take far too much of a secondary role here.
I never felt as if I entirely knew Aisha or Medina, or any of their myriad of friends and relations, well enough to be suitably invested beyond a surface level. There are a lot of elements here which could've got me invested but they never entirely came together, and which wasn't helped by the sheer number of characters a reader has to keep a track of, especially in the 5 issue space this story was provided.
To add to that, the decision to.
The horror was very effective though, with Aaron Campbell's art perfectly suited for the ghosts and spirits infecting the bones of the building. Not to undersell the writing in these scenes though, the text of hateful words going across the page when the ghosts are present is very effective.
So yeah, this is a tentative recommendation. Just be aware that this comic is focused on that Message over everything else and, as needed as that message is, it does overpower the whole story to the determent of the characters and plot.
A really solid comic which is undermined by the fact that everything takes a backseat to The Message. Now, the message here, about the insidious nature of racism/xenophobia and how it infests the core of people and systems, is important and well realised here but it overpowers the book to such an extent that things like character and plot take far too much of a secondary role here.
I never felt as if I entirely knew Aisha or Medina, or any of their myriad of friends and relations, well enough to be suitably invested beyond a surface level. There are a lot of elements here which could've got me invested but they never entirely came together, and which wasn't helped by the sheer number of characters a reader has to keep a track of, especially in the 5 issue space this story was provided.
To add to that, the decision to
Spoiler
switch up the protagonist from Aisha to Medina partway through didn't help with my difficulty to connecting with the characters. Suddenly we're going from a fairly well sketched out character to focus instead on her somewhat interesting but not nearly as developed friend. It really didn't work for meThe horror was very effective though, with Aaron Campbell's art perfectly suited for the ghosts and spirits infecting the bones of the building. Not to undersell the writing in these scenes though, the text of hateful words going across the page when the ghosts are present is very effective.
So yeah, this is a tentative recommendation. Just be aware that this comic is focused on that Message over everything else and, as needed as that message is, it does overpower the whole story to the determent of the characters and plot.
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Interesting concept with amazing artwork.
4.5 stars. Man, I’ve still got chills from this one. A modern horror story about a Pakistani-American woman whose apartment building is haunted by spirits fueled by racism and xenophobia. As accidents happen around POC in the book, their white neighbors’ hatred abounds, further feeding the horrific eldritch beings. Truly frightening and poignant, I highly recommend this comic to fans of Jordan Peele’s movie Get Out.
Tw: repeated images of graphic body horror, egregious racism/xenophobia
Tw: repeated images of graphic body horror, egregious racism/xenophobia
Really dug this. The themes of racism and loss is perfect here. The talk of trust and change for people is realistic and nicely done. The horror element is well made and actually scary and people die. I thought the ending wrapped up to quick and that be my one negative. A 4 out of 5.
After a terrorist bombs an old residential building in a big city without destroying it, residents both old and new move back in only to discover that personal prejudices are now being fueled to large extent because of the attack. Oh, and spirits that are trapped in the building are also stoking those fires of xenophobia. Yes, spirits. Very disturbed spirits. And they won’t stop until they’ve destroyed the lives of every last resident.
I saw this book on the shelf of my library, read the cover description, and picked it up immediately. It would be easy to read that same description and think that the book is trying too hard to be relevant in this age of raging racism and hatred. But don’t. It’s good. Damn good. Well worth the read.
I saw this book on the shelf of my library, read the cover description, and picked it up immediately. It would be easy to read that same description and think that the book is trying too hard to be relevant in this age of raging racism and hatred. But don’t. It’s good. Damn good. Well worth the read.
En cuanto a la historia en sí, me ha gustado, me ha entretenido y he pasado un buen rato, pero el propio equipo artístico del proyecto divide esta historia en dos partes: política y terror.
En cuanto a política, me ha gustado, me ha llamado la atención y creo que plasma muy bien el mundo en el que vivimos donde los estereotipos y los prejuicios muchas veces están por delante de lo demás. En cuanto a terror, no he sentido nada de miedo en ningún momento, no me ha transmitido nada en ese aspecto.
Por eso le doy 3 estrellas, porque me lo venden como un cómic de terror que yo creo que no es representativo del genero.
En cuanto a política, me ha gustado, me ha llamado la atención y creo que plasma muy bien el mundo en el que vivimos donde los estereotipos y los prejuicios muchas veces están por delante de lo demás. En cuanto a terror, no he sentido nada de miedo en ningún momento, no me ha transmitido nada en ese aspecto.
Por eso le doy 3 estrellas, porque me lo venden como un cómic de terror que yo creo que no es representativo del genero.
Very creepy, very graphic, I wish it hadn't switched main characters in the middle, though I understand why that might have been necessary in terms of the story.
2.5 stars. A standard haunted-building story, but racial tensions play an important part: after a mentally disturbed tenant of Middle Eastern origin caused a deadly explosion in his apartment building (quickly labeled terrorism, because Middle Easterner), opinions and attitudes among the remaining (and new) tenants are divided. When a young Muslim tenant starts feeling and seeing weird things, she attributes it to stress and medication, but things get worse and now, of course, she is a Muslim woman 'behaving oddly' in a building full of already paranoid people. From there, it's pretty much a standard haunting story.
It was good for what it is, though not doing anything really new (other than starring POC instead of a hapless white couple/friend-group). The interplay of tense relationships within family, friend-groups, and the tenant community was well-done, but I found the root of the ghost(s) themselves a little too vague: in practice it seems to have a virulent beef against women and POC, and the POC part makes sense when you find stuff out but not so much the women part. Was the fiance's grudge against his mom because of the ghost, or pre-existing? Is the the atmosphere of mounting suspicion among the tenants caused by the ghost, or not? That isn't clear.
Still, fans of dark ghost stories like 'The Ring' might enjoy this.
It was good for what it is, though not doing anything really new (other than starring POC instead of a hapless white couple/friend-group). The interplay of tense relationships within family, friend-groups, and the tenant community was well-done, but I found the root of the ghost(s) themselves a little too vague: in practice it seems to have a virulent beef against women and POC, and the POC part makes sense when you find stuff out but not so much the women part. Was the fiance's grudge against his mom because of the ghost, or pre-existing? Is the the atmosphere of mounting suspicion among the tenants caused by the ghost, or not? That isn't clear.
Still, fans of dark ghost stories like 'The Ring' might enjoy this.
A haunted house, a conflict of faiths and hearts, monsters from beyond the veil.
FABULOUS. Recommend.
FABULOUS. Recommend.