Infidel

Starred review from September 10, 2018
Presenting horror as topical as it is viscerally distressing, the trade volume of this bold series conjures xenophobia in tangible and terrifying form. Upon moving into an apartment building, Muslim woman Aisha is met with hostility from neighbors (including her mother in law). As it happens, a Muslim man detonated an explosive in the building years prior. As Aisha digs deeper into the history of the housing complex, monstrous forces begin haunting her and provoke her into hurting her family. When she falls into a coma, Aisha’s multiracial friends discover that the evil presence is fueled by bigotry—and as they become targets themselves, must work to destroy demons both unseen and in plain sight. Pichetshote’s disconcerting contemporary take on the classic haunted house genre is enlivened by Campbell’s ethereal artwork. Characters are drawn in realistic style with striking colors, and both monsters and the environment they thrive in are twisted in ways that indicate the hatred they represent. With a script laden with powerful metaphors, this series leaves readers both creeped out and more aware of the presence of everyday monsters, and keenly awaiting the next installment.

September 1, 2018

Aisha is making inroads with her boyfriend Tom's family, particularly his son Kris, with whom she shares a geeky love of Star Wars. There's some friction, however, between her and Tom's mother, Leslie, owing to Aisha's Islamic faith. Aisha is forgiving of Leslie's slights as careless cluelessness, but Tom finds his mother's asking Aisha to eat pork unforgivable and symbolic of unresolved hatred. Since their apartment building recently suffered through a sizable explosion from a possible Muslim terrorist, the mood among the neighbors is tense. On top of this, Aisha has to deal with unknown forces only she can detect--ghastly, murderous beings she's afraid to acknowledge as existing. Unable to talk about this supernatural threat with best friend Medina, who brought Aisha and Tom together, how can she hope to survive? VERDICT Sinewy and tense, this outstanding comic from former Vertigo editor Pichetshote and artists Campbell (James Bond), Jos� Villarrubia (King Conan), and Jeff Powell (Earth One) boldly displays a multifaceted and thoughtful view of racial and religious issues at the forefront of cultural dialog across the United States while delivering solid horror that will keep readers awake at night. [Previewed in Jody Osicki's "Graphically Speaking," LJ 6/15/18.]--Douglas Rednour, Georgia State Univ. Libs., Atlanta

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