Image Comics 2018
Written by Pornsak Pichetshote
Illustrated by Aaron Campbell
Coloured & Edited by Jose Villarrubia
Lettered & Designed by Jeff Powell
With the book being titled Infidel I was not all that sure what I was going to be getting myself into and I worried a bit it might be political or about some kind of hate but Pornsak surprised the heck out of me with what he delivered. Aisha is a Muslim woman but a modern one the result of being in the States and free modern thinker who abides her traditions and in public wears her hijab. She is engaged to a non-muslim and that has caused her parents to disown her. So yeah that’s just a hint to her background.
I like the way that this book is structured. The information and how it’s delivered and the whole ebb & flow of the story through it’s pages is extremely well done. There are a few different angles to what we see in this issue and while it’s really nice to see how the people in her life see the others it really does have a more universal appeal. The blend of people in her life and where they are all living right now has this whole air about that lulls into this complacent place and yet has the capacity to scare the living daylights out of you at the same time.
Tom’s mother, Tom is the fiancée, is someone of some consternation as she tries to cope with Aisha and religious and ethnic background. The writing is so strong that when she’s talking to her friend about what’s going on she says something about racism that you must hear. There is is this unnatural ease with which Pornsak is able to write this and while he is mixing a few things together in the blender to make something better than a margarita it has infectious way of getting to you. I’m not altogether sure but maybe Aisha is being haunted and maybe she’s not, maybe this is her mind giving her grief and believing what her mother says. The point being what is real and what isn’t is so blurred that you just cannot look away.
I have been a fan of Aaron’s for quite some time and it’s for reasons such as this very issue that demonstrates why. The opening has this style to it that feels like it’s from a dream or nightmare and yet it still has this solidity to it that is horrifying. Then to see the world when she’s awake and the attention to detail the varying weights of the linework and the overall beauty he’s able to create is stunning. The use of light sources and even in the darkness to use that kind of hard black and still be able to create depth and emotions can give you chills on top the chills the story brings.
There is something about this that raises some really good questions. Aside from nature or nurture there is the fact that we have these cultural differences, a man who hates his mother and a building that has a recent history and they all collide in ways that make you stop and think. Could this building and it’s new reputation be having some effect on the way they are acting? Is Aisha’s nightmares a result of that along with her struggling with all that’s going on in her life? There are so many questions that are up in the air, that engage the reader and captures the mind and imagination. This of course means we’ll be back to find out.
Creepy, current and full of avenues to explore this is one that keep you up at night and not for the usual reasons.