The creator owned series Infidel by Pornsak Pichetshote and Aaron Campbell had an impressive first issue which was full of suspense and presented a world of racist and terrifying creatures. Will the second issue continue to keep the fear alive or are things less intense in the light of day?
Summary
Aisha seeks helps as she believes she is going crazy. The haunting images keep appearing and she doesn’t know who to reach out to for help.
Writing
This book makes sure to keep a sense of grounding, which helps to make it even more intense as events play out. Aisha believes she is simply hallucinating due to her medication and seeks medical attention to make sure her condition can be treated. Despite her efforts to try and fix her circumstances, the ghosts continue to appear but she is hesitant to confide in anyone. This makes sense as this isn’t a monster with a physical form. They are ghosts which are torturing this poor woman and not allowing her a moment to relax. A real person would be very hesitant to tell anyone what is happening because they would fear being labeled as being crazy. This aspect of realism helps the reader to connect with Aisha even more.
Writer Pornsak Pichetshote finds a way to keep the series scary even after the monsters have been shown. The ghosts keep coming out at odd times with little build up and no way to stop them. It could be said the series is employing “jump scares” but the use of this term would be a disservice to the writing and the art. Legitimate fear is being produced thanks to the human characters and the inhuman creatures which are stalking them.
Artwork
One of the main aspects which keeps this book so good is the ever changing yet constant design of the supernatural creature. Each time they appear in the panels they have a look which makes it apparent they are ghost-like beings, but at the same time the individual creatures themselves change from every encounter. Aaron Campbell’s artwork makes every moment the creatures appear feel like they would devour your soul if they truly existed.
The color work by Jose Villarrubia continues to employ a restrained approach but this is actual to book’s benefit. When brighter colors are employed they help to symbolize scenes of action and suspense which make the panels even more noticeable.
The lettering work by Jeff Powell continues to help make the creatures keep their sense of dread. The font used keeps changing as if different voices were talking to Aisha at different points adding to the torture. Also, use of tiny “blink and you missed it” font in panels is employed to help with the feeling the ghosts are whispering in ways only Aisha can hear which adds to the torture she is experiencing.
Conclusion
Infidel continues to be intense and offers no sign of slowing down. They say when the monster is shown the terror is no longer as powerful in media. Infidel has found a way to take this idea and flip it on its head. The monsters have been shown but they continue to be a force of great fear and concern.
