Polite Dissent

Demo #9 is the latest in the black and white series by Brian Wood and Becky Cloonan. This issue tells the story of Angie and Gabe, a couple breaking up in a coffee shop. Through flashbacks, the reader is able to relive their first date and their loving moments as well as their fights and misunderstandings. However, for Gabe, these are more than simple recollections — they are indelible memories. He never forgets a conversation. Until the day he dies, he’ll remember all the good times. Unfortunately, he’ll also remember all the bad times. These memories won’t fade over the years. The comic is essentially a single well-realized and well-written break-up scene, but when one considers the ramifications of Gabe’s ability, it adds an extra layer to the story. As usual, the art by Cloonan is striking and she does an excellent job of rendering emotions through the eyes alone.

In many ways, the Demo #9 reminds me of an excellent short story by Robert Silverberg called “The Man Who Never Forgot”. Like Gabe, Tom Niles has an incredible memory. Unlike Gabe who only remembers conversations, Tom remembers absolutely everything. His abilities lead him to an unhappy childhood where he is always unintentionally showing up other people. When he becomes older and starts catching people in lies, he knows it is time to leave. He runs away, but his life on the road is not much better. Eventually, he wanders back to his home town where an accident lands him in the hospital and he has to decide what to do with the rest of his life. This story has been published in several collections.

“The Man Who Never Forgot” is one of eleven masterful stories in the 1974 hardbound collection Mutants. The book contains many superb stories including a reprint of Poul Anderson’s first story (“Tomorrow’s Children”) as well as tales by Harlan Ellison, James Blish, Ralph Milne Farley and Brian Aldiss. I haven’t read the book for years, but several stories still remain bright in my mind. “The Conqueror”, by Mark Clifton, is about a mutant Dahlia that takes over the world in a most unexpected way. Frederick Pohl’s “Let the Ants Try” takes place after a nuclear war, when two scientists take a mutant ant back through time to see if ants can build a better society than mankind. Finally, there’s Jerome Bixby’s “It’s A Good Life”, which was turned into one of the most haunting Twilight Zone episodes ever. If you ever run across this collection in a used book store, Amazon, or on e-Bay I recommend that you pick it up.