Long-Buried Hatred And True Natures Exposed In Infidel #3

Bestselling editor Pornsak Pichetshote (Swamp Thing) makes his comics-writing debut alongside artist extraordinaire Aaron Campbell (The Shadow), award-winning colorist and editor Jose Villarubia (Promethea) and letterer / designer Jeff Powell(Scales & Scoundrels).
Following last chapter’s devastating events, the mysterious entities haunting Aisha’s home escalate their attacks. As the nightmare spreads to her friends and neighbors, the creatures expose their true natures and long-buried hatreds.

Leslie’s dead. Aisha and her future step-daughter Kris are in CCU, unresponsive. The only witness to the events that landed them there is not telling a story that favors Aisha. Tom is out of his mind with grief. Neighbors and friends have drawn their own conclusions, and the presence is growing stronger, feeding off the burgeoning fear and xenophobia.

Pornsak Pichetshote takes a step back from the creature itself in this chapter, exploring the energies that feed the beast, rather than the beast itself. It’s difficult watching these events unfold without questioning your own prejudices. The reader is shown exactly what happened, exactly how we landed here, but it’s all too easy to see from where each character is drawing their own conclusions.

Aaron Campbell’s evocative linework and Jose Villarrubia’s desaturated palette really drive this thing home. The art is gritty, hyper-real, dirty. There’s a delicate balance throughout between the banality of everyday doings and the looming horror that’s about to pop. One spread in particular features the young neighbors sitting around a coffee shop, banging out their thoughts and feelings on the recent happenings, with the panels framed by pools of dried blood and spatter. I love it when artists and colorists nail the blood.

Infidel is deeply unsettling, and not just for the monsters. Chapter three slowed up just a bit, but with only two chapters remaining, you know business is about to pick back up.

Infidel #3, published by Image Comics, released 16 May 2018. Written by Pornsak Pichetshote, art by Aaron Campbell, color by Jose Villarrubia, letters by Jeff Powell, variant cover available by Alina Urusov.