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“Specter Inspectors” #4

By | May 27th, 2021
Posted in Reviews | % Comments

“Specter Inspectors” #4 does more of what the series does well, bringing highly relatable YouTubers Astrid, Noa, Ko and Gus to life. (Warning: may contain minor spoilers.)

Cover by Bowen McCurdy

Written by Bowen McCurdy
and Kaitlyn Musto
Illustrated and Colored
by Bowen McCurdy
Lettered by Jim Campbell

The Specter Inspectors are on the trail of a demon and just met a ghost. The problem is, that’s the good news. Turns out Cape Grace has a whole lot of secrets and none of those are good.

There are dozens of comic book imprints, from publishers large and small. Some are laser-focused on what they’re trying to do, while others feel more ad hoc, like little more than a place for a publisher to dump various titles that don’t seem to fit their main line. In this sea of imprints, labels and line extensions, you’d be hard pressed to find any other imprint that delivers such consistently excellent, thematically unified and just plain fun titles as BOOM! Studios’ YA imprint Boom! Box.

From iconic series like “Lumberjanes” and “Giant Days” to critically acclaimed sports manga themed titles such as “Fence,” “Slam!” and “Dodge City,” BOOM! Box books are well written, well drawn, wonderfully diverse and super accessible.

“Spector Inspectors,” co-written and illustrated by newcomer Bowen McCurdy, fits the mold perfectly, carving out a niche for itself in the ensemble cast ghost hunter sub-genre. It’s the natural – but much needed update – of titles like “Scooby Doo,” “Jughead the Hunger” and “Vampironica.” Whatever your opinion of those series, they remain exceedingly White, cis-gendered and straight. We know their respective ensembles will collectively solve the mystery and life will return to ‘normal’ – especially for the core characters whose lives apart from sleuthing are virtually nonexistent.

I suppose some people may be reading the series purely for the mystery and supernatural chills. There’s definitely some of that, but the book’s characterizations and interpersonal relationships are where the real magic happens.

The first three installments did all the heavy lifting, giving us a great sense of who the characters are and what makes them tick. “Spector Inspectors” #4 builds on the preceding issues beautifully to deliver a surprisingly poignant installment that takes things to a whole other level.

McCurdy’s illustrations are perfectly in tune with the BOOM! Box house style, readily accessible and immediately familiar to those who’ve read any of the imprint’s other popular titles or pretty much any YA manga released in the last 10 years. Her extraordinary knack for facial expressions and body language, however, separate her art from the rest of the pack.

A brief page of dialogue near the front of the book, for example, is followed by four nearly wordless pages. We get a clear, palpable sense of each character’s thoughts and feelings as they fruitlessly search for clues. Even as Astrid and Noa decide to speak with a mystery boy sitting on the edge of a dock, not a word is spoken. The two simply come together, join hands and proceed to the dock. We can feel time passing and the tension escalating panel after panel, until Astrid finally breaks the almost painful silence with a charming but authentic pitch perfect dialogue scene. The pace is slow and measured, just as it needs to be.

McCurdy’s color work is also exceptional. Like the other three books in the series, the color palette is largely constrained to warm, golden hues with lots of blue and plenty of green. In the first third of the book, multiple dark and light blues underscore the quiet stillness. Not coincidentally, throughout this section the characters are alone or in pairs. Once they call come together to sit around the fire and puzzle things out, the palette shifts dramatically to an array of cozy and comforting golden yellows. Interspersed through it all are occasional panels bathed in a bright, almost neon green, as though we’re seeing those moments through night vision goggles or a night vision camera. It’s an effect that is both creepy and reminiscent of paranormal TV shows. Let’s not forget the four self-styled ‘InSpookters’ are doing all of this for the YouTube likes, after all.

Continued below

Not to be overlooked are Jim Campbell’s letters, which play an integral role in the story. As Astrid and the unnamed demon jockey for control of Astrid’s physical body, Campbell’s stylistic choices make it crystal clear which of the two characters is speaking. Well, until it’s no longer clear, which sets up a brilliant cliffhanger and the final book in the five issue series.

Speaking of which, “Specter Inspectors” was originally touted as a limited series. With such incredibly likeable characters and a simple, but intriguing premise, however, a longer run or multiple sequels see like a no brainer. Astrid, Noa, Ko and Gus are relatable, fun and funny – exactly the kind of ensemble most other books in this vein wish they were built around.

Final Verdict: 8.9 Cowriter and illustrator Bowen McCurdy’s well crafted ensemble cast takes the series to higher heights in “Specter Inspectors” #4, beautifully setting up the climactic final issue.


John Schaidler

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