Haunt #1 review
A dream team of Image Comics creators come together for “Haunt,” and at least after the first issue, it feels like a solid blend of all of their styles into a book that feels very much like a hit Image Comic. (And I mean that in the context of what that meant in say, 1992, though today it takes a lot fewer copies sold to qualify as a hit.)
Robert Kirkman has written some of Image’s biggest hits of recent years in “Invincible” and “The Walking Dead,” and was also named an Image Comics partner, the first time that had happened since the founding of Image.
The co-creator of “Haunt,” and the series inker, is Todd McFarlane, who launched “Spawn” in 1992 to the tune of 1.7 million copies sold. “Haunt” feels like a book from the mind of the “Spawn” creator, but fine-tuned a bit, given how much more common horror and hyperviolent comics have become.
Greg Capullo, who drew many issues of “Spawn” and may have become an even better McFarlane than McFarlane himself, is providing layouts here, and I think that helps with both the horror elements and harking back to that 1990s comic-book heyday.
Ryan Ottley, who draws “Invincible,” is the penciller here, and while his style is different working with McFarlane and Capullo, what he’s put on the page here is high-quality work that mixes interestingly with the other creators’ visions.
The colors are by FCO Plascenca, who has also worked on “Invincible.”
“Haunt” features a downtrodden priest who hears confession from his black-ops brother. Neither are happy with one another, or, seemingly, their lives. Through the course of the issue, they discover they’re going to have to work together, like it or not.
SPOILERS AHEAD
Daniel is a priest who curses, smokes, even visits prostitutes. Daniel and Kurt, his black-ops brother, have had a falling out at some time in the past, but Daniel still hears Kurt’s confessions of killings and violence, so no other priest will have to do so.
While on a mission, Kurt’s supposed to rescue a scientist – but he finds the scientist has done unapproved human experimentation on prisoners, including children. Kurt shoots the scientist and breaks the prisoners out. Not long after, he’s kidnapped by a mysterious group looking for a notebook, who torture and kill him.
At Kurt’s funeral, Daniel finds himself haunted by Kurt, who asks him to check on Amanda, Kurt’s wife. Daniel isn’t sure if he’s being haunted, or hallucinating, but goes to check on Amanda, with whom he has a tense reunion. Obviously something has happened in the past to cause these two discomfort around each other.
When two men break into the apartment intent on violent action, Daniel and Kurt somehow merge, into a superstrong masked being. It’s a strong start for Kirkman and McFarlane, who have managed to write an entertaining and intriguing start to the series. Despite some elements that may be considered cliched, “Haunt” for the most part works, especially for those who enjoy action with a taste for both the supernatural and superheroic. Fans of Kirkman and McFarlane – of whom there are plenty – will find something to like here.
- Matt Price
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It’s funny how this tale is very simlar to the origin story of Spawn. The black-opps mission gone wrong, and the unwilling hero returned from the dead to right the wrongs….