Spectral inspectors, by Bowen McCurdy and Kaitlyn Musto

Original edition: Specter Inspectors (Boom! Studios, 2021)
National edition/Spain: Spectral inspectors (Astronave, 2024)
Script: Bowen McCurdy and Kaitlyn Musto
Drawing: Bowen McCurdy
Color: Bowen McCurdy
Translation: Carmen Arnaldos
Format: Rustic with flaps, 208 pages, € 21.95

INTRODUCTION

We will all meet someone who has lived a great paranormal experience. It may be a friend, a relative or even, ourselves. Because skeptics that we are, the truth is that most we get carried away by the narration of these events when we are presented with the opportunity: in a bar conversation, on a walk through the park, a family meal or the supermarket’s tail if it makes lack. It never seems bad time to be fascinated a bit, even if it is from distance and relative disbelief; That of “I don’t believe in these things, but what … After all, who does not like a good mystery?

Mysteries like those presented in The five, Scooby-Doo either Geronimo Stilton. Different readings for different generations, but all of them built on the same pillars; And all of them with a tendency to include the paranormal in their plots, because few situations pose more mysteries: the mystery and the paranormal have always gone hand in hand. In Spectral inspectors We have a fully aware work of it that tries to take advantage of its favor to build a story for a new generation.

Originally edited by Boom! Studios For the North American market in 2021, the 5 numbers of Spectral inspectors they landed in the Spanish market a few months ago by the hand of Spacecraft. The proposed format is a rustic cover volume with flaps, self -chclusive and about 200 pages.

The artists

Bowen McCurdyalso known as bones, is one of the screenwriters and the cartoonist of Spectral inspectors. He has been creating comics since the age of 13 until he has become his work. It has a clear preference for the genres of terror and romance, notable in this same work. He has already collaborated with numerous renowned publishers such as Marvel, Mattel, Boom! Studios, IDW and First Second.

His first work as a complete artist was his own Spectral inspectorswith which he won the “Yalsa Graat Graphic Novels for Teens” award. He has also collaborated as a cartoonist for Youth Group next to Jordan Morris And today is publishing another own series: The Westgrave Fileswith the editorial First Second.

As a little curiosity for those who like the series Arcaneat this time the account of X the artist (@bonesbunns) is full of illustrations in which he represents a hypothetical romance between Viktor and Jayce. If there was any interested person … who knows that he sells them in the form of stickers through their Etsy page.

On the other hand we have Kaitlyn Mustowho acts as a coguionist. Although it is mainly known for its work in this series, its work as color in a comic entitled also stands out Hollow. However, Musto He is a very versatile artist with experience in virtually all areas of comics creation.

The plot

Noa is convinced of the existence of spirits and other supernatural entities. In fact, it has always had a special sensitivity to these things. After much insist, he convinces a few friends from the university to help her create a program on-line that revolves around the supernatural. In it, they will dedicate themselves to show their investigations around the most paranormal places in the United States, with the ultimate goal of finding those solid evidence that they never arrive.

There is only one problem … or rather several: it seems that the interest in the program does not take off. At the same time, Noa’s friends are not convinced of the idea. The project seemed to sink from their own weight, but in their last episode they were fortunate to achieve the paranormal test they needed, with the consequent increase in notoriety. However, what seems like a breath of air with which to renew the spirits soon becomes the greatest of problems: while the veracity of those tests is questioned, Noa and company begin to be surrounded by even more events strangers.

Script and graphic section

A script is developed on the previous premise in which new mysteries appear and overlap constantly. The protagonists face increasingly crazy situations while deepening their development. In that sense, there is a good balance between mystery (plot) and characters with which a history of youth friendship is also told.

Highlights the idea that the protagonists want to record a program on-line on paranormal events to launch the plot and bring the proposal to the present. Far from staying in an ingenious excuse, it also takes advantage of a distinctive touch to several scenes.

Although Spectral inspectors It could house the potential to become a new Youth Mystery franchise, the truth is that so far it is limited to this only volume. On the one hand, it can be interpreted as a disadvantage, because we are not facing a long -distance series to get hooked. On the other, whoever will be calm of being before a self -contained work.

Regarding the drawing of McCurdystands out for a “cartoon” style that comes to you that neither painted to the tone of the work. It combines the simplicity of the strokes or funds with characters of a very marked expressiveness. It shows that McCurdy It has also been an integral part of the development of the script, as both sections (script and drawing) collaborate in synchrony with the purpose of deploying the same narrative. In that sense, the alternation of vignettes with text and vignettes without text is used with elegance to generate a fantastic reading rhythm. The color, finally, stands out thanks to its ability to set and distinguish each scene.

The best

• A solid story of a genre that does not lavish so much in the middle of the comic.
• The concept of the program on-line on paranormal events.
• The atmosphere generated by the color of McCurdy.

Worst

• It is almost inevitable in a miniseries of this extension, but it could be good for the plot to take place less accelerated.
• The characters do not stand out for being charismatic or unique.