Bowen McCurdy and Kaitlyn Musto’s Specter Inspectors is a charming, spooky story that has plenty to offer to readers of all ages.
It’s no secret that young adults are great at solving paranormal mysteries. Iconic gangs of inquisitive youngsters like the cast of Netflix’s Stranger Things and Scooby-Doo‘s Mystery Incorporated have proven time and time again that kids are fiction’s greatest detectives. Now, BOOM! Studios’ all-ages imprint BOOM! Box is introducing readers to a new group of young investigators in Specter Inspectors, a five-issue series by Bowen McCurdy and Kaitlyn Musto that delivers a spooky, heart-warming adventure.
The Specter Inspectors are led by Noa, a young woman who has been able to hear spirits her whole life; Ko, an easily frightened cameraman; Gus, Noa’s teenage sibling; and Astrid, a skeptic with a crush on Noa. The four friends film and self-publish a show about their paranormal investigations around the mysterious small town, Cape Grace. While filming for an episode about the town’s haunted town hall, Astrid is possessed by a demon, who is looking for a way out of Cape Grace. When it becomes clear that the only way to save Astrid is to help the demon, the friends band together for the adventure of a lifetime that will put them face to face with ghosts, cult leaders, and all manner of frightening forces.
Bowen McCurdy and Kaitlyn Musto have written an amazing and eclectic cast of characters. They do an excellent job of exploring the various dynamics between different characters while centering much of the story around the romantic tension between Noa and Astrid, which is made all the more compelling by Astrid’s possession. The characters’ relationships feel remarkably grounded, especially compared to the outlandish, supernatural happenings that propel the story forwards. The demon possessing Astrid is a refreshingly sympathetic character. While it is self-serving and genuinely demonic, it is also willing to cooperate with the Specter Inspectors rather than simply lashing out. In many ways, this surprisingly gentle take on possession is emblematic of the comic’s tone as a whole.
McCurdy’s art achieves an impressive balance between creepy and cute. Her drawings of Cape Grace are remarkably ominous. Every building looks haunted and every shadow looks like the perfect place for a monster to hide. McCurdy’s big-eyed, soft-edged characters look particularly wholesome against this truly creepy background. McCurdy’s drawings go a long way to communicate the characters’ emotions as they encounter all manner of terrifying antagonists. The numerous ghosts that populate the world of Specter Inspectors feel at once classic and inventive. McCurdy does a lot of interesting things with the specters’ eyes to make them simultaneously emotive and alarming, while still conjuring iconic images of ghosts and haunted houses.
Specter Inspectors has it all: romance, friendship, the search for truth, and demons. Noa, Astrid, Gus, and Ko make a great team who are fun to follow. Bowen McCurdy and Kaitlyn Musto have done an excellent job crafting an entertaining, fast-paced tale that manages to be surprisingly sweet for a story centered around demonic possession and small-town ghosts.
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