Noa and her ghost hunter friends are trapped in Cape Grace. But why is a demon loose in this town known for its ghosts? Find out in Specter Inspectors #2 from BOOM! Studios.

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SPECTER INSPECTORS #2

Writer: Bowen McCurdy and Kaitlyn Musto
Artist: Bowen McCurdy
Letterer: Jim Campbell
Editor: Sophie Philips-Roberts
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Cover Price: $4.99
Release Date: Marsh 10, 2021

Previously in Specter Inspectors: Noa is the lead on a streaming ghost hunter show. Her crew includes her brother Gus, their cameraman Ko, and Astrid, the skeptic. This season, their show is in Cape Grace, a town that claims to be one of the most haunted towns in America. They explore the old Town Hall, hoping to get something on footage. Noa and Astrid have a falling out about whether or not to enhance their footage. It seems like the day is a bust – until they get back to their rooms and discover that Astrid has become possessed by a demon. They also discover that they cannot leave town. And the demon wants to make a deal with them to find its name!

WHEN IN DOUBT – TO THE LIBRARY!

Specter Inspectors #2 opens with the young people in a car as Noa tries to sense where to go next. She feels the library calling to her. It was a site they had planned to visit, and Astrid asks Ko to bring the camera along. Filming her possession is not something Noa wants to do, but as Ko points out, isn’t that something they should be documenting?

There’s a brief discussion about how a demon’s name holds power. If a demon loses its name, it has nothing, and if someone else learns it, they have power over the demon. The demon agrees in a voice loud enough to get a glare from the librarian. Gus brings over a huge stack of books to go through, and Noa and Ko start to film. Noa talks about the library ghost, a woman in a long white dress, and then asks if there are any spirits around.

Noa thinks she hears someone crying. No one else does and it isn’t audible on their recording. Astrid suggests talking to the librarian, but she left a while ago and the woman Astrid saw was actually the ghost of the woman in white. They get some footage and take off running, only to find the doors locked in the grand tradition of ghost stories. The ghost attacks Astrid, apparently recognizing the demon inside her. Astrid lets the demon assume control and they fight until Noa stops them. The demon questions her about this.

But Noa is persistent. As she talks to the ghost, Astrid regains control of herself. The ghost, Agatha, tells her story. Her father was the head librarian years ago. He let the Mayor at the time use the library, not realizing that he was up to something that caused the fire in the Town Hall. Ko points out that there is a museum in the Mayor’s honor and maybe they could find out more there. Noa agrees to figure out what was going on and to tell Agatha’s story.

Later that night, Noa has a strange dream about a group of people who seem to know about Astrid…

FINDING THE UNEXPECTED

Specter Inspectors #2 has a spooky feel to it, yet it is not without its moments of humor, always a good way to relieve tension briefly. I particularly like the scene in the library. Not only is this a grand library with lots of tall shelves, but it is also full of comfortable reading nooks and it looks like a wonderful place to visit. Gus is a reader; Astrid is not. When he drops a stack of almost two dozen books in front of her, the expression on her face is priceless. There’s also a pop scare when he drops a book – and if you’ve ever dropped a hard-cover book on wood floor, this totally makes sense. It also sets up for later, when a random book hits the floor right before Agatha manifests.

The fight between Astrid and Agatha is well-paced. I like the use of angular panels to add to the feeling of excitement. As it starts out, Agatha has the upper hand. She’s drawn as a classic scary ghost with a skeletal face and claw-like hands. When Astrid asks the demon for a little help, we get some panels of the transition taking place. Demon-Astrid looks a lot like regular Astrid, but not entirely. The eyes are different, and the facial expression is truly demonic. It changes the dynamic of the fight considerably.

BOTTOM LINE: NOT JUST A GHOST STORY

Specter Inspectors #2 is not just a demon possession story, or just a ghost story. There’s definitely a mystery to be solved, and I like the way the demon fits in. It adds just enough uncertainty and chaos that the story doesn’t feel predictable.

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