Noa, Astrid, Ko and Gus are four ghost hunters opening a new season of their video stream show. Is Cape Grace as haunted a town as it claims? Find out in Specter Inspectors #1 from BOOM! Studios.

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SPECTER INSPECTORS #1

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: February 3, 2021

SOLICITATION: Four young ghost hunters (Noa, the believer; Astrid, the skeptic; Ko, the cameraman; and Gus, Noa’s little brother) are hustling to survive on social media with their ghost hunting show. It’s a new season, and they are off to Cape Grace, one of the most haunted towns in America!

LOOKING FOR THEIR BIG BREAK

Spector Inspectors #1 opens as it should. This is a story about a group of amateur ghost investigators who stream their show, so we follow along with a narration that sounds like the opening for their new season. They have come to a charming small town called Cape Grace where they plan to start exploring the old Town Hall. Noa is the young woman who narrates, not without a sense of humor as she calls the team members “Inspookters.” As they review footage at the hotel that evening, Noa’s brother Gus says does not like that name. Ko, the camera guy, does. They mention the fourth member of the team, Astrid, who is not feeling well, but they continue reviewing footage.

Cut to the footage they shot today as they explore the grand, if empty, old Town Hall. Instantly we see that Noa is the true believer. She radiates enthusiasm. In contrast, Astrid is concerned about how seldom they get the material that brings in the views, and she makes a comment about enhancing this in post. Clearly there’s some conflict – but a few panels later, when the two of them set off to explore, Gus makes some comment about his sister flirting. Could there be a little romance between these young women?

The girls explore a little more, especially when Noa thinks she hears voices. This leads them up to the cupola on the roof where Astrid confesses to doctoring their last footage in the hopes of making their budget. Noa is hurt by this, but before things get too heated, Astrid passes out. This isn’t much of a start for their latest episode, the group realizes. Astrid has spent the rest of the day in her room. Noa, getting worried, checks on her…and finds her room in a mess and Astrid herself stuck to the ceiling.

This derails their plans. Astrid, Noa informs the others, has been possessed. She needs an exorcist. In a comedic sequence, they bundle Astrid into the car while trying all the traditional remedies against demons they can think of. It doesn’t get rid of the demon, but at least it seems like Astrid is still herself at least part of the time. They bicker a bit as Ko drives them out of town. Or at least tries to. He finally notices that they keep passing the same sign. This is when the demon finally speaks through Astrid. It cannot leave, so they cannot leave. They’re all at an impasse, and it wants to make a deal.

SPOOKY WITH A DELICATE TOUCH

I enjoy the art of Specter Inspectors a lot. The linework is clean and crisp and the character styles fit in with many of the other BOOM! Box imprints. The young characters are dynamic and expressive. They all look down to earth, casually dressed in comfortable clothes that look sensible for ghost hunting. I particularly like the interactions between Noa and Astrid because we can see that they do have a close connection. Even though Astrid’s confession causes conflict between them, Noa isn’t willing to let her go, not when a demon is in the mix.

The backgrounds are lovely. Cape Grace is set near water and mountains, in an area full of pine trees. The town looks perfect for ghosts or other spooky situations, full of old-fashioned buildings. There’s a frequently used color palette with deep greens in it that gives the place a remote and quiet feeling, besides conveying the moonlit walk-through of the Town Hall. You can almost hear the floorboards creaking.

BOTTOM LINE: KICKS OFF WITH A TWIST

Specter Inspectors #1 launches right into the milieu of ghost hunters and immediately kicks off with a twist, something supernatural but out of the expertise of the characters. It has a bit of a Scooby-Doo feel to it with the added layer that this time the spookiness may be real.

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