Five Ghosts, Vol. 1: The Haunting Of Fabian Gray (2013) - Plot & Excerpts
This is a fun series. It's a call back to the 1940's pulp stories and old adventure serials. There's a lot of action, exotic locations, a variety of monsters and villains and yet there is also a dark overall quest that spans the entire series.The author is taking his time developing the characters and their emotional motivation and development. This is either a good or bad thing depending on the type of reader you are, I for one have been loving the slow burn of the main quest and characters intertwined with short fun adventures. Just because it's a comic doesn't mean you can't take your time with the story.I look forward to reading more volumes in the future. I really wasn't impressed by this first volume. The conceit, that the hero is possessed by five ghosts, each of which gives him special abilities, doesn't really get fleshed out much. It isn't until the last issue in the collection that the ghosts have anything even remotely resembling personalities; until that point they're background features that apparently are driving the plot, but don't really seem to matter that much on an individual basis. The why and how of it isn't explored, only the cost. Fabian isn't a very exciting protagonist, and the other characters aren't doing much either. It has moments of adventure that seem like they should be more exciting than they are. Maybe some of it is the art - the style doesn't really seem in keeping with the story for large chunks; it's moody and heavy when the story doesn't seem to be either.It's not a bad book, it just doesn't stand out for any good reasons. It's the start of something, but it doesn't provide enough fuel to power the reader through on more than fumes. Once its engine finally starts to catch, you're at the end of the volume.
What do You think about Five Ghosts, Vol. 1: The Haunting Of Fabian Gray (2013)?
Great idea with a pulp/ retro style that reminds me of Moore's League, short but promising
—Josh
Total pulp, but a total guilty-pleasure.Thanks for the recommendation, Elyse!
—Kayde
Another handsome but completely generic pulp homage... Who cares?
—Rules1
The art is ten times better than the still developing story
—Carrie
