Specter Inspectors #2: The History of Cape Grace

I liked this story, there were definitely positive elements.  It appears that Noa has some type of psychic power herself.  She directs the team to the library almost unconsciously.  She is also able to sense emotions like an empath, she can sense sadness and it manifests in her hearing things.  She asks if the others can hear what she hears.

It was an interesting choice to allow Agatha, the ghost in this issue to only be able to speak through the tape recorder.  I found it fascinating that the writers connected the supernatural elements of this story to natural technology.

The main reveal is that the haunting in Cape Grace is connected to the former mayor who is revealed through the town.  From Noah’s nightmare in the end of the issue the mayor appears to be connected to a group séance that Noa with her abilities is able to sense.

I liked that the writer only gave us a tease, he did not reveal everything to the reader, only enough to wet the appetite and invite the reader to continue with this journey.  By answering some questions, new questions are encountered and that is a great hook for the reader.

We get more character interaction in this issue.  None of the interactions are obvious but it is implied that Noa and Astrid are in a relationship.  It again is only implied but it appears that Gus and Noa could be brother and sister.  His disapproval of his sisters relationship adds a comedic element to this spooky story.  It provides some comic release to balance the heavy themes of haunting and demon possession.  The real question is how does Ko factor in.  Who is he besides the camera man, how did he get connected to the other three characters?

The artist did a very good job in showing the action.  Their really is not a lot of exposition, only in Agatha’s story about her father and the Mayer do we see some explanation, even then the art gives the reader the story.  I liked how the flashback used a different color palette of browns.  That choice helps the sequence to stand out but as a reader, I was not taken out of the story.  I liked the use of the blues in the rest of the book.  It creates a spooky mood for the reader.

I particularly liked the drawings of Agatha in this issue.  When we first see her, there is no emotion in her face.  Her visage is almost skeletal with huge white eyes.  Only when Noa is able to appeal to Agatha’s emotions that the character changes.  The artist did a wonderful job of changing her visage, she began to appear more human.   The skull like features disappear and we can see her eyes.

I also like the design of Astrid.  When the demon is speaking, her eyes give a dual appearance.  He still see the character’s eyes but almost overlapping them is the yellow orange eyes of the demon that appears to glow.  I like the detail that Astrid’s teeth becomes jagged and lines like veins appears on her skin when the demon takes more control.  It also appears that there has to be some permission given for the demon to materialize.  It makes me wonder if and how Astrid gave that permission in the first place.  Could it have a connection to Astrid faking the evidence of a prior case that she admitted to doing in the first issue?  Another question I would like to see answered.