Review by C.J. Bunce
After reading their graphic novel Kraken, which we selected as the Best Adventure Graphic Novel of 2025, you could count us first in line for writer Shannon Eric Denton and artist David Hartman’s next fantasy graphic novel Spectors, available for pre-order now here at Amazon, and coming to comic shops later this month. In my review of Kraken here at borg, I mentioned how their Lovecraftian fantasy harkened back to Flash Gordon serials. Spectors is a very different journey, a darker horror tale. At the same time you can see how David Hartman’s artwork could take over for Mike Mignola’s brand of horror comics someday. Spectors cinches it, and this reflects the kind of stories that went beyond the lighter horror of Mignola’s Hellboy.
The vibe is a blend of SurrealEstate and The Dresden Files with the slower plotting of Matt Kindt’s DeptH. A dark Scooby Doo, complete with an unmasking of the bad guy, it’s a journey of three ghost busters, a young woman named Debby Alquiza–who has a Swiss Army multi-purpose weapon in place of her arm (think Army of Darkness), her boss Dr. Reginald Stashwick, and the remains of a mass cult/black magic-created being named Ollie. Together they are their own B.P.R.D. or R.I.P.D., ferreting out what’s behind a series of gruesome murders in Cleveland.
Ollie is a bit simple and slow, reminiscent of the beast of the Suitor Armor series. Like Hellboy, he’s loyal and a good “man” to have on your side in a monster fight. At his core he’s like Casper the Friendly Ghost, but with a darker backstory. In fact the story is what you’d get if someone tried to dig into what was behind Casper the boy ghost.
Human sacrifices, taking down the leaders of a cult led by influential members of society, it’s all in a day’s work for this new team fighting spectral characters from the past and present.
Many of the details of what is going on aren’t clearly laid out in the narrative itself, but explained in an appendix, which also features some full-page artwork showing the story’s key characters. This story is less rollicking, less of the fun of Denton and Hartman’s earlier graphic novel. Its slower pacing and ending just after introducing new characters is also structured as more of a treatment for a future series (comic book or TV?).
Reginald could be Rupert Giles from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Harry Dresden from The Dresden Files, or August Ripley from SurrealEstate. Debby could be Liz from Hellboy or Claudia from Warehouse 13, and if you were casting Ollie you’d only look to Nick Frost to inhabit this unfortunate, strange fellow. If you liked any of those shows or comics, then Spectors is probably up your alley. Add Spectors to your pull list at Elite Comics or your local comic shop, or pre-order it now here at Amazon. It’s scheduled for release May 26, 2026.
