Noa and the gang stay overnight in a creepy library to get to the bottom of Astrid’s possession. However, they get more than they bargained for when a genuine g-g-ghost appears before them!
After the shocker of a twist from last month’s issue, I was looking forward to seeing how Bowen McCurdy and Kaitlyn Musto would change up the group’s dynamic. I was pleasantly surprised to see them more or less take this weirdness in stride, acknowledging that their friend was still in her body (most of the time) and wanting to help her out.
Again, the highlight of this book is how the characters interact with one another, and the jokes arrive in rapid succession, with some gags straight out of a Saturday morning cartoon. There’s even a great “if you’re here, then who’s driving” type joke that genuinely made me laugh. An unexpected fight scene also gave me a good chuckle, particularly when Astrid/Demon fully reared back to throw a punch.
The only thing in this issue that didn’t quite work for me is how the gang decided to check out the library. Noa seems to be drawn to the library for some reason, following the call of her intuition, but it’s unclear if she has an ability that hasn’t quite been explored yet, or if her connection to Astrid’s non-possessed form is fueling this. To be fair, the first issue teased that she could hear some things the others couldn’t, but this issue seems to position this as more of a power. I’m looking forward to seeing this aspect fleshed out more, but it was a bit confusing to start the issue off with this, at least for me.
Still, that is a minor gripe when the issue is taken as a whole. The bickering humor of the first issue is brought back with a vengeance, as the demon’s influence throws a wrench in the team dynamic. Even still, nobody is ever truly mean to each other. Instead, it feels like everyone is doing their absolute best to roll with the spooky punches. That’s why the moments of silence speak volumes in this issue, with the seriousness of the situation occasionally breaking through the snarky dialogue and showing how uneasy everyone is.
McCurdy’s color choices throughout are clever, particularly when it comes to little details. Even if the snarling smile didn’t tip us off, we can always tell when the demon is getting the upper hand in Astrid’s body when her eyes change to a golden hue. Another great use of color occurs during a flashback, where a spirit’s sepia-toned memories are broken up by splashes of red to denote something sinister.
Specter Inspectors continues to be one of my new favorite books on the shelf, and I’m greatly looking forward to where the characters end up, since I’m already invested. The final moments of this issue will tug at your heartstrings and make readers hope that everything will turn out alright for this team.
Join the AIPT Patreon
Want to take our relationship to the next level? Become a patron today to gain access to exclusive perks, such as:
- ❌ Remove all ads on the website
- 💬 Join our Discord community, where we chat about the latest news and releases from everything we cover on AIPT
- 📗 Access to our monthly book club
- 📦 Get a physical trade paperback shipped to you every month
- 💥 And more!
You must be logged in to post a comment.