Boom! Studios 2018
Written by Ben Acker & Ben Blacker
Illustrated by M.J. Erickson
Coloured by Brittany Peer
Lettered by Mike Fiorentino
The Thrilling Adventure Hour is this new series based on the wildly popular Hollywood stage show and podcast. Frank and Sadie Doyle are the toast of the upper crust. Headliners on the society pages. And they see ghosts. Follow the Doyles on a night when having a drink (or ten) with friends goes horribly, and perhaps predictably, wrong at a haunted house.
There is something about this that is utterly charming and a throwback to another era. Frank and Sadie seem to have money like the Hart’s wear clothing out of the Great Gatsby and are never without a proper Martini. Yes it is exaggerated and we’d call them lushes or teetotallers but it is an over exaggerated aspect of the characters. While other characters are smartly dressed the fact that this could be anytime in the recent past to now well it’s that mystery layer that adds another interesting aspect to the story.
The opening here is fantastic! It feels like it belongs on a Scooby Doo episode (What A Night for a Knight) from the original run folks. Personally I love it it not only brings back the warm and fuzzy feelings of my youth but also appeals to the adult in me as well. It is a very effective opening it’s eye catching and visibly creepy in nature and the fact that they can set the stage for this in one single page speaks volumes.
There multiple openings here as we are introduced to the characters and the reporter is a great example of that. We follow him on his case as he tries to uncover a story, it isn’t clear whether or not he’s working or trying to find a story that’ll get him back into a job since I can make a case for both scenarios and also that he has the look and feel of an old Private Dick, trench-coat with the collar popped up and the hat it’s such a classic look so he’s running down a story looking like he’s trying to avoid being noticed. Which is kind of silly considering the look stands out like a sore thumb but he it really is a part of the ambiance.
The interior artwork is as essential to the storytelling here as the words are. It gives us visual cues as to what is happening, the shady characters or the supernatural experience being seen. So the utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective we see in the panels shows off a strong eye for storytelling. While it does have this high end all-ages look to the work I would still like to see backgrounds utilised more. Otherwise what M.J. and Brittany have brought to the book is invaluable to how we perceive the events that unfold.
So when Adam Silver crashes an intimate gathering at the Doyles home the game is afoot as they say. Soon the couples and Adam are back at his rented home where the sceptical Doyles and the hopeful Donna is going to witness the paranormal activity of a ghost. There is excitement, mystery and bit of intrigue and it’s all wrapped up in this feeling of an old English drama. You can see the elements of the stage play in how this comes across but honestly that too enhances the experience reading this because the readers mind will put the characters on the page on the stage so that they become even more involved.
Smartly written with interesting characterisation and a myriad of fascinating characters all thrown in-between some very complimentary interiors and Boom! Studios has a major coup with this book.