Review by Ian Keogh
At the turn of the 20th century Arthur Conan Doyle is a famed author, but thirty years previously in his early teens he witnessed Charles Dickens and others hunting down a paranormal threat. It’s a memory that’s remained with him as he becomes embroiled in his own search for supernatural legend Spring-Heeled Jack. He’s aided by American stage magician Harry Houdini, who’s visiting London, and Bram Stoker, a man more knowledgeable about the supernatural. They’re eventually joined by a precocious young girl named Agatha.
Uniting out of copyright fictional characters isn’t a new author’s conceit, but uniting their creators, although not unknown, is rarer. Guiding light David R. Flores is both author and artist, with Jarod Hunter Rowe collaborating on the writing and providing the script. Considerable time is spent setting the scene and introducing the cast, and readers may not be enamoured with this leisurely process. The feeling is that so much might have been contracted to produce a faster paced story where the conversation is reduced.
Flores the artist, though, is a more attractive proposition. His cast are easily distinguished and placed in detailed, period-appropriate locations, while layouts are a strength also. The InSpectres may move extremely slowly, but Flores makes everything look extremely appealing.
By the end of this volume other known historical names have made an appearance, along with some of their creations, and the InSpectres has been revealed as an occult investigation society with a pedigree dating back centuries. The meeting Doyle had as a child is given greater significance, and it would seem the threat of Spring-Heeled Jack is all too real.
The hope would be that with several revelations now disclosed, the pace will pick up for the conclusion in Volume Two.
