Five Ghosts: The Haunting of Fabian Gray

Written by: Laura Hong-Tuason, CC2K Comics Editor

What do you do when you’ve become possessed by five literary ghosts—the Archer, the Detective, the Samurai, the Vampire, and the Wizard—and gain access to their unique abilities? Well, you become the best treasure hunter there is! At least that’s what Fabian Gray did, but not without purpose.

Writer:  Frank J. Barbiere
Illustrator: Chris Mooneyham
Colors: S.M. Vidaurri

Before his possession, Fabian was already a treasure hunter (although some call him a thief). In an unfortunate encounter with an artifact known as “the Dreamstone”, he acquires exceptional powers from five ghosts. The Archer provides him acute accuracy and reflexes. The Wizard allows him to yield magic. The Detective contributes to his intuition, logic, and deduction. The Samurai instills in him the mastery of a katana. As for the Vampire? The Vampire offers Fabian subtlety and the most dangerous lust for blood.

These ghosts may have made Fabian a greater treasure hunter who gets paid well, but with power comes a price as Fabian has even bigger things on his mind: saving his twin sister Silvia. While she is locked in a coma-like state, Fabian is haunted by her calls for help in his nightmares. Believing there is a cure, Fabian will stop at nothing to find another artifact that will rid him of his possession and bring his sister back.

The time however is ticking. The ghosts are unstable, eating away at Fabian and making him lose control. Elsewhere, a man following the orders of a mysterious and mystical cult is on the hunt for Fabian and his powers. How this will all go down, even I can’t conjecture.

Off the top, this issue is a start to an amazing series. The story is just flawless with fine pacing and transitions. We are only into the first issue and already Fabian has so many layers to him. He’s handsomely cunning and amusing, yet also daring and headstrong.
    
Chris Mooneyham’s take on the art is brilliant, but what really kills it is the colors assisted by S.M. Vidaurri. The combination of colors in every page is perfect. In the first few pages, Vidaurri blends in blue with hues of purple. In other pages, he mixes in light blue with orange and yellow. I know that’s not the best description ever, so I’ve provided a picture (you’re welcome). Bad descriptions aside, the colors bring forth a gothic and historical feel to the series. Vidaurri knows his colors. Take my word for it.

“Five Ghosts: The Haunting of Fabian Gray” is one comic you do not want to miss and is to be collected in five issues. Note that this series started off as a Kickstarter campaign and was then made available to the masses through Image Comics. If “Five Ghosts” made that much of an impression, I think that’s saying something. What are you waiting for?