You probably have a favourite cryptid.
Maybe something from one of the big legends or ancient mythologies. Like the Minotaur or the Hydra. A creature that passed down through centuries of storytelling. Or possibly more recent urban legends. A bogeyman that goes bump in the night, eating your livestock or warning late night stragglers not to cross a bridge because some catastrophe might happen soon. Like your chupacabras or Mothman. Or you could just like your cute and cuddly explanations for possibly extinct or misinterpreted animals that come to us in the form of the Loch Ness Monster or unicorns.
But what if they’re all real?
“You know how it goes, Regan. The assignments come from up top; they throw the ball, we go and fetch.”
And what if there’s a group of people going around trying to make you think that they’re all just fiction? That’s what Hoax Hunters from Michael Moreci, Steve Seeley, JM Ringuet, Axel Medellin, Emilio Laiso, Charo Solis, Rosario Costanzo, and Jim Campbell set out to do. Blending a bit of The X-Files with reality television, a motley crew of eccentric individuals work to debunk supernatural phenomena for the general public. Ostensibly to keep the cryptids safe. Because that always works out great.
There’s an interesting balance here between an ongoing narrative and a couple single issue stories. I think I like the character-driven done-in-one stories more, but it’s in the opening arc that we really get the meat of the series. The team of Hoax Hunters themselves are largely horror-inspired, with a formerly possessed woman (basically a grown up Regan MacNeil, right down to the same first name) and an undead scientist, to grapple with the other paranormal stuff. But there’s also a fascinating way in how this presents layers of conspiracy. Of the cover-ups, yes, but also in regards to greater purposes of interdimensional warfare. And of the field team’s lead, Jack, and history with his father.
The lion’s share of the art in the first collection is from Axel Medellin. His style in the first four issues reminds me a bit of a combination of John McCrea and Darick Robertson, but a lot looser. Simple shapes and shadows for people, with a greater emphasis on the creature design. The detail that goes into the interdimensional monster, in particular, really stands out. It’s a contrast from the angular, scratchy style of JM Ringuet in the zero issue and to the rounded, more textured by washes, artwork in the fifth issue from Emilio Laiso and Rosario Costanza.
And wonderful lettering from Jim Campbell. Aside from the unique inverted black & white word balloons for some of the creatures, I really quite like how Campbell presents a “weak voice” here. Changing the case, size, and a shaky balloon to represent it.
“We survive by controlling information. If there’s something in my head that can give us an edge, we need to use it. End of story.”
Hoax Hunters – Book One: Murder, Death, and the Devil by Moreci, Seeley, Ringuet, Medellin, Laiso, Solis, Costanza, and Campbell is a wonderful blend of horror, sci-fi, and a bit of satire sending up many of the Ghost Hunters-type reality television shows. All while telling a compelling mystery adventure of its own, steeped in layers of conspiracies, family drama, and supernatural madness.
There were three volumes released through Image. And then fives issues of a “second season” through Heavy Metal. Sadly, I don’t think the story was ultimately concluded, but what we did get was highly satisfying.
Classic Comic Compendium: HOAX HUNTERS – BOOK ONE
Hoax Hunters – Book One: Murder, Death, and the Devil
Writers: Michael Moreci & Steve Seeley
Artists: JM Ringuet (#0), Axel Medellin (#1-4) & Emilio Laiso (#5)
Flats & Colour Assistance: Charo Solis (#3 & 4)
Colourist: Rosario Costanzo (#5)
Letterer: Jim Campbell
Publisher: Image Comics
Release Date: December 5 2012
Read past entries in the Classic Comic Compendium!
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