Why So Blu?

WSB Gets Haunt-ed by Todd McFarlane

With such a variety of super heroes out on the shelves of comic book stores these days, it can be difficult to create something that hasn’t been done before.  What is the way around that, you may ask?  Don’t create a super hero.  Released this month from Image Comics is the new title, Haunt.  Brought to us by writer Robert Kirkman and artist extraordinaire Todd McFarlane, Haunt strikes a new cord in the comic book world.  No, he’s no super hero.  Nor he is your average person.  He’s two people actually; brothers to be exact.  Talk about a connection amongst siblings!

Daniel is a Catholic priest, albeit one that doesn’t exactly adhere to the Bible’s code of conduct, he is still a saint compared to his special ops/commando brother, Kurt.  As skilled as Kurt is in his sneak-and-peak operations, he is only able to elude death for a time until his luck runs out.  Back from the grave as a ghost, he tries to communicate with Daniel about the impending doom soon to befall their family.  Daniel’s reluctance to act on this nearly costs him his life until Kurt’s hasty but unintended action finds him merging with his brother.

After hemorrhaging pints of gray-white goo in a matter of nanoseconds, the pair quickly evolve to become one really wicked, supernatural fighting force.  Think of it as the Crow meets Venom; after a hard night of partying, the two had a baby and called it Haunt.  Issue 1 concluded in dramatic fashion and the book’s content is laced with very graphic overtones.  If you are squeamish and spilled blood isn’t your thing (and there’s enough on these pages to make even Dracula salivate), you may want to stick with Archie & Friends.  If you’re looking for a strong story and gritty art, look no further than the pages of Haunt.

In all honesty, I am eagerly anticipating the release of issue 2.  I haven’t been so impatient for a follow-up since earlier in the Red Hulk series from Marvel (before that series’ storyline went south).  Speaking of Marvel, it’s interesting to note that both Kirkman and McFarlane are former employees of the comic book behemoth.  Kirkman is best known writing for titles that included Captain America, The Fantastic Four and Marvel Zombies to name a few.  Meanwhile, McFarlane’s days at Marvel are most notably associated with his Spider-Man artwork (which is arguably the best the webslinger ever looked if I may say so).  Both have since found success at Image Comics with Kirkman writing Invincible and McFarlane creating the cash cow title known as Spawn.  Ever hear of it?

So, without further ado, head down to your local comic book shop and pick up your inaugural copy of Haunt today.  It’s brotherly love with really big claws.