Dark Horse Comics
Available in Comic Stores Near You
The British Paranormal Society is an all new comic book miniseries by Chris Roberson and Mike Mignola, and it has the makings of running like the real life Society of Paranormal Research! The introductions on how they work are very similar and we see the comparison nicely highlighted in the very first few pages.
In this debut, Simon Bruttenholm and Honora Grant are two founding members who’ve set out to investigate the strange goings on at Noxton, England. They aren’t out to find a ghostly haunting. Instead, Honora is looking into this town’s oddball traditions–perhaps on a similar trail as in The Wicker Man–and Simon is searching for his missing assistant. He was last known to have visited this town. But there’s mysterious standing stones nearby that has the man’s attention.
In setting up what to expect, the creative team of artists includes Andrea Mutti (artist), Clem Robins (letterer) and Lee Loughridge (colourist) establish a town lost to time, and I’m very much reminded of watching 70s cinema with this book. The tone and story direction establishes the fact we’re dealing with folk horror than something set in the high terror fantasy known as Hellboy.
The setup here feels more inspired by those old paranormal documentaries one sees made by the BBC. Alternatively, there’s also Harry Price‘s works. He is one of Britain’s most famous paranormal investigators, and his most recognized case is the Borley Rectory. He’s also a member of the SPR and everyone operates under the strictest of policies–to note every piece of empirical data to prove the hereafter. But when they’re in the field, all they can do is observe.
As with any new case, interviews must be conducted, and Honora is having problems. Anyone who has done paranormal sluething will find this comic book familiar, and it’s nice that nothing is made up. Now if there’s a thing from the moor (stones in this comic book’s case) that’s going to attack the team ala Hound of the Baskervilles, that won’t be until the next issue to surprise!
