One of the perks of being on the Player Affinity team is that some publishers give us access to their comics ahead of time. That’s how I came to read Hoax Hunters #1 this week. I wrote about it when it was announced a month ago. (Although, the date has shifted by a week from when I wrote that new article) So how did they do with their debut issue? I think they did pretty well. I never read Hack/Slash so I had no familiarity with the characters. Michael Moreci and Steve Seeley do a great job with the setup. It reads just like any thriller movie - in the beginning we have the lone guy who decides to go off into the swamp on his own. Then he’s attacked by something off screen. And cut to the principles who are in the warm sun away from any trouble. I wasn’t sure what to expect in terms of the fact that the Hoax Hunters are filming a TV show to take suspicion away from the monsters. Ultimately that ends up only taking up three panels of the issue. Things do get a little hectic as we have a Swamp Monster Investigation, The Carnival (whatever that is, it scares people), and the arc setup as well as character introduction.
While I don’t think we need some sort of comic book affirmative action, it is neat that the main characters are an african-american man (named Jack) and a female (Regan). In a world where nearly all the comic book characters are white males or impossibly busty white females (and all the african-americans have electric powers), it’s nice to be able to have some different faces. We only learn the smallest of tidbits about our characters’ backstories but it seems like it could make for a pretty neat B story to find out about Jack or Regan’s pasts.
Axel Medellin does a pretty good job with the art although there are some places where the facial anatomy gets a little off. I also think his inks get a little too heavy in some of the faces - it happens quite a bit with Jack. Still, the color palette is always appropriate for the mood of the scene.
Overall, I think this book has a lot of promise. I think if you’re looking for something a bit different and if my news story sounded like something fun, you should definitely check it out. Since not all comic book stores carry all the Image Comics, you may want to call your store to make sure they will have it and that they save you a copy.
