Cold Spots #1 - Image Comics
Written by Cullen Bunn
Art & Design by Mark Torres
Letters by Simon Bowland
I have always been fascinated by the paranormal. In my life, I have had many personal experiences and have event spent a short time as a paranormal investigator. Whether you have had experiences yourself, or just watched a ghost hunting show or two, you know that cold spots are said to be a sign that an entity may be present. Spirits draw energy from what is around them to attempt to communicate and/or manifest themselves. So turn up the heat, because we're diving into the pages of a new Image Comics series, co-created by Cullen Bunn and Mark Torres, called Cold Spots.
This first issue follows a man named Dan Kerr, who seems to have a knack when it comes to finding missing people. The new case that he has been summoned to solve is not only surprising, but it is very familiar. The Image Comics website has a bit more spoilers in their description, that are not revealed in this issue, so I won't go into all of them but I will warn you that there may be some minor spoilers ahead in this summary. Kerr is searching for a missing woman and her daughter. The woman is someone he knew a long time ago, and that is all I will get into here. As he starts his investigation, he realizes that the house has eyes (I know this is Cullen Bunn book, but in this case, that is not a literal description) and he finds out that one of the workers in the house knows more than he has told his employer. There are also some hints in pictures that appeared in the little girl's room. Kerr doesn't realize what he is getting in to until he sets off on a trip to a small island town. Unfortunately, he can't get there right away, but does find some shelter from the cold. Given the title of the book, you may see where this is going, but it really is only the beginning.
One of the things I really enjoyed about this book were the bookends in this issue. The story sets up the paranormal/horror element, transitions into a nice mystery and ends much like it began. It was like watching the pilot episode of a new tv series that really sets up it's story well. Again, the Image Comics website gives a bit more information than this first issue does, so keeping spoiler free I will say that there are hints dropped as to how Dan Kerr may be connected to who he is looking for. There is also clear tension with the man who hired him, which I have a feeling we will be getting back to. Despite the subject matter, there were no cliches or even tropes to speak of. Everything just felt very authentic about this story. I was also very taken in by the art. The colors were especially mesmerizing, I found myself getting swept up in pages that would normally seem ordinary. There are also very subtle paranormal elements thrown in here and there, which actually made me go back to see if there was something that I may have missed. I am an admitted Cullen Bunn fan, he's been on the show several times, but there is a reason for that. He not only knows the horror genre, he knows how to blend in those non-horror elements that make his stories that much more interesting. I can already tell that this is a miniseries that I hope can go on longer. Only time will tell, but for now, go get this first issue.
RATING: PULL / BUY