Director McG and Los Angeles publisher Aspen Comics join together to turn New York City into the world’s largest Haunted House. Just in time for Halloween the new comic book, Haunted City tells the story of a secret police force in New York City set to deal with mythical mysteries of a supernatural nature. Chap Taylor, Peter Johnson and Michael Ryan collaborate to tell a modern ghost story of the hidden secrets of New York.
The story focuses on Detective Tom Whalen of the NYPD. Tom is a cop who is as corrupt as they come but when his absent conscience suddenly returns during a drug deal, he gets shot in the head. While recovering, Tom meets Peter Hopkins the Witchfinder General who oversees a group that investigates crimes of a supernatural nature. When two missing boys turn up dead the special force comes into investigate the mysterious ghosts who are appearing at the scene of the crimes. A skeptical Tom is recruited onto the force.
New York City has a long history and that history comes with its ghosts and unsolved mysteries. The mystery evolving in the first issue surrounds the missing boys and their ties to an Irish myth about Morrigan, a goddess of strife, fertility and death.
Writers Chap Taylor and Peter Johnson accomplish two goals with Tom Whalen. The first, Tom is a tour guide through a supernatural world. His gruff exterior and inability to suspend his disbelief lets you see more of the world as he explores this unseen side of New York. Second, Tom is a character who has bottomed out, his conscience returning seems to start him on the path of redemption giving you someone to root for.
Artist Michael Ryan produces great storytelling and creates a strong backdrop for the supernatural elements of the story. His strong line work and excellent use of shading creates a world that feels real and when the ghosts appear on the page they seem to bounce out with their softer lines. Ryan is assisted by the colorist of Kelsey Shannon who makes the ghosts look luminescent.
The decision: Halloween is the time of year for the ghosts and goblins to take center stage and Haunted City mixes the supernatural feel of a horror movie with police crime drama. It is a mixture that creates all sorts of possibilities. The work of Taylor, Johnson and Ryan creates a new twist on the bad cop finding redemption especially by entering the world of the supernatural.
Haunted City is part of an ambitious multimedia project by writer, director and producer McG’s Wonderland Sound and Vision. Wonderland Sound and Vision is creating a world that will be the backdrop of other platforms in television, movies and video games.
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