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One man’s determination to live forever leads down a dark path that eventually pulls in others who must find their own ways to survive.
James Tynion IV (Writer), Christian Ward (Illustrator & Colorist), Aditya Bidikar (Letterer), Emma Price (Book Design), Deana Avila and Courtney Menard (Production), Eric Harburn (Editor), Tiny Onion, Inc (Packaging)
SPECTREGRAPH Published by DSTLRY
THOUGHTS
SPECTREGRAPH is a captivating series that leans more towards tragedy than horror. The intriguing concept of creating a ghost copy of a living person to achieve immortality is both wild and unfathomable. Imagine if you could actually do it. With the right resources and determination, could you make it happen? The idea of living forever while watching your friends and family pass away is truly heartbreaking.
Ambrose Everett Hall, however, was undeterred by these consequences. His sole focus was to prove that it could be done, regardless of the cost. Now, as he faces the true cost of his actions, he realizes there’s no turning back.
After spending considerable time with the SPECTREGRAPH series, I found myself pondering how to articulate my thoughts on its conclusion. In the last issue, we witnessed Vesper and Janie in a state of shock upon discovering Ambrose’s achievement. Initially, I believed this revelation was the climax, showcasing his twisted success. However, it wasn’t until the final act that everything truly fell into place. The shock they experienced when Felix entered the house was unexpected and prompted me to revisit the entire series to catch what I had missed. Tynion masterfully concealed this twist in plain sight, significantly enhancing my enjoyment of the series.
The art in this series by Christian Ward has been stellar. Ward’s work over the years has remained one of the highlights of the comic industry and seeing more people discover his work through books like SPECTREGRAPH is exciting. The story within this series provides Ward with a blank canvas to create wild and inventive visuals. The colors within this issue, and the whole series, are amazing. One of the underrated aspects of Ward’s work on this book are the page and panel layouts. He uses the panels in such a unique was to tell the story and invoke as much impact to the overall art as the linework and colors do.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Tynion and Ward have put together a story that they can return to whenever they want. The key characters have new directions and purposes and it would be interesting to see where they are one year, or even five years, later. Vesper has the most to accomplish with her new resources, and I do hope we see her down the road. This has been one of my favorite books of 2024 and I look forward to coming back to reading again.
RATING:
This issue – 9 out of 10
The whole miniseries – 9 out of 10
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