It’s a situation you never really feel comfortable being in: Going over the work of a friend and giving a critical and honest review of their efforts. Wars have started that way, if history books are to be believed. So it’s always with hesitation when someone who I do consider a friend has a project that is placed in front of me to go over and give my honest opinion. What if it sucks? How do I tell them that? Thankfully, I think I can spare myself that dilemma this time, as I am genuinely impressed in many ways with the debut of The Mushroom Murders, a web comic book from Creator’s Edge Press and written by my Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe co-writer, Chad Anderson.
The debut issue of the Mushroom Murders is mostly set-up, but it does it well. A bit of a small-town take on the X-Files, the story concerns a rash of odd murders in sleepy Delaware City. What makes them odd is that the killers seemingly incinerate their victims, reducing them to piles of ash and leaving behind a single mushroom as their calling card. Two detectives, Sterling Silversmith and Emerald Johnson, are brought in to investigate and slowly begin to realize they’re working against something inhuman, something demonic.
Anderson and artist Robert Keough do very well here to set up the story. While there is little action to kick things off, we’re introduced to two very likeable lead characters who are keeping a bit of a secret themselves. The concept is intruiging and I very much want to see where Sterling and Emerald go from here. The Mushroom Murders #1 does exactly what Act 1 of any story should do: It presents the characters clearly, and places them in a situation that puts them not only at risk but way over their heads. Most of Anderson’s dialogue is spot-on and feels very natural. I was especially impressed with the handling of the local police chief, who bucks every stereotype you see with this type of character (you know, the Buford Pusser types or the screaming/about-one-minute-away-from-an-aneurysm types). The leads feel very natural and realistic as well. The supernatural element is a fresh one, and I’m definitely intruiged to see just what’s going on.
Now, all that said, there are a few bumps in the road that time and getting into the groove of the story should take care of. The opening scenes, depicting three of the murders one after another, is a bit repetitious and probably could have been set up to flow better. The only other thing I really have any sort of criticism of is Keough’s artwork, which is splendid in many, many ways (I was very impressed with his sense of layout in several scenes, giving his characters anatomies and poses that help maintain a refreshing sense of realism), but he can get a bit cartoonish at times, especially with faces. With more experience, he’ll be fine in that regard though, I feel. A slightly heavier pencil style might serve him well too, as a few scenes came off a tad sketchy and unpolished.
Overall, The Mushroom Murders #1 is a strong debut for this creative team, with a promise of something great coming along down the line. Chad and Robert have me waiting for issue #2, and that is something very rare for me these days when it comes to comic books. The minor quibbles I had will work themselves out and I can’t wait to see where they go from here.
The Mushroom Murders #1 can be purchased at http://comics.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=96339