Phantom on the Scan #1

Phantom on the Scan #1

by Cullen Bunn, Mark Torres (Colorist), Dave Sharpe (Letterer)

Twenty years ago, a comet fell to earth. Since that night, Matthew has been haunted – haunt-ed by a spirit that gives him incredible psychic abilities. But these abilities come with a price...and payment is due. Every time Matthew uses his gifts, he draws closer to death, and other psychics – all of whom gained their powers on the night the comet fell – are dying in the most horrible of ways. To save himself, Matthew gathers a group of psychics to solve the mystery of their powers before it’s too late. See ordering sheet for incentive cover information.

Genres: Comics

34 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 14, 2021

About the author

Cullen grew up in rural North Carolina, but now lives in the St. Louis area with his wife Cindy and his son Jackson. His noir/horror comic (and first collaboration with Brian Hurtt), The Damned, was published in 2007 by Oni Press. The follow-up, The Damned: Prodigal Sons, was released in 2008. In addition to The Sixth Gun, his current projects include Crooked Hills, a middle reader horror prose series from Evileye Books; The Tooth, an original graphic novel from Oni Press; and various work for Marvel and DC. Somewhere along the way, Cullen founded Undaunted Press and edited the critically acclaimed small press horror magazine, Whispers from the Shattered Forum.

All writers must pay their dues, and Cullen has worked various odd jobs, including Alien Autopsy Specialist, Rodeo Clown, Professional Wrestler Manager, and Sasquatch Wrangler.

And, yes, he has fought for his life against mountain lions and he did perform on stage as the World's Youngest Hypnotist. Buy him a drink sometime, and he'll tell you all about it.

Visit his website at www.cullenbunn.com.

Reviews

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting enough first issue. There was just enough mystery here that makes me want to read the next issue.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cullen Bunn has recharged his batteries.

[Poetniknowit · Rating 5 out of 5]

We are introduced to Matt who presents with psychic symptoms such as mental pushing and suggestion and speaking to the dead (?). The psychic powers started after a comet fell, which is somehow connected to a company and experimentation.

Seems very interesting so farand I'm excited to see where this goes.

[Khabeer Rashad · Rating 4 out of 5]

A world I fell right into! Let the mystery unfold.

[Zak Webber · Rating 5 out of 5]

"It's going to happen again. Tonight. Another is going to die."


Twenty years ago a comet fell to Earth. Several people connected to the event have developed various psychic abilities. Recently, for some unknown reason, those people have started dying one by one.

Matt knows this because Dorian told him, Dorian being the little dead boy that only Matt can see or hear; a personification of Matt’s powers. With Dorian’s help, Matt discovers that his therapist knows more about what is going on than he has revealed. Despite what he has said during their sessions, he knows that Matt’s unique perceptions are more than just delusions. He also knows the names of other gifted individuals.

Dorian finds four of these people and brings them to meet Matt at a diner. The new arrivals are indeed psychic like him but are wary of Matt and his insistence that they are in danger… until one of them has a seizure that results in his head exploding. As if that were not horrific enough, a small alien creature emerges from the bloody remains of the man’s skull…

Phantom on the Scan by writer Cullen Bunn artist Mark Torres is not for the squeamish. This is one of those tales with a science fiction premise which is nevertheless firmly in the horror genre; as well as exploding brains there is also the spectre of Dorian, little more than a small rotting skull made of shadows, and the vengeful figure of Victor, who gruesomely dispenses justice with his talent for telekinetically manipulating any object and turning it into a weapon.

The tone is dark and unsettling, the characters trapped in a nightmare from which no escape seems possible. The series of horrific incidents is an assault on the senses and the reader is kept guessing as to when the next trauma will erupt off the page. Torres’ art is an unconventional blend of tightly-rendered character faces and expressions with semi-abstract landscapes, adding to the off-kilter feel of the narrative. For the reader this is like dipping into a dislocated fever dream, more edgy and raw than your usual slice of sci-fi drama. Our heroes’ experiences of disorientation and helpless terror come across palpably.

Slowly, painfully, small clues begin to emerge. The comet fall links all the psychics but it is not the only common factor. The mysterious Trellux corporation is involved in all of their lives. Are Matt and his companions the victims of a purely paranormal event or are they in fact guinea-pigs in some obscene experiment?

There are touches of X-Files and Lovecraft here: much to delight the imagination and eye with precious little in the way of comforting reassurances of any happy endings. Despite the bleak outlook, Matt is determined not to give up to despair. Using his powers to uncover the truth has a price, however; every time he uses them he feels himself moving closer to death – with Dorian disintegrating a little more each time.

It’s a race against time in which all roads seem to lead to disaster. Can they solve the mystery before it is too late – and will solving it save them?

[Octavia Cade · Rating 2 out of 5]

The most appealing this about this is the art. It's pretty great, with muted, watery tones. I'm less interested in the story, which is odd as I feel I should be interested. Part of me wants to say that the first issue of a comic has extremely limited page space to set up a longer story, and in all fairness a lot gets done here: the main character's being haunted by the ghost of a little boy, and he gathers together other psychics because he thinks they're in danger of dying terrible deaths (and indeed they seem to be). That's a lot to get across in two dozen pages or so. Another part of me - and this part is winning out - wants to say that, single issue or not, clarity is key. I don't expect every question to be answered, but the opening sequence is so vague that it comes across as less artistic than it does annoying.

Just tell me what the fuck is going on, please. If the main character is this devoid of personality, I need a clear, compelling plot to make me want to keep reading. (I mean, I have the five issue set. I'm going to keep reading. But still.)

[Ondřej Halíř · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fakt mi zkuste vyvratit ze Cullen Bunn je nudnej nezajímavej autor. Zatím vše co jsem od něj četl bylo hodně skvělý, navíc i tady má Bunn velké štěstí na lidi co s ním pracují. Torresova kresba, která má feel Silent Hillu, spolu s jeho nádherným originálním soundtrackem dělá z prvního čísla magický a mrazivý zážitek.

Bunn v rámci hororu šlape už delší sobu Nilesovi na paty a tímhle komiksem se to ještě utvrzuje.

[Daria · Rating 3 out of 5]

pretty interesting start to a comic series issue. I really like the concept of these psychics have to now band to together into to protect one another. I really like the art style as well and how the color compliment one another. the design of the art definitely feels like it’s almost water color based which is pretty cool.