Repossessed #1
Written by JM Ringuet
Art by JM Ringuet
Image Comics
Release Date: January 9, 2013
Cover Price: $2.99

When there’s something strange in the neighborhood, who you gonna call? Dee Agency!

In Repossessed #1, the repossession crew at Dee Agency: Joe, Clay, and Martha make a living by investigation possessions. For a healthy profit, of course. If a demon is found to inhabit some unfortunate body, they use a deadly combination of ancient talismans, trinkets, incantations, and modern firepower to exterminate the demon.

The crew takes on an easy money job to investigate a girl who left Yale Law School to become a Vegas singer. Mr. Chesterfield, is worried that his daughter is possessed because she left Yale Law School to become a Vegas Singer. The Dee Agency crew thinks this job is easy money and a free trip to Vegas. But, it’s a trap!

Repossessed #1 is the first part of a four part mini-series. This comic is a nice first act that introduces the Dee Agency as elite demon-slayers. Writer/Artist JM Ringuet uses a couple of scenes to show them bagging a few demons with proficiency and ease. These demons are more than just random monsters possessing bodies to jack things up here on Earth. The story’s dialogue and the background profiles at the end of the book explain where the each demon stands in Hell’s hierarchy. A hierarchy, by the way, that has taken notice of the Dee Agency.

Repossessed is a detective story at its core–the Dee Agency must first prove that their target is actually possessed before making a move. Their investigation into the supposed quick-buck case reveals a much larger issue than they ever anticipated. Instead of cashing out when they can, they decide to follow more leads and dig into the case.

Of the Dee Agency trio, Clay, the tattooed hot-head, is the muscle of the group and its standout character. He takes sadistic pleasure in telling demons all the details of the holy water dipped, mandrake-cored bullets that he’s about to put through their faces. Joe and Martha, on the other hand, are largely nondescript and interchangeable characters. Hopefully, more future sub-plots emerge in future issues to flesh them out.

JM Ringuet’s artwork is the sports a sun-bleached color palette, which especially shines during Vegas scenes in the book. His pencils exhibit thick lines, but still retain a high-level of intricate detail. A demonic possession comic requires suitably menacing demons; Ringuet delivers with hellish monstrosities that tower over the repo crew””each with a unique look to complement their elaborate background in Hell’s army.

Although Repossessed is obviously inspired by the Ghostbusters, it brings enough originality to stand on its own. JM Ringuet’s mini-series is off to a solid start, however its much more focused on plot development than the characters at this point. The cliffhanger at the end this issue definitely leaves you wanting to see where this is all going. Demonic possessions might be the one genre that rivals zombies in market saturation, but this series a worthwhile read for any horror fan.