Doctor Spektor #1
Written by Mark Waid
Art by Neil Edwards
Colors by Jordan Boyd
Letters by Marshall Dillon
Edits by Nate Cosby of Cosby & Sons Productions
Covers by Christian Ward, Francesco Francavilla, Phil Hester, Jae Lee, and Ken Haeser
Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: May 28, 2014
Cover Price: $3.99

Doctor Spektor #1 is a whole lotta crazy. I mean a WHOLE LOT of crazy. Now, was it crazy good or crazy bad? Let’s take a look.

Going into this, I have to admit, I’ve never read a Doctor Spektor comic before in my life. But, I heard Mark Waid was writing it, so I wanted to at least check it out. Lemme tell you, I’m really glad I did. You don’t have to know anything about the character to enjoy this comic. In fact, I think if you followed the character before, that might hurt your enjoyment of this book. Waid gives us a Doctor Spektor that’s basically a reality TV star, but unlike the reality shows on TV now, this one’s actually a REAL reality show. If that makes sense. On camera, he’s a strong, fearless master of the occult, but behind closed doors, he’s a hot mess. I won’t go into any spoilers, but this is a REALLY interesting character, and if you removed all the monster fighting, I would still read this book, as Waid makes him an incredibly interesting and compelling character.

Artist Neil Edwards is one heck of a great artist. But, before I go any further I have to recognize the excellent job that Jordan Boyd did as the colorist on this book. He really makes this book pop and brings some life to some characters that are, well, dead. Edwards’ style for this book reminds me a little of Gene Colan doing the old Tomb of Dracula book, but with a modern touch that really accentuates just how frightening comic art can be when it’s done right. A big tip of the hat to EVERYONE involved in the illustrating process of this book!!

You’d really do well to pick this book up. If you’re into horror comics, you’ll love it. If, like me, you’re not really interested in horror comics at all, you’re still going to enjoy this. Nothing is too grotesque or over the top, it’s all done in a style that leaves a lot to the imagination. Bottom line, this book is really good and you should definitely pick it up.