Review — Great Colors Help ‘Plague House’ #1 To Pop Off The Page

When he was a child, Michael W. Conrad saw a ghost bobbing up and down in his living room pleading for help. The new limited series he’s writing, Plague House, is helping him to exorcise those otherworldly spirits.

Conrad didn’t write himself into the haunted house story. At least not literally. Instead, he features a trio of ghost hunters: Holland the skeptic, Jacob the man of God, and Del the believer. While most of their escapades are dead ends, the McCabe house is a different story. Father Orin walked into the home one day and hammered his wife, father, and children to death. Del and team find the spiritual remains of the victims

Conrad spends most of this first of four issues setting up a larger story, though precisely where the tale is headed is unclear by the end. That’s actually a refreshing surprise. He could take the story in a number of different directions – many of which are quite dark – makes the read even more exciting while making the wait for the next issue a little more agonizing.

Dave Chisholm pulls triple duty here, by illustrating, coloring and lettering the issue. Not to diminish his pencilwork, but Chisolm’s colors give the issue its distinctiveness. His often-florescent hues – even on predominantly black and white pages – pop and bring each page to life. And each of the three main characters has their own prime color background, tying the story together in an even more interesting way.

The setup has been strong, but whether the limited series is a great one will largely depend on where this creative team takes things from here. The potential for something different and memorable is there, provided they stay away from conventional traps – like the plague.