Who doesn’t like a good, old-fashioned mystery? Especially when it takes place around the turn of the century and features tarot cards, as well as thought transference, small villages with strange residents, and spooky cemeteries? That’s what awaits the reader in the first issue of Dark Horse Comics’ The British Paranormal Society: Time Out of Mind.

The year is 1910 in the village of Noxton, Noxton Down, The Cotswolds. Visitors Honora Grant and Simon Bruttenholm have arrived looking for their missing colleague Lowell Grant. No one in town knows anything about Lowell. In the meantime, the villagers are preparing for the mysterious Spring Festival which has taken place since the days of the Norman Conquests. Clues and secret messages abound as the characters seek to uncover what is really happening within the strange community.

This book is solid from the start. Writer Chris Roberson tells a great first chapter for this series. The art, by Andrea Mutti, has a slightly cartoony feel which brings a level of fun to the story. The camera angles used throughout the book are interesting and help hold the reader’s attention.

The British Paranormal Society: Time Out of Mind is part of Mike Mignola’s Hellboy Universe. It is a great start to what looks to be an intriguing series.  This is a perfect book for any fan of turn-of-the-century mysteries.

3 out of 4 stars

Creative Team: Chris Roberson (writer), Andrea Mutti (artist)
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
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