Oni Press and Spectrevision bring us Chris Condon and Daniel Noah’s High Strangeness, a five-part anthology series based on real paranormal encounters. This first chapter takes place in 1967 and tells the story of an investigative reporter looking for a missing girl who has photographic proof of a UFO in rural Indiana.
A teenage girl disappears after two “men” in suits go to a house and question her about a picture of a UFO she took in Grainwake, Indiana. Six months later, a down-on-his-luck reporter, Harry Kean, is sent by his editor at Luminary Magazine to investigate. While there, he meets eccentric and uncooperative townsfolk who only add layers to the mystery of the missing girl.
Condon and Noah’s pacing is fantastic. The scenes move fast which may turn off some readers, but their use of sound effects gives it a sort of Edgar Wright feeling with its tonal shifts; however, that can also be due to the genre mashing of this story. While the big story is definitely sci-fi with its UFOs and men in suits, Harry’s job as an investigative reporter – without a lot of options and sent to search for a missing girl – leans very hard into noir territory.
Dave Chisholm’s artwork creates just the right amount of unsettling mood. All of the characters look tired. Whether they are perceived as good or bad, they all feel like they have a sordid past. As with most noir and science fiction, what lies beneath is much more deceiving than the surface.
Becca Carey’s lettering moves the comic along effectively, not that this comic drags by any means. It’s been a minute since I’ve been able to hear the atmosphere of a comic in my brain as I’m reading. Each issue will feature an essay by podcaster and researcher Jim Perry that goes over more of the true story that each issue is based on.
This first issue has some variant covers by Jock, which are worth the price of admission alone. There’s a lot of potential with this first volume of High Strangeness. If you were a fan of The X-Files or Unsolved Mysteries, pick up this first chapter today.
Creative Team: Chris Condon and Daniel Noah (writer), Dave Chisholm (artist, colorist), Becca Carey (letterer)
Publisher: Oni Press
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