Goners tells the story of a world where ghosts, monsters, and myths are real, and people hunt them professionally- for the sake of reality television. The first page of this comic is a cryptic, blood-on-the-walls opener. Mystery, a dark and stormy night, and then- we jump to a spooky looking mansion in King’s Bluff, MA. I assume we’ve gone back in time and the first page was a flashforward, but who knows. Anyway, here we are in King’s Bluff, where reporters and police gathering around the Latimer family’s latest haunted house hunt, watching the goings-on from afar while the Latimers- and their own camera crew- hunt in the governor’s presumably haunted mansion. It all goes south pretty quickly, and Ma and Pa Latimer are killed before our eyes and, sadly, before the eyes of their two children. Zoe and Josiah are watching from the safety of their own home, but once their parents are dead, the home is no longer safe. The children and Francis (who I’m guessing is a bodyguard-type, it’s not totally clear) are forced to flee to the police department, where they are kept out of the clutches of the Bakaak, though not for long.

If you’re looking for something new, you might consider picking this up. Goners is interesting and fast-paced, and leaves you with a million questions. It’s clear we aren’t totally in the loop yet, but I’m interested enough to keep reading and find out.

Professional hunters of supernatural creatures is not exactly a new concept, but the Latimers have their own reality show, which is pretty on point. Ghost Hunters, anyone? I find the storyline much more interesting with its focus on the children, rather than tortured, brooding semi-adults who angst over bottled-up feelings. You know what I’m talking about. Zoe and Josiah are 17 and 12 respectively, and though we don’t know them well yet, we’ve seen a couple flashbacks with Zoe and her mom, and a couple moments with Josiah suggest he may be a genius-type: he’s tinkering with a toaster when he’s introduced, and later we see his method of pulling a name out of his memory. Between these kids, the Bakaak, and this mysterious enchantment, I’m intrigued, and I’ll keep reading.

Score: 3 / 5

Writer: Jacob Semahn Artist: Jorge Corona Publisher: Image Comics Price: $2.99 Release Date: 10/22/14 Format: Ongoing; Print/Digital