First Issue Review: A Haunted Girl - An inspiration to those battling their own demons
Summer is winding - somewhat - down but it matters not. We’re all ready for the spooky season to drown in skeletons and ghosts. For the creepy or the eerie, Image comics is a good go-to spot for that. Coming soon to your local comic book retailer, will be a classic story of a haunting but with a possible twist?
A Haunted Girl is simply clear in what it will be showcasing for four issues. A young Japanese-American women named Cleo is being plagued by gruesome ghosts and ghouls that only she can see.
From what we can see in the first issue, she’s been receiving treatment for undisclosed reasons. It seems to have been a struggle as it was severe enough to be admitted to a facility but there appears to be some progress. She celebrates her birthday and even the staff admits to her improvement when discussing her case amongst themselves. The last thing she would need or want is to be tortured by nightmares that no one else can see. So when she wakes up and screams, everyone is worried.
There is no wonder she wakes up screaming. These ghosts are not friendly at all. They are absolutely beyond spooky and are the reasons why people are afraid of dark corners.
Why is she being visited by these spirits? They do not seem to be just passing by as they wait for her in the dark until she looks at them. The first issue implies that there is a destined reason for these occurrences. The role is unknown and not much else is provided. We just know that it’s more than just ghosts wanting to mess her up. We would have to wait for the second issue to fill in on some of the mysterious gaps.
An interesting behind the scenes detail about this mini-series is that it’s written by a father and daughter duo. Ethan Sacks is known for his work with Stars Wars but A Haunted Girl is a personal project. The story pulls from Naomi’s own personal history with mental health. They developed the series together when Naomi was at a mental point where she could do so.
““Four years ago, while my daughter was hospitalized, I came up with the idea of a story about a girl who’s battling depression and finds out she’s the sole hope to save the world,” said Ethan Sacks. “That she would find a way to endure and to save everyone she loves. It was meant to be uplifting and cathartic. Now four years later, my daughter is in a place where she could help write that story. To inspire others going through similar struggles. As a father, I’m proud. As a comic book writer, I’m inspired. As a human being, I’m moved.””
“I’ve always loved writing. And with A Haunted Girl there was a chance for me to work on a story that is very personal...Cleo, the main character, goes through a lot of the same struggles that I did and feels hopeless at many times as I did. But that she perseveres is inspirational to me, too.””
Despite being a bona-fide scaredy-cat, the curiosity on Cleo’s journey is strong enough to bypass the chills of the ghosts on the pages. They are all terrifying but not enough to stop the reader from continuing the story. It’s also a boon when the primary cover art is done by Joe Quesada who drew my attention with his work on my beloved X-23 series.
A Haunted Girl #1 hits stores Wednesday, October 11.
For more information: A HAUNTED GIRL #1 (OF 4) | Image Comics
