Hoax Hunters #11 Review


After splitting the party up last time, Hoax Hunters #11 jumps between two stories, balancing different aspects of the title. THe question is, how well does it hold up?

The official description from Image:

“THE BOOK OF MOTHMAN” Part Two
Regan and Donovan’s encounter with the deadly demon in their search for the Book of All Futures reveals a shocking insight from Donovan’s past. Meanwhile, Jack and Ken continue to quell the surging cryptid activity across the Midwest.
This issue isn’t bad in terms of structure. The two-forked approach to story telling works well enough, cutting from one to the other at the right times. That said, they start out very different from each other but end up in similar territory – murky brown art and cheap attempts at edgy characters. I still feel Hoax Hunters tries to force this angle of a B-version of the X Files. It’s got its hands on some good lore, it should use it more often.
Part of this is down to the writing. As I said, the lore is good and research has clearly taken place, although most of Micheal Moreci & Steve Seeley’s writing uses this to justify cheap action shots. Thunderbirds in Hoax Hunters #11 add up to very little and could of been replaced by any other creature – why use the mythological if you’re not going to jump on the unique properties?
Likewise the art is.. brown. It’s just brown. Regan and Donovan start with some colorful art that shows hope, but T-Rex Jones quickly replaces this with – you’ve guessed it – brown. Everything is about shadows, seedy bars and hotel rooms. Again, it’s going far too much for that knock-off-noir when the material offers the potential for stunning art. Last issue almost hinted at that at the end, but this issue is disappointing on the visual efforts.
In short, if you’re a fan of the series you will like this. If you’re just picking it up on a whim, it’s going to feel like a generic TV drama – a bunch of young, good-looking people with mysterious pasts being all mysterious save for occasional one-liners and hooking up. It’s got other stuff too, if you can find it.

2/5

S#!T Talking Central