Review: Hoax Hunters #6

Hoax Hunters is a series that several of us on CB showed interest in when it first premiered, but ultimately just wasn’t for us. The thing about comics is that they always deserve a second chance and that even includes books from the “big two.” Issue six kicks off a brand new story arc that’s meant to be a jumping on point for new readers, so what better place to give it another go with the series? My first impressions are that I’m interested in the storyline, but I’m still not sure about the characters.

We begin with the feature creature for the story arc, which is pretty common for the genre and is very reminiscent of X-Files and other TV Shows. Two jocks have taken a nerdy kid to the forests of Hauncheyville to have him throw a garden gnome statue into the woods to awaken the gnomes that live there and that will possibly murder the kid. Kids right? Reluctantly the kid throws the gnome but nothing happens… at first. One of the jocks is hit with a rock and thinks that it’s the nerdy kid fighting back against him, until a ton of rocks rain down from the sky killing him, his girlfriend and friend. The nerdy kid freaks out as he catches a look at the creature responsible that points for him to leave the forest.

From there we catch up with our Hoax Hunters as they gear up for something they’re very afraid of; Regan tells them they’ve faced worse and to follow her lead as they head out to the convention stage. They’re panelists at Reality Con, a convention dedicated to reality TV and it actually has people in attendance. The trio takes their seats, but their slimy producer is a late arrival and sours the already terrible mood of the stars. From there we dive into Q&A which is humorous, but ultimately just a lead in for some rivals to call them out for a challenge. They want the Hoax Hunters to prove that the Hauncheyville legend is a fake when they know it to be otherwise.

The important thing to remember about this series is that the myths and creatures they face are true, but that they’re commissioned by the government to cover them up and stop them at the same time. I’m still not a big fan of that angle, but my attention was caught with this legend and the rocks that fell from the sky like rain. The writing is good and the jokes made me smile for sure. I especially liked the ongoing joke during the Q&A. I’m just not really sure about the characters. I don’t get a strong feeling for any of them and the issue didn’t spend enough time with them on a personal level for me to get to know them. I think that because none of the characters stand out is why I can’t get attached to the book. I honestly have more of an opinion about the kids in the beginning then the main cast. The monster/creature aspect though will probably have me finishing the story arc to see its resolution, so there’s a chance I could enjoy the characters more in the future.

I’ve never really had a problem with Axel Medellin’s art, but this issue isn’t his best. The coloring plays a huge role in that, but the character design for Regan is not helping either. I get that she’s supposed to be the cute, sexy one on the team; but when everyone else is wearing suits and she’s wearing a tank top mid-drift and short-shorts, then she looks out of place. Several times the amount of detail that Regan had compared to the other characters was severely lacking. There has to be another style she could wear that would show her sex appeal and not have her look so out of place.

In general, this is a pretty good spot for new readers to jump on to the book. I do think that it should have mentioned somewhere in the story that they do in fact cover up what they investigate in case the readers skip the recap at the beginning. If you were put off by the last story arc this one is off to a better start, but we’ll have to see where it goes from here for sure.

Score: 3/5

Writer: Michael Moreci & Steve Seeley

Artist: Axel Medellin

Publisher: Image Comics

Price: $2.99

Release Date: 1/16/13