HALLOWEEN TEAM #1, from All-New All-Awesome Comics on 10/4/22, follows the Halloween Team’s leader years after the group of school-aged mystery solvers is no more. When Tommy’s new love interest goes missing, it’s time for the Halloween team to assemble once again.
The Details
- Written by: Danny Baram
- Art by: Matt Shults
- Colors by: Matt Shults
- Letters by: Matt Shults
- Cover art by: Matt Shults
- Comic Rating: Teen+
- Cover price: $3.99
- Release date: October 4, 2022
Is HALLOWEEN TEAM #1 Good?
HALLOWEEN TEAM #1 is a low start but an intriguing start for a tale about a man forced to call on his childhood friends to solve a new mystery. Danny Baram’s first issue is a slow burn primarily focused on character-building the protagonist, Tommy, but the issue ends on a high note.
Baram’s script centers on Tommy, an introvert who doesn’t find much joy as an introvert who doesn’t like his job, the people he works with, or practically anything about being an adult. Tommy’s fondest memories are of the time when he formed a mystery-solving team called the Halloween Team with his boyhood friends to solve weird occurrences in his hometown of Greenwood. When Tommy goes on a date that is a match for the girl of his dreams, the Halloween Team is called to action when Tommy’s new love interest disappears.
The central premise may sound like a mish-mash of different genres, but Baram’s makes it make sense in context. Imagine what would happen if The Goonies grew up and lived humdrum lives until one of the team gets into trouble and calls for help. That’s the vibe you get from this issue, with a little more cursing.
What’s great about HALLOWEEN TEAM #1? Well, who doesn’t love Halloween? Everyone loves Halloween, and Baram’s creates a town in Greenwood that’s ripe for monsterific adventures. Although most of the issue focuses on building the mundanity of Tommy’s life, the hints and teases of horror waiting around every corner are a goldmine waiting to be explored.
What’s not so great about HALLOWEEN TEAM #1? This first issue is a sloooooow burn. Baram creates a distinct contrast between the spirit of adventure and excitement Tommy lived through as a kid and the utter drag of being a 9-to-5 worker bee, with a heavy emphasis on the latter. Contrast is a positive, but it would have helped to get more than a tease of Tommy’s boyhood adventures so the reader could empathize more fully with Tommy’s malaise as an adult.
How’s the art? Matt Shults’s digital art delivers memorable character designs, solid panel layouts and composition, and a generally solid comic. Better still, Shults’s use of shadows and shading is well above average for an indie project. Yes, you can tell this is digital illustrator art, but it’s better than most due to the coloring application.
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What’s HALLOWEEN TEAM #1 About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
We begin with a group of school friends gathering around a campfire in the woods to inaugurate the formation of their mystery-solving group – The Halloween Team. From the narration, we learn the team solves multiple mysteries, including a few with actual monsters.
Now, Tommy, the Halloween team’s leader, is all grown up. He never left Greenwood because there are still spooky occurrences around, and it’s where he feels he belongs. Unfortunately, Tommy’s job at a tech firm and lack of romantic prospects, have Tommy feeling down in the dumps. Desperate for a connection, Tommy finds a match, Laura, on a dating app.
We conclude the issue with first dates, ghosting, and a call for help.
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Final Thoughts
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HALLOWEEN TEAM #1 looks and feels like a Goonies sequel if one of the gang was all grown up and had to call on the old gang to solve a new mystery. Baram puts his all into character- and world-building to create a setting ripe for multiple stories, and the art is above-average for an indie offering, but the story is a very slow burn before it hits a solid cliffhanger.
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