• Specs #1
    Specs #1
    Writer:
    David M Booher
    Artist:
    Chris Shehan
    Letterer:
    Jim Campbell
    Cover Artist:
    Skylar Patridge
    Publisher:
    BOOM! Studios
    Price:
    $3.99
    Release Date:
    2022-11-09
    Colorist:
    Roman Stevens

Wishes are born out of a desire to alleviate life's hardships. In fiction, wishes often mimic the story's theme. Boom! Studios' latest horror series presents a different sort of Monkey's Paw trope from the perspective of two teenage kids. Specs #1, written by David M. Booher with illustrations from Chris Shehan, colors from Roman Stevens, and letters from Jim Campbell, peers into the issues of popularity, bullying, and unrequited love as a mysterious pair of magic glasses looks to turn the lives of two teens upside down.

In the small town of Summerton, Ohio, two friends, Kenny and Ted, face their high school lives together, bullies and all, as best friends. Kenny has been in love with his friend for a long time but is afraid to say it out loud lest it destroys their friendship. Kenny finds an ad in an old comic book about a pair of Magic Specs that supposedly bring wishes to life. Before they can order them, the specs are mysteriously get delivered to Kenny's doorstep. For the next few days, they use the specs to grant them little wishes, wallowing in teenage shenanigans. But things don't take too long to take a dark turn.

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Specs #1 Kenny and Ted

Specs #1 keeps a close eye on its protagonist, whose poignant narration punctuates the story with flashbacks. The book opens in the present but whisks the readers off to the past to explore some formative and painful moments in Kenny's past. Booher lets the mystery simmer. This is an all too familiar lens through which the story is portrayed: an older version of the character looking back at the folly of their youth, lamenting the choices they made. Luckily, the character interactions feel like a natural part of the story, with each having certain nuances that set them apart. Although the lack of background characters makes the book look and feel barren.

Shehan's artwork and Roman Stevens' colors are instrumental in establishing the late '80s vibe. From the gloomy atmosphere created by Shehan's use of darkness to the use of complementary colors to set the mood, the creative team understands how to show the horrors of the past. Shehan's use of negative space creates a haunting emptiness that resounds with every step taken further into the book. The minimalistic style draws fans' attention to the important visual cues littered around the issue.

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Specs #1 Kenny and Ted make a wish

At a glance, Specs #1 may seem a bit derivative, but the tale does not punish Kenny for his wishes, only for the scope of them. The central friction is an open conflict between Kenny and his true self that he tries to bottle up. As tensions between the protagonist and his bully continue to rise, the story takes a surprising turn. The end of Specs #1 introduces new possibilities that could help the series stand out from its familiar premise.