The folks at AfterShock Comics have revealed a new property that they’ll be launching this spring with the announcement of Phantom on the Scan. Set for an April 14th, 2021 debut, the series comes from writer Cullen Bunn who has teamed up with artist/colorist Mark Torres for the project. Dave Sharpe is on board for lettering and on the cover side, Torres has the main cover to the right while Juna Doe will be providing an incentive cover.
“THE SHINING. FIRESTARTER. THE DEAD ZONE,” said Cullen Bunn on describing the inspirations for this project. “To say that the work of Stephen King was an influence on me as a writer, but on this story in particular would be an understatement. Not to mention, my father was a professional hypnotist and he had a deep fascination with the powers of the mind that he imparted to me. But… let’s be honest… at the age of 11 or 12, I somehow saw Cronenberg’s masterpiece SCANNERS. I’m not sure how I managed to see it. But that head-exploding story of psychic powers stuck with me ever since. So–yes–it’s a big influence. I have been inspired by the potentially deadly nature of mental powers… deadly to the people that possess them… as a horror theme for some time.
Another big inspiration for this series was my collaboration with artist Mark Torres. A couple of years back, we did a book called COLD SPOTS that we’re very proud of. That book features deadly psychic powers of a sort, too. But the moodiness and ambiance of Mark’s art helped shape PHANTOM ON THE SCAN into the dark sci-fi horror story that it is! I crafted the series in a way that I thought would really give Mark lots of room to scare the Hell out of us!”
“You’ll see a lot of different psychic powers in the book. You might be familiar with some. Others might be a little new to you. The ways different characters use their gifts will show some new angles to those ideas you’re familiar with. Our lead character, Matt, is perhaps the most unique. Matt is an omnipath. He possesses many, many psychic powers. All of his powers manifest through “a little dead boy”–a ghost-like figure that accompanies him, invisibly, everywhere he goes. This ghost, Dorian, is decaying. Every time Matt uses a power, Dorina rots more and more, a symbol of how the powers are killing the user.”
“This is a new horror story from Mark Torres and myself, and Mark is going all out to bring creepiness to the page… and beyond the page,” said Bunn. “He’s even composing soundtracks for the comic, as he did with COLD SPOTS! We’re going to be showing off a brand new world of psychic powers. A new world to explore. It’s dark and twisted. You don’t want to miss it. And the ending of this tale is one of the most haunting and horrific things I’ve written. I think you’ll dig it.”
Plot Concept: Twenty years ago, a comet fell to earth. Since that night, Matthew has been haunted – haunted by a spirit that gives him incredible psychic abilities. But these abilities come with a price…and payment is due.
Every time Matthew uses his gifts, he draws closer to death, and other psychics – all of whom gained their powers on the night the comet fell – are dying in the most horrible of ways. To save himself, Matthew gathers a group of psychics to solve the mystery of their powers before it’s too late.
