Two estranged sisters end up in their hometown, haunted by memories, disfunction, ghosts, and drama. Long Lost #1 is an extra-long (more pages) comic title from Scout.

Writer Matthew Erman ventures into a haunted small-town atmosphere, where one sister, who has never left town, starts to encounter strange visions. Her sister, concerned, decides to come home to visit. It does not go well.

The story unfolds, in a twisting and turning journey that involves pets, the unexplained appearance of strange body parts, and many pages of character revelations.

Artist Lisa Sterle illustrates in black and white line and halftone, in an effective rendering style. It isn’t glossy (no mirror-like shiny surfaces, no 3D lighting effects, etc) but horror can sometimes be amplified with a low-tech presentation, such as black and white. It works here.

Long Lost is a long and winding road that frankly could have been shortcut or detoured with the tightening up of the narrative. But it’s interesting, unusual, and we DO care about the characters. At $9.99 for 56 pages of black and white content, though, it’s a bit of a gamble.

Scout Comics, Long Lost #1, $9.99 for 56 pages of content. Assume Mature rating for horror

By Alan Spinney

After a career of graphic design, art direction and copywriting, I still have a passion for words and pictures. I love it when a comic book comes together; the story is tight, and the drawings lead me forward. Art with words... the toughest storytelling technique to get right. Was this comic book worth your money? Let's see!!