Full disclosure: John Lees is a member of the Off-Panel Podcast and, obviously, a friend.
And Then Emily Was Gone #1 has only nineteen pages of story in between its covers... but, what a story it is. The Scottish duo of John Lees and Ian Laurie set up a lot of mystery and violence, in the first chapter of their supernatural mystery book. Ex-police detective Greg Hellinger is an expert on finding missing persons and a man literally battling his own inner demons. He is drawn into the case Emily Munro, a young girl from a small Scottish island who has seemingly vanished.
I feel like the book draws a lot of inspiration from the famous off-kilter murder mystery televisions how Twin Peaks. And just like Twin Peaks, we're introduced to a small and isolated community, bizarre locals, and a boogeyman all at the heart of this mystery involving a young woman. There's a sense of dread in this first issue. You know something bad will happen eventually, but like some of the worse things in the world, you don't want to look away.
