The Strange Tales of Oscar Zahn introduces us to a paranormal investigator whose very manifestation defies scientific understanding. Dressing though he might as an Edwardian gentleman, one can’t fail to notice Mr Zahn’s appearance— a jawless skull floating above an invisible skeletal body.
Oscar seems quite at home in the dark macabre landscape where the story takes place, and we come to understand that he is a kindly and conscientious investigator of metaphysical manifestations in that shadowy domain. Taking cues from his assistant, a gnome-like witch named Agnes, he bravely ventures into foreboding sites of spectral habitation, seeking not merely to vanquish a hobgoblin, but to right a wrong or heal a broken heart.
Toronto artist Tri Vuong renders the saga in luscious dark strokes resembling the work of Hellboy artist Mike Mignola. Like Hellboy, the series is steeped in a Lovecraftian steampunk paracosm. The writing is subtle, low-key and intriguing. Considering that the main character is incapable of facial expressions, it’s quite an achievement that he is so personable and sympathetic.
