FIVE GHOSTS, ONE VESSEL

Frank J. Barbiere and Chris Mooneyham debuted the first issue of the miniseries FIVE GHOSTS: THE HAUNTING OF FABIAN GRAY at New York Comic Con 2012 as a self-published, limited edition that caught the eye many comics readers and critics. It also caught the eye of Image Comics Publisher Eric Stephenson, and, starting in March, the miniseries is now being released by the largest independent comics publisher in the United States.

The story of Fabian Gray, a treasure hunter (some say thief) possessed by five ghosts, each an archetypical literary character, who imbue him with their unique talents and skills. The Wizard gives Gray the ability to wield magic. The Archer gives him lightning-quick reflexes and deadly accuracy. The Detective lends powers of intuition and deduction. From The Samurai, Gray borrows discipline and self-mastery – as well as mastery of a razor-sharp katana. The Vampire’s subtlety, allure, and deadliness are the most dangerous powers of all for Gray to wield – both to his enemies and himself.

Gray will need the powers of all his ghosts to save the woman who was lost in the same incident that resulted in his possession – his twin sister Silvia, whose absence haunts him even more than the five spirits. But he’s finding it harder to control them, so he must hurry – before Fabian Gray is subsumed by the personalities of the FIVE GHOSTS.

“Five Ghosts is the culmination of a lot of different ideas and influences that have been storming around in my head since I started creating comics,” said writer Barbiere. “I’m excited to be working with Image and can’t wait for readers to see what we have in store for them.”

Artist Mooneyham renders Fabian Gray’s adventures in deep shadows and intense, panel-packed pages, interspersed with splash pages that perfectly pace the narrative. His art has a definite classic horror comic influence apparent but a style all its own.

“I’m a big fan of comics from the 60s, 70s, and 80’s, not to mention pulp adventures from the 30s-50s,” said Mooneyham. “My mission with Five Ghosts is to bring back that sense of fun and adventure that I feel is missing in today’s comics. I’m very excited to have found a home for it at Image Comics.”

Interviews with creators Barbiere and Mooneyham have appeared at Comic Book Resources’ Robot6 and PreviewsWorld. The first, 40-page issue of FIVE GHOSTS: THE HAUNTING OF FABIAN GRAY will be in stores and available digitally on March 20.