My Rating
“Fifteen Minutes”
Of all the low points in Carl Kolchak’s career, sitting in a dark basement in suburban Huntington Beach should not have made the list. Yet here he is. After the Hollywood Dispatch cans its star reporter over a slight disagreement about what constitutes a legitimate story, Carl finds himself out of work. Apparently, chasing the supernatural doesn’t do much for job security.
An unemployed “ghost hunter” takes whatever breadcrumbs he can get. In Carl’s case, his next meal hinges on two Los Angeles paranormal investigators and a basement that gives its owners a peculiar “feeling.” Six weeks of uneasiness might not sound like much of a lead, but beggars can’t be choosers. Besides, Kolchak has built a career on stories nobody else wants to touch.
But why have Mo and Otto Brerhahrer chosen Carl to help with their haunted house investigation? Does something actually roam beneath this suburban California home, or are they all just sitting in the dark? And what exactly did Kolchak do to get himself fired from the Hollywood Dispatch this time?
“Blood!”
They say blood is thicker than water when it comes to family. When money becomes involved, however, those ties can thin considerably. Just ask the Windsor family. Carl Kolchak finds himself at the corporate offices of Windsor Chemical, a blue-chip contender now facing an EPA investigation over environmental pollution.
For Jason and Cameron Windsor, that is the least of their problems. Their great-grandfather, Elder Windsor, handed them the business before he died. Now, someone—or something—is thinning the company ranks. Across Los Angeles, gruesome murders have claimed the lives of Windsor Chemical employees and business associates. Something is rotting in Denmark, and it’s not necessarily the chemicals.
Who is targeting the people connected to Windsor Chemical? Did Jason and Cameron inherit something more troubling than the family business? And can Kolchak uncover the source of this bloody mess before the killer strikes again?
“A Clue to the Truth”
It had been a wonderful night. Exchanging stories with a man who knew as much about the paranormal as Carl Kolchak was quite refreshing. At first, Otto Brerhahrer’s recommendation to interview Dr. Robert M. Carter in the Hollywood Hills had sounded more like a nuisance than an assignment. The good doctor seemed like a pompous, awful human being. What homeowner wouldn’t even offer his guests a glass of water? Fortunately, the conversation made up for the lack of hospitality.
The next day, Kolchak was as giddy as a schoolgirl. At last, someone he could have a civilized conversation with about ghosts and goblins! How often did that happen without someone questioning his sanity? Otto agreed that another visit was in order. The head of Los Angeles Paranormal wanted them both to return to the man who had so thoroughly charmed the usually skeptical reporter. Perhaps a proper supper party would make the conversation even better. Assuming their host remembered to feed them.
An hour later, Carl and Otto stood where the Carter mansion should have been. Kolchak’s eyes grew to the size of saucers. Where was the goddamned house?!
Otto was certain this would become the biggest story of the unemployed reporter’s career. For once, Carl had little reason to argue. But how does a mansion disappear between visits? And just who—or what—had entertained Kolchak the night before?
Review
A reader unfamiliar with the original Kolchak television series might not think quite as highly of these three ghost stories. Me? I had a wonderful time. Moonstone’s Kolchak Tales: Ghost Stories gives this longtime fan another chance to follow Carl into the sort of trouble most reporters would gladly leave alone.
Dave Ulanski, Tom DeFalco, and C.J. Henderson deliver a fun one-shot that scratches my Night Stalker itch. There’s something comforting about watching Kolchak chase the supernatural while his career circles the drain. The poor man needs a steady paycheck. Naturally, he gets ghosts instead.
Multiple artists handle the three stories, so don’t expect a consistent visual style throughout. However, those changes never pulled me out of the book. The covers across Moonstone’s Kolchak comics, on the other hand, can be hit or miss. Some catch my eye more than others.
Still, the stories inside are what keep me coming back. Call it a little favoritism toward an old television favorite, but I thoroughly enjoyed this collection. Five out of five stars.
