AfterShock Announce New Sci-Fi Psychic-Horror Series ‘Phantom Of The Scan’ For Spring

AfterShock Comics announce a new comic book series from Cullen Bunn, Mark Torres and Dave Sharpe called Phantom of the Scan #1, due out this Spring.

“Twenty years ago, a comet fell to earth. Since that night, Matthew has been haunted – haunted by a spirit that gives him incredible psychic abilities. But these abilities come with a price…and payment is due. 

Every time Matthew uses his gifts, he draws closer to death, and other psychics – all of whom gained their powers on the night the comet fell – are dying in the most horrible of ways. To save himself, Matthew gathers a group of psychics to solve the mystery of their powers before it’s too late.”

As well as a preview, co-creator and writer Cullen Bunn extend on the synopsis for the first issue:

“Phantom of the Scan is a sci-fi horror tale. Twenty years ago, a comet fell to earth. After that night, numerous people developed psychic powers. Telepathy. Telekinesis. Precognition. Astral Projection. And more. For some, these powers were a blessing. For others, a terrible burden. Now, these psychics are dying in the most awful of ways. A group of six psychics come together to stop the force that is killing them. They will discover a terrible secret that binds them together.–a connection to the mysterious Trellux Institute. Their powers might be the key to salvation, but every time they use one of their abilities, they draw that much closer to a gruesome death.”

As to the inspirations that fuel this new book? Bunn explains:

“The Shining. Firestarter. The Dead Zone. To say that the work of Stephen King was an influence on me as a writer, but on this story in particular would be an understatement. Not to mention, my father was a professional hypnotist and he had a deep fascination with the powers of the mind that he imparted to me. But… let’s be honest… at the age of 11 or 12 I somehow saw Cronenberg’s masterpiece SCANNERS. I’m not sure how I managed to see it. But that head-exploding story of psychic powers stuck with me ever since. So–yes–it’s a big influence. I have been inspired by the potentially deadly nature of mental powers… deadly to the people that possess them… as a horror theme for some time.

Another big inspiration for this series was my collaboration with artist Mark Torres. A couple of years back, we did a book called COLD SPOTS that we’re very proud of. That book features deadly psychic powers of a sort, too. But the moodiness and ambience of Mark’s art helped shape PHANTOM ON THE SCAN into the dark sci-fi horror story that it is! I crafted the series in a way that I thought would really give Mark lots of room to scare the Hell out of us!”

So, why should you think about pricking up this new series? Bunn gives us three reasons to do just that:

“This is a new horror story from Mark Torres and myself, and Mark is going all out to bring creepiness to the page… and beyond the page. He’s even composing soundtracks for the comic, as he did with Cold Spots! We’re going to be showing off a brand new world of psychic powers. A new world to explore. It’s dark and twisted. You don’t want to miss it.  And the ending of this tale is one of the most haunting and horrific things I’ve written. I think you’ll dig it.”

Look out for Phantom of the Scan #1, debuting Wednesday 4th April from AfterShock Comics.

Now, as you’ve been so patient, we’ll leave you with this first look: