Spectators
Brian K. Vaughan, writer; Niko Henrichon, artist
Exploding Giraffe, 2024

Vaughan and Henrichon were creative partners on the acclaimed 2006 Vertigo graphic novel Pride of Baghdad. They serialized Spectators on their Substack, Exploding Giraffe, from 2022 to 2024. Each Substack article included a new installation of the story and gave fascinating insights into the creation of the graphic novel and other projects by both creators. Paying subscribers could download the digital edition for free (it was also offered for a fee on the Substack page until the end of 2024), but Image Comics will publish a hardcover collection.

The story opens in the present. Val is waiting for her date in a NYC movie theater, but he stands her up. Suddenly, we are in the middle of a serial killing: Val and everyone else in the theater are murdered by a psychopath wearing Mickey Mouse ears and going for a record kill total. After being shot to death, Val ascends skyward and meets a naked woman who basically informs her that she’s a ghost. The ghosts are watchers, meaning that they cannot interact with anyone in the living world.

And what do they watch? Mainly living people having sex, which is what earns the story its proud Not Safe For Work (NSFW) designation. When Val meets Sam (an actual cowboy, complete with hat and six-gun) she gains a partner in her travels. They go searching for the perfect ménage à trois, which Sam has not seen, despite his longevity. They finally find one, at what might be the end of the human race. The trio have a great time, followed by Val and Sam finally getting together.  The conclusion is enigmatic, but somehow satisfying. Henrichon turns in an epic art performance. There are a large number of massive crowd scenes, full of care and detail. And of course he gets a rare chance to draw fully nude humans, engaged in all manner of sexual acts.