The Science of Ghosts

Transgender parapsychologist Joy Ravenna makes a career of gathering evidence from ghosts, but her research grant is in jeopardy. Pursuing a hot case, she stakes her future on solving what shapes up as a murder mystery with a ghost as the perp. Her obsession pulls in her new girlfriend Cat, mutual friend Amanda, Joy’s resentful ex-wife Rani—who left when Joy transitioned to being a woman—and Rani’s police department colleagues. A daughter in a gun-empire family has been shot ritualistically after cozying up with Amanda, and Amanda is arrested for the killing. Joy, however, concludes that the murderer is a sentient specter, likely guilty of other killings in the family. Can she stay alive, solve the crime, keep her sweetheart’s love, and retain her academic credentials? Sturges (Dune: The Official Movie Graphic Novel) builds her compelling plot skillfully, with plenty of eyeball traction through Garing’s (Bram Stoker’s Dracula Starring Bela Lugosi) bold, retro-noir, black-and-white art. A subtle countertheme reveals a persona from Joy’s pre-transition past.