Third Shift Society

Moriarty collects her Eisner-nominated supernatural-mystery webtoon into an irreverent if often derivative print debut. Out strolling and texting one day, unemployed 20-something Ellie McGuinness stumbles on a demon battle (“That guy’s about to get turbo murdered!”) and rescues Ichabod—a “paranormal detective” with a jack-o’-lantern for a head. With her mundane existence forever altered by the discovery that she has latent magical abilities (blue flames shoot from her hand when she steps between Ichabod and a wolflike monster with a skull head), Ellie agrees to train her powers as Ichabod’s assistant and accompanies him on spooky gig work—a little bit Ghostbusters, a little bit Sherlock. She’s thrust into an underworld populated by flirtatious demons, vengeful spirits, “mystery voids,” cursed library books, and a host of other quirky softcore-horror delights. Moriarty’s color cues, angular trick shots, and other cinematic framing enhance the caper’s more dynamic sequences. Peppered with jokes and sardonic literary references (there’s a humanoid beetle named Greg Samson, and Alice­­­­­—of Wonderland—shows up in a void-dimension), the script tends to rush characterizations and leans heavily on convenient contrivances. Still, it’s an easily digestible and affectionately mixed blend of genre tropes. (Mar.)