The Strange Tales of Oscar Zahn

This whimsical collection of webtoons by Vuong (the Lego Ninjago series) features Oscar, a walking, talking skeleton in a bowler hat who can appear human, and is also regularly possessed by a mysterious ghost octopus called “the ectopus.” Oscar uses his unique abilities to help troubled souls pass on to the afterlife, including the denizens of a haunted house, soldiers locked in an eternal stalemate at the Battle of the Somme, and a sea captain wracked with guilt over failing to save a sinking ship. Oscar’s otherworldly nature is balanced out by his elderly friend Agnes, who serves as his tether to the world of the living. Though Oscar characterizes each of his adventures as, “Not my tale, but a tale for me to tell,” the last offering in this first volume of an ongoing series goes deeper into his personal history, hinting at his involvement with a sharp-tongued scientist named Nora Grey in the early 1900s. Vuong’s dynamic art recalls Tintin and other rambunctious yet earnest European adventure comics, and the spirited art helps carry the script when the pacing begins to drag in the latter half. Admirers of Space Boy will fall for this paranormal romp. (Sept.)