The Strange Tales of Oscar Zahn

Gr 9 Up–Oscar Zahn, paranormal investigator, exists as a partial skull floating over a set of clothes. He’s called in to use his spectrometer and other specialized tools to find and clear up supernatural disturbances. Oscar sometimes helps souls move on, or at other times, gets rid of dangerous ones, and often finds himself battling his own inner demon. The eight chapters comprising this book detail two of his adventures. In one, Oscar is called to France during the first world war. Supernatural elements are blended into an actual campaign, where Oscar has to deal with restless spirits from a blood-soaked battlefield. The other mission takes place in an alternate undersea world and has more of a sci-fi/fantasy angle as Oscar relies on both his talents and those of some otherworldly friends. They have debts to pay as they heal the rifts between the realms of the living and the dead. The art style is reminiscent of Georges Remi’s “Adventures of Tintin” series. The somber, muted palette matches the moody, mysterious tone of the narrative. The plots unwind slowly, exploring questions of memory and what that means to both the living and those inhabiting the spirit world. The pace makes the story more meditative than frightening. All of the human characters are white.