Schedule Monthly Publication date October 2007 – 2010 Letterer(s) Alex Grecian Genre Horror comics Publisher Image Comics | Format Ongoing series Main character(s) John Prufrock Writer Alex Grecian Artist Riley Rossmo Number of issues 28 | |
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Colorist(s) Tyler Jenkins (#1-5)
Fiona Staples (#6-8)
Adam Guzowski (#9-16)
Dave Casey (#18-28) Similar Green Wake, Screamland, Cowboy Ninja Viking, The Mice Templar, The Astounding Wolf‑Man | ||
Proof is an American comic book series, published by Image Comics and created by writer Alex Grecian and artist Riley Rossmo. The story concerns John "Proof" Prufrock, a sasquatch, who works for a secret government organization. He hunts cryptids with his partner, Ginger Brown, and seeks clues to his past. The book was influenced by The X-Files and Tarzan.
Contents
The first issue was released on October 24, 2007. Besides individual issues and trade paperbacks, Proof is also available on the iPhone and iPod Touch.
Publication history
The character of Proof first appeared in "Berserker", a short story published in Negative Burn #7 (December 2006). The black-and-white story, also created by Alex Grecian and Riley Rossmo, shows Proof's battle with a skinwalker.
Besides his own title, Proof appeared in 2008's Image Monster Pile-Up, a one-shot anthology comic that also featured The Astounding Wolf-Man, The Perhapanauts, and Firebreather.
Plot
The first arc, "Goatsucker", concerns a cryptid attack in Minnesota that appears to be the work of a Bigfoot-like creature. The plot also details the transfer of Ginger Brown, a young female agent, from the F.B.I to a secret organization called The Lodge. Once employed, Brown discovers that her partner is John "Proof" Prufrock, a Bigfoot who works in secret for the U.S. government. Brown's first case with The Lodge concerns El Chupacabra, a monster who masquerades as human by wearing the skin of its victims. Ginger and Proof also encounter a number of cryptozoological fauna, including jackalopes, a golem, and the Cottingley Fairies.
The second arc, "The Company of Men", follows Proof as he attempts to save a juvenile dinosaur from poachers in the Congo. The third arc is called "Thunderbirds Are Go!" and features dual main plots: Ginger and Elvis journey to New York City to find Joe the golem, while Proof investigates sightings of condor-like thunderbirds in rural Illinois. "Thunderbirds Are Go!" guest-stars The Savage Dragon, another Image Comics character. The fourth arc, "Julia," is set in the mid-19th century. The story delves into Proof's past with his so-called "brother" Mi-Chen Po, and the plot is loosely based on the history of Julia Pastrana. The fifth and final collection of the series entitled "Blue Fairies" gives readers a look at the maturation of male fairies, provides a brief look at the future of The Lodge, and concludes with the story "Who Killed the Dover Demon?" The final arc of the series sets the stage for the return of the character in a series of mini-series, the first of which is called Proof: Endangered.
Characters
Cryptids
Many fanciful creatures inhabit the world of Proof. While most harmlessly occupy the free-range habitat of The Lodge, several hostile cryptids run free in the wild and must be captured. These captures drive Proof's main plot.
Collected editions
The series has been collected into trade paperback: