Writers and Creators: Derek Johnson and Addam Martin
Artist: Federica Nannicelli
Octane, June 2026
The Caretaker #1 has been created by Derek Johnson and Addam Martin, with Mr Johnson writing and Federica Nanni handling art. It is an interesting mashup of supernatural horror, noir crime, and dystopian sci-fi. It spins a horrible mystery across a futuristic backdrop.
The story starts on a grim, all-too-recognizable note. A prostitute named Tia gets into a stranger’s car and turns up dead the next day. But, in a macabre twist, her heart has been removed in what looks like a ritual killing.
The police immediately turn to her pimp. The detectives don’t actually think he did it, but they clearly enjoy leaning on a guy who abuses his workers. Beyond the obvious logic that killing your own staff is bad business, the cops have a deductive reason to rule him out.Tia’s death matches the exact pattern of a slippery serial killer known as the Heart Taker.
Here is the promotional copy:
Detective Joe Mercer is hunting the Heart-Taker Killer, a murderer who removes the hearts of his victims and leaves the city paralyzed with fear. He turns to Ian Morgan, the brilliant programmer who created HIVE—the world’s most advanced policing AI.
But as bodies rise and symbols repeat, the two men discover the killings aren’t random, and they aren’t human. The ritual has a deeper meaning… one that leads straight into the realm of demons and the supernatural.
This is THE CARETAKER #1:
a noir supernatural horror comic for mature readers.
THE CARETAKER is Se7en meets Constantine— a noir story about detective and a computer genius hunting a ritualistic killer who serves a demon, set in a Blade Runner-style surveillance city.
What keeps The Caretaker from being just another standard detective story is the setting. Even though the art leans into the monochromatic look of classic noir, this world is a high-tech surveillance society. Smart AIs sift through evidence. Massive digital interfaces dominate the settings. But even these systems can’t catch the killer.
Desperate for a lead, the cops turn to the guy who built the world’s most advanced AI, hoping his brain can outrun his own creation. His breakdown of the case uncovers a pretty chilling reality: the Heart Taker is just getting started. It all builds to a solid cliffhanger as the investigators scramble to stop the next murder.
The blend of noir and sci-fi is the book’s big selling point. As you read on, however, the futuristic tech feels more like mood lighting than a clever splicing of two genres. Strip away the sleek gadgets and you are looking at a fairly traditional detective procedural. Mr Johnson plainly knows how to manage pacing and suspense. The mystery hooks you, and the script is surprisingly restrained. Instead of dumping a wall of text to explain the world, the book trusts the reader to pick up on details naturally. Given how dense the setting is, this is no easy feat.
The character work is probably the weakest link right now. Most of the cast fits neatly into the usual crime fiction archetypes. If you read a lot of noir, you will immediately recognise the familiar detective and suspect tropes. That said, this leaning into stereotypes doesn’t significantly interfere with the experience: the mystery is the main draw. As a debut issue, the comic is focused on setting up the plot than deep character studies, leaving plenty of room for future issues to flesh everyone out.
Visually, the comic uses a grayscale look that pairs traditional character inks with digital backgrounds, and in many panels that feature computers – complex HUD overlays. This software-driven style fits the high-tech sci-fi setting, and it does a good job capturing a sterile, computer-heavy atmosphere. At the same time, the heavy reliance on digital rendering can feel jarring. If you prefer the organic feel of traditional comic art, the flawless digital gradients and pre-made backgrounds might look a bit sterile. There is a noticeable disconnection between the hand-drawn characters and the rigid perfection of the digital scenery, making it feel like the characters are just sitting on top of the background rather than living in it.
Still, The Caretaker #1 works as an engaging opening chapter. The sci-fi elements are an appealing window dressing, but Johnson’s tight writing and a compelling serial killer hook keep things moving. If the next few issues can give the characters a bit more depth while keeping up this momentum, The Caretaker could turn into a really solid mix of crime procedural and occult horror.
This title is currently the subject of a Kickstarter campaign: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/caretaker1/the-caretaker-issue-1-of-6-noir-supernatural-horror