Spotlight#94: Third Shift Society

Have you ever wanted to cash in on a holiday shamelessly? If so, you should probably give me a high five as we add some creepy crawlies to the spotlight as we cover Third Shift Society by Meredith Moriarity! So let's keep the march to 100 going strong and the Halloween spirit undead!

Summary

Elle is a young woman who can't take a break, she can't seem to hold down a job, and she's on the verge of eviction. However, at this point, working for an attractive pumpkin man and discovering you have psychic powers under the moniker of a paranormal detective is a marked improvement. Let's hope that Ellie lives long enough to survive to get that sweet paycheck, though.

Characters

Ellie: Our supernatural mc, Ellie, is almost always a kind, emphatic and excitable person willing to do what is right. And while she often makes magical mistakes, she is almost always someone to bounce back from them. So making her introduction into all that is weird, a normal, a rather smooth transition, to say the least.

Ichabod: Our seasoned supernatural veteran, Ichabod, is a highly dedicated, resourceful, and professional partner/mentor for Ellie. While it's often hard to know what goes on in his pumpkin head, it is very much clear that Ichabod is a kind but steadfast ally that can certainly hold his own.

Overview

Unfournatetly even without spoilers, Third Shift Society is one story I don't have much to say about due to it being barely 30 chapters long and a rather bland story overall. Despite that, though, I can't say it doesn't intrigue me at least a little but. If you're a fan of urban fantasies/detective stories like Supernatural, Shadowhunters, and Legacies, you probably have already seen many concepts here.

While the art for the series is perfect, I think the presentation absolutely soars when it comes to the various monster designs we see sprinkled throughout the series. From benign vampires, devilish imps to even eldritch creatures, Third Shift Society really shines in the visual creativity of each monster in the series.

The rather fast and loose magic system also gives the series a wide variety of mystery, intrigue, and unpredictability as you never really know what you will get next in the show. However, our main characters are also far from helpless as our dynamic duo actually gets into some decent choreographer scraps filled with property damage galore.

Tone-wise, the series is also relatively pretty tame. While we do often get some pretty intense visuals, it is usually able to keep still the sheer wonder this paranormal world brings. Ichabod and Ellie have a simple bond that works.

Combining that with the rather fast pacing with segmented arcs and Third Shift should be a breeze of a series to binge. And with the series finally coming back after its break, with new threats on the rise and mysteries still up in the air, I'm sure that this series will give us plenty of interesting surprises.

Epilogue

Overall, Third Shift Society is definitely one to read if you want a rush of the Halloween season on Webtoon. However, if you're looking for something that will fundamentally change the urban fantasy, then you come to the wrong place, considering it is pretty stock and a bit too fast-paced at points. However, I also think that with a series this short in length and chapters, it's hard to make any real judgments until the story really starts going.

Either way, with its fresh Eisner award nomination and season 2, the series does have an audience, and I don't want to take that away from them. Especially on a holiday that is at least a little bit focused on giving. I hope you enjoyed this Halloween double feature, and I hope you stay safe, I know horror is the name of the game this season, but I also think that this year is more than enough of that.

Next time we meet, I hope I can shine my spotlight on something a little more interesting. Till then take care.