There is definitely something strange in the neighborhood. I don’t really consider this issue to be a continuation of last month. In fact, I know that it isn’t. Basically what we have here is a collection of stories based on the creepiest days of the year, that goes by the name “Happy Horror Days”. I honestly feel like this could be a good jumping on point if you wanted to get into this arc. As far as I can tell, there really isn’t a set path leading to any kind of collected finish. I hope that that changes, though. I’d like to see an ending to this arc that sort of ties in with everything that has happened so far and everything that will happen in the coming months. I have an idea of what next month’s creepy tale will be about, but I won’t spoil anything. If you have any knowledge of classical fiction at all, I’m sure that you’ll figure it out.
Erik Burnham and Dan Schoening bring another creepy tale our way, and this time they’ve used the history of Dia De Los Muertos as the vehicle. Apparently, during the first two days in November the spirits of the dead are guided back to their families and friends during the festivities that occur during the celebration. Most of the spirits are happy to come and see the affection that their families still have for them, but some spirits do not want to return at all. And they like to show it; sometimes in very public and violent ways. This is where our ghost-busting buddies come in. This month consists of some very pissed off ghouls that need to be put away.
I’m not going to say that the dialogue was all that gripping this month, but I will say that the scenarios were definitely fun to read and even more fun to look at. Erik Burnham and Dan Schoening team up yet again to tell a pretty cool story. I will let you know that there is a talking doll in this issue, though, I’m not a big fan of those. So kudos for kinda creeping me out this month. Luckily for me, I was reading this issue with the lights on. But that’s just me; I don’t know what you other Ghostbusters readers are creeped out by.
Overall, I liked this issue, but there wasn’t really anything in it that stood out and made me thankful that I didn’t miss it. It had its creepy parts, it had good artwork, and the script was pretty good, but because of the structure that they’re using for this arc, I think that it might be more enjoyable in a trade. So I’m not going to urge you all to run out right now and pick this up. Bottom line, if you like Ghostbusters, you’ll like it, but if this were a group review, I’d say “borrow”.
Score: 3/5
Writer: Erik Burnham Artist: Dan Schoening Publisher: IDW Publishing Price: $3.99 Release Date: 11/27/13