The events surrounding the Ghostbusters abduction have affected all those involved in different ways.  Ray explains everything in a lengthy exposition over coffee with Jenny Moran.  Winston rekindles with his fiancée while Peter and Kylie handle a ghostly train.  And the Ghost Smashers settle back into their normal jobs since they are no longer needed to battle the paranormal. Walter Peck cheats Hardemeyer over some licensing issues.

Finally, Janine undergoes a transformation related to events in a previous issue.

In the writing business, there’s a simple rule named “Show, don’t tell.”  That means you show your audience through storytelling instead of telling them through dialogue or narration.  So much of this issue violates that rule.  The two action beats happen so apart that the pacing to experience them drag.

When dealing with a comic book, a reader doesn’t necessarily want to be dragged down by excessive dialogue when action would expedite the pace and increase the fun.  Balance is the key.  So when there are two action pieces and four exposition episodes in an issue, the comic suffers from imbalance.

Because of the “Ghostsmashers” plot thread, too many characters take up too much space and leave little for action.  By reducing the characters the creative team would get to the core elements of the story and achieve a more balanced comic.

I know that Ghostbusters has a devoted following, and the book sales do very well.  Admittedly, I love the franchise.  That’s why I offer these critical readings to show how the book could improve.

Due to the flaws listed above, I would not endorse this comic for purchase since it falls short of expectation.

Score: 2/5

Writer: Erik Burnham

Artist:  Dan Schoening

Publisher: IDW Publishing

Price: $3.99

Release Date: 6/26/13