Since it’s obvious that this series stays true to the original personalities of the characters, I can skip writing that part, but I will say that IDW and the creative team of Erik Burnham and Dan Schoening really have delivered this month. And just in time for everyone’s Halloween candy hangover. I’ll admit that mine is currently killing me. I could probably be a spokesperson for most of the candy companies at this point. In this Halloween based arc called “Happy Horror Days” The Ghostbusters may actually have their work cut out for them. A wandering spirit has tried to enter both Heaven and Hell, but is turned away at each gate. Can you imagine the Devil turning anyone away? Just before walking away from the flames of Hell, the Devil offers a glimmer of hope to the spirit in the form of the Ghostbusters. So either wander the world alone for all eternity or track down the team that may be able to give him his only chance of crossing over. Unfortunately it’s the busiest time of the year for our ghost busting friends and they don’t know he’s coming. Plus, he’s not necessarily the most polite ghost around. And when the Ghostbusters respond to a more than odd situation at the request of the New York Fire Department, he’s got them right where he needs them.
The writing ability of Erik Burnham really shows in this issue as he makes it look easy to write for a large group of characters that are all talking at the same time. The dialogue really flows well and makes it easy to keep track everything that’s being said. Not to mention that I laughed out loud a couple of times while reading. This series never disappoints when it comes to getting laughs out of me. This specific issue tickled my funny bone just a little bit more for some reason. It must have something to do with the season and the sugar high.
Dan Schoening obviously shows his veteran status with the Ghostbusters titles by keeping his art consistent throughout. The mixture of the cartoon feel and specific facial features of the characters make it easy to instantly recognize each character on the page. Any seasoned comic book reader knows that that isn’t always the case. Also, the colors being used in this issue really pop, thanks to Luis Antonio Delgado. I love the colors being used in the series overall, but some of the stuff in this issue really stands out. I won’t spoil anything.
Overall, I really liked this issue. Everything seemed to come together really well. The only thing that I can think of at the moment that I don’t like is the $3.99 price tag. I don’t think that I’ll ever really get used to that. However, I’m really looking forward to seeing how everything plays out in the future months. I’m guessing that it’ll be a pretty exciting ride. I hope so.
Score 4/5
Writer: Erik Burnham Artist: Dan Schoening Publisher: IDW Publishing Price: $3.99 Release Date: 11/6/13