Ghostbusters #1
IDW
Erik Burnham, Dan Schoening
Growing up in the late 80’s/early 90’s one of my most vivid memories is being introduced to the world of “The Ghostbusters.” I remember seeing the second movie in theatres and being entranced by the wit of the gang and their fight to save the world. And I absolutely loved watching the cartoon version on Saturday mornings, because they continuing writing the characters like they were in the movies. All that being said Ghostbusters is still one of my favorite movies of all time so I approached this comic with a bit of trepidation…would they be able to capture the original feel of the movie? And…I was left a bit disappointed.
Ray is dreaming. And it isn’t a good one. He flashes back to a few a years ago when Gozer appeared and attempted to destroy New York City and the World. And then John Belushi, in Blues Brothers garb, appears and gives Ray a cryptic warning. Something worse is coming. That day a young boy, the nephew of Janoz, comes in and informs Winston that his apartment building appears to be haunted. Winston assures the young boy that the gang will investigate and take care of it, so he and Peter head out. Only to find the building bleeding slime from everywhere. What type of ghost caused this to happen?
When I first read the comic I wasn’t a big of the art style. It just seemed like they had juxtaposed two different style together together where the characters are drawn in a very cartoony style, but the backgrounds are more realistic. But…it started to grow on me the second or third time that I read the comic. It works fairly well and reminds me a bit of the Saturday morning cartoon. But the one thing that still doesn’t work for me is the character design of the Ghostbusters. Outside of Winston, the other three have the same coloring, same hair style, same general features, and even similar movements. I have to look closely to to figure out who is who. It just seems like the character depictions don’t reflect their personality, which is something cartoon did well, and I just find that disappointing. I just wish they had done a bit more to make them seem different.
The writing in the comic confuses me a bit. In parts it’s a well written story and I feel like we’ve picked up from the movie and I can even hear the characters speaking in my head. They talk and act just like they did in the movies and they capture that essence of the characters well. And then…in other places it seems like they’re trying to distance themselves from the movie and the characters are someone completely different. It sounds like outside forces have taken control and made them be someone that they aren’t. I also don’t really like the setup for the case, where Uncle Janozs’s sister and nephew are bringing the Ghostbusters food. I know that sounds weird given that I say that they’ve connected to the movie in some places, but this just feels convoluted and weird. I’m mean I can’t figure out why 1) why make this connection and 2) why this family? I mean why would they be bringing the Ghostbusters food? Is there something that happens in a later issue that explains it? At the moment it just seems awkward and out of place and does nothing for the plot in this issue, because it could have worked just as well with any kid.
Perhaps I’m just judging this a bit to harshly, because I am viewing it through the goggles of my childhood, but…the comic just doesn’t do much for me. I find myself walking away not really wanting to know what happens next. Perhaps other fans of the movie will view it differently, but I just can’t recommend it. I’d give this comic 3 out of 5 stars.
