Vertigo's "Ghosts" Spotlights Varied Talent! A Comic Review

Writers: Geoff Johns, Joe Kubert, Gilbert Hernandez, Paul Pope, Cecil Castellucci, Mary H.K. Choi, Al Ewing, Neil Kleid.

Artists: Rufus Dayglo, Gilbert Hernandez, Phil Jimenez, Joe Kubert, Jeff Lemire, John McCrea, Amy Reeder Hadley.

Cover by: Dave Johnson

Variant Cover by: Brendan McCarthy

In the nearly two decades since this department's inception, DC's Vertigo line of comics very rarely does no wrong. With titles like "Swamp Thing" and "Hellblazer," the level of master storytelling is strong. Enter a one shot title, "Ghosts," and some easily startled readers may well want to keep the lights on, bed covers pulled in tight and a baseball bat in hand. Not like any of those well help, but to find a ghost story done right is what makes this single comic book worth seeking out. This collection offers nine phantastic stories.

And fans of Neil Gaiman's "Dead Boy Detectives" will get to see their favourite youthful sleuths tackle a ghost head-on. This spirit looks like it is from Pink Floyd's The Wall. 'The Teacher' shows that education is required and school is in forever. The blame is all on Twinkle, a cat who was last seen on the Isle of Dogs. For Edwin and Charles looking for this feline, this chaptered tale will take a year or two to be finished—if that is the plan. Readers may have to wait a collected works of in order to enjoy this tale.

Other tales include a novel take on the Christmas Carol concept. "The Night After I took the Data Entry Job and I was Visited by My Own Ghost" is a wonderfully conceived product by writer/artist team of Al Ewing (2000 AD) and Rufus Dayglo (Tank Girl). But their talent is not what sells the product. The work by colourist Chris Chuckry to define an unearthly green makes for a great splash page. Sadly, for the rest of the tale, the ghost is more solid than transparent. The effect cements which reality is more important and in hinting at the direction of where this unique tale is headed.

The writers in this anthology know how to take the ghost story to the next level. Unlike recent movies which goes for the cheap shocks and scares, this comic book shows that not all tales need to be about trying to scare the living to death.

In fact, with Cecil Castellucci and Amy Reeder's "Wallflower," these spirits are human and are looking to break out of their mortal shell. This story shows a happy couple who married in 1951. And while their love was strong once, their romance simply faded. Domestic life has taken on a different meaning for the wife. She wants a better life for herself. Sadly, the husband failed to notice. He's set on a routine that never changed. As another decade passed, his ability to sense the world around him faded like his spirit, and even then he does not realize he died. The beauty in this tale is that it is so sublime in delivering an ending that elicits an emotional response. The hints this story gives to the readers delivers a beautiful irony to cement this story as a contender for the Bram Stoker Award.

And for long time comic book readers who know Joe Kubert's work, "The Boy and the Old Man" may well be one of his last products before his passing not too long ago. This virtuoso of the "Sgt. Rock" series has crafted a story that is both mythic and grande. To see his raw graphite sketches is a treat. His story about a young Mayan warrior and his grandfather encountering the supernatural is perhaps the most mysterious out of all the stories featured.

But not all the tales will hit home. The sci-fi tale, "Treasure Lost" has some richly detailed character designs by David Lapham (Stray Bullets). But the story does not come out as fulfilling in the eight pages it is in. This story really needed its own one-shot delivery in order to be fully understood.

Readers may find familiarity with "Ghost-for-Hire." Geoff Johns ("Green Lantern") and Jeff Lemire's (The Nobody) own take on Peter Jackson's The Frightener's has its own unique charm. And for a different look at what goes on at a graveyard, some readers may have to wonder if "The Dark Lady" is loosely inspired by The Outsiders. The tales and art design of this comic are nicely varied, and they look at ghosts in a true literary sense. The spirits are often treated as more human than a scary ghoul. For a good EC style of shock, "A Bowl of Red" by Michael Klied and John McCrea ("Herogasm") is worth reading.

Although October has come and gone, hopefully DC Comic's next Vertigo anthology will not take too long to arrive. After all, with Christmas around the corner, the next season is ripe with eliciting a deeper chill.

Overall: 8.5 out of 10.

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Posted in: 2012,comic,comic book,comic book release preview,comics,ghost,ghosts,graphic,graphic novels,release,release date