New This Week 10/31/12

-Theories & Thought Bubbles-

Trippin’ on a Hole in a Paper Soul

Dark Horse comics has released another character from its vaults this month. Ghost has returned from her slumber in obscurity and is back with a mission. Who is she? Where did she come from? How did two low-rate schmucks in LA get her here? The questions abound in Ghost #1, but one thing is sure, it’ll be an exciting ride.

Kelly Sue Deconnick is responsible for the revive of this character, and she grasps the idea of a lost character firmly. She uses the character’s inner monologue to draw the reader into the character’s mind, and through this two things are made clear. Ghost has no idea where she is from, and she is incredibly frustrated about not knowing. Deconnick also brings a very evil antagonist into the story, and without spoiling too much, it’s a devil of a puzzle. Lastly there is the peanut gallery of characters that surround Ghost and her, as yet unknown, enemy. The two lackeys that follow her around are both pathetic and at times endearing, one of which is hung up on his ex – who in turn has a significant connection to the Mayor of LA. The antagonist also has a small crew of his/her own and they are, at the very least, entertaining. This story is driven by the intense characters and each member of the cast plays his or her role to perfection.

The art in this story is nothing less than superb. Phil Noto does a phenomenal job with his pencils, adding a level of realism to the story. When things are calm and characters are just talking, the expressions on their faces are varied and easily match up with the plot. However, once the supernatural begins to occur, the art takes on a new form. Ghost glows when she is in costume, literally outshining everyone around her. She is out for vengeance but her glowing white form suggests an aspect of purity that shouldn’t go along with such violent causes. There is also something to be said about color choices in other areas of the story. Depending on mood, color plays a major role in the story telling. When something dark or particularly depraved is going down, the panel borders and interior become over-saturated with reds and blacks, to signify the inherently bad nature of the scene. Ghost is an intrinsically personable story, and the art only helps the reader get deeper into the story.

Ghost is an example of Dark Horse taking a page from the recent success experienced by Valiant and its revival of Harbinger, Archer and Armstrong, and X-O Manowar. And while this story is rather good, it is important that Dark Horse not become locked in this sort of revival state. This first series of Ghost will be 4 issues after that, the company will most likely determine if it should bring back Ghost as a monthly title. This story is full of themes a little too mature for younger readers, therefore no one under 15 should be exposed to this story, but as always that decision is left to you, dear reader.

-Josh Nelson

Evil Twin and Syndicate Boss

j_nelson@fantasiumcomics.com

P.S. Join us next week for a review of Steamcon IV

-Upcoming Events-

October 31st – Halloween!
We’re going to be having a shindig this Halloween which falls on a Wednesday this year! Yay! We will have our friend, Jaimie of Espionage Cosmetics, back to teach everyone how to do their own zombie make-up! We will also have games, goodies, and FREE Halloween comics! ps. If you want to give out some comics at your home this year for Halloween, let me know! I’ll give you a bundle with our store stamp to hand out.

-Events This Week-

Tuesday – 230pm – 6pm – Pathfinder
Wednesday – 4pm – Halloween Celebration!
Thursday – 530pm – 8pm – Magic the Gathering – Casual
Friday – 530pm – 9pm – Friday Night Magic – Booster Draft – $15
Saturday – 330pm-7pm – Open Board Game Play
Saturday – 4pm – 7pm – Draw Club
Sunday – Noon – 3pm – Heroclix
Sunday 330pm – 7pm – Open Board Game Play
Sunday – 4pm – 7pm – Kaijudo League