Publisher: IDW Publishing

Reviewed by: Jonny Botsch

Who likes the Ghostbusters? There are a lot of us out there and, man, we've been starved! Two great movies, one childhood memory of an animated series enjoyed, and then the void of decades where Egon, Ray, Winston and Peter were missing from our lives. Promises of a third movie circulated and continue to be whispered online but even if they ever come into being, it won't be our Ghostbusters. No, it will likely be some bastardized Hollywood usage of the franchise name to cash in during an exhausted decade for films where remakes and reboots, prequels and sequels are all that drive producers to make films and viewers to watch them. Well, if you're not overly excited by the idea of watching a passing of the torch movie where in fat, old Ghostbusters far from their prime will give way for Michael Cera or Jonah Hill to don proton packs, try IDW's newest series. Finally, there's a writer who understands the rhythm and voices of our beloved characters! You can imagine the dialogue coming out of the actor's mouths so much so, that one wonders whether Erik Burnham had Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis on speed dial. Artist Dan Schoening, who I might add is a local Canadian artist residing on Vancouver Island, has found a beautiful style for rendering our heroes, somewhere between caricature and homage to the animated series. All your favorite side characters are reintroduced, from Janine Melnitz to Slimer and the pesky Walter Peck. Much of the series is fresh and fun with an unexpected cameo thrown in that would make any Blues Brothers fan smile, but as a reviewer I'd be remiss not to say that I felt it lost some steam by the end of the book. Here's the good news: it's not truly the end! Upon further examination of the book itself one can find the very distinct marking along its spine that indicates it to be only volume one! These pitch perfect adaptations don't come along very often, so all fans be informed - this is a book not to be missed. End of line.