Ghostbusters: Year One #1: The Dead Rising From The Grave

Oh man, it’s so nice to have Ghostbusters comics back! And can we give it up for one of comics longest working creative teams going today? These two guys have been on a Ghostbusters title since day one, let’s just hope that doesn’t change anytime soon.

Ghostbusters: Year One is really a sequel/prequel in a lot of ways. You might want to think of as Ghostbusters 1.5. It takes place right after the first movie but also flashes back to what the characters were doing before the first movie. As usual, author Erik Burnham has taken a couple of throw away lines from the movies, fleshed them out, and turned them into honest to God stories that are equally funny and exciting, just like the movies. This issue focuses on Winston, the only member of the Ghostbusters that’s actually not a company founder. Winston really represents the everyman in this story, he’s the regular guy that’s thrown into this crazy world of ghosts that run around New York City haunting people, that are tangible enough to be trapped, and sometimes smart enough to avoid capture. The book gives us some great between-the-scenes looks into the first film and some great bits of story that happens after the movie. There’s a lot of things that get answered that you didn’t even know you wanted to be answered, that’s how intricate the story is. But, you’re not going to have watched the movie immediately before reading this comic. Burnham leaves the story loose enough so that if it’s been a few years since you’ve watched it, you won’t be lost or confused.

Artist Dan Schoening pulls his pencils out and lays down some of the coolest pages you’ll ever see. I love his depiction of the characters. Everyone is totally recognizable, but his style is more representative than realistic. But he seriously gets everything right in the world of the Ghostbusters. His style is very unique and is miles away from any other style that you’re going to find on the stands today. Most of all, it fits the world of the Ghostbusters 100%. Simply put, this book is a treat for your eyes.