Ghosted #3
Writer: Joshua Williamson
Artist: Goran Sudzuka
Colorist: Miroslav Mrva
Letterer: Rus Wooton
Review by Patrick Brennan
Things are starting to get real spooky for Ghosted’s team of con artists and paranormal investigators. The last two issues of the series have built up the tension beautifully, allowing us to drink in the setting and to become invested in the cast of characters before the blood inevitably begins to fly. It’s a strategy that isn’t used as often as it should be among things in the horror genre today, with many opting to jump into the scares and gore right off the bat, so it’s nice to see patience and maturity like this.
This issue begins with the team stealing an ancient artifact from the collection of Markus Schrecken, the man who hired them to steal a ghost from Trask mansion. They need the piece (a ceremonial mask formerly owned by a crazed voodoo priest) so that Edzia Rusnak, the clairvoyant in the group, can use its psychic energy to make contact with the spirits in the notorious haunted house. And once she does, things certainly start to get messy.
Goran Sudzuka’s art keeps shining in this series, maintaining that classic pulp-horror-noir feel that has made Ghosted so unique and eye-catching. It’s delightful to see what ghoulish tricks he has up his sleeve now that the horror aspects are coming more into play. There are some truly eerie images in this issue that will make fright fans anxious to see what he has in store for us in the installments to come.
Ghosted creator Joshua Williamson continues to show off his ability to seamlessly switch between genres and conventions, which definitely adds to the tension in this series as things begin to go bump in the night. Sometimes writing a book in this way runs the risk of the series losing its voice and feeling fractured, but in Ghosted’s case we find a universe where all of its thematic threads blend together to form a world that doesn’t feel forced at all. The comedic moments makes you laugh, the crime-thriller parts get your backside creeping to the edge of its seat and, in the case of this issue, the scares make you want to turn on all the lights in your house. It’s wonderful stuff.
Verdict:
Buy it – If you haven’t jumped on this series, you need to get cracking. Joshua Williamson and company are killing it with Ghosted, giving us a series that keeps you guessing with every page.
