Writer: David M. Booher
Artist: Blue Delliquanti
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Genre: Supernatural, Drama
Release Date: April 24, 2024
Price: $3.99
Reviewer: Christopher Patterson
If you’re interested in this comic, series, related trades, or any of the others mentioned, then simply click on the title/link to snag a copy through Amazon as you read The Ghostbusters: Back in Town #2 Review.
THE DISPATCH
The story of Ghostbusters: Back in Town #2 is generally quite poor, with it focusing on a family of Ghostbusters with nothing to say. If I had to be specific, this issue never picks a lane for the story to go and instead turns it into a bloated mess.
If I had to describe the story here, it would be a below-average story with nothing of note. Ghosterbusters: Back in Town #2 focuses on its characters more than action, something I would usually praise if they were written well. Almost every character here feels like a horrible written version of their film counterpart. What’s worse is that the characters are simply horribly written. Phoebe, for instance, is the focus of the majority of the writing, and sadly, she is horribly written with the plot never focusing on one element of her life and always throwing her in completely different places instead of focusing on, for instance, her relationship outside of the Ghostbusters fully.
This leads me to the point here, where I could write a book on all its flaws. If I had to make it simple, this comic lets nothing rest and forces scene after scene to occur with no breathing room. What’s more, the story itself it rushes to is almost always the most generic of writing,
feeling as if there was no effort put into this side of the comic. Without a doubt, the worst part is how lackluster everything is here and the potential it has. This comic could’ve improved upon the film and added depth to the characters that needed it. Instead, it got worse.
ART
The art of Ghostbusters: Back in Town is mostly fine, with nothing of note. Most designs here are quite decent, though nothing stands out. That’s something I would call this comic. Nothing stands out. For all it tries to do, it ends up doing nothing at all. Or, at least, something interesting enough to write about, as most of this comic is truly forgettable if there was ever a definition.
If I had to pick one single exception to all of this, it would be the ghost designs, which pop with a level of detail that possibly nothing else in this comic compares to. The ghost designs could really have been their own comic with the detail of these designs. Sadly, this comic seems more focused on the characters, none of whom are even decently written, making this major positive sort of shallow.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Ghostbusters: Back in Town #2 is a below-average issue with generally decent art and a mostly horrible narrative. The art generally is above average, with nice ghost designs but nothing else, with it feeling more phoned in as each panel goes on. The story is below average and is usually horribly written, with most of the time the characters going down generic plots and the plot itself covering some of the most basic elements and tropes in comics, in turn, making it seem like no thought was put into the story. Overall, this comic and series are fine for what they are trying to accomplish, but it does nothing else. If you see it on a shelf, I recommend picking it up to see if it could pique your interest.