With each new arc of “Ghosted” Joshua Williamson aims to undo everything you know about a particular brand of horror. This month is no different as we see contract hauntings become a terrible reality, and the mystery surrounding Jackson’s past is further deepened in an incredible chapter that may be the series most exciting yet.
WRITTEN BY: Joshua Williamson
ART BY: Davide Gianfelice
PUBLISHER: Image Comics
PRICE: $2.99
RELEASE: August 13, 2014
It feels like far too long since we last had a proper issue of “Ghosted” on the stands. So Williamson makes it count by packing issue twelve to the brim with tons of story content. Characters return, new characters enter the limelight, and Jackson’s character is deepened in ways I truly didn’t see coming. Whatever the direction, “Ghosted” remains irresistibly compelling thanks to a strong central character who just can’t keep himself away from the world of the undead.
The new shakeup involves Jackson trying to track down a mark, alive. It’s a great twist on the old formula and the revelation of who this person actually proves tantalizing. I can’t wait to see how Williamson develops the antagonist of the arc and something tells me he’s even more ruthless than what little we already know of his family.
Davide Gianfelice used to rub me the wrong way. I don’t know what it was about his art, but I never found it suitable for the book in comparison to the first arc. However, I’m proud to eat my words as this month he knocks it out of the park with a few panels that come to show he’s growing more comfortable in this world. His handle on Jackson is dynamic and gives a lot of attitude in every panel. While the single panel of Jackson’s scarred back told us more about the man than we ever got up until now. Finally the sequence of the contract haunting near the end of the issue solidified Gianfelice’s art as the only fit for the book. It was haunting in all the right ways, and this month he really made use of some incredible match cutting between panels that made the action feel incredibly dynamic.
I’m frothing to see where things go next. I need to know more about Jackson’s past but I also crave to know what is going on with the newly introduced idea of paying to haunt someone. Surely this makes the relationship between Anderson and Jackson even thicker, serving to complicate just about everything.
I love this book. I love how it can seamlessly transition from moments of pure terror, to comedy, to crime without missing a beat. The most interesting elements are when Williamson takes a terrible turn for just a single panel, it shows where his brain goes when nobody keeps him in check. “Ghosted” continues to be a riveting thrill ride that gets under your skin.
Bring on the dreaded issue #13.