It’s hard to over-hype a book like “Five Ghosts”. Written by Frank Barbiere and illustrated by Chris Mooneyham, the self-published first issue caught our attention at NYCC 2012 and — much to our delight! — got picked up by Image Comics late last year.
That said, the review linked in that last paragraph got a little gushy (…it’s a really good comic, guys), so this column will keep it simple. Here are three reasons why you should buy “Five Ghosts”:
1. The Concept
“Five Ghosts: The Haunting of Fabian Gray” is a pulp-inspired adventure story, starring a 1940s-era treasure hunter who has a knack for posing on rooftops and looking darkly handsome. But he’s got an extra edge: he has five (literary) ghosts to draw on, who alternately take him over in order to help with his excursions. Among them are a samurai, an archer and a very familiar-looking Edwardian detective, and as those five preview pages below will tell you, they are crazy deadly. He’s using them as best he can to right an old wrong — and yes, it’s personal.
2. The Story
The amount of story — and backstory — that you get in the first issue is deftly measured out. There are details from Fabian’s past as well as heaps of fresh intrigue, and somehow — there may be some witchcraft involved — by the end of the issue, it feels like you’ve been reading about Fabian Gray, this Fabian Gray and his particular problems, all your life. Barbiere and Mooneyham have drawn on pulp conventions in a way that doesn’t feel openly derivative, instead adding to the scope and style of the work and making it feel both instantly accessible and interestingly alien. It’s this balance between the familiar and the new that makes the story so engaging, and keeps the comic rolling along at such a thrilling pace.
3. The Art
It’s pulpy, it’s eye-catching, the storytelling is smooth but energetic, and the colours (with assists by S.M. Vidaurri) are innovatively chosen and patterned out. Then, as I pointed out in my review, there’s the sheer polish of it all: you could take any of these pages and frame it on your wall.
But you don’t have to take my word for it: “Five Ghosts” hits the shelves tomorrow, so you can see for yourself how stylish and creative and stylishly creative it is. For more information, be sure to check out our interview with Frank Barbiere!
