Ghost Stories [COMIC/2016.12.26 ~ 2017.5.22]
★★★★☆
Me? Giving a Titan comic adventure 4 stars? It's more likely than you'd think, especially when it deals with a character unparalleled in their suitability to the comic medium. The Return of Doctor Mysterio was written by Steven Moffat as a love letter to Golden Age comics, and its visual presentation (cinematography, effects, etc.) was a fittingly wonky and charming riff on lower-budget CW superhero shows. Here, however, is an arguably more fascinating and impressive showcase of utilising a medium; Ghost Stories showcases beautiful artwork and covers (I had a hard time choosing one for this review because all of the B-covers were such awesome homages), boundless imagination, and a truly heroic and touching tale within all the bombast that the best superhero comics display. It's not something I expected to love so much, true, but I'm all the more glad it impressed me so greatly.
The Doctor, once again, acts as a guide for Grant's family (now with a child Jennifer) into the madness of time and space. This time, Grant is allowed to move from his comfort zone and confront his limits as a person; we therefore get to see so many complex moments and touching words/actions from him. Lucy is brilliant as always, and with her equally charming daughter, make a duo that more than lives up to the superhero husband. The Ghost is asked to make the ultimate sacrifice and he does it willingly, to save the universe and his family. The locations are stunning, brought to life with great illustrations, and the mini-stories inbetween is a Keys of Marinus-type romp that never fails to have fun. How can you not love something like Ghost Stories? It's a superhero comic best-of compilation but so much more than that. It's a Doctor Who adventure that sticks to its positive roots, giving us a warm and exciting feeling in our stomach as it shows our heroes fight evil, rescue those in need, and save the universe while they're at it. It's inspiring, it's cuddly, and it's another brilliant example of just how versatile Doctor Who is. At this point, it can truly be anything.
I had such a wonderful time with Ghost Stories, and it simply wouldn't feel right for me to give it a lower score. It deserves its full marks; the adventure, the hopefulness, the art and colours, the fun... the final installment genuinely made me weep and then smile, and it takes something truly special to get me to that point. It's not quite what I expected for a superhero comic (there's very few superhero battles and a lot more pacificist solutions), but something I should've expected from a Doctor Who superhero comic (it fits the MO of the mythos, and continues the tradition of Who subverting expectations in the most delicious ways). Titan Comics truly impressed me with this one.
Me? Giving a Titan comic adventure 4 stars? It's more likely than you'd think, especially when it deals with a character unparalleled in their suitability to the comic medium. The Return of Doctor Mysterio was written by Steven Moffat as a love letter to Golden Age comics, and its visual presentation (cinematography, effects, etc.) was a fittingly wonky and charming riff on lower-budget CW superhero shows. Here, however, is an arguably more fascinating and impressive showcase of utilising a medium; Ghost Stories showcases beautiful artwork and covers (I had a hard time choosing one for this review because all of the B-covers were such awesome homages), boundless imagination, and a truly heroic and touching tale within all the bombast that the best superhero comics display. It's not something I expected to love so much, true, but I'm all the more glad it impressed me so greatly.
The Doctor, once again, acts as a guide for Grant's family (now with a child Jennifer) into the madness of time and space. This time, Grant is allowed to move from his comfort zone and confront his limits as a person; we therefore get to see so many complex moments and touching words/actions from him. Lucy is brilliant as always, and with her equally charming daughter, make a duo that more than lives up to the superhero husband. The Ghost is asked to make the ultimate sacrifice and he does it willingly, to save the universe and his family. The locations are stunning, brought to life with great illustrations, and the mini-stories inbetween is a Keys of Marinus-type romp that never fails to have fun. How can you not love something like Ghost Stories? It's a superhero comic best-of compilation but so much more than that. It's a Doctor Who adventure that sticks to its positive roots, giving us a warm and exciting feeling in our stomach as it shows our heroes fight evil, rescue those in need, and save the universe while they're at it. It's inspiring, it's cuddly, and it's another brilliant example of just how versatile Doctor Who is. At this point, it can truly be anything.
I had such a wonderful time with Ghost Stories, and it simply wouldn't feel right for me to give it a lower score. It deserves its full marks; the adventure, the hopefulness, the art and colours, the fun... the final installment genuinely made me weep and then smile, and it takes something truly special to get me to that point. It's not quite what I expected for a superhero comic (there's very few superhero battles and a lot more pacificist solutions), but something I should've expected from a Doctor Who superhero comic (it fits the MO of the mythos, and continues the tradition of Who subverting expectations in the most delicious ways). Titan Comics truly impressed me with this one.
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