In “Ghosted” #1, writer, Joshua Williamson, engineers a brazenly creative take on the crime genre, wherein the infusion of supernatural-horror themes attributes to what might possibly be the most ambitious operation in heist history: stealing a ghost from an infamous haunted house of horrors.



WRITTEN BY: Joshua Williamson

ART BY: Goran Sudzuka

PUBLISHER: Image Comics / Skybound Comics

PRICE: $2.99

RELEASE: July 10, 2013

Described as Ocean’s Eleven in a haunted mansion, Williamson, almost placidly, commands this medium in a way that seems effortless and uncomplicated. With a focus on character introductions and mission objectives presented with colourful immediacy on paper, the author produces something so reminiscent of Steven Soderbergh’s film in parts, yet so vastly different.

The story follows lead protagonist, Jackson T. Winters, an incarcerated thief extraordinaire, who welcomes thoughts of his own death to get him through the pitfalls of prison life. Readers are quickly introduced to weapon-toting, Anderson Lake, who breaks him out of jail at the request of Markus Schrecken, a rich supernatural artifacts collector. Schrecken is looking for a special piece to complete his collection; a real ghost from the haunted Trask Mansion.

In exchange for his freedom and a life of luxury, Jackson begrudgingly accepts Schrecken’s offer, but on the condition that he assembles his own team for the job. Besides Anderson Lake, he recruits a bullshit detecting cultist, two ghost trappers, a black market occult artifacts specialist, and a medium that seems like nothing but deliciously intriguing trouble, if the final panel of issue #1 is any indication.

So far Williamson doesn’t give too much away about the Trask Mansion, but from what little history is provided in this issue, and his comparative references to The Shining, it’s safe to assume that Jackson and his crew are in for a rude awakening in the coming installments. Especially considering Goran Sudzuka’s telling artwork on the last page which will definitely hook readers into the series.

From the very first, single-panel page boldly depicting prison rape, to the fantastic last scene revealing the potential mole of the group, Sudzuka does a great job bringing Williamson’s writing to life. Colourist, Miroslav Mrva also does commendable work, though perhaps using a darker colour palette in the future would be more fitting given the subject matter.

Not sure where the creative team is going to take the series at this point, but “Ghosted” #1 leans more towards a psychological, supernatural-crime series than it does the horror genre, though some elements are still present. Hopefully there’ll be some gnarly blood and guts to look forward to in future issues. Just personal preference!

4/5 Skulls

Reviewed by – ShadowJayd