PopCultHQ's Spoiler-Free Review of Ghost #1:

PopCultHQ had the opportunity to review Ghost #1 from Insane Comics. Written by the writing team of Wade Price and Brian Berg, and with illustrations by Bob Raigen, the story tells of a urban legend terrorizing the the criminals of a corrupt Southern town.

We are shown Crescent City, Louisiana. Not the outside, polished real nice, tourist good times about the city, but rather the darker underbelly that exists and truly rules the town. Overrun with gangs, flooded with drugs and violence, and corruption at every level.

The Carriers are one of those gangs, recognizable by the beak-shaped masks they wear to conceal their identity. Their leader, Plague, is a hidden drug lord infectiously spreading a "special" product in the city like a disease that targets all regardless of age, race, gender or financial status. As powerful and tough this gang is, they do possess a great amount of fear. Not from other gangs or the police. They fear the one named the Ghost who targets shady dealings, corrupt individuals, and the worst criminals around. This legendary being known as "Ghost" never leaves any evidence and never is a witness present. This mysterious and illusive entity strikes fear in those that strike fear in the residents of the city.

Doing a spoiler-free review can be frustrating when the comic is that good. So good you want to share more of it to get others hooked and on board. There are so many things to try and include with the premiere issue of any comic book, within the confinements of your page limit of course. Writers Wade Price and Brian Berg nailed it! The story was fluid and moved at a great pace. Very descriptive and detailed in its content, no fluff or meaningless panels.

I was rather impressed in the way Price and Berg wrote the dialogue for the gang members. It would have been very easy to have the guys scared of the legend that is Ghost and have them actually come across as wusses due to their fear. Regardless of their trepidation with Ghost, they still maintained a tough exterior and do come across as badasses despite this legend that haunts them. Everything worked like you would hope a debut issue filled with crime, violence, corruption, and vigilantism.

This is my first time experiencing artist Bob Raigen's work and I have to say the artwork within Ghost #1 is stellar. Upon researching previous material by the illustrator, I learned that he specializes in anime/manga style. This guy is a true mangaka (artist who creates manga)! I, personally, have never been a HUGE manga fan, but the way Raigen incorporated accents of manga into the art was impressive. It didn't feel like you were reading a typical manga or anime comic book. Visually intense, the violence was graphic but not gory, and excellent use of shading and giving depth to the characters. Well played, sir. Well played.

Great background, exceptional character development, and awesome narrative, accompanied by phenomenally striking artwork makes Ghost #1 a strong contender for a lasting series. As terrific as this issue was, the final panel (no spoilers, remember?) has me quite excited about the prospects of where this is headed. I will certainly be picking up issue number two when it's available, and I'll be following this creative trio in future projects.

PopCultHQ Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

PCHQ 4.5