CBR Ghost OMNIBUS: Vol. 1

Something new! Something different!

Like always, my goal with these Comic Reviews is to shine some light on some underrated books or show my opinion on the more mainstream titles.
This time, it's a little lesser-known book, called...

Comic title: Ghost OMNISBUS: Volume 1
Written by Eric Luke
Art by Adam Hughes, Terry Dodson, Scott Benefiel, Matt Haley and more!
Colors by Various...

Published by Dark Horse Comics
From 2008
Lineup Ghost
Format: Omnibus-Trade paperback containing Ghost Special #1, Ghost vol.1 #1-12, and "Sweet Things" from Decade of Dark Horse #2.

During the 90s, most comic books were all about super giant buff dudes with tons of pouches, guns and ammo everywhere or skinny underage girls doing karaté kicks with barely any clothes on (nor a proper body structure). You may know this era as the glorious Rob Liefeld years, the rise of Image comics. During that time ever at Marvel or DC, it was all about supra-muscular heroes with irrealistic guns, big angry dudes with 'tude. Marvel had the X-Force, Cable, etc.. DC had Superman using guns, Azrael, etc..

Few "original" new titles tried a different approach.

Ghost is a comic series about a dead woman that came back to life as a, well, a ghost and was trying to find how she died, why and who killed her.

A ghost using guns? Now that's something you don't see everyd..AGH!..

Well, to be honest, it's not too far from the 90s typical successful series. But it uses its own twists!
Eric Luke created is own twisted unique universe with Ghost.

Elisa Cameron died in unknown circonstances for some reason. But she can't remember anything from her past life, the details are blurry and she only grasps some little facts about her past life.

Now as a ghost, Elisa can pass through walls/kinda everything. Though she seems to be unable to pass through nor break jade...
She doesn't know why, she doesn't understand how things work now.
She can also turn invisible. To combat crime, she uses two little double .45 calibers (when the bullets leave the gun they became material while Elisa can still stay in her immaterial form).

Bit by bit, she remembers or find more about her past. And the story follows Elisa/Ghost as she wreak havoc through the city of Arcadia.

This first omnibus collects her very first and earliest adventures.

She even got quite a memorable rogue gallery during her early run~

This series never was a huge hit back in the day. I suspect a lack of interest from the 90s comic book readers for a book without huge muscular dudes, anorexic girls or gigantic guns. That would explain some later Dark Horse crossovers with Ghost and other more marketable characters...

But it woudn't be for a lack of quality, talent involved or originality!

This omnibus covers her first adventures.
Trying to understand her condition, meeting her first villains (Joe Yimbo , Dr. October, Cameron Nemo ..), finding her sister again...
I kinda prefer the issues featuring her own cast than the crossover ones trying to raise interest in the book.
X (appears in the very first issue and many others), Dark Horse answer to the extreeeeeeme~ attitude is kinda ok, in an "over the top" kind of way.
But I could do without Barb Wire, King Tiger and the Furies... 

Eric Luke is a pretty good writer, the whole story has a sort of mystery/noir/detective/crime/hardboiled feel to it. (apart from crossovers, which are you usual superhero stuff)
There's a lot of contribution from famous and cult artists, specially Adam Hughes, which I love the style, and Terry Dodson. I don't really find these page to have aged that much.

Overall, it's very immersive story.
It's very easy to lose yourself in the streets of Arcadia, with it's grim and art deco-ysh settings.

The story is pretty original and unique. You'll find yourself asking for answers, wanting to know more about the "hellish place" Elisa shortly goes in everytime she teleports across the city.
I personally really dig Nemo, the satan-like figure she created which becomes a regular foe for Ghost.

These omnibus Dark Horse's been releasing are a very fun way to discover comic runs from the past, from the early 80s to the 2000s. I'd say, if you're interested in this whole story and character, give it a try ;)

I give it:

  2 / 3 FlamingCarrots!