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GhostBox (Comixology Originals) #1

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Chloe and Jan come into an unexpected inheritance, and it couldn’t come at a better
time for Chloe. Desperate for cash, she advertises her late uncle’s possessions online,
and gets a very motivated buyer. But who is Anton Messer? And what is his real
interest in the ghostbox?

25 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 29, 2024

115 people are currently reading
32 people want to read

About the author

Mike Carey

1,264 books2,970 followers
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Mike Carey was born in Liverpool in 1959. He worked as a teacher for fifteen years, before starting to write comics. When he started to receive regular commissions from DC Comics, he gave up the day job.

Since then, he has worked for both DC and Marvel Comics, writing storylines for some of the world's most iconic characters, including X-MEN, FANTASTIC FOUR, LUCIFER and HELLBLAZER. His original screenplay FROST FLOWERS is currently being filmed. Mike has also adapted Neil Gaiman's acclaimed NEVERWHERE into comics.

Somehow, Mike finds time amongst all of this to live with his wife and children in North London. You can read his blog at www.mikecarey.net.

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5 stars
99 (34%)
4 stars
121 (42%)
3 stars
59 (20%)
2 stars
6 (2%)
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
Profile Image for thebookishhalfling.
198 reviews16 followers
September 2, 2025
In Ghostbox, sister’s Chloe and Jan Peace inherit an old rundown down full of odds and ends. In need of some quick cash, Chloe decided to list many of the items in the house for sale including an interesting looking box. When a man wants to meet at the house to buy the whole lot things take a turn and they realize there is more to the box than meets the eye.

I actually really enjoyed this graphic novel! Dark fantasy and horror, the art was interesting and terrifying. The story was very fast paced and fascinating.

Thank you to NetGalley and Mad Cave studios for the e-arc.
Profile Image for The Void Reader.
344 reviews4 followers
January 20, 2025

**Book Review: Ghostbox #1 by Mike Carey**

"Ghostbox #1" by Mike Carey is a thrilling start to a captivating series that expertly blends supernatural elements with compelling storytelling. Carey, known for his work in both novels and graphic novels, delivers an engaging narrative that keeps readers on the edge of their seats.

The story follows the protagonist, a talented but troubled individual, as they navigate a world filled with ghosts, mysterious occurrences, and hidden secrets. The pacing is excellent, with just the right balance of action, suspense, and character development. Carey's writing is vivid and evocative, making it easy for readers to immerse themselves in the eerie and intriguing world he has created.

One of the standout aspects of "Ghostbox #1" is the depth of its characters. Each character is well-developed, with their own unique traits and backstories that add richness to the overall plot. The interactions between the characters are believable and emotionally charged, making it easy for readers to form connections with them.

The supernatural elements are seamlessly woven into the narrative, adding an extra layer of intrigue and excitement. Carey's imaginative and creative approach to the paranormal keeps readers guessing and eager to uncover the next twist in the story.

Overall, "Ghostbox #1" is a fantastic read for fans of supernatural thrillers and urban fantasy. With its engaging plot, well-developed characters, and masterful storytelling, it sets the stage for an exciting series that promises to keep readers hooked from start to finish. If you enjoyed the first book, you're in for a treat with the next installments!

Happy reading 👻
Profile Image for Mark.
886 reviews10 followers
March 8, 2025
Sisters Chloe and Jan inherit a decrepit cottage in the wilderness from an uncle.
Hoping to make a quick buck by listing the contents on EBay, they get more than they bargained for when a mysterious buyer makes an offer.
The mystery begins...
3 reviews
February 9, 2025
Something new

Black women as main characters, solid art, and compelling genre accompanied by thrilling storyline. Excited for the coming issues.
Profile Image for Chimene.
387 reviews12 followers
October 11, 2025
Rollercoaster storytelling - a 5 for me.

Ghostbox has it all. It gave me the same feeling as when I read the Locke and Key series.

I felt immediately pulled into the story and couldn't resist becoming invested in the characters and their backstories. I thoroughly enjoyed how everything came together.

Storytelling
Ghostbox is one of those stories that seem to have limitless possibility. I found myself reflecting a lot on how the worlds came to be and how they work; and how the Ghostbox came into being.

Characters
The characters are well thought out. The ghosts who reside in the ghostbox were intriguing.
They all have individuality. Their voice and backstory driving the story forward.
The monsters were horrifyingly believable. The artwork was absolutely brilliant in portraying this.

Atmospheric
I loved how the graphic novel used it's art to create tension and atmosphere in each place the reader visited.
Tones and colour made if clear as to where the reader was.
It was much brighter in the Ghostbox for example and the use of different font/text added more voice to the characters.
When intje domain of monsters and horror more reds and dark tones were used.

Horror and humour
Although a dark tale, it weaves humour and human reactions into it.

I would love to read the next book, so much so, that I would definitely recommend it to those who love exploring horror and the supernatural.

Review Copy via NetGalley. With appreciation to the author and those who made it possible to read and review Ghostbox.
Profile Image for Oliver.
53 reviews
September 10, 2025
Thank you to Netgalley and Mad Cave Studios for the ARC!

Wow, this was a fun read. The cover art originally caught my eye, as I had not recognized that I had previously read Mike Carey’s work, so I was thrilled to have the chance to read this, and the story did not disappoint.

Ghostbox follows sisters Jan and Chloe, who inherit what appears to be a bunch of junk from their late uncle. The sisters don’t recognize the value in the oddities they are trying to liquidate, which leads to someone paying the ultimate price. Chaos ensues as a magical box is sought out by dangerous adversaries, and the sisters try to unpack the mysteries behind the origin of the box.

I really loved the art and the pacing of the story. This paranormal thriller definitely met my expectations. I feel like the main characters were well-developed. I loved how seamlessly the story weaved from the supernatural to the natural world. However, I will say that I wish some of the other characters we are introduced to were developed a bit more, but I am hoping that future issues will provide more detail. Even though we are left on a cliffhanger, the ending still felt satisfying, and I am very excited for what’s next in the series!
Profile Image for C.
211 reviews22 followers
September 3, 2025
Thank you NetGalley for this arc the cover of this novel really caught my eye and i am so glad i got the chance to read this one and finding out at the end another one will be released makes me very excited. I thought this book was really good and had such a good storyline and great characters and the artwork was amazing we saw shapeshifters the story about the box and history about it an afterlife and just a very action packed graphic novel overall the details in this book regarding the shapeshifting and the monsters and the fight scenes were really good i loved the magic elements to it as well but i think the most thing i enjoyed was learning about the history of the box. This usually isn’t my genre i read when i read graphic novels but im glad i branched out a bit because i can’t say anything bad about this one! Read this one y’all!
Profile Image for Nikki Chaos.
157 reviews
September 12, 2025
Actual Rating: 3.75 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Mad Cave studios for an eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is a nice graphic novel with some horror and dark fantasy which I have to admit is a nice combination. The story was at a nice pace which for a graphic novel is to be expected. The art style was something I quite enjoyed as well, it kept me engaged!

All in all we follow sisters name Jane and Chloe who ends up inheriting an old house that is abandoned and rundown. They end up putting odd and ends on sale in search of some extra money they need. In that, they end up crossing paths with a man who is blankly up to no good and wants the box they have in possession. That’s when they come to realization that the box is more then meets the eye.
Profile Image for Sneha Jaiswal.
Author 8 books27 followers
November 7, 2024
“Waking up late means grabbing an Uber to work, so my first hour’s pay is blown before I’ve even earned it. That gives me existential nausea.”

GhostBox, the comic book series by Mike Carey, Pablo Raimondi, and Jose Villarruba, follows protagonist Chloe, who is broke and constantly late to work, which eventually gets her fired, too. So, an unexpected inheritance from a dead uncle comes as a stroke of miraculous luck. However, the house Chloe inherits with her sister holds strange secrets that will land them in deadly trouble!

The creators set up the primary premise of GhostBox swiftly in issue 1, making this 25-page comic feel much more substantial than its itty bitty size!
Profile Image for Adri Holt.
252 reviews4 followers
August 29, 2025
Uncle Max has died, leaving his entire estate in Cornwall to his two nieces, Chloe and Jan Pearce. As they go sort through his old belongings they happen upon a mysterious music box. Their lives will never be the same.

Thoughts: 1) The geek in me really liked that there were different fonts for the various characters.

2) This one left me with more questions than answers, but I assume these things will be further explained in the next volume.

#ThxNetGalley #MikeCarey #GHOSTBOX
Profile Image for Ky.
593 reviews
Read
August 31, 2025
When a distant uncle leaves Chloe and Jan his estate, they find a mysterious box that changes their lives forever.

This was an awesome dark fantasy tale; eldritch shape-changing horrors, giant angles, murder and mayhem galore. The art was intense and the story compelling and fast-paced. It left me wanting to read the next one.

I rated it 4.25/5 rounded down to 4 stars.
Thank you NetGalley and Mad Cave Studios for the e-arc!
Profile Image for Vampyre .
234 reviews7 followers
September 10, 2025
Firstly, I would like to thank NetGalley for my ARC.

Secondly, I want to provide appreciation to the color artist. They did an exceptional job. Every image was done so vibrantly, and so beautifully. All of these colors help to further enhance the illustrator's images.

While I struggled with British jargon...again...this comic needs a thorough edit. I am a little confused as this appears to have already been published a few years back. If this is true, the edits should have been completed then. There are simply too many mistakes to be overlooked for a pre-published release, even if this is a re-release. Even more so in that case! Names are spelled different ways, general typos, etc.

Plot hole:
If someone is looking for someone else, and they know who and what this person looks like, and they're not in disguise, how could the person seeking them NOT see them? They are not physically blind. This part made zero sense.

Formatting issues with the e-ARC for certain pages I had to zoom in very closely on my tablet to view the images and the text captions by characters.

Storywise, I actually really enjoyed this. I would be inclined to reading more from this series, IF! it is properly edited and formatted correctly prior to publication, otherwise, it's unprofessional and not worth a continuation in this comic series.
Profile Image for Crimson Books.
576 reviews14 followers
September 24, 2025
Thank you, Netgalley for an advanced readers copy of this graphic novel for an honest review.

I loved this story and I cannot wait to continue with it, demons, monsters, magic angelic ghost box and POC main character.

The story had me gripped from beginning to end and the artwork was beautiful, if u love horror and a fast-paced story with a powerful main character then I highly recommend this
Profile Image for BookishDramas.
855 reviews32 followers
December 31, 2025
What a start

All my mind kept thinking was omg what a solid kickass volume.
Sedate start following an often read and seen story across horror volumes. Very predictable but a sassy protagonist and nice art combine together with some brutal scenes that made this a superb volume.
This teaser has made me want more from the following volumes in this arc.
Profile Image for Renato R. Chacon.
14 reviews
May 8, 2025
Slow burn

I always appreciate when a tale steeps one in the normalcy of it's world, then the 3rd act leaves the mundane behind in a BIG way so as to provide a "wtf?!" that blows by asking one to suspend their disbelief
Profile Image for Serhan Gok.
16 reviews
November 13, 2024
What a start!

Hope the story continues on this suprising, exciting path with more twists. Artwork is fwntastic. Mike Carey & rest of the creative team in top form!
2 reviews
February 10, 2025
cool

Unexpected. Yup yup yup just leaving x amount of words until I’m able to press submit for this review. Yup
Profile Image for Hannah Clark.
171 reviews
April 4, 2025
Such a fun short read! Graphics characters and plot all great, can’t wait for another one, hopefully longer 🤞🏻
Profile Image for chrstphre campbell.
279 reviews
May 5, 2025
Just a snippet…

…of The ‘whole’ story…
Get ready to buy this in installments of 12 pages each ( ? )
: - - - - - : o
?
Profile Image for Arjun Rajkumar.
446 reviews4 followers
August 8, 2025
Mike Carey can tell a good story ( Hellblazer arcs) and does not disappoint . Art is on point as well! Worth a read for sure
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews

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