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Ghostbusters: Who Ya Gonna Call?
FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. When an upstart paranormal investigation and elimination service calling themselves the Ghost Smashers sets up a shop in NYC, the Ghostbusters suddenly find themselves out of work and out of favor. The Ghost Smashers are messing with some shaky science, and it's only a matter of time until their incompetence threatens the entire world.
104 pages, Library Binding
Published June 14, 2016
About the author
Erik Burnham
704 books76 followersErik Burnham is a Minnesotan writer and artist that first broke into comics with a series of humorous short stories in the Shooting Star Comics Anthology. These stories featured his original creation, Nick Landime, and culminated in a one-shot: Nick Landime vs. the World Crime League, published by Shooting Star in 2005.
Off and on, in this same time period, Erik also produced a short run of an online strip, The Down Side, until technical issues wore him down. He aims to return to the strip one day.
In 2007, Erik found produced work for two other anthologies – a short humor piece for History Graphics Press’ Civil War Adventures #1, and a horror story for Gene Simmons’ House of Horror #3, produced by IDW Publishing.
This lead to several other projects for IDW, up to and including his critically acclaimed run on the ongoing GHOSTBUSTERS comic book.
Erik has worked on other projects not related to comic books, and hopes one day to share those with the public at large. In the meantime, he still lives quietly in Minnesota; any rumors about this being because he’s completely afraid of the forty-nine other states (and Canada) remain unverified at this time.
Off and on, in this same time period, Erik also produced a short run of an online strip, The Down Side, until technical issues wore him down. He aims to return to the strip one day.
In 2007, Erik found produced work for two other anthologies – a short humor piece for History Graphics Press’ Civil War Adventures #1, and a horror story for Gene Simmons’ House of Horror #3, produced by IDW Publishing.
This lead to several other projects for IDW, up to and including his critically acclaimed run on the ongoing GHOSTBUSTERS comic book.
Erik has worked on other projects not related to comic books, and hopes one day to share those with the public at large. In the meantime, he still lives quietly in Minnesota; any rumors about this being because he’s completely afraid of the forty-nine other states (and Canada) remain unverified at this time.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
February 13, 2017
I grabbed this from Netgalley - and then proceeded to awkwardly read and struggle with it on the horrible Abobe Digital System. With this type of graphic novel the program is so slow it's almost not worth reading.
Anyway, the best thing about this was the artwork. I love the cute cartoons, splashy design and vivid colors. That's the main thing that kept my attention, and it's the best kudos I can give the book. On the negative side I wasn't sure which character was which for awhile - they kind of blended together.
I loved the original Ghostbusters flick because of the humor - here it's flat, flat, and more flat. The artwork is more dimensional than the humor attempts. A shame. The story is decent, I guess, but I grew bored sometimes because it was missing the trademark Ghosbusters adult humor - this was geared more toward children with an opening for adults to dive in too. Sure kids loved the movie Ghostbusters, but it was geared more toward the grown ones.
The cover art is misleading - there's no classic female ghostbusters or the assistant donning a costume to party it up with Slimer. Ghost Smashers indeed...Despite the misleading cover, I still adore it. The bright colors are perfect for my short and embarrassing attention span, and Slimer's there. When Slimer is shown, everything is instantly better.
This graphic novel doesn't capture the same magic, but it looks sensational trying to.
Anyway, the best thing about this was the artwork. I love the cute cartoons, splashy design and vivid colors. That's the main thing that kept my attention, and it's the best kudos I can give the book. On the negative side I wasn't sure which character was which for awhile - they kind of blended together.
I loved the original Ghostbusters flick because of the humor - here it's flat, flat, and more flat. The artwork is more dimensional than the humor attempts. A shame. The story is decent, I guess, but I grew bored sometimes because it was missing the trademark Ghosbusters adult humor - this was geared more toward children with an opening for adults to dive in too. Sure kids loved the movie Ghostbusters, but it was geared more toward the grown ones.
The cover art is misleading - there's no classic female ghostbusters or the assistant donning a costume to party it up with Slimer. Ghost Smashers indeed...Despite the misleading cover, I still adore it. The bright colors are perfect for my short and embarrassing attention span, and Slimer's there. When Slimer is shown, everything is instantly better.
This graphic novel doesn't capture the same magic, but it looks sensational trying to.
July 6, 2016
Note: I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
As soon as I saw this one on NetGalley, I immediately requested it, but as it turns out it wasn't what I was expecting. I picked up this book for two reasons, one was, of course, it was Ghostbusters and the second reason was that I saw a female on the cover donning the typical GB's attire, so I was really intrigued. in fact, I was hoping that it might be related to their upcoming movie, but to my utter disappointment this book failed to please me.
The story was not that great. 90% of it was good enough, but the last 5% of the book completely bounced off my head as it felt unnecessary, to say the least. I was like, "What the hell is this now?" And then the book ended. So, you see, it was really unnecessary.
The illustrations were good but I had a hard time differentiating between two characters who looked too similar for me to easily tell them apart.
The cover of the book holds absolutely no significance and is misleading to some extent as initially, I was hoping to see the assistant (?) to turn into a ghost buster wearing the uniform she is adorning in the cover, but that never happened.
Overall this book wasn't that bad, but due to high expectations (given its name), it completely fell short.
You can also read this review at The Reading Bud .
As soon as I saw this one on NetGalley, I immediately requested it, but as it turns out it wasn't what I was expecting. I picked up this book for two reasons, one was, of course, it was Ghostbusters and the second reason was that I saw a female on the cover donning the typical GB's attire, so I was really intrigued. in fact, I was hoping that it might be related to their upcoming movie, but to my utter disappointment this book failed to please me.
The story was not that great. 90% of it was good enough, but the last 5% of the book completely bounced off my head as it felt unnecessary, to say the least. I was like, "What the hell is this now?" And then the book ended. So, you see, it was really unnecessary.
Screenshot of my copy of Ghostbusters.
The illustrations were good but I had a hard time differentiating between two characters who looked too similar for me to easily tell them apart.
The cover of the book holds absolutely no significance and is misleading to some extent as initially, I was hoping to see the assistant (?) to turn into a ghost buster wearing the uniform she is adorning in the cover, but that never happened.
Overall this book wasn't that bad, but due to high expectations (given its name), it completely fell short.
You can also read this review at The Reading Bud .
September 27, 2016
I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
What a letdown. The cover art implies that there is going to be a tie to the new movie and will have some kickass female protagonists, but that is not the case. I thought that the writing was lacking a certain energy and the ending was abrupt. Overall, the book wasn’t awful, but I was really letdown. I think I hyped it up too much in my mind and it was nowhere close to what I expected.
What a letdown. The cover art implies that there is going to be a tie to the new movie and will have some kickass female protagonists, but that is not the case. I thought that the writing was lacking a certain energy and the ending was abrupt. Overall, the book wasn’t awful, but I was really letdown. I think I hyped it up too much in my mind and it was nowhere close to what I expected.
May 25, 2018
Collecting issues 13-16 (I think that's right) this carries on the tale if the Ghostbusters, introducing new characters that'll turn up later, adding a plot line that will again be fulfilled later (I've not read these in order, can you tell?) and sort of acting as a bit of a setter-upper.
I did enjoy the tales in here, although sometimes it was a bit hard to tell some of guys apart. Winston gets a bit of a character development, which is nice, Peter is still an ass (hasn't he learnt yet?) and Egon needs to sort himself out.
This is not a tie in to the film, although it could have until the whole film thing changed direction. The cover is just a cool cover, come-on Jeannie has been a Ghostbuster more than once. She's part of the team.
A good read though I think this series would be better read in order!
I did enjoy the tales in here, although sometimes it was a bit hard to tell some of guys apart. Winston gets a bit of a character development, which is nice, Peter is still an ass (hasn't he learnt yet?) and Egon needs to sort himself out.
This is not a tie in to the film, although it could have until the whole film thing changed direction. The cover is just a cool cover, come-on Jeannie has been a Ghostbuster more than once. She's part of the team.
A good read though I think this series would be better read in order!
June 26, 2016
'Ghostbusters: Who Ya Gonna Call?' by Erik Burnham and Dan Schoening collects issues 13-16 of the Ghostbusters series.
The book opens with the Ghostbusters helping a fellow ghostbuster set up shop in Chicago. The problem he has is all the city's union rules. After hearing about that, the guys are happy to get back to New York, where they find things are surprisingly quiet. It seems that a new group of ghost hunters, The Ghost Smashers, has set up shop and has a new way of dealing with paranormal problems. The real problem turns out to be the way they are "disposing" of ghosts, which turns into a bigger story. The issue finishes with another plot that finishes the book with Winston and a ghost that seems to know Winston's name.
The problem is that the book feels like the middle issues of a series, which is exactly what it is. Sure, there is central storyline in the book, but there are these odd bookends in the front and back. Compounding that are story lines that are being set up that don't make much sense unless you are more familiar with the series as a whole. It's enjoyable enough on it's own, but it's not much of a standalone. Additionally, the cover art isn't reflected by what happens in the book and feels like a marketing grab based on the new all female Ghostbusters movie about to hit theaters.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Diamond Book Distributors, IDW Publishing, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
The book opens with the Ghostbusters helping a fellow ghostbuster set up shop in Chicago. The problem he has is all the city's union rules. After hearing about that, the guys are happy to get back to New York, where they find things are surprisingly quiet. It seems that a new group of ghost hunters, The Ghost Smashers, has set up shop and has a new way of dealing with paranormal problems. The real problem turns out to be the way they are "disposing" of ghosts, which turns into a bigger story. The issue finishes with another plot that finishes the book with Winston and a ghost that seems to know Winston's name.
The problem is that the book feels like the middle issues of a series, which is exactly what it is. Sure, there is central storyline in the book, but there are these odd bookends in the front and back. Compounding that are story lines that are being set up that don't make much sense unless you are more familiar with the series as a whole. It's enjoyable enough on it's own, but it's not much of a standalone. Additionally, the cover art isn't reflected by what happens in the book and feels like a marketing grab based on the new all female Ghostbusters movie about to hit theaters.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Diamond Book Distributors, IDW Publishing, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
January 9, 2017
First of all the graphic inside looks better than the cover, so that was the good part. You'll see all the ghosts, some new and some old characters and plenty of women.
The story was also fine, maybe not amazing, but still enjoyable to the point. Kind of a letdown in the end, but still a bit fun.
What was really missing was the whole Ghostbusters humor. There were bits and pieces, but really not what you'd expect from the real Ghostbusters.
The story was also fine, maybe not amazing, but still enjoyable to the point. Kind of a letdown in the end, but still a bit fun.
What was really missing was the whole Ghostbusters humor. There were bits and pieces, but really not what you'd expect from the real Ghostbusters.
January 1, 2019
Great fun, good one-liners and a stylised artwork that’s really grown on me. Actually, it’s quite surprising that the Ghostbusters don’t have more competitors out there. Full of all the great ghost busting stuff we wanna see. Shame I’m not reading these in the right order. This one did have lots of foreshadowing that features in the next volume, which I read first.
Want to Read
April 18, 2021Note: I received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.
July 3, 2016
More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/
I am really enjoying these Ghostbusters comics. Rarely have I seen anyone really capture the essence of the characters so well - the witty dialogue, the personality quirks, and the cartoon's brightly animated color schemes. But the downside is that the stories take too long to get going; plot is pretty much an afterthought to character showcasing . I hope author Burnham finds a good balance eventually since he nails everything else in the canon so perfectly.Story: there's an upstart ghostbusting team which claims to eliminate ghosts rather than just capture them. The original Ghostbusters are skeptical; even worse, the methods of the noob crew could spell serious trouble for New York City.
I really can't emphasize enough at how impressed I am with the dialogue. All the witty put downs by Venkman, naive cheerfulness of Stantz, Spengler's obtuseness, and Winston's grounded cynicism are there - along with Janine's satire and Peck's dryness. Janosz makes a return here as well - completely in character. The lines aren't just recycled from the movies - we get all new lines such as Venkman referring to the leader of the faux ghostbusting team as "Bosley" since the rest of the team are beautiful young women (a great Charlie's Angels riff). It all makes perfect sense and flows smoothly.
The illustrations reflect the animated series. Yes, they are more stylized and angular but I like the artwork and enjoy reading each colorful and fun page. If I do have one nitpick, it's that unlike the dialogue, it does lack nuance. The characters each have the same face all the time: Venkman is smarmy, Janine annoyed, Winston calm, Stantz lighthearted, and Egon distracted. It's a huge problem in a book where story is a secondary consideration.
What keeps this from a five star read is that the plot just doesn't flow. Scenes fall flat, the story is over before it began, the denouement is disappointing, and the entire read is completely forgotten in an hour. Primarily, the 'big bad' is dispatched as an afterthought and without much effort. It's so anticlimactic and leaves a lingering bad taste of the entire exercise of reading being pointless. With a better plot, this would really have been fantastic.
So although I loved the character work, I also have to point out that plot and pace are just as important. The book has to be a sum of the parts and more than just great moments between characters. But in all, I did enjoy the story. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.
July 26, 2016
I feel like it's risky to make comics about beloved characters, because if you get the personalities wrong it will upset the fan-base. I wasn't sure exactly what to expect when I started reading Ghostbusters: Who You Gonna Call? I grew up watching Ghostbusters over and over again; I just love the characters so much.
Luckily the author did a good job of really capturing their personalities in these new adventures. Egon Spengler was his brainy self, intelligent to the point of social awkwardness. Peter Venkman was probably the highlight, as he was in the movies; his sarcastic wit was just what was needed to lighten up the story-line. Let's not forget about their lovable secretary; one of my favorite parts was when Janine's date shows up to take her to the opera and the guys give them both a hard time. I was really surprised to see Janosz included as well, with some allusions to the events in Ghostbusters II.
Even if you haven't read issues #1-12 (like me), you won't be lost. There were a few parts where I was slightly confused, but things became more or less clear by the end. Of course I would like to go back and read them now, because I enjoyed the story line. And if you're wondering, yes I read the dialogue in their voices in my head. It was impossible not to.
I was a little unsure about the illustrations at the beginning, because the people are drawn almost like caricatures. Cartoonish and exaggerated I guess would be a good description. It really grew on me after a while, and the supernatural aspects were absolutely stunning and beautiful.
With the new Ghostbusters movie being released and all of the skepticism that went along with that, I like that we can still go on adventures with the original cast as well. Ghostbusters comics are not a new concept, and I haven't really read any of the others, but I can tell you that this particular series lived up to my expectations.
*I received a free copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
If you would like to read more of my reviews, please visit my book review blog, Lucky Devil Reviews
Luckily the author did a good job of really capturing their personalities in these new adventures. Egon Spengler was his brainy self, intelligent to the point of social awkwardness. Peter Venkman was probably the highlight, as he was in the movies; his sarcastic wit was just what was needed to lighten up the story-line. Let's not forget about their lovable secretary; one of my favorite parts was when Janine's date shows up to take her to the opera and the guys give them both a hard time. I was really surprised to see Janosz included as well, with some allusions to the events in Ghostbusters II.
Even if you haven't read issues #1-12 (like me), you won't be lost. There were a few parts where I was slightly confused, but things became more or less clear by the end. Of course I would like to go back and read them now, because I enjoyed the story line. And if you're wondering, yes I read the dialogue in their voices in my head. It was impossible not to.
I was a little unsure about the illustrations at the beginning, because the people are drawn almost like caricatures. Cartoonish and exaggerated I guess would be a good description. It really grew on me after a while, and the supernatural aspects were absolutely stunning and beautiful.
With the new Ghostbusters movie being released and all of the skepticism that went along with that, I like that we can still go on adventures with the original cast as well. Ghostbusters comics are not a new concept, and I haven't really read any of the others, but I can tell you that this particular series lived up to my expectations.
*I received a free copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
If you would like to read more of my reviews, please visit my book review blog, Lucky Devil Reviews
July 23, 2016
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
First of all I'd like to warn that I haven't read the previous issues of this comic series.
The bad: it was an ok comic for me because the jokes were not that funny and I found it predictable most times. I also noticed some spelling and Grammar mistakes that always bother me when I see one.
The good: what I liked the most were the lovely illustrations that portrayed in a nice way the characters we know from the movies. Another aspect that I really enjoyed was the idea of throwing in a paralellism between the story and Don Giovanni as a cultural reference. I also found it interesting that they have added a 'rookie' character to bring in new blood into the picture.
I am intrigued to see hoy thay are going to carry on with the story because of the twist they included in the end, but I'm not sure I will be continuing on with the series.
First of all I'd like to warn that I haven't read the previous issues of this comic series.
The bad: it was an ok comic for me because the jokes were not that funny and I found it predictable most times. I also noticed some spelling and Grammar mistakes that always bother me when I see one.
The good: what I liked the most were the lovely illustrations that portrayed in a nice way the characters we know from the movies. Another aspect that I really enjoyed was the idea of throwing in a paralellism between the story and Don Giovanni as a cultural reference. I also found it interesting that they have added a 'rookie' character to bring in new blood into the picture.
I am intrigued to see hoy thay are going to carry on with the story because of the twist they included in the end, but I'm not sure I will be continuing on with the series.
June 17, 2016
This book is in much the same vein as Ghostbusters International, except that it is set in the groups' regular hometown.
I still do not like the artwork style at all. The characters had strangely pointy facial features that are really annoying. And I couldn’t ever tell Peter and Ray apart.
The cover photo appears to be of a Slimer with a female Ghostbuster from the upcoming gender bending movie. But there were no such characters in the book, so I'm not sure what that was all about.
There did seem to be more of a storyline to this installment, which was a welcome relief from International. But there were still too many side plots and characters that didn't seem to fit in or be going anywhere.
I received a free e-book galley of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I still do not like the artwork style at all. The characters had strangely pointy facial features that are really annoying. And I couldn’t ever tell Peter and Ray apart.
The cover photo appears to be of a Slimer with a female Ghostbuster from the upcoming gender bending movie. But there were no such characters in the book, so I'm not sure what that was all about.
There did seem to be more of a storyline to this installment, which was a welcome relief from International. But there were still too many side plots and characters that didn't seem to fit in or be going anywhere.
I received a free e-book galley of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
July 2, 2016
When the ghostbusters return home, they discover home has become quiet -- at least ghost-wise. They fine out that there is a new ghost elimination business called ghost smashers. However they only disrupts their energy. The ghost smashers aren't really getting rid of the ghosts permanently. The ghosts come back and are angry! Ghosts smasher can't do anything about the ghosts . What is going to happen?
A graphic novel that is fun to read. Zany and fast paced makes you sorry when the story ends. The art is good. It adds to the enjoyment of reading this story!
Disclaimer: I received an arc of this book free from the author/publisher from Netgalley. I was not obliged to write a favorable review, or even any review at all. The opinions expressed are strictly my own.
A graphic novel that is fun to read. Zany and fast paced makes you sorry when the story ends. The art is good. It adds to the enjoyment of reading this story!
Disclaimer: I received an arc of this book free from the author/publisher from Netgalley. I was not obliged to write a favorable review, or even any review at all. The opinions expressed are strictly my own.
June 28, 2016
There's a new gang of ghost hunters in town, that have the means to ruin things for the original 'Busters – and I don't mean the new women generation. Unfortunately, that story comes to a crashing dead end to no effect whatsoever, leaving the fourth part of this collection to be a mediocre stand-alone, were it not for the peppering throughout the book of another returning threat. None of the characters look at all human, none sound human according to the script, and absolutely nothing is funny. It's just another mediocre time-spanning franchise title, keeping us waiting for something like the real thing, that may or may not be just around the corner…
June 13, 2016
This comic/graphic novel introduces a new team called the "Ghost Smashers". They give the Ghostbusters a run for their money by eliminating the ghosts not containing them. The only problem is that the energy is still out there and when the ghosts rematerialize, they are really angry. A short, cute story that ends in a cliff hanger. Hopefully the next book will continue the story.
The graphics were pretty good and younger readers will probably enjoy this story.
I received a copy of this book from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
The graphics were pretty good and younger readers will probably enjoy this story.
I received a copy of this book from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
June 17, 2016
*Note: this is a review for both Ghostbusters : who ya gonna call, and Ghostbusters :New Ghostbusters *
I fully admit I'm not the biggest ghostbusters fan, but these were enjoyable, solid. The artwork is somewhat cartoon-like, yet crisp and clean. Admittedly, I probably enjoyed these more than the new movie coming out in the next few months.
I received an advanced copy of this from NetGalley.com and the publisher.
I fully admit I'm not the biggest ghostbusters fan, but these were enjoyable, solid. The artwork is somewhat cartoon-like, yet crisp and clean. Admittedly, I probably enjoyed these more than the new movie coming out in the next few months.
I received an advanced copy of this from NetGalley.com and the publisher.
June 27, 2016
The Ghost Smashers hit NYC while the Ghostbusters were on a Midwest sweep. But the ghost smashing did not work as advertised and a huge upsurge in supernatural phenomena ensued leading to the arrest of the Ghost Smashers and the elevation of the Ghostbusters back into the NYC's good graces. This volume sets up the situation for Ghostbusters: The New Ghostbusters. Enjoy!
July 4, 2016
A new team of ghostbusters come to the city, what will the original team do in order to keep their jobs?
Really liked this issue. It's entertaining, fun. holds the mystery of how will the ghostbusters solve the coming of an old enemy on the future.
disclaimer: I got a copy from netgalley for my honest review
Really liked this issue. It's entertaining, fun. holds the mystery of how will the ghostbusters solve the coming of an old enemy on the future.
disclaimer: I got a copy from netgalley for my honest review
July 16, 2016
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This was a super fun comic/graphic novel. Honestly, as soon as it started there was a feirce ghost shark and I was hooked. It was funny, it explained the mechanics of ghostbusting V ghostsmashing well. I thought that it was fun, that it was well thought out, and it seems to be set up for a sequel- which I would love.
This was a super fun comic/graphic novel. Honestly, as soon as it started there was a feirce ghost shark and I was hooked. It was funny, it explained the mechanics of ghostbusting V ghostsmashing well. I thought that it was fun, that it was well thought out, and it seems to be set up for a sequel- which I would love.
April 23, 2017
The comic is well drawn and the story was interesting.
The classic Ghostbusters run into a new group calling themselves the Ghostsmashers. They eliminate the ghosts by dispersing them not trapping them. Only that just winds up making things worse which the Ghostbusters have to step in and try to clean up the mess they made.
The classic Ghostbusters run into a new group calling themselves the Ghostsmashers. They eliminate the ghosts by dispersing them not trapping them. Only that just winds up making things worse which the Ghostbusters have to step in and try to clean up the mess they made.
June 7, 2016
I received this ebook in exchange for an honest review.
It has been a long time since I've seen the movie. This caused me to feel that I missed some of the magic in the comic. I didn't know all characters anymore and I missed some kind of 'clear' introduction.
It has been a long time since I've seen the movie. This caused me to feel that I missed some of the magic in the comic. I didn't know all characters anymore and I missed some kind of 'clear' introduction.
July 5, 2016
(Got this for free from Netgalley, cheers!) Entertaining run of the Ghostbusters comic. I struggle with the likenesses as I can't tell a lot of the characters apart and some of the storytelling is murky but the writing is solid and I can usually tell who's who by the dialogue.
July 31, 2016
I read this with the help of NetGalley.The book is amazing.I liked reading about the Ghost Smashers and the troubles faced by them.
April 1, 2018
This was fun! Beautifully drawn.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews