By Keith Champagne (writer), Tom Nguyen (pencils), Drew Geraci (inks), Moose Baumann (colors), Neil Uyetake (letters), Nick Runge (cover)
The Story: After their death, the Ghostbusters, like all good people, expected to go to Heaven. Unfortunately for them, the Ghost Mafia had different plans, and following their murder the boys ended up in Purgatory. The Mob also picked who stays and who crosses over, so Peter, Ray, Egon and Winston better get comfortable. Further complicating things, the Mob put a hit out on our heroes. Things have never looked worse for the GB’s. Unless they can escape purgatory, it’s gonna be one LONG eternity.
What’s Good: Ray’s enthusiasm. Like in the movies, his enthusiasm walks that line of endearing and annoying. Granted, being so excited for being in purgatory seems like a bit much, but I see where he’s coming from scientifically.
What’s Not So Good: As interesting as the plot is, it’s missing that little something extra to make it Ghostbusters. Honestly, things have gotten so bad so quickly it’s hard to see any way out. Yes, you’re supposed to stack the odds against your protagonists, but not so much so where a plausible solution seems out of reach. How will they escape purgatory and re-animate their bullet-riddled bodies? More importantly, how will they do it and not instantly die again because of the aforementioned bullet-holes? Given the universe the story takes place in, it’s possible to accomplish all that, but I’m not holding my breath.
Conclusion: While it remains an interesting read, The Other Side does little to argue that it’s just using the license. There’s nothing that really adds to the Ghostbusters story. There are many departures from the source material and none of them are for the better. And while no particular fault stands out enough to make the book “suck,” we as Ghostbusters fans should want, and deserve better.
Grade: C
-Ben Berger
Filed under: IDW, Reviews Tagged: | Drew Geraci, Ghostbusters The Other Side # 2, IDW, IDW Publishing, Keith Champagne, Moose Baumann, Neil Uyetake, Nick Runge, The Ghostbusters, Tom Nguyen
