GhostBox Issue #1 Review
Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
“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! I recently complained about how some first issues struggle to give readers a coherent idea of what to expect, like in the comiXology series Groupies (which has fantastic artwork, by the way). That’s not the case with GhostBox; it establishes the main protagonist’s character and background almost immediately and soon reveals the primary twist in the tale—a magical, ancient music box lying around in the deceased uncle’s house that will change her life.
Visually, the artwork in GhostBox is engaging, glossy, and colorful, although I preferred the character design for Chloe’s sister Jan over her. In Gen-Z lingo, Jan has more “main character energy” than Chloe, who looks more like the supporting sidekick providing some comic relief. It’s probably her loud pink afro; it makes it hard to take Chloe a bit seriously!
Overall, GhostBox issue #1 is a fast-paced, fun edition that packs in a lot of events, including the magical main plot twist and an unexpected tragedy. Things end with an exciting cliffhanger, making readers eager to grab the next issue ASAP!
Rating: 4 out of 5. GhostBox is also available on Kindle Unlimited.
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Also Read: Nobody Wants This – Netflix Series Review (Short Audio Version below)
