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Ghostopolis Doug TenNapel Books

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Ghostopolis Doug TenNapel Books

7.5/10
If I had to describe Ghostopolis in a few words, I would say fun and adventure cinematic story This is a novel for young teens and adults young at heart. This an old-style comic book, one of those I grew up reading, that has all the elements to make it a winner with kids: It is entertaining, imaginative, has good graphics, is in full colour, has battles, lots of adventure, there are heroes and baddies, it is fun, lots of fun!, and what is not. This is one of those books you cannot put down until you finish reading it, probably in a seating.The book targets children, so the narrative has the common clichés of the genre and, of course, is predictable, but that doesn't rest interest or fun to the reading. As the adventures happen mostly in the afterlife, one would expect macabre and very dark images, but the contrary is true. There are skulls, skeletons, mummies and disgusting creatures, but they are quirky, funny, naughty and mostly not scary. There is a bit of Christian symbolism in the book, but it is very subtle, not straightforward, and not preachy at all. The creator is called Joe the builder, a Tuskegee airman, an Afro-American pilot of the WW2.

One of the things I love the most about the book is how cinematic it feels, and how funny is. The character of Frank Gallows is really a cracker, very cheeky and likeable. Some of the names are also very funny, like Claire Voyant, or Boogie Boogie Avenue. Vaughner, the bad-man, looks very much like a punk-rock Billy Idol, although his mouth is very much Marilyn Maso'sn, and he is wearing skinny jeans! Some of the dialogues are also light-hearted and full of pun. Two examples:

"Assemble my fastest team of night mares, a company of royal skeleton guards, and a carriage for thet wo lovebirds" [the skeleton king says when ordering to prepare his horses] (p. 183)

"Well show them that you don't have to have organs to have guts!" [the skeleton says] (p. 194)

The novel immediately reminds one of Ghostbusters and of some of Tim Burton's early movies (where the extraordinary and the ordinary live in a dysfunctional harmony). However, to be fair, we cannot reduce the plot or the history to Burton-like because darkness seems always more natural than the normal world or normal people in Burton's Universe. Unlike Ghostbusters, the ghosts in this novel aren't on earth to scare anybody, they are there to enjoy the peaceful surroundings as the afterlife is a bit messy. In that regard, Man in black seems more in tune with this story, especially the story having a group of police officers devoted to capture intruder ghosts and bring them back to their own world.

The story develops well, has great characters, but it has a hurried ending.

PLOT HOLES
> If Garth is dying, why is his energy in the afterworld so humongous? After all, he has just a few weeks of life left. I think the fact that he was so close to dying was the reason why the accident happened; otherwise, the plasma device would have not taken him. Just saying!
> The appearance of the Garth's son is senseless and not believable. One understands that the afterlife has not time or space. Great, but for the sake of the story, please show old Cecil or anybody who makes more sense.

THE GRAPHIC ART
Dough TenNapel is not only the author of the story, is also the main illustrator, drawer and penciler/inker. He has a great talent and can do anything, from beautiful rural escapes, cityscapes to action-packed crazy scenes. The arrangement of the vignettes is very dynamic and never boring, and every few pages there is a B&W silhouetted vignette inserted between the others, a kind of wink to the reader. I think that TenNapel shines when he creates simpler images, less busy visually, which are among my favourites. I loved the graphic depiction and development of some of the characters: Claire, Frank, Vaughner, the skeleton king, and all the mummies. I didn't like as much the depiction of Garth, his mother, and I hesitate about Joe.

I found the subdued and washed out colouring very good, similar to that in old vintage comics. Not my favourite sort of colouring, but splendid nevertheless.There is a large group of colourists who have to be praised,

The author of the lettering is not mentioned in the credits, but the lettering is one of the best things in this book. I absolutely loved the lettering fonts, sizing, colouring and style, and even more the very accurate onomatopoeic wording of it. It felt like real sounds in my head, not like other times when I read the ambience noises in a comic and I don't hear anything in my head. The lettering perfectly suites the book overall look and style, and it is in harmony with it.

MIND
Mere for mid-grade children than for proper teens, I think. I would say about 8-13y.o.a. Older children would be already reading adults stuff or complex books to feed their hunger for adulthood.


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Ghostopolis Doug TenNapel Books Reviews

Ghostopolis by Doug TenNapel is the story of Garth, who is accidentally sent into the afterlife by Frank, an officer of the Supernatural Immigration Task Force. Frank messed up good, and he finds himself fired by his boss, who prepares to lead a task force to get Garth back. Arriving ahead of time with the help of a ghost named Claire, Frank finds Garth, and the whole mess begins.

I was a little hesitant to read TenNapel because his page says that he's a "convinced Christian." There's nothing more boring than Christian rock, Christian movies and (**shudder**) Christian hip-hop, but this is good stuff. Mr. Rogers was a Christian minister, and he never mentioned Jesus or God on his television show. Doug TenNapel is the same way. He tells stories that are fun and readable, and he's a very capable graphic artist. He's no Moebius, of course, but the artwork is appropriate and engaging. ****1/4
Super cute story. My kids and I found this at the library and I read the entire thing to my 5 year old. He loved it so much that he would want to check it out about every other month. It finally got to the point where I just bought the book. It's an adorable and creative story about this world and the ghost world. A little boy finds himself in Ghostopolis with a skeleton horse for a friend. He has to get back home and soon finds out he's being followed. Check this out for sure.
I've enjoyed "darker" animated movies such as, "The Nightmare Before Christmas", and "Coraline", and when a friend of mine recommended this book on the basis that it had a similar vibe to said movies, I decided to give this graphic novel a look. What followed was a very unique peek into the afterlife, and one boy's quest to escape it.

Garth is dying of an incurable disease. But that turns out to be the least of his problems when a paranormal secret agent named Frank goofs up in his pursuit of a literal "night mare", and ends up accidentally teleporting Garth to the afterlife. Once there, he must tame a skeletal horse and traverse the various lands of the dead--befriending the various quirky residents, including his grandfather, all while trying to find a way home. At the same time, Frank and his ghostly girlfriend Claire are in hot pursuit to get the boy back safely (as well as save his job), while evil forces close in on Garth...for the boy now has special powers as long as he remains living in the land of the deceased.

The story is pretty engaging; always twisting and turning and leaving you in suspense as to what'll happen next. Garth starts out understandably depressed over his situation, but his adventures in the afterlife teach him to make the most of the time he has...and that there actually might be a ray of hope for him after all. Frank, oddly enough, serves as the comic relief; always bumbling with his job, and reacting to almost everything with a deadpan sense of humor. The villain seems to start off as one note, but in the final act, we get a major twist that changes everything you thought you knew about him.

As for the artwork, it takes on a rough, scratchy look that compliments the dark atmosphere very well, with highly detailed scenery and backgrounds. But don't think that everything is doom and gloom--there's plenty of uplifting and funny moments to be had as well--mostly stemming from the odd people, monsters, anthropomorphic insects, and other weird denizens of the underworld.

If you're a fan of Tim Burton, and/or macabre humor, give this graphic novel a look. I'm now interested to see what other works the artist produced.
7.5/10
If I had to describe Ghostopolis in a few words, I would say fun and adventure cinematic story This is a novel for young teens and adults young at heart. This an old-style comic book, one of those I grew up reading, that has all the elements to make it a winner with kids It is entertaining, imaginative, has good graphics, is in full colour, has battles, lots of adventure, there are heroes and baddies, it is fun, lots of fun!, and what is not. This is one of those books you cannot put down until you finish reading it, probably in a seating.The book targets children, so the narrative has the common clichés of the genre and, of course, is predictable, but that doesn't rest interest or fun to the reading. As the adventures happen mostly in the afterlife, one would expect macabre and very dark images, but the contrary is true. There are skulls, skeletons, mummies and disgusting creatures, but they are quirky, funny, naughty and mostly not scary. There is a bit of Christian symbolism in the book, but it is very subtle, not straightforward, and not preachy at all. The creator is called Joe the builder, a Tuskegee airman, an Afro-American pilot of the WW2.

One of the things I love the most about the book is how cinematic it feels, and how funny is. The character of Frank Gallows is really a cracker, very cheeky and likeable. Some of the names are also very funny, like Claire Voyant, or Boogie Boogie Avenue. Vaughner, the bad-man, looks very much like a punk-rock Billy Idol, although his mouth is very much Marilyn Maso'sn, and he is wearing skinny jeans! Some of the dialogues are also light-hearted and full of pun. Two examples

"Assemble my fastest team of night mares, a company of royal skeleton guards, and a carriage for thet wo lovebirds" [the skeleton king says when ordering to prepare his horses] (p. 183)

"Well show them that you don't have to have organs to have guts!" [the skeleton says] (p. 194)

The novel immediately reminds one of Ghostbusters and of some of Tim Burton's early movies (where the extraordinary and the ordinary live in a dysfunctional harmony). However, to be fair, we cannot reduce the plot or the history to Burton-like because darkness seems always more natural than the normal world or normal people in Burton's Universe. Unlike Ghostbusters, the ghosts in this novel aren't on earth to scare anybody, they are there to enjoy the peaceful surroundings as the afterlife is a bit messy. In that regard, Man in black seems more in tune with this story, especially the story having a group of police officers devoted to capture intruder ghosts and bring them back to their own world.

The story develops well, has great characters, but it has a hurried ending.

PLOT HOLES
> If Garth is dying, why is his energy in the afterworld so humongous? After all, he has just a few weeks of life left. I think the fact that he was so close to dying was the reason why the accident happened; otherwise, the plasma device would have not taken him. Just saying!
> The appearance of the Garth's son is senseless and not believable. One understands that the afterlife has not time or space. Great, but for the sake of the story, please show old Cecil or anybody who makes more sense.

THE GRAPHIC ART
Dough TenNapel is not only the author of the story, is also the main illustrator, drawer and penciler/inker. He has a great talent and can do anything, from beautiful rural escapes, cityscapes to action-packed crazy scenes. The arrangement of the vignettes is very dynamic and never boring, and every few pages there is a B&W silhouetted vignette inserted between the others, a kind of wink to the reader. I think that TenNapel shines when he creates simpler images, less busy visually, which are among my favourites. I loved the graphic depiction and development of some of the characters Claire, Frank, Vaughner, the skeleton king, and all the mummies. I didn't like as much the depiction of Garth, his mother, and I hesitate about Joe.

I found the subdued and washed out colouring very good, similar to that in old vintage comics. Not my favourite sort of colouring, but splendid nevertheless.There is a large group of colourists who have to be praised,

The author of the lettering is not mentioned in the credits, but the lettering is one of the best things in this book. I absolutely loved the lettering fonts, sizing, colouring and style, and even more the very accurate onomatopoeic wording of it. It felt like real sounds in my head, not like other times when I read the ambience noises in a comic and I don't hear anything in my head. The lettering perfectly suites the book overall look and style, and it is in harmony with it.

MIND
Mere for mid-grade children than for proper teens, I think. I would say about 8-13y.o.a. Older children would be already reading adults stuff or complex books to feed their hunger for adulthood.