Ghostbusters #20

By Erik Burnham, Dan Schoening & Luis Antonio Delgado

The “Mass Hysteria!” story arc concludes, bringing this current run to an end as well. Winston offers himself as a sacrifice to Tiamat, but the cost will hurt far more than giving up his own life. Meanwhile, the rest of the team race to stop the ecto containment unit from internal combustion…again!

Sad to say, but this issue felt a little anti-climactic; especially after Tiamat and Gozer’s duel. It is Winston’s story that provides the real emotional backbone to save this issue; Erik Burnham came up with an excellent twist with his selfless action that plays on the trope of the hero’s self-sacrifice. Initially, the finale felt weak and unsatisfying. It wasn’t until after thinking about how the two Ghostbusters films ended that I realized that the book’s resolution follows in that same spirit (no pun intended), which allowed for a deeper appreciation. Now, a lot of other subplots in the series were left undone, so the creative team wrote quick little excerpts about those stories and the characters, it felt a little rushed, but hopefully another run will continue the adventures in the near future.

Dan Schoening and Luis Delgado have been a fantastic artistic duo on this series. Schoening never loses the emotional facial expression with his caricature character designs, which is fine line to walk. Delgado makes every bust so vibrant with the neon coloring on the proton streams and the ghosts; always a visual treat, just the like the other mediums the Ghostbusters have been depicted in.

This review may have come off as a little harsh, but I expect quality from the creative team on Ghostbusters. They incorporated numerous Easter eggs, blended elements from the all the animated series and films and finally gave readers a look at a sloar’s appearance! The passion and appreciation for the property is evident in every issue they put out, including this one…I just expected a little more. This is still a solid book and a decent end to an awesome run. Definitely look for these guys to come back in the four-part Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Ghostbusters crossover event!