I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was a big fan of the original Ghostbusters cartoon, and of course the films, growing up. Never a hardcore fan, but I enjoyed watching it and the general insanity surrounding it all. Likewise, I enjoyed the amount of research effort put into the writing of the films. It was cool, seeing paranormal research actually put to good use. Luckily, I got to enjoy at least a bit of research coming to the forefront of this book. Unfortunately, that was about all I enjoyed about it.

Ghostbusters International could have been an incredibly fun read. It could have, if I could get past the disagreeable artwork that filled it. A previous reviewer commented that it looked like the artist couldn't decide if they wanted to go with a realistic style or a cartoony one, and that inconsistency distracted me throughout the whole of the volume. It was difficult to enjoy the story when I couldn't get over the way the different characters were turned into caricatures in one frame and the next rendered rather more realistically.

The story itself was fairly decent. Poveglia is an interesting location for the Ghostbusters to be trapped in and plague doctor masks are inevitably creepy. Unfortunately, very little time was spent there. The bulk of the plot was in New York and setting up for further adventures to take place. I think a bit of an introduction would have been nice, seeing how with the exception of Winston and Egon the other characters are a bit indistinguishable from one another.

Altogether, this book was a bit bland. I wanted more from it. ( )

Ghostbusters International is a fun serviceable title. It doesn't break any new ground or contain any mind-blowing twists, but it's a good amusing read. The art is sometimes inconsistent, veering back and forth between sharp high-contrast and a more sketchy style, but not in a way that pulls the reader out of the story. In places the dialogue can come off as heavy on the in-jokes and the audience is somewhat unclear with some sections that feel more aimed at a teen or mid-grade audience and others with complicated enough historical allusions & puns to make it more appropriate for adult readers. That said, this is by no means a bad title. The colors are eye-catching and the stories are well-paced. Most readers will walk away with a positive experience, even if it's not one that will stick in their minds for a long time to come. I would recommend this title for larger public & 6-12 school collections. ( )

The ghost busting boys have gone international!
A great addition to the Ghostbusters stable with excellent graphics.
Recommended.
I was given a digital copy of this book by the publisher Diamond Book Distributors via Netgalley in return for an honest unbiased review. ( )