Review – Ghostbusters Annual 2015 (IDW Publishing)

Publisher: IDW Publishing
Writer: Erik Burnham
Artist: Dan Schoening
Release Date: 25th November, 2015

After the thrill ride that was Get Real, the IDW Ghostbusters could definitely do with a nap. Unfortunately, the Sandman thinks that their sleep should be a little more permanent.

I won’t spoil the story as there are a few nods to the past (and possibly the future) of the series, but this does feel like an opening shot across the GB’s flank in preparation of what is to come. The Sandman is possibly a pilot fish (albeit an enormous one) for something else that’s lurking in the shadows. Fingers crossed, anyway.

The only downside I can find to this annual is that it does feel a little bit like filler, but that tends to be the case with annuals anyway – particularly ones coming after such an utterly sublime series as Get Real.

The hidden gem of the annual is all the little one-shots at the end. We have nods to the TMNT adventure, a glimpse at the return (or another version – possibly an RGB universe escapee?) of a well-known spirit who wants Halloween to last forever, and the long-awaited return of ‘World of the Psychic’.

Everything is up to the usual high standard that we should come to associate with Burnham and Schoening by now, and I’m definitely excited to see what storyline threads they pull at in the upcoming “Ghostbusters International” series. All in all, as an enjoyable diversion with some intriguing Easter eggs along the way, this annual does everything it needs to, and should be considered yet another essential purchase for fans of the IDW Ghostbusters franchise.

Rating: 4/5.

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