Review: Ghostopolis by Doug Tennapel

It's been awhile since I read a fun graphic novel, and this past weekend during the read-a-thon was the perfect opportunity to check out Doug Tennapel's Ghostopolis.  I've seen this around on a few other blogs and really wanted to give it a try.

Synopsis:  From Goodreads, "Imagine Garth Hale's surprise when he's accidentally zapped to the spirit world by Frank Gallows, a washed-out ghost wrangler. Suddenly Garth finds he has powers the ghosts don't have, and he's stuck in a world run by the evil ruler of Ghostopolis, who would use Garth's new found abilities to rule the ghostly kingdom. When Garth meets Cecil, his grandfather's ghost, the two search for a way to get Garth back home, and nearly lose hope until Frank Gallows shows up to fix his mistake."

Review:  Despite what looks to be a light-hearted ghost story, with historical figures and skeletal remains of animals, this graphic novel had a few twists that gave it heart.  The story centered on the little boy named Garth, who also faced a sad future not counting his accidental trip to the spirit world.  In the spirit world, Garth got a chance to meet up with his grandfather, a man his mother never wanted to talk about.  Together, the two try to figure a way to get young Garth back to his mother.  

To this mix we add in a quirky, crime-fighter sort of guy, Frank Gallows, who asks his former sweetheart to help him go to the spirit world to save Garth.  There's only one problem, they used to be engaged and might just have unresolved issues!  

This fast-paced, action-filled graphic novel is light and fun to read, but has several funny messages tucked away in its pages.  We get to see problems resolved and relationships mended.  There are some funny historical figures inserted into the story that feel out of place but add a funny twist to the main action in the story.  After all, it's all about getting a young boy back out of the spirit world, so wouldn't he get a chance to meet a few historical figures along the way?  Altogether, this was a fun, comical ride through the spirit world and back again.