Brody is a deadbeat loser, whose hygiene leaves much to be desired and playing his guitar on the streets gives him barely enough money to eat. All that changes when he meets Talia, a ghost that needs him to help her pass to heaven. In order for Talia to pass on, she needs to do something redeeming, and her quest is to find the Penny Murderer, and for that she needs a Ghostseer. Brody doesn’t possess any physic powers and until he saw Talia, had no idea he was a Ghostseer.
The first volume serves as a background to Brody’s life and his meeting with Talia. He needs training to reach his full potential in order to help Talia in her quest. Kagemura is his trainer, another ghost living in an ancient Japanese temple. The second volume focuses on his training and development of his psychic powers. While he is very well trained at the end, he still cannot see death echoes, the one power he needs to help Talia. An underlying story is between Brody and his ex-girlfriend Nicole — they had a bad breakup and one of Brody’s goals is to make it right between them. While it seems he has no desire or rush to help Talia, when he sees that Nicole is somehow tied to the Penny Murderer, he might be convinced. The first volume sets up the story, so the action is limited; however it picks up pace in the second volume.
Brody is a likeable character, an underdog that you want to pull for. The transformation of Brody from a deadbeat loser to a fighting warrior is inspirational, and his determination to learn the craft is admirable. Talia is a well fleshed out character and the urgency she feels to move on is palpable. The other characters aren’t developed as much, but it’s assumed that will happen in future volumes. The beauty of the artwork lies in the details. The setting of a futuristic, run down city and beat down society is well portrayed with the artwork, especially with the double page spreads of the cityscape. Overall, it’s a solid start to a series by a respected and talented artist that will intrigue you enough to read on.
Brody’s Ghost Volume 1-2
by Mark Crilley
Vol. 1 ISBN: 9781595825216
Vol. 2 ISBN: 9781595286657
Dark Horse Books, 2010
