Ghosted in L.A. is a new Boom! Box series by Sina Grace, illustrated by Siobhan Keenan with colors by Cathy Le. If Grace’s name sounds familiar, it’s because he’s behind the solo X-Men book Iceman, in which Iceman comes out of the closet. While Ghosted in L.A. isn’t a superhero comic it does have that same witty and heartfelt dialogue I’ve grown to love from Grace. This is a realistic comic with a paranormal bend.
Daphne Walters follows her boyfriend to college in Los Angeles and gets way more than she bargained for in the process. Daphne doesn’t really ask herself what she really wants in life, and instead takes on the interests and hobbies of her boyfriends. Her best friend, Kristi, calls her out on it right before Daphne moves from Missoula, Montana to the city of Angels. This results in Daphne cutting off her Kristi.
Daphne is idealistic and unfettered as she takes on the new adventures awaiting her in college, but things don’t go as planned. Her roommate is a moody girl who drives Daphne out of their room by hosting bible studies and Ronnie, her boyfriend, dumps her the first week of class. This sends her running into (literally) Rycroft Manor, a seemingly abandoned apartment complex. Daphne takes a dip in the pool only to discover Rycroft Manor is haunted! The ghosts are mostly friendly and lead by Agi, who agrees to let Daphne stay on a temporary basis. What could go wrong?
Ghosted in L.A. is a fun story that has a bit of mystery to it. Why are the ghosts haunting Rycroft Manor? Why hasn’t a developer hasn’t tried to flip the property? What’s the backstory of each ghost? And will Daphne figure out what she wants in life? All these answers lie in most of the first volume, and I’m eager for the second volume to come out so I can find out more! Also, there’s a great LGBT storyline between one of the ghosts and Ronnie.
Content warning for sexual assault in one storyline. Daphne goes out with a pushy bro to get over Ronnie. He isn’t good at taking no for an answer, and luckily the ghosts save the day. This is definitely an older teen and up read.
Grace is great at weaving a compelling story, and I love how Daphne’s slang is a little out of time and place just like the ghosts she befriends. Keenan’s art has clean lines and she’s great at fashions since the ghost range from the 1930s to the present. Grace lends his artistic hand to the first three pages and some of the covers. His style is a little blockier than Keenan’s, but it still fits in with the tone of the comic. The colors are fantastic in this book! Le is great at using a subdued palette for the ghosts and supernatural activity while having living characters pop with brighter colors. If you’re looking to add to your older teen/new adult graphic novel collections then Ghosted in L.A. would be a welcome addition.
Ghosted in L.A.
By Sina Grace
Art by Siobhan Keenan and Sina Grace
ISBN: 9781684155057
Boom! Box, 2020
Publisher Age Rating: Teen
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NFNT Age Recommendation: Teen (13-16), Older Teen (16-18), Adult (18+)
Character Traits: Gay
Creator Highlights: Own Voices, LGBTQIA+ Creator
