When you love something as much as I love Ghostbusters, you get to a point of overs-saturation. Sometimes it feels like you’ve seen everything; the Ghostbusters Artbook is something you haven’t seen. I feel it’s necessary to draw the distinction between an “art book” and “the art of” books before delving any further into this beautiful hardcover collection. I own several “art of” books ( I assume you do too). For instance, The Art of Star Wars The Force Awakens is filled with early concept images and character sketches before modifications and final approval was checked off. Within these types of of books you may find script excerpts or unused wardrobe designs for iconic costumes. If you’re chasing canonical, rare images of an alternate terror dog- this is not your book. What this book is, is a heartfelt and surprisingly human collection of original artwork, submitted by artists (who are also fans themselves) inspired by the movie Ghostbusters.
Movie Artbooks can be lovely living extensions of the films they were born from, a separate way to celebrate the movies we obsess over, besides just rewatching them. As a movie fanatic who is obsessed with stunning special effects, gorgeous set design, and exploring the imaginary worlds created by writers and production studios, I love nothing more than slowly paging my way through a thick book of feature film inspired art. Obviously, as a huge Ghostbusters fan, I’ve always wanted to get my hands on a hefty, comprehensive book of art inspired by my favorite Ivan Reitman directed movie. If you’ve ever wanted something like this too then join in with me now as we collectively scream-
“WE GOT ONE!”
From the stunning cover art by Bill McConkey of Slimer exploding from a ghost trap in rich 80’s pop art flair, to the heartstring plucking opening written by Jason Reitman- this book is a much needed cathartic distraction (and that’s just the beginning!). This collection of artwork is somehow more than just a book- it’s a tapestry of fandom. A bright and colorful shared space to celebrate our love of four underdogs fighting against a giant, supernatural marshmallow man (and the man) to save the city. As Jason Reitman eloquently puts it, this book is, “A tribute to outcasts who zip up the flight suits and become heroes.”
I am proud to be a Ghostbusters fan because it’s something that celebrates the good within us all. The Ghostbusters Artbook is a tactile celebration of that good feeling and I highly recommend you pick it up!
In order to avoid spoiling the entire book for our YHS audience I won’t detail out every single piece (and I don’t dare critique them, because that’s not my territory)- I will simply highlight my favorite contributions for you.
Dan Schoening (pg. 40) Hauntingly beautiful Library Ghost! Feels outside of the lines for this GB comic book artist and I couldn’t dig it any more.
Frank Elliot (pg. 58) Obsessed with the muted Japanese inspired color palette here. Very satisfying lines and structure. A+
Erin Hunting (pg. 74) Sick pops of color! This is the fun, playful, gross Slimer we all know and love- just a lil cuter.
Mark Borgions (pg. 114) Idk even what to call this style? Art Deco? Feels 30’s/40’s structurally- either way I love looking at it!
John Yurcaba (pg. 116) I don’t just love this piece because Janine has my hair- I love it because each character's face captures a completely different emotion! Would read this comic book.
McKenna Grace (pg. 152) Congrats on being good at everything, McKenna! Could you be anymore endeared into the hearts of the GB community? Proton streams and Terror Dog eyes pop here and Gozer’s expression is on point. A++
Guy Stauber (pg. 172) You don’t normally see these bright ass cotton candy colors associated with GB art, so this stands out. I love the subtle references and the way the neon of the signs pops!
Adele Thomas (pg. 187) First off, Adele gets an A+ on her blurb writing skills. Digging the children’s book style illustration here- this is also one of my favorite underrated scenes and perhaps the greatest B-side character in the film. Bravo!
The Ghostbusters Artbook is now available now for pre-order on Amazon!
