Sightings of a ghost ship propel the Ghostbusters into action as regular artist Dan Schoening assumes the art chores on "The New Ghostbusters" backup tale, making room for Evan "Doc" Shaner to deliver the visuals for the lead tale in "Ghostbusters" #7. Erik Burnham stays the course, writes both chapters in this comic book and delivers a healthy dose of humor-tinged supernatural suspense.
While his characters aren't as animated as those of regular series artist, Dan Schoening, Shaner's figures are no less expressive, filling the panels nicely and transmitting their emotions and attitudes cleanly. Having the two artists in the same issue makes for a nice comparison exercise, as each brings a different flair to the stories. Schoening tends to be much more animated, while Shaner adds a shadowy tint to the ghosts and other ethereal components of "Ghostbusters" #7. Shaner's thicker lines that are more in the spirit of traditional comic art and even coloring book art, giving this story a very classic feel despite its modern sensibilities and coloring courtesy of coloring trio Luis Antonio Delgado, Andrew Harmon, Samuel Plata. Shaner's strong use of white space for emphasis and equally strong deployment of panel in panel and out-of-panel figures for fun give "Ghostbusters" #7 some visual punches not common in comic books.
The Ghostbusters on active duty in this issue include Kylie Griffin, Peter Venkman and Ray Stanz. Subplots from Burnham orbit around Egon's discomfort with his recent experiences and Janine's own attempts to find a way to cope with her recent experiences. Zeddemore, meanwhile, takes a trip to Las Vegas under the guise of a getaway, but trouble has a way of finding the Ghostbusters no matter where they go or why. Burnham does a fine job weaving all of the various storylines together without sacrificing any of the others. That makes "Ghostbusters" #7 a finely balanced team book that gives each member of the team a chance to remind readers of who they are and what they contribute to the series.
With barely enough space in the backup tale to gain traction, writer Burnham, Schoening and colorist Delgado make a strong showing with a career day school visit from the Chicago Ghostbusters
Ron Alexander (who has to be based on Chevy Chase) and "Rookie," putting a scare into kids and continuing the ongoing strip that has enough legs to become a fun regular addition to this title.
"Ghostbusters" #7 is yet another enjoyable installment in this solid series from IDW. Shaner might not be identical to Schoening, but the two artists do have a similar sense of fun with their work that shines through quite nicely, adding energy to the story the whole way through. With Halloween sneaking up on us, "Ghostbusters" continues to be a reminder that the supernatural doesn't have to be limited to one month a year, especially with stories that are filled with fun characters.