So Jackson is locked up, again, and the only way out is to help out on another case which of course, involves some ghost problems.  It is just his luck and the very last thing that Jackson wants to do, but with a little convincing, he decides to go along with it.  Part of what Jackson has to do involves the son of his friend Trick, and with Trick being dead, Jackson feels he kind of owes it to the guy.  Joshua Williamson never makes it that easy for our hero though, and what looks like an easy job, turns out to be much more complicated and Jackson is going to get a lot more than he bargained for.  What is a little funny as you read this is you cannot help but laugh at Jackson because he should be used to this by now, especially with his latest two escapades.  The good thing is, he will not be alone in it as he still has Anderson by his side, or at least her ghost, and Nina Bloodcrow.  Also, and how could he forget, his babysitter and onetime apprentice who is new to the cast.

One of the better things about the series thus far is that no matter how it changes or what the situation might be, Jackson remains essentially the same in his thinking.  Jackson knows all he wants to know about the paranormal side of things, and he does know a lot, but he has an attitude that is always getting him into trouble.  Sure, he is quite useful to those that have a certain type of problem and is quick to adapt to the needs of the situation, but he is always getting himself into situations that are hard to get out of and with each passing storyline, it becomes just a little bit funnier watching him trying to figure out how he is going to get out of whatever it might be.  What turned out to be a really nice surprise in this current story was reading Anderson’s origin as well as seeing her get a lot of face time too.  Though the supporting characters have changed, there has only ever been one constant, and that is Anderson, having stuck it out from the very first.  It was a long time in the coming, but it was worth it as we learn quite a bit about her and her past and discover that she is every bit as complicated as Jackson is, maybe more so.

It is good to see that as the book moves into its third storyline, Williamson is not simply content to rest on his laurels, instead making things more and more interesting, and even crazier if it can be believed, along the way.  The first storyline the series dealt with was an old-fashioned ghost story, while the second served up demons in an old Aztec temple.  This particular story heads back to familiar territory, yet adds the insanity of a mad magician, a biker gang and candles made from the blood of virgins.  Williamson even brings back Markus Schrecken for a conflict that should be quite exciting when it eventually happens, setting the man up as Jackson’s archenemy.

There are many reasons why Ghosted is one of the best series continually published by Image Comics and a big part of that belongs to the quality of the artwork, this time by Goran Sudzuka and Davide Gianfelice and the great colouring by Miroslav Mrva.  They give the book some truly haunting imagery and it is absolutely beautiful to marvel at.  But overall, and going hand in hand with that artwork, is some solid storytelling by Joshua Williamson, a master of the craft who simply gets better and better with every passing book.  Mixing just the right amount of tension and suspense with the perfect blend of horror, drama and action, the book is a continually solid and entertaining read.

4 out of 5