I feel that there is a good story somewhere at the heart of Ghosted but it never made it onto the pages. Reading more like someone was inspired after binge watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer (or especially its spinoff Angel), the book meanders quite a bit and never solidifies either the protagonist or the plot. I wish the writer would have taken a cue from manga and learned to evolve the mysteries in a vertical (and therefore more organic)fashion rather than a rambling horizontal fashion. That might have kept the focus cleaner and left room for more surprises and reveals.

Story: Daphne is moving from Missoula to Los Angeles to go to school with her boyfriend, Ronnie. But when she arrives, all she finds is a hostile roommate and a boyfriend who dumps her so he can 'find himself.' Depressed and running away from a bad date, she ends up on the doorstep of a seemingly abandoned mansion called Rycroft Manor. What she finds, however, is that the manor is definitely inhabited - by ghosts.

Right off the bat, I had a lot of problems with protagonist Daphne. She is consistently rude, obnoxious, or nasty to everyone with whom she interacts - her best friend, her ex, her roommate. She's a self absorbed walking ball of selfishness and melodrama. She also spends most of the book doing actions that are incredibly stupid and creating melodrama or conflict that could easily be avoided. E.g., the first time she so lightly betrayed the ghosts' presence I was annoyed but the second time meant I was kind of hoping she'd get eaten by one of the ghouls since she was such an idiot. I kept wanting more show and less tell about her. E.g., Daphne is told repeatedly that she just does what others tell her and molds to their personalities and likes. Yet through this whole book she does nothing of the sort with anyone - she does her own thing, gets mad and yells at people, or insults them under her breath. I was hard pressed to find one instance of this personality trait that the characters kept saying she does but we never actually saw happen. I imagine that Daphne will have room to grow as the story progresses but for now she is not a character I want to follow or will cheer.

The plot is similarly problematic. It is like reading several short story vignettes that sort of tie together but whose purpose is only to push a plot point rather than to give an organic story. There are no 'little moments' or bits of saving grace to elevate the storytelling - just Daphne doing selfish and thoughtless things that cause problems for others, scene after scene. Even her voice feels wrong; instead of sounding like someone from the midwest, she has all the hipster quirks of a Santa Cruz native. Not to mention the believably issues - e..g, that someone would chance upon an empty and seemingly abandoned mansion and just walk in, take off her clothes, and go swimming (without even knowing if the pool is cleaned or chlorinated!). Ghosts I can believe but still there has to be some grounding in reality to keep the story relatable.

The oddest aspect was the very strange 'character' of Los Angeles. While there are some nods for natives (e.g., a thinly disguised Amoeba Records and Rycroft's distinctly 1930s Fairfax district type of house (homes to movie stars of the era)), LA just isn't featured. No palm lined streets, quirky Melrose storefronts, Santa Monica strip malls, etc. It's a faceless LA - one that you can unrealistically walk around in easily (the city is sprawling!) or take the bus (who takes a bus in LA?) and end up somewhere within a few minutes. It wasn't an LA that had a character so much as a bland nod. That loss was such a missed opportunity here.

The side characters were a bit more interesting than the main but there are several and so they all get short shrift. I can't help but feel it would have been better to start with just a few characters and let the others come out of the woodwork as the story progressed. Then they could have had been developed more distinctly and independently from each other.

The artwork was quite lovely - probably the best part of the series. It is clean and easy to follow, though admittedly I always prefer a bit more detail in the background (especially for a story set in a city with so much dynamism). The inside art is a bit different than portrayed on the cover and in my opinion much nicer.

In all, this needs much more focus, a more interesting main character, a plot that doesn't feel stilted and vignette-oriented, and a richer and more interesting take on the milieu of Los Angeles. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

A cute, ghostly slice-of-life comic about a naive college freshman who moves to L.A. and into a "haunted" manor.

The main story revolves around Daphne, the somewhat clueless freshman who moves into the mansion. Like many 18-year-olds, Daphne makes a lot of questionable decisions and at times can be a bit annoying. But with that comes a lot of room for character growth. The ghosts, meanwhile, are all from different time periods and have their own quirks. Some of the issues contain flashbacks to their pasts, and it's clear there's more going on in Rycroft Manor than meets the eye.

If I had one complaint, it's that there's no real sense of time and it's at times unclear at points just how long Daphne has been staying at the manor and how well she knows the ghosts.

That said, the artwork in the comic is beautiful and the mystery surrounding Rycroft and the ghosts compelling. I'll be looking forward to reading future issues of this one.

I really liked this comic! The story was super charming and relatable - I also would choose to live in a haunted apartment complex instead of with a snooty religious roommate. Daphne was a treasure, although I admit that she could use a bit more development. However, this is the first volume so she has room to grow! And at the end of volume 1 you can see that Daphne has grown some already, and I can't wait to see where she goes next. The plot was a nice blend of young adult drama, ghostly shenanigans, and mystery so it's really compelling - I read this in one sitting. Something that I also really liked was the LGBT representation, quite a few of the characters are queer and I love seeing that as part of a story.

The art was gorgeous! On literally every page I was taken aback by how beautiful and captivating the art was. The style, the colors/inking, everything about it was perfect.

I'm super happy I was able to get the opportunity to read this and I can't wait until the next volume!

I was provided this e-ARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This comic book is unlike most that I usually read, but the ghost element pulled me in. Daphne, for the most part, comes off as a smart girl who has lost sight of what she is doing; which is very reminiscent of a young adult leaving home for college. She moves all the way to Los Angeles to go to the same university as her boyfriend, angering her best friend in the process, but things don’t go as planned. Everything is a mess and her dorm roommate kind of hates her. She exhibits the loneliness we all have felt when we move across the country to set up our own lives, disconnected from our past in a jagged way; yearning for it, yet still wanting to get away. She is looking for friends, but also hesitant because she has been burned before. Amidst all this Daphne finds herself making stupid, albeit sort of funny, decisions and moving into a house filled with ghosts.

The story starts out slow, setting itself up, which seems a little boring. Its flow changes from issue to issue, which is sometimes staggering, but it is knitted together by the wonderful illustrations and coloring. The design for each character immediately invokes something in your brain–whether it be a touch of their personality or which era they are from. The dressing fashion of each ghost instantly transports you to the time they belong and makes you feel connected to them. The scenery of L.A. is also remarkable and the colours remind you of every movie/TV show you have seen.

Apart from human-ghost shenanigans, we also get to see the motivations of the undead as we blink into their past and learn about it; which was my favourite part. As we move along these four issues of the comic book, the story gets more interesting and ghost-ly, which is fun. we also get to see Daphne go through some good character development as her self-esteem emboldens and she becomes more empathetic to those around her.

The story ends on a cliffhanger and it has me hooked. I cannot wait to see what happens in the next volume of Ghosted in L.A.

An intriguing concept, similar to the BBC show Ghosts, which is why I was interested in checking this one out. I would say if you liked Ghosts you would definitely find enjoyment in reading this. The ensemble of ghosts added a really interesting array of characters and character designs which I am sure will be fleshed out more as the volumes continue.

I am always interested in the art when it comes to graphic novels/comics and safe to say the art was really pretty and the colours in the pages set at night were so beautiful!

But, that; "Now that you're gay" line really left a bad taste in my mouth. A characters sexuality shouldn't be a twist, and I personally don't think having this character as gay added anything to the story aside from maybe one story beat. Also, the story itself didn't really grab me, I enjoyed it but it wasn't anything spectacular.

Absolutely obsessed with the illustrations in this book. I think the storyline is fun, fresh, and perfect for both teenagers and young adults. The main character has a personality that jumps of the page, just like the illustrations. Thank you for the opportunity to read this.

This wasn't bad, but it wasn't great. I would definitely continue with the series, but I'm not dying to read them. The art style was absolutely amazing, but the characters and plot fell really flat for me. The main character was pretty unlikable and acted childish in a lot of ways. The plot was really rushed and certain elements were not explained the way they should have been. Again, this wasn't terrible, but it could use a lot of improvement. I would continue on to see if that improvement is made, but definitely not a new favorite series.

The art style thooooo! 10/10

*Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an open and honest review.*

This was so fun to read!
I loved the art style and the storyline was so cool!
I can't wait to read more from this series!

Wow. I absolutely loved this. I honestly have nothing negative to say. The cast of characters was so quirky and fun and I appreciate that the main character made mistakes and had a lot to learn. Still, no one was unlikeable. I will definitely be buying the next volume or requesting it if it ever becomes available!

What really drew me in first about this graphic novel was the cover and the cute and nice artwork and colours! Before reading it I was a bit skeptical if it was actually going to be good, or if it was going to be all nice art and a lame story. Luckily for me, these fears were not true AT ALL! 😍
I really liked the story in this, and although I wish that we had seen more stuff happen in Daphne's life, instead of focusing so much on the ghosts and her interaction with them, I will 100% be continuing this story with the other Volumes! Another plus is also the great rep in this! I also found myself laughing a lot while reading, and had to stop several times to say "omg this is me"! Especially liked the Harry Potter reference!

3.5 to be honest but I always round down so we rounded up for this one.

I don't read a lot of graphic novels but this one was right up my alley and I'm really glad I did!
The art was really fantastic! I love how each ghost was designed ( the behind the scenes of the art at the end was super cute and fun to read!)
I want to say I like the story but I really can't tell where it's going quite yet? So I like...the potential of a good story that is brewing? I'm definitely going to keep up with the series and get my hands on new copies ASAP.

I found some of the writing a bit choppy at some parts but just in a /this is awkward/ way. I also think the timeline is happening a bit too rapid fire for me but I can roll with it overall.
I'm really curious to see where the rest of the story goes!

This book Kept me wanting more with every page. I loved all the characters with their diverse personalities and interests, and the story itself felt relatable even while being about ghosts. Who hasn’t felt alone and misunderstood in a new place? Kind of wish I had a group of ghost friends when that happened. Can’t wait for volume 2!

This was....

It was kinda weird, but also interestring and I'd definitely be intered in finding out where this story will lead.

Surprisingly cute! The characters are maybe a little one-dimensional, but I feel like this first volume was primarily table-setting. I'm intrigued to follow the series in future.

Cute art. The color palette was beautiful. I thought the tongue in cheek cultural references were fun and seeing the ghosts' backstories in different decades was interesting.

Thanks to Boom! Studios and Netgalley for the advanced copy.
I loved the art and the coloring. Daphne is really beautiful but not really enjoyable, she is actually annoying. The story was neither bad nor great. It was okay, and I was excepting much more from the ghosts.

This volume follows Daphne, a college student who moves to LA from Montana and is seeking to find meaning and connection in her life. She stumbles upon a historical LA mansion and a diverse cast of ghosts from various parts of LA's historical past. I love the art style, and I am definitely interested in reading the next volumes in this series.

After moving to LA to follow her boyfriend, Daphne Walters, like so many before her, has been summarily dumped. While moping about it, she wanders into a courtyard with a pool and decides to dip in. While underwater, she sees her first ghost. It seems that the courtyard is surrounded by an apartment building that houses ghosts from a number of decades. But not all of the ghosts are friendly and Daphney is about to find that out the hard way.
This was a short collection so we didn't get to know any of the characters very well. The idea is a good one, the pictures are fun, and people who are regular comic readers might not mind the shortness of this book. I do wish there had been more comics collected in this first volume so we could have gotten to know the characters more.

Three stars
This book come out April 14th
ARC kindly provided by BOOM! Studios and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Daphnie follows her high school boyfriend to L.A., who then dumps her.

Her dormmate wants nothing to do with her.

And she can't seem to make friends with anyone except obnoxious boys.

Until she meets the ghosts somewhere in the Hollywood Hills, who take her in, and highjinks ensue.

Actually, that makes it sound as though it is all light hearted, but it is sweet, and cleaver, and filled with angst, and fun stuff like that.

This first volume makes me wanting to read the next one, now, please. I want to know about all the different ghosts and their lives, and how they ended up at this manor.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

This comic has a very interesting and exciting plot. The plot twists throughout the comic were both shocking and enjoyable. The ending was amazing and probably the best part of the plot. The art was the best part of the whole comic for me. I loved the way the ghosts were drawn. The colour and tone really add a lot of mood to the comic. How the story turns dull colours for flashbacks but then vibrant and lively colours for when she's in LA is really pleasing.

The main character annoyed me the most but towards the end, she starts to grow and mature. I love her relationship with her ex and the ghosts.
I'll definitely be reading more in this series and I recommend it to anyone who loves ghosts, indie college students, college drama and lgbtq+ themes.