Being a game reviewer, I obviously spent a fair amount of time playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 this holiday season. I’m not going to rant about the gameplay or anything, since this isn’t the place for that, but it was good. Very good. The story, in particular, was extremely interesting, and while it was short, it definitely managed to squeeze a good amount of action and adventure into a great narrative. One area where it suffered, however, was characterization, since it was hard to really push forward any character development in-between explosions and helicopter battles.

One such character that sat on the sidelines, begging to be explained, was Ghost, who accompanies the players throughout the story. Since the worlds of gaming and comics have been blending together more and more as the years go by, it made perfect sense for a comic spin off. Written by David Lapham with art by Kevin West, the first issue was released a few weeks ago, and does a good job laying the foundation for a short series.



While the story is focused on Ghost, the first issue only briefly shows the character. Instead, it actually takes place several years earlier. Held captive, Ghost tells a group of people a Joker-esque story about why he wears a skeleton mask, shifting the location to Mexico during the Dia de Muerte celebration. It’s a very Call of Duty story, with all of the typical twists and turns that are expected of the series. Strangely, the problem is that too much actually happens in the first issue, and since so little time is spent setting up situations or building characters, it’s more confusing than dramatic when someone is killed than dramatic. When it’s over none of it really matters, since the end wraps up the story fairly nicely, but it still feels like the plot of the first issue should have been spread to at least a second.

With rumors of a possible Ghost-centric video game in the future, I wouldn’t be surprised if we’re getting an early look at the story, since playing through Dia de Muerte would be pretty entertaining, and it’s obvious that Lapham has laid out an impressive story for the series. All in all, I’m excited to see where this is going. Kevin West’s art is appealing and fitting for the war story, and the writing feels as though it will benefit from growing over six issues. The next will be out very soon, so be sure to check back to see if Ghost’s story is worth following for fans of Call of Duty, or if his character is better left unexplained.