Ghostopolis

Today’s blog is about the book i read titled Ghostopolis by Doug TenNapel. It is a fictional  graphic novel about a kid named Garth Hale who finds out he has special powers when he is  accidentally taken to the ghost world in the after life. The place is called Ghostopolis and is were he meets the ghost of his grandfather Cecil.

Frank Gallows is a ghost wrangler who doesn’t like his job at all but he is the best so they keep him on duty. In an attempt to catch a nightmare horse he mistakenly zaps Garth who was in the way. Garth’s mom freaks out and Frank is fired. Frank feels responsible and wants to bring Garth back home. The only way to get to the ghost world is by traveling on a plasma pod so Frank goes to his ex-fiancee Claire who happens to be a ghost herself and had built a plasma pod.

While at Ghostopolis, Garth meets Skinny, the skeleton horse Frank tried to capture.  They became very close and Skinny protects Garth.  They met up with Cecil, Garth’s grandpa who looks like a kid and slowly grows up to an adult.  He also protects Garth from the gangs of giant bugs under the command of the evil leader Vaughner.  They were on the lookout for Garth the human boy.  Vaughner knew Garth had special powers and he wanted the power for himself to control and rule Ghostopolis forever.

Frank and Claire finally made it to the afterlife and found Garth.  To get back home they had to get  electricity from the power plant to get  enough electrical energy to zap them back.  However the plant was in Vaugner’s lair and it was difficult to get to.  They ended up getting help from the Bone King and his army.  The Bone King ruled one of the seven kingdoms that Vaughner controlled for a long time and finally decided it was time to overthrow the evil ruler. My favorite part is when Garth used his magical powers to defeat Vaughner and obliterated him into thin air.  This shows how good is more powerful than evil.

I think the theme of this story is learning to accept ourselves and how our differences can be a good thing.  Garth felt that he was different, but being different and having magical powers helped him defeat the evil leader Vaughner and save Ghostopolis for all the unliving.  He also realized he was stronger that he thought even if he had a sickness and was dying. His actions and bravery saved the afterlife and made it a better place for those coming after.