Ghost Tree

Ghost Tree by Bobby Curnow
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Eager to escape his rocky marriage, Brandt flies home to Japan and encounters his grandfather's ghost at the Ghost Tree, a willow tree in the forest behind his grandmother's house.

I'd never heard of Ghost Tree before it was up for an Eisner award but I decided to give it a shot. Totally worth it.

Rooted in Japanese ghost lore, Ghost Tree is the story of men running from their problems. Brandt, like his deceased grandfather, can see ghosts and talk to them at the Ghost Tree.

It doesn't sound that great from my description but Ghost Tree is one of those sensitive little tales, like one of those one issue Sandman stories back in the day. It's about dangers of dwelling in the past and of hiding from hiding from your fears instead of confronting them. The ghost of Brandt's lost love shows him the way and sends him on his merry way.

The art reminds me both of Moebius and Stan Sakai. It feels minimalist most of the time but also manages to be intricate. Zero has such a striking design and all the individual ghosts are bursting with character. The writing, specifically the character, drive the story along at a good clip. As I breezed through the pages, dreading reaching the end, both not wanting the story to end and not wanting to see what befell Brandt.

Ghost Tree is the best standalone graphic novel I've read in years. Five out of five giant centipedes.

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