Customer Reviews

Ghostwriter: Into the Comics [VHS]

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This popular PBS series focuses on a team of kids in Brooklyn who can communicate with the elusive spirit know as Ghostwriter through reading and writing words. His ability to transcend space and deliver messages keeps them together as a diverse and likeable group of young detectives.

This is one of the more light-hearted mysteries of "Ghostwriter" but it's only the fourth one in the series. When the series progressed it took on more serious topics such as environmentalism, violence and drug use. This story focuses on an exciting scavenger hunt that takes the kids outside and all over Brooklyn to win a contest. At the start of the show the kids looked small and gangly compared to the bullying THABTO team in "Ghost Story" and the adults in "Who Burned Brinker's Store". Now time has passed and they look more fleshed out, more like real teenagers, and just as enthusiastic to be on their next case.

Sometimes the adversaries or villains of Ghostwriter tend to be just plain weird or annoying. Stoopdude is funny but not intolerable, probably because he reminds me of what all rabid comic book rejects want: vengeance. Since I'm a fan of comics AND have lived in Brooklyn, I don't see a reason to provoke the climax where Stoopdude attempts to stop the kids from winning the contest. (We spend billions of dollars to read about guys dressed up like bats and spiders. Why not Hoodman?) Stoopdude uses his artistic talent to lead the kids off the trail but they get back on track with reading and writing skills, teamwork, and the help of their supernatural friend to crack the case.

I was glad to see the team make a few mistakes in the beginning of the contest. They are expected to look at Hoodman's comic panels for hidden clues and head out to various stops but they're so eager that they end up at the wrong place. So the Ghostwriter team isn't 100 percent perfect either. It's also an important lesson on research for elementary and middle school kids. Rather than rush ahead with quick assumptions, it's important to go back, review the information carefully, and draw realistic conclusions.

Breaking away from the whimsical plot lets the viewers into some more serious subplots. Alex and Gaby Fernandez see their parents in a heated debate and fear a divorce. While their mother admits that it does happen to many families, she assures them that arguing doesn't always end in divorce and can sometimes help people understand each other better.

Meanwhile, quiet shy Rob has previously "seen" Ghostwriter and is considered a member of the team. But instead of eagerly accepting Jamal's offer, he withdraws back into his books. His military father wants him to try out for baseball but Rob finds more relief and comfort when he befriends Double T, a homeless poet. Double T's advice to Rob helps when he composes a moving poem to his father to express his love of writing. With that conflict behind him, Rob willingly comes back to the Ghostwriter team. (In the mystery that follows this one, "To the Light", Rob goes searching for Double T while the team learns about the Vietnam War. It's darker than "Comics" but it's one of the best Ghostwriter mysteries that aired.)

This mystery is a tad silly thanks to Stoopdude's bizarre antics, especially when the team contacts his aunt and they all go chasing him at the end of the contest. But it's still a good mystery that's all about fun and adventure. Lenni gets her friends to keep on trying, there's lots of beautiful outdoor scenes of Brooklyn, and Rob finally joins the team as the sixth member.

This movie is the best movie ever! It is very exciting. It has sitting on the edge of your seat action filled suspence. Why are you reading this? You should be buying this instead!

"The Ghostwriter team enters a scavenger hunt sponsored by Cosmic Comics.
The game turns serious when the kids receive threatening letters and discover that someone is trying to make sure that they won't win the race.
CAN GHOSTWRITER AND THE TEAM UNMASK THE CHEATER IN TIME?"
[from the back cover of VHS case]

this show is about a skeptical looking eye that floats around and sends these kids messages. It's a little mindless. I loved it when I was like 9 though. but now i think it is very stupid. I mean, who cares if there's a "ghost" that writes to some sickly looking kids on a computer in some kind of weird blue mode that's unknown to man? And who cares if he reassembles some letters to make them say "rally L" or something? And why can't they tell anyone about ghostwriter? This would have been a good hurdle if they could think of a reason.