Book Review: 'Ghostbusters: Artbook' from Printed In Blood & Insight Editions

cover art by Bill McConkey

'Ghostbusters: Artbook', from Printed In Blood in collaboration with Insight Editions, is the latest in a series of officially licensed artbooks based upon classic, cult and popular sci-fi, horror and action films.

This impressive volume features over 170 international artists and illustrators, many of which have also graced the pages of this blog, all brought together to celebrate (in my humble opinion) one of the best films from the 1980's; Ivan Reitman's 'Ghostbusters'.

The 208 page hardcover book begins with a short introduction from Jason Reitman, son of Ivan and the director of the upcoming 'Ghostbusters: Afterlife' movie, and perfectly encapsulates the lightning in a bottle experience that 'Ghostbusters' was when it was released back in 1984. A perfect storm of a movie, that after the end credits roll, lives beyond the silver screen and in our hearts. As Jason puts it; "The art in these pages is an expression of that existence. A tribute to the outcasts who zip up the flight suits and become heroes."

The book is then broken down into ten chapters, with each glossy page capturing an essence of what made the movie so good - the characters, the ghosts, the monsters, the iconic Ectomobile and more. A myriad of brand new and exclusive ideas and designs give the book a variety of individual artistic styles showcasing the sublime talents of the artists that created them, so that there will be something that should catch the eye for everybody, which I'm sure made curating the artwork for this book a difficult job! Comments from the artists are also spread sporadically throughout, giving an interesting insight into the film's influences on their artwork as well as what the film means to them. There is also an artist index at the back of the book, with their social media accounts (Instagram unless noted otherwise), should a particular piece stand out and you want to find out more about the artists.

The book itself is a large sized (9¼" x 12¾") hardcover edition, with the pages having a thick and glossy deluxe feel to them, ideal for pouring over the ghostly eye candy that is printed on them in fine detail. I thought it a nice touch that the book is also dedicated to Harold Ramis, who played Egon Spengler in the movie.

Highly recommended and a great artbook for your collection if you love the movie or are into alternative movie art. Thanks to Insight Editions for providing a copy for review.

The book is released May 19 2020 - go here to pre-order.