I finish out my all-ages reviews for Halloween 2023 today with this delightful funny animal tale from horror legend John Carpenter. (I've still got a couple of mature reads left to review.) Stanley and the Haunted House is the 3rd comic in the series. Back for another annual adventure, Stanley and his friends decide to spend the night in a creepy mansion in order to prove once and for all if ghosts exist. Bandit brought the flash lights. Baby Wolf has got the food. While Natasha has a camera to document the proof of spirits.
I became aware of John Carpenter and wife Sandy King's all-ages imprint Storm Kids with last year's The Yard Gang Halloween Special. (I'm not really sure how I missed the first two Stanley books.) When I heard that this new one-shot was dropping, I was a little disappointed not having the pets from the Yard Gang. But the world of Stanley and Friends was a delightful introduction to a gaggle of characters that were a laugh riot.
These guys have panache and great comedic timing. I would love to see Stanley and his furry pals starring in an animated series. Maybe an annual Halloween cartoon special! They've got the chops on par with the Looney Tunes and the cartoons of classic Mickey, Donald and Goofy when they go ghostbusting in 1937's 'Lonesome Ghosts.'
The story was written by Jeff Balke. I'm not familiar with him. But if you ever head to Jeff Balke Studios, you will feel like you're in the presence of a true devotee to those classic cartoon predecessors I mentioned in the last paragraph. On art and inks are Walter Carzon and Horacio Ottolini. Both of these talents I AM familiar with as they are DC Comics mainstays in relation to Hanna Barbera and Looney Tunes properties. Together, these three made a terrific trio with a story that was spooky, not scary, and very laugh-out loud hilarious.
The first two Stanley books are Stanley's Ghost and Stanley and the Forgotten Forest. Both of those issues along with Stanley and the Haunted House can be purchased online at the Storm Kids parent website stormkingcomics.com (Just a bit of warning though. This site also sells Storm Kings' more mature horror titles and some images on the website may be too terrifying for young readers.) If the 2021 and 2022 Halloween specials are anything like this year's release, the young readers in your life are in for a treat. And as this book isn't set during Halloween, it's a read the family can enjoy 365 days a year for a small scare read!
Worth Consuming!
Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.
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