I’M BACK!

And to kick off the new year, I want to start with a book I should have reviewed back in 2023.

WARNING! SPOILERS AHEAD!

Watch all three seasons of Danny Phantom before reading this graphic novel!

After saving the world from the apocalyptic Disasteroid, half-human and half-ghost Danny Phantom is finally recognized as a fearless superhero. But when Danny and his friends Tucker Foley and Sam Manson start experiencing time glitches that hurl them throughout history. Danny’s archnemesis, Vlad Masters, comes to them with dire news: Dark Danny, Danny’s older, evil future self, has escaped from Clockwork’s prison!

Danny Phantom must unite friends and foes to thwart Dark Danny’s sinister plot. Can they make it back to Amity Park before Danny Phantom’s evil future self destroys their world?

 

We last saw Danny Phantom flying off into the sunset at the end of Phantom Planet. That was back in 2007. Why it took 16 years for someone to write a Danny Phantom graphic novel, I do not know.

 

Danny Phantom was one of my favorite shows as a kid. I loved the comedy and the art style. One of my favorite aspects was how the background color palette changed during a fight. And I’m happy that Gabriela Epstein used the same dark color design. Her art style is spectacular and full of vibrant colors.

 

The whole story was nerve-racking. It felt so much more intense than the original show. I think it was the lack of the show’s signature sound effects. But since this is a graphic novel, not much can be done about that.

 

I appreciated that this story expanded on Ghost lore and tried up loose ends that the show never addressed. For example, the fact that Dark Danny isn’t just Danny’s ghost half but also Plasmius’s ghost half.

 

It was weird seeing everyone with iPhones and using social media. In the original series, all they had were flip phones and Tucker’s PDA.

 

According to the author/illustrator Gabriela Epstein’s Instagram page, a second book is already in the making and will be published in Fall 2025. Featured pictures hint at the story’s subject. I’m hoping Dani Phantom, Danny’s female clone, will return. Seriously, what happened to her?! I’m still mad that she was only in two episodes and didn’t get her own spin-off series.

 

As a bonus, here are a few links to my favorite Butch Hartman Danny Phantom YouTube videos.

 

Danny Phantom Ghost Zone Secrets REVEALED! | Butch Hartman

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpnBYCR6-d4

 

The UNTOLD ANIMATED Origin of DANNY PHANTOM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOy2kZBovQw

 

LOST Danny Phantom Theme Song animation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUxNZCJSMTI&t=5s