Ghost Whisperer Coming to IDW Comics

This is an official IDW press release:

San Diego, CA (March 13, 2008) - Fans of Ghost Whisperer may not be able to communicate with the dead, but come March they will get to see more ghosts who are stuck between earth and the afterlife. That's because IDW Publishing is presenting a five-issue monthly comic series that spins out of the hit CBS television show starring Jennifer Love Hewitt as Melinda Gordon, the medium who helps ghosts cross over. The all-new comic series was written by Ghost Whisperer TV show writers Carrie Smith and Becca Smith and have art by Elena Casagrande, who also did the art for IDW Publishing's Star Trek Alien Spotlight: Orions.

"Our storyline is going to be written by people who are well aware of the overall story, as well as what is going to happen in the show that the fans don't even know about yet," says Tom Waltz, the series editor. "So the storyline is true to series without spoiling anything that is yet to come."

The comics fit in after Season 2 and before Season 3 and, as in the show, Melinda spends her days and nights helping earthbound spirits cross into the Light. But in this series Melinda gets more than she bargained for when she comes face-to-face with Osiris, Egyptian God of the Dead, who wants the souls for himself.

The comics follows the structure of the show in that a ghost needs to cross over in each issue. And, "The series keeps you on your toes, it's deep and spiritual and there are excellent cliffhangers," says Waltz. Unlike in the show, another ghost - Osiris - appears in each of the five issues, which ties the series together and keeps the momentum and tension going from one issue to the next.

The writers started with the Osiris premise, according to Carrie Smith, partially because John Gray, the creator of Ghost Whisperer, is a history nut. And the premise is fertile ground, both visually and story-wise, she says. "Ancient Egypt is just chock-full of cool visuals," she says. "You've got your mummies, hieroglyphics, scarabs, cool costumes and demons."

While Osiris and the lost ghosts are new to the series, "the plotline features all of the major characters and relationships that viewers are familiar with," says Carrie Smith. And, she says, no new sidekicks or ongoing characters are introduced in the comics.

Casagrande and artists Joselle Ho and Brian Miller provide chilling art for the covers. Plus some incentive issues have photo covers featuring Jennifer Love Hewitt.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008