It seems that no one lives in the elegant mansion on the hill…but where then is that eerie organ music come from? Are its iron gates meant to keep people out…or keep some things in? Filled with wall-to-wall creeps and hot and cold running chills, the happy haunts of the Haunted Mansion come to (after)life like never before! Get ready to meet the 999 spooks lingering within. But be warned, they’re looking for the 1000^th!

Crypt doors will creak, and tombstones will quake. And the next spine-tingling Disney Kingdoms adventure is about to begin. What terrifying secrets lie deep within the mansion?

I’m not a big Disney person and the idea of bringing their iconic rides to comics has little draw for me. Due to that, this is my first time checking out a Disney Kingdoms comic, and I feel like I missed out on some quality. I’ve heard some good things, but with so much quality out there to read, I hadn’t gotten around to seeing for myself, and with a copy to review, I’m really glad I was finally able to.

Written by Joshua Williamson, The Haunted Mansion #1 takes what little I remember about the ride it’s based on and creates a rather fun first issue that has a bit of heart and a really good build that makes me want to check out what happens next. What Williamson does really well is build up the emotional depth that gets you to really care about the characters and does so with something we can all relate to, the death of a relative. That small detail also feels a bit “Disney” to me.

The art by Jorge Coelho is really solid with a nice mix of supernatural in a “my first spooky story” sort of way. It’s not scary, but could be a good entry for younger kids into the horror/ghost genre. The ghosts look like a good design and there’s some sequences of confusion that work really well.

I hadn’t check out a Disney Kingdoms comic, and I’m really glad I did, so much so I want to see what else I missed and actually looking forward to the next issue.

Story: Joshua Williamson Art: Jorge Coelho
Story: 8.3 Art: 7.9 Overall: 8.25 Recommendation: Buy

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review