Ghost World

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.

This page stuffs two different works -- a comic book and a film, acknowledged to be substantially different -- into the same page. They should be given individual pages and this page turned into a Disambiguation Page between the two.

Starting as an indie comic series by acclaimed graphic novelist Daniel Clowes, Ghost World appeared in Eightball #11-18 (June, 1993-March, 1997). It was later adapted into an equally acclaimed indie film, which was released in 2001. Both versions follow Deadpan Snarkers Enid Coleslaw and Rebecca Doppelmeyer as they face the summer after high school graduation. The film cast Thora Birch as Enid and Scarlett Johansson as Rebecca.

While conceptually similar, the comic and film differ in their featured characters. The character of Josh, an alienated friend (and quasi-love interest) of Enid's (and Rebecca's), plays a major role in the comic, while only being a side character in the film. Seymour, a lonely and cynical middle-aged man is a central character in the film, yet only appears for a few panels in the comic, a victim of one of Enid's pranks.

Enid and Rebecca's conversations would not be out of place in a Daria episode, though they lack the moral core which would make them that kind of Deadpan Snarker.

Definitely a darker look at the classic coming-of-age stories, much of Ghost World's popularity lies in its frank treatment of adolescence and alienation. It's also quite funny.

Not to be confused with the tropes Ghost Planet, Ghost Town or Ghost City.

Both comic and film contain examples of:

Enid: "I think I'm going crazy from sexual frustration."
Rebecca: "And you haven't heard the miracle of masturbation?

  • Deadpan Snarker: Enid, Rebecca, Josh, and (in the movie) Seymour.
  • Eagle Land: Type 2. Enid's nameless town is a wasteland of strip malls populated by the lonely and troubled.
  • Guess Who I'm Marrying: Enid's father remarries the worst possible (in Enid's opinion) of his previous romantic interests.
  • No Celebrities Were Harmed: The male "Satanist" is a virtual dead-ringer for the late founder of the Church of Satan, Anton LaVey.
  • Prank Date: What Enid pulls on Seymour, though it leads to very different outcomes in the film and the book.
  • Significant Sketchbook: Seymour discovers Enid's sketchbook at one point, and feels crushed when he sees a portrait of himself portrayed as depressing and alone.
  • Surrounded by Idiots: Most of Enid's classmates.
  • This Loser Is You: Seymour.
    • An argument can be made for Enid in the movie, much to the ire of fans of the original comic. The film comes off as a deconstruction of the comic.
The film contain examples of:
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