Jan, Jace, Blip and Space Ghost travel to the Ghost Planet, the mysterious headquarters of the even more mysterious Space Ghost. Leaving on an urgent mission, Space Ghost give explicit orders to: STAY. PUT. What could go wrong? Also featuring an unexpected flight of the Phantom Cruiser! Space Ghost #2 is a hell of a second issue that adds so much to the mythos.

Written by David Pepose, Space Ghost #2 adds so much to the world of Space Ghost. I watched the cartoon when I was a kid and remember a rather thin world. It mostly focused on the adventure, taking a villain of the week approach. Background, depth, history, it wasn’t really there (though it’s been decades since I’ve watched any of it). Space Ghost’s origin? Name? I couldn’t tell you any of that, though there’s been some of it in comics and shows later on. There’s never really been a definitive history as far as I know. Hopefully, and maybe, Space Ghost #2 delivers that as we find out not just Space Ghost’s first name, but what drove him to become the avenging hero he is.

Pepose gives us an interesting take on our hero too. He’s a bit cold, and honestly quite a dick, to Jan, Jace, and Blip. It’s a character who’s much more a cold, calculating Batman with a tinge of Iron Man and compared to the classic cartoon, feels like a much “darker” take. But, by the end of the comic, we see a bit of a transformation as the issue takes on a bit of the villain of the week feel and we see the trio come together to defeat the villain. The vibe of the comic at that point is much closer to the classic cartoon and a bit of levity to the rather serious start of the comic.

Jonathan Lau‘s art continues to impress. With colors by Andrew Dalhouse and lettering by Taylor Esposito, Space Ghost looks as imposing as he should and Jan and Jace look like the kids they are. Though the style is slightly different than the cartoon, the look overall matches the tone of Pepose’s vision for this take. What’s more interesting is how “lived in” Space Ghost’s world is. This isn’t some clean, futuristic base. It looks worn down, run down, in some ways, a bachelor too focused on his job to take care of all of the small things that need to be done as far as upkeep. Far as advanced as Space Ghost’s technology is, he’s kind of a mess in other ways.

Space Ghost #2 is a fantastic issue that begins to bring together the team. Space Ghost goes from a solo protector to discovering he might have a new family he needs to work with. He goes from protector to team member. From guardian to a teacher. It’s a hell of a transition in a single issue. Space Ghost #2 begins with tragedy but ends with the formation of a new family.

Story: David Pepose Art: Jonathan Lau
Color: Andrew Dalhouse Letterer: Taylor Esposito
Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5 Recommendation: Buy

Dynamite Entertainment provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle

Growing up, I loved cartoons and I’d watch them after school and of course Saturday mornings. One that I was always excited for was Space Ghost. I loved the characters, the design, and generally the stories. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen them, and as far as comics, I have only read the most recent release a few years ago from DC. So, I was excited to hear that Space Ghost would be returning and after reading Space Ghost #1, beyond excited for where it’s going.

In this new take on Space Ghost, greed and corruption flourish in the darkness between stars. With the territories of the Galactic Federation spread far and wide across the vastness of space, pirates and hijackers ransack the distant colonies with cruel disregard for the innocent scientists living within them. But, there’s a cosmic vigilante to bring justice, one whose existence are just whispers.

Writer David Pepose steps in to launch Space Ghost with a hell of a start that feels like an injection of life into the almost 6 decade property. One thing that always stood out to me was the rather thin world of Space Ghost. We didn’t know much beyond his direct adventures like his origin, what this galaxy is like, are there others, where did Jace and Jan come from… there were a lot of questions I felt were unanswered and I just rolled with it.

Pepose begins to flesh out all of those questions and more in Space Ghost #1 as we learn more about this world and characters. Pepose’s Space Ghost is much more like Batman than anything else. He’s a character whose existence is whispers and unconfirmed but he’s feared by those that break the law. We see an “origin” of sort as Space Ghost meets his sidekicks as he saves them from marauding pirates who are after something. There are hints of corrupt cops, corporations, and more, and it all comes together for a world and concept that has far more depth than what I remember.

Jonathan Lau provides the art which is fantastic. Featuring colors by Andrew Dalhouse and lettering by Taylor Esposito, the art perfectly builds the myth of Space Ghost. The style has a bit of Flash Gordon mixed with the classic cartoon and builds to the reveal of our hero. Lau and the team dig into the pulp aspect of it all delivering a comic that feels like both an update to the characters but also a throwback in some way as well. There’s a great use of reveals and building to moments through the art and you get the sense of dread and fear as the attack on Jan and Jace goes on. It’s art that perfectly matches the story.

Space Ghost #1 is a debut that feels much more like a sci-fi Batman as our hero is glimpsed almost like a ghost than man. Pepose also makes him fallible, giving us moments where he falters a bit and we don’t know how exactly he’ll get out of the situation. It makes for a much more grounded start and one that teases and promises a hell of a series. This is how you take a thin property and expand the world while also honoring its past.

Story: David Pepose Art: Jonathan Lau
Color: Andrew Dalhouse Letterer: Taylor Esposito
Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5 Recommendation: Buy

Dynamite Entertainment provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: TFAW – Zeus Comics – Kindle