And in the backup feature, Ruff and Reddy were once the toast of nightclubs, variety shows, late night chat fests and Broadway. Learn how they became the comedic duo of yesterday… before they hit rock-bottom today!
Out of all of the meetings for this wave of DC meets Hanna-Barbera comics, Green Lantern meeting Space Ghost was the most straightforward of them all. It’s a no-brainer. And unfortunately, that ease of characters results in a rather paint by numbers comic where the two heroes clash, fighting for a bit, then eventually teaming up to fight the real enemy. I love Space Ghost, it was one of my favorite childhood cartoons, so I also had very high expectations reading this
I love Space Ghost, it was one of my favorite childhood cartoons, so I also had very high expectations reading this. Writers James Tynion IV and Chris Sebela don’t give us a bad story. In fact, this would be a solid one-off comic, but it’s also pretty standard. It doesn’t challenge things at all when it comes to these characters meeting with is also a problem in the Adam Strange/Future Quest Special as well. In both cases, the characters work together which makes the story itself feel like it’s missing something special to make it pop. It’s just each rely on the “standards” for when two heroes meet, fighting before taking on the real enemy. There’s some fun beats in the issue, I just wish there was something a bit more original to it all.
The story is hampered by Ariel Olivetti’s art. Olivetti relies heavily on what feels like off the shelf 3D renders which has caused some issues in the past. In this case, we get figures that feel like they’re familiar mechs and one that is absolutely ED209 from Robocop, but with saw hands. The tease at the end also looks a little too Battle of the Planets. Olivetti does some cool art, but when you’re spending time playing “spot the other intellectual property” there’s something that needs to be changed.
Howard Chaykin‘s Ruff ‘n’ Ready backup takes a bit to get going, but once it does, it’s solid entertainment. Taking us through how these two character come together creates some interesting worldbuilding that’s subtle in its delivery but gives us a solid sense of what this world is like without being the focus. It’s a really interesting read due to that alone. The story itself has some issues with that sense of dragging. That “punchline” is really at the end with just a few pages, so it’s a lot of build up to get to actually get to Ruff ‘n’ Ready.
This entire comic has some issues, which makes me hesitant to recommend spending dollars on it. There’s just not enough new in the main story to really make it stand out and the backup is a lot of build-up to get to the point.
Green Lantern/Space Ghost
Story: James Tynion IV and Chris Sebela Art: Ariel Olivetti
Story: 7.0 Art: 6.0 Overall: 6.70 Recommendation: Pass
Ruff ‘n’ Ready
Story: Howard Chaykin Art: Howard Chaykin
Story: 7.45 Art: 8.05 Overall: 7.50 Recommendation: Read
DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
