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

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