SPACE GHOST VOL. 1 #3
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT
STORY: David Pepose
ART: Jonathan Lau
COLORS: Andrew Dalhouse
LETTERS: Taylor Esposito
EDITOR: Joseph Rybandt
COVER: Francesco Mattina
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Jae Lee with June Chung; Bjorn Barends; Michael Cho
32pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (June 2024)
Rated “Teen”
“Beware the Web of the Widow!”
Space Ghost is a superhero character created by the American animation studio and production company, Hanna-Barbera Productions. The character first appeared in the Saturday morning cartoon series, “Space Ghost,” which was originally broadcast on CBS from September 1966 to September 1967 for 20 episodes.
In his original incarnation, Space Ghost was a superhero whose base of operations was a small world known as “Ghost Planet.” He fought super-villains in outer space with his teen sidekicks, Jan and Jace, and their monkey, Blip. His main weapons were power bands he wore around his wrists and lower arms; the bands fired off multiple energy beam-based attacks, including heat, cold, and force, to name a few. Space Ghost could also fly, survive in space, and turn invisible (his “Inviso Power”). He also had a space ship known as “the Phantom Cruiser.”
Space Ghost sporadically appeared in various comic book publications over a fifty year period. Dynamite Entertainment has just launched a new Space Ghost comic book as part of its licensing agreement with Warner Bros. Entitled Space Ghost Volume 1, it is written by David Pepose; drawn by Jonathan Lau; colored by Andrew Dalhouse; and lettered by Taylor Esposito. In the new series, twins Jan and Jace Keplar and their pet monkey, Blip, meet that legendary cosmic vigilante known as “the Space Ghost.”
Space Ghost Volume 1 #3 (“Beware the Web of the Widow!”) opens as Space Ghost, Jan, Jace, and Blip battle Lizard Slavers, and the tide is turning... against our heroes! Enter the Widow. Not only is she their savior, but she also has an offer that is hard to refuse: join her in a heist that will penetrate Robo Corp central.
Now, Space Ghost can find out why Robo Corp's CEO, Dr. Xander Ibal, has placed a five million-credits bounty on his head. What does he want of him that is different from what the Galactic Patrol wants? Will Space Ghost, Jan, and Jace find answers or betrayal?
THE LOWDOWN: Since July 2021, Dynamite Entertainment's marketing department has been providing me with PDF review copies of some of their titles. Space Ghost Volume 1 #3 is the latest, but it is not the first Space Ghost comic book that I have read.
The first three issues of Dynamite's Space Ghost revival comic book are a pure delight. Comic books like this new Space Ghost are why I keep reading comic books long after growing bored with my core Marvel and DC Comics titles. With this third issue, writer David Pepose makes things perfectly clear: the first two issues of this series were not flukes. As a spinner of Space Ghost yarns, Pepose is the real fucking deal.
Jonathan Lau's illustrations and Andrew Dalhouse's colors make for a gritty narrative, but they also turn Pepose's script into the perfect Space Ghost storytelling. Grit and edge aside, Lau and Dalhouse capture the classic energy of the original Hanna-Barbera “Space Ghost” animated series. Letterer Taylor Esposito also does his part to capture that classic cool.
I highly recommend Space Ghost Volume 1. It is easily one of the best comic book media adaptations that I have read in years, dear readers.
I READS YOU RECOMMENDS: Fans of Dynamite Entertainment's Warner Bros. comic book series will want to read Space Ghost Volume 1.
A
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
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