Throughout history, unlikely and strange heroes have risen and fallen. But for a great evil to be stopped, their stories must be told. Your Major Spoilers review of Ghost Machine #1 from Image Comics awaits!
GHOST MACHINE #1
Writer: Geoff Johns/Peter J. Tomasi
Artist: Gary Frank/Bryan Hitch/Jason Fabok/Peter Snejbjerg/Lamont Magee/Ivan Reis/Danny Miki
Colorist: Brad Anderson/Bjarne Hansen
Letterer: Rob Leigh
Editor: Brian Cunningham
Publisher: Image Comics
Cover Price: $4.99
Release Date: June 24, 2024
Previously in Ghost World: What ties Geiger, Redcoat, Widow X, and the other mysterious, historical heroes of The Unnamed together? Why is Rook the key to saving the war-torn world of Exodus? How will everyone’s soon-to-be-favorite family of the future adapt to a new life in the present?
SHARED UNIVERSE(S)
25 years in the future, in a strange post-apocalyptic world, a man called Geiger wanders through the wasteland, searching for a cure for his strange radioactive state. and it is through his perspective we find out that there are other unusual people in the world. An immortal named Redcoat has been active since the American Revolutionary War, while another known as The Northerner popped up around the Civil War. A robot known as Junkyard Joe was activated during the Vietnam War, while the President herself has recently become aware of something called The First Ghost. On a faraway world called Exodus, terraforming has empowered Wardens, technologically empowered humans who control entire species of animals. while on a world much like our own, The Rocketfellers are a happy family, all of whom have unexpected skills or talents. It’s a series of fascinating worlds, all of which are about to be ongoing series in the Ghost Machine universes.
REMINDS ME OF THE SUMMER OF ’93
It’s interesting to see this launch being published by Image Comics, since the Image Comics revolution of the early 1990s was the trigger for a number of comic book lines that clearly inspired these creators. The best part of this issue is seeing science fiction, fantasy, cyberpunk, and other tropes in the mix, without a single book that I would qualify as straight superhero stories. The art is also top-notch across the board, with some impressive moments here from Bryan Hitch in the Redcoat segment, as well as Gary Frank putting a whole new grungy edge on Geiger’s world. Nearly every segment of this comic has something truly impressive going on, and I find myself impressed by Snejbjerg’s world-building in Hornsby & Halo, and will be likely to take a look at all of these titles when they start becoming available.
BOTTOM LINE: A LOT OF POTENTIAL HERE
For an issue that amounts to a series of coming attractions, Ghost Machine #1 is remarkably good comics, with creators playing to their strengths throughout, intriguing characters and situations being introduced, and compelling hooks laid for stories across multiple genres, earning 4 out of 5 stars overall.
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GHOST MACHINE #1
An interesting assortment of characters, settings, and creators, avoiding some of the cliches of startup universes, while presenting us an interesting and reasonably-priced chunk of comic storytelling.
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Writing8
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Art8
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Coloring8
