Space Ghost #10 is written by David Pepose and published by Dynamite Entertainment. Artwork is by Jonathan Lau, colours by Andrew Dalhouse and letters by Taylor Esposito. Main cover art (left) is by Francesco Mattina.
Space Ghost #10 is available from today, in print and on digital platforms where all good comic books are sold. Grab your digital copy from Amazon Comixology UK right here.
Synopsis
A dark and shocking figure from the future emerges, presenting a new yet disturbingly familiar threat to the team. Together they must stand fast against the tide of evil that is about to be unleashed — or else Doom will sweep across the entire galaxy!
Review
It’s been a little while since I reviewed Dynamite Comics’ Space Ghost series. Every now and then you need a book you don’t have to think critically about when reading. Space Ghost has been that for me. The book I can sit back and simply enjoy the rollercoaster. But then something happened. With it’s one year anniversary on the horizon, David Pepose took the series from atmospheric to stratospheric with the introduction of Space Spectre.
For those not intimately aware of the source material, Space Spectre is a pirate from an alternate universe. An evil mirror to Space Ghost, he was first introduced in the 1981 Space Stars series and never featured in the classic Space Ghost: Coast to Coast. With Pepose’s Space Ghost series already adding so much context to the titular character it was already an exciting prospect to see how Space Spectre might further enrich the series.
So, following his debut at the end of last month’s issue #9, Space Spectre takes a co-leading role this month. The back-and-forth between Ghost and Spectre works in favour of the story. It allows the reader time to become accustomed to this darker, edgier character. It also affords Pepose the time to flesh out his character so that he becomes more than a two-dimensional villain. For a story like this to land fully it needs to provide a legitimate reason to stop Space Ghost in his tracks. We need to see him thrown off course and stopping to take stock. Space Spectre does that perfectly and Pepose works even harder to make sure not to reveal all the cards too early.
All of this takes place against the backdrop of a satellite launch from Robo Corp. The launch is neatly worked in to the story to provide stakes but really it’s a means to bring Ghost and Spectre face to face. The countdown to the launch is utilised neatly to amp up the stakes even more, acting almost like a doomsday clock counting down to zero.
It identity of Space Spectre sits at the centre of this issue. Pepose capitalises on the question of who is behind the mask perfectly. I spent most of the issue fairly convinced I knew who it was. Space Spectre’s actions in the story also lead to what feels like a certain conclusion. So when the truth bomb drops it feels like a major shock to the system. The reveal itself is well orchestrated within the story. It spins the book on its axis and so we leave issue #10 feeling more than a little dazed and confused. What this revelation means moving forwards, particularly for Jan and Jace, remains to be seen. There’s plenty of ways that Pepose can spin this. With the Council of Doom set to appear next it may be some time before the full ramification’s of Space Spectre’s visit are felt.
At this stage Jonathan Lau, Andrew Dalhouse and Taylor Esposito have developed a great shorthand as the series art team. Lau is able to throw absolutely anything which Pepose throws in to the script whilst Dalhouse adds a wonderful richness with the colours. I rarely touch on lettering in my reviews but Esposito is so seamlessly integrating dialogue and captions in to the visuals of Space Ghost that it deserve any praise which can be heaped on it.
Verdict
Space Ghost #10 is another turning point for the series. With its first anniversary around the corner this is a series really flexing its muscles with all the creators showing what they’re capable of.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
