SPACE GHOST #2 / Script by DAVID PEPOSE / Art by JONATHAN LAU / Color by ANDREW DALHOUSE / Letters by TAYLOR ESPOSITO / Published by DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

It’s rather unusual for me to review the second book in a series. This is largely because, in these days of writing for the trade, most second issues are second chapters. Jumping in on a series on the second issue is usually as difficult as walking into a movie 20 minutes in and expecting to grasp to follow along. Space Ghost #2 is a rare exception.

David Pepose’s script recaps the events of the first issue masterfully, with surprisingly natural dialogue. Space Ghost is a mysterious vigilante who protects the frontiers of space. He has rescued two orphans, Jan and Jace and a monkey called Blip from a remote research station. Beyond the mystery of who Space Ghost is, there is the question of who killed Jan and Jace’s family, and what connection they have to a collective of crooked cops and capitalists.

Pepose draws deeply on the lore of the original Hanna-Barbera cartoons, but builds upon it to tell a more mature space opera. This is most notable in his treatment of Jan, Jace, and Blip. The classic Silver Age comic tropes of the monkey and kid sidekicks are played completely straight. Yet Pepose justifies this by making Blip a test animal for an experiment to enhance animal intelligence. Jan and Jace are also presented as prodigies, with Jace immediately guessing how Space Ghost’s technology works.

The artwork by Jonathan Lau is similarly complex yet born of a simple aesthetic. The characters’ appearances adhere to the original Alex Toth designs. The action flows smoothly from panel to panel, perfectly completed by the colors of Andrew Dalhouse and the letters of Taylor Esposito.

If you didn’t read the first issue of Space Ghost, don’t worry. You can jump in on this issue without any issue.This is one of the best new titles I’ve read all year and a serious contender for the 2025 Eisner Awards.

Space Ghost #2 arrives in comic shops everywhere on June 5, 2024.