SPACE GHOST VS. THE HERCULOIDS #1 / Script by DAVID PEPOSE / Art by JONATHAN LAU / Colors by ANDREW DALHOUSE / Letters by TAYLOR ESPOSITO / Published by DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

Is there any cliche in comics quite so strong as two heroes fighting each other because of a misunderstanding? Few come to mind after reading Space Ghost Vs. The Herculoids #1. However, the comic is a prime example of how some things become formulaic because the formula works.

The book quickly introduces our heroes, for those who require an introduction. On the one side are The Herculoids – a barbaric family and their alien animal companions, who protect the planet Azmot from those who would despoil it. On the other side is Space Ghost; a high-tech vigilante who guards the portions of the galaxy unpatrolled by the Galactic Federation.

The plot is set into motion after the Galactic Federation attacks Azmot, seemingly killing the warrior woman Tara and her son, Dorno. This sets Zandor, leader of the Herculoids, into full on John Wick mode, as he and his animal friends begin attacking Federation outposts. A Federation Warden summons Space Ghost, hoping he might delay the Herculoids until he can finish building a new containment ray that can capture them non-violently. However, the Phantom of the Spaceways is reluctant to get involved right up until Azmot attacks the base they are in and civilians are endangered.

Those who have been reading Dynamite Entertainment’s Space Ghost series will find themselves on familiar footing here. The creative team is exactly the same and the level of quality equal. What is notable, however, is that writer David Pepose offers a partial origin for The Herculoids. The classic Hanna Barbera cartoons did not bother with this, and their creator, Alex Toth, never gave them one. As far as I know, apart from the 2016 Future Quest miniseries (which painted Zandor and Tara as scientists turned survivalists who sought a simpler life in the wild), the Herculoids have never had an origin story.

This was all well and good for an action cartoon in the 1960s but modern comic readers demand more. Yet Pepose stays true to Toth’s simple aesthetic, with Zandor being a gladiator who found freedom thanks to a jailbreak on the arena staged by Tara. Why she did this and how she came to befriend the beasts who later became half of The Herculoids is unexplained, but we have to save something for the issues to come, don’t we? And yet, under Pepose’s pen, Zandor has never seemed more savage and his animal companions more of a threat.

As noted, the artwork is as excellent as I’ve come to expect from the Space Ghost comic. Jonathan Lau’s detail-driven designs suit the fantastic Herculoids as well as the sci-fi trappings of Space Ghost. Andrew Dalhouse is a king among colorists. And Taylor Esposito places every word balloon perfectly so as not to obscure the action.

Suffice it to say, fans of both The Herculoids and Space Ghost will enjoy themselves reading this crossover. Yet fans of Masters of the Universe and similar blendings of sci-fi and fantasy would do well to check it out as well. Indeed, I would go so far as to recommend it to any fan of action-packed comics and fantastic visuals.