I didn’t expect to enjoy Space Ghost #3 as much as I did. I initially gave Dynamite’s reboot of the classic sci-fi superhero a chance because of David Pepose’s involvement as writer, but with no prior emotional attachment to the franchise or characters, I thought my interest would wane by issue #3. Instead, about two-thirds of the way through this issue, I paused and smiled, because Space Ghost #3 is just a lot of fun.
Now, I’m not saying it’s a comic book masterpiece. It’s more equivalent to a really entertaining summer popcorn movie; nothing world changing. And you probably don’t have to think too deeply about it all. But you’ll really enjoy yourself the entire time.
Actually, the comparison I used in my review of issue #2 fits better – Space Ghost #3 once again feels like a really fun (but slightly more grown-up) cartoon episode. It’s self-contained, well-paced and action-packed. The twists aren’t all that original and you’ll probably see many of them coming, but they are executed in such an entertaining way that you won’t care. You’ll root for the good guys and against the bad guys and come away satisfied.
Dynamite Entertainment
The art by Jonathan Lau is also a major part of the fun. He uses varied panel structure, making every page interesting to look at. The splash pages draw you in – you’ll want to stare at them for a while. And the action is always very dynamic.
Andrew Dalhouse adds to the fun with his colors. The costumes are once again bright yellows and blues, white with red accents that pop on the page. And Space Ghost’s light-based powers are also very bright, bringing nice contrast to darker alleys and corners.
Dynamite Entertainment
In this issue, the story focuses more on the main villain: The Widow, a classic pulp femme fatale. You immediately distrust her, but she makes Jan, Jace and Space Ghost an offer they just can’t refuse, so they take the risk. She has an incredible presence, stealing most of her scenes. You’ll love watching her scheme while hoping for her downfall.
We also meet Doctor Xander Ibal, the CEO of Robo Corp. He unfortunately fits the Fu Manchu Asian-stereotype, but I assume this aspect of the villain comes from the original Space Ghost series. His scenes serve to advance the overarching storyline – Robo Corp’s desire to acquire Blip the monkey.
Pepose also uses this issue to further advance Space Ghost, Jan and Jace’s main mission: seeking justice against Robo Corp for the crimes they’ve committed across the galaxy. All the while, Pepose continues to develop the emotional dynamic of Space Ghost as surrogate father to the orphaned Jan and Jace.
Dynamite Entertainment
It’s worth mentioning that the review copy came with Michael Cho’s variant cover instead of Francesco Mattina’s main cover. I gave Mattina’s covers to issues #1 and #2 high praise. Unfortunately, a few weeks ago, he descended into controversy when a cover he did for DC was revealed. It looks very much like he used AI and was even called out by other comics professionals. Since then, DC has distanced itself from Mattina’s work.
And I’m guessing Dynamite sent Cho’s cover with the review copy to indicate that they too are distancing themselves from Mattina. I assume it’s too late to keep Mattina’s cover for Space Ghost #3 out of comic shops, since it was probably printed and shipped before the controversy began. But it’ll be interesting to see what Dynamite does with issue #4, especially since David Pepose has adamantly spoken out against the use of AI.
Summing up, Space Ghost #3 proves that David Pepose and Jonathan Lau can produce a consistently entertaining sci-fi action-adventure. I enjoyed the focus this issue placed on the villainous Widow, and I like the use of self-contained issues to give the series a fast pace with a satisfying pay-out at the end of each issue. All in all, Space Ghost #3 is a wildly fun ride.
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