The best part of Space Ghost #10 – out this week from Dynamite Entertainment – might just be how it teases intriguing future storylines. Writer David Pepose comes up with a nice way to hint at future events. He brings to the present a villain from an apparently horrible future timeline. Actually, the emotional weight of this issue hinges on the identity of this villain – which I’ll not spoil – and how he became so monstrous.
The mysterious man from the future appears to be evil Space Ghost, calling himself Space Spectre and dressing in the dark-version of Space Ghost’s costume. He goes full Judge Dredd meets Terminator, promising to stop his traumatic, horror-filled future by any means necessary. He proves it by immediately killing a scientist for crimes he’s thought about, but hasn’t yet committed.
Courtesy of Dynamite Entertainment
From the beginning we’re meant to assume that Space Spectre is some current hero gone bad. But we have to guess who – until his identity is hinted at and finally revealed by the end of the issue. I like the idea – exploring the effect years of suffering and trauma could have on the psyche. Unfortunately, since Pepose is trying to keep most issues of Space Ghost standalone, including this one, there isn’t enough time to explore this in depth with the action sequences and other plot elements to get to. Accordingly, I couldn’t quite completely immerse myself emotionally into this character arc.
What the story does do really well is tease future developments of the overall story arc Pepose has been building since Space Ghost #1. Space Spectre’s actual goal in coming back in time is to stop the launch of Robo Corp’s Ultima Satellite. Accordingly, we finally get the return of Robo Corp’s CEO and the series’ future main villain, Xander Ibal. Space Spectre insists that Project Ultima will bring doom to the universe, even when it appears to simple be a communications satellite. It’s all set-up, creating more questions than it answers. And it does that very well.
Also, the final panel reveal creates a great cliffhanger and/or starting point for the next issue.
Courtesy of Dynamite Entertainment
As in every issue of the series so far, the action sequences are great, combining Pepose’s love for the spectacular with Lau’s dynamic art.
In this issue, Lau often uses a large page-filling image with smaller panels placed on top. It creates a feeling of vastness in space or the massive depth of a future metropolis. Otherwise, Lau continues to impress with his variety of page layouts and panel structures. In those panels, the image construction is professional and meticulous. I really enjoy looking at these pages.
On a side note, for maybe the first time for the series, Space Ghost #10 was delayed a few weeks from its original release date. Maybe Dynamite needed more time to complete the absurdly priced Metal Premium cover, made out of .020 thick aluminum. I’m not sure what this cover says about the state of comic collecting, but I don’t see it as a good omen.
Space Ghost #10 feels like the start of a new story arc with lots of teases to what’s to come, even though the story within is self-contained. This one-and-done approach worked so well in the first few issues of the series, but it makes the character arc in this issue feel a bit too rushed. Jonathan Lau’s art continues to impress, and the teases definitely have me intrigued.
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