Space Ghost #6 Review

Writer: David Pepose

Artist: Jonathan Lau

Colorist: Andrew Dalhouse

Letterer: Taylor Esposito

Last month, in the pages of Space Ghost, Zorak was defeated at the hands of Space Ghost and his crew, in particular the bravery of young Jace - but this has impacted poor Jace in an unimaginable way, even causing him to quit the team! Will Jace gain back his confidence and come to terms with what he has done? Or will Moltar melt his mates like malleable metal mooks?

The self contained nature of Space Ghost, published by Dynamite Entertainment, makes me feel like I'm reading old pulpy comics which is a really cool atmosphere to be in. This issue we see the Space Ghost crew take on Moltar, a very formidable Space Ghost foe, and deal with the fallout of Jace quitting the team. The last 2 issues were intense so I thought we'd get something a bit slower paced here, and to a certain extent, we did. This issue is Jace focused, and it's all about how traumatize he was by the events of last issue. There is no shortage of action here, but it's definitely more centered on the fallout of last issue - which works for me but I could understand if it doesn't work for you. Pepose has said before that this run is more centered around the people around Space Ghost and how they interact with him instead of solely focused on him, and I think we've gotten that so far. Personally, I find the blending of high stakes action and exploration of humanity to be a really cool mix. Here, Moltar is a wronged former employee of Contra Industries seeking revenge but also working in tandem with Robo Corp. From there, you’ll have to see where the story takes you! Pepose pens another quality issue here.

Jonathan Lau continues his really strong art in this issue. We continue to be treated to Lau's unique style, with the continued 90s inspiration apparent in this issue as well. Moltar's character design is one that stays true to the source material but feels extremely fresh as well. He's depicted at this revenge seeking, almost Behemoth in nature, unstable villain - one page in particular shows him discussing his plans in his lair, completely surrounded by lava and fire - a really cool scene for sure.

Andrew Dalhouse's colors compliment Lau's work once again. This issue feels a little more grounded in terms of the cosmic side of things, but has plenty of Moltar's fire to use vibrant reds, oranges, and yellows on. To continue the praise I've given Dalhouse in prior reviews, he continues to make sure that his colors don't mask Lau's pencils.

Taylor Esposito had some really fantastic lettering in the last 2 issues with Zorak having his very own unique style of font - the great lettering continues here. I think it would be hard to match the creativity used for Zorak, but Esposito finds other ways to keep the lettering fresh and exciting. Sound effects are very prevalent and well done, the story is mostly told through the point of view of Jace writing in his journal, which is a nice touch. I also liked that there were parts where Jace crosses out what he originally wrote and replaces it - sometimes as a good thing and sometimes not. Continued quality lettering from Esposito.

Space Ghost #6 hits shelves Wednesday October 9th, with a price point of $4.99. A unique but still thrilling entry in this run that I think will be a lot of folks’ favorite issue yet.