Space Ghost #9 - Dynamite Entertainment

SPACE GHOST No. 9, January 2025

Stripped of his famously formidable power gauntlets, David Pepose’s opening for Issue Nine of “Space Ghost” seemingly appears to set up a storyline in which Jan, Jace and Blip will “somehow pull victory from the jaws of defeat” rather than their helpless masked mentor. Indeed, stranded alone without any means of attack, this twenty-two page periodical’s plot appears to be on the verge of completely sidelining the titular character as he becomes increasingly hemmed into the shadows by an endless series of ship-wide robot trooper patrols.

Impressively however, the “award-winning author” instead decides to take a different route entirely by focusing upon the actual human being behind the galactic crime-fighter’s mask, and firmly establishing that the Federation will only be saved through the use of brains as opposed to brawn. This insight cleverly builds upon all the pent-up rage and despair Dax experienced when he first encountered the cold-blooded killer of his biological family, and ultimately replaces the super-hero’s blind, almost reckless hate-filled vendetta into a successful, much more well-thought out campaign which focuses upon the love he felt when he was with his wife and daughter, not their actual loss. 

Of course, that doesn’t mean for a moment that the vigilante’s adolescent crew aren’t also penned being up to their necks in deadly danger on the surface of Cetia-7. Metallus’ murderous assault upon the Galactic Federation’s Homeworld still needs stopping, and enjoyably the American writer provides the trio with a convincing set of circumstances in which they can do so. In fact, Jan’s discovery that a huge electromagnet can completely shut down the would-be space conqueror’s robots quite neatly brings the entire quartet back together again for this comic’s satisfying conclusion; “Nice work Blip -- I always knew you were the real brains behind this operation…” 

Equally as important to the success of this book’s storytelling are Jonathan Lau’s adrenalin-fuelled layouts. The “artist extraordinaire” appears particularly prodigious at capturing all the quick-witted, acrobatic antics a reader would expect of two kids and a cybernetically-enhanced monkey as they strive to stay one step ahead of a fatal laser beam. However, the illustrator is also incredibly adept at even making this publication’s quieter moments all the more thrilling, by somehow capturing the emotions resonating from its cast members – such as when an agitated Lieutenant Transor gruffly questions Robo Trooper H-B-7 over “the equivalent of a door hinge in need of tightening.”

The regular cover art of "SPACE GHOST" #9 by Francesco Mattina