Space Ghost Annual 2025 - Dynamite Entertainment

SPACE GHOST ANNUAL 2025, June 2025

Weighing in with a fairly hefty twenty-eight pages, David Pepose’s narrative for this “very first Space Ghost Annual” may well have proved rather bamboozling for any readers hoping to just jump on on board the title for their first ride. For whilst the comic’s plot is absolutely packed full of dynamic action sequences and the odd emotional moment, it's far from being an accessible standalone story, and instead just carries straight on “after the thrilling events of Issue Twelve’s second-story-arc finale” with absolutely no exposition whatsoever; “Ever since the dawn of time, chaos and corruption have infected this universe…”

Indeed, even for those long-time fans of this ongoing series the revelation that Robo Corp’s nefarious leader Doctor Xander Ibal has somehow been completely “consumed by the infinite singularity of Ultima” may well come as something of a shock considering that the unscrupulous scientist has only just activated the artificial intelligence. Furthermore, the sheer speed in which the evil computer takes over the minds of almost all of the galaxy’s inhabitants repeatedly begs the question as to how it’s doing such a thing, as well as why it needs a little monkey known as the Binary Language Integrated Prototype to do so..?

Disappointingly, this book also seemingly suffers from some unconvincing developments such as Jace deciding he needs to undertake a lengthy spacecraft chase outside Robo Corp Tower so as to distract Ultima. Bearing in mind the Collective is already capable of simultaneously seeing through billions of different eyes and controls multiple satellites, why would it decide to focus so much of its attention upon a smart-mouthed boy who is clearly distracting it as part of a much wider ruse..?

By far this annual’s biggest asset therefore lies with the pencilling of Jonathan Lau and Andrew Dalhouse’s colours. The artistic duo do a great job in depicting a decidedly disconcerting view of a galaxy where every inhabitant serves a single unified purpose, and this then really helps emphasise the terror experienced by the few citizens who have a natural resistance to Ultima’s mind-controlling power. In addition, this publication’s visuals definitely don’t lack for plenty of zip, whether it be Jan running to reprogramme the Collective at its central core, or Space Ghost blasting into orbit in a desperate attempt to free his brain of the Collective's zombifying signal.

The regular cover art of "SPACE GHOST" ANNUAL 2025 by Francesco Mattina