Space Ghost #2: Enter Eclipse Woman

Space Ghost #2 possesses a strangely lighthearted quality. There aren’t any expressly comedic elements. Nor is the story inconsequential. And yet, compared to most Space Ghost issues to date, it lacks a do-or-die urgency. That said, Pepose keeps the story moving at a good clip. The inciting incident leads quickly to multiple complications before reaching a very unexpected climax.

Eclipse Woman is a welcome addition to Space Ghost’s pantheon of antagonists. Unlike the series’ previous bad guys, she isn’t evil or bent on conquest–at least not in Space Ghost #2. She does still have a personal connection to Space Ghost, though, which is a good decision. Both that connection and her attitude lets Eclipse Woman be quippier with Space Ghost than the previous bad guys have been. It’s also nice to get a reminder of Space Ghost’s past. Eclipse Woman knows he lost his family and was with him in the early days. She’s in the kind of position to remark on whether Space Ghost has taken Jace and Jan as a substitute family.

The backstory between Eclipse Woman and Space Ghost–specifically her working with him only to abandon him when it was convenient for her–is a nice addition to his story. Indeed, it adds significance to his relationship with Jace and Jan since the last time he worked with someone, they used him and left him.

Jace and Jan, once again wearing their masks, lack the nuanced detail Lau gave them in Space Ghost #1. Eclipse Woman’s facial features are similarly low on detail. Space Ghost #2 returns to the series’ tendency to only show Space Ghost in extreme detail. This applies to him both in and out of costume. The issue’s first page shows the character with his mask off. Lau adds patches of small lines and crosshatches to give the character’s appearance extra power. In the present, Lau maintains the high level of detail around Space Ghost’s mouth and cheeks at all times. Lau uses larger patches of small, thin lines to build shading to communicate emotions. Even the smallest hints of this kind of detail would give the other characters greater emotional nuance.

Lau’s work remains strong and detailed when it comes to most everything else, though. Jace, Jan, and Eclipse Woman’s costumes shading always reflects movement and shadow relative to light sources. The alien gangster, Boss Parko, is very emotive. Backgrounds and debris resulting from the characters’ interaction with their environment have depth. Despite the relative lack of detail on Jace, Jan, and Eclipse Woman, the art in this issue is overall consistent with the series’ high quality.

Coloring is more restrained in Space Ghost #2, no doubt because most of the action doesn’t involve bursts of energy or roaring fires. Dalhouse’s work here is best appreciated for its nuance, such as his skill with adjusting shades of color relative to light sources. He also blends his coloring well with Lau’s detail when it comes to character clothing and other detailed objects in the panel. He and Lau create a sense of depth that is consistent throughout the issue.

Esposito does a good job differentiating sound effects that originate from different characters and weapons. They are all distinct relative to their origins. The choices Esposito makes make the action in crowded panels easier to follow.