Space Ghost #3: Enter…the Widow

Space Ghost’s first two issues set up the series and its characters. They were a strong beginning–exciting and rich with emotion. But now that the ground has been laid, it’s time for Space Ghost #3 to show everyone what Space Ghost, Jace, and Jan can do.

Weeks passed between Space Ghost #2 and Space Ghost #3. The trio of heroes spent them shaking down bad guys on planet after planet looking for answers about Robo Corp and finding none. Their latest conflict is with a group of lizard slavers, and it isn’t going well. At least, not until the Widow shows up. Thanks to her chloro-charm she is able to control a form of predatory vine. Her bad reputation precedes her, but she is willing to team up with the heroes to get the information they want about Robo Corp.

There is an unexpected Jan character arc in Space Ghost #3 that really makes the issue work. It isn’t set up in a traditional sense–nothing in the issue’s opening pages announces to the reader: “This is a Jan story.” Rather, the final pages look back on Jan’s behavior early in the issue and reveal what she’s been dealing with since the beginning of the series. The focus on Jan also elevates the issue beyond a simple hero/villain team-up adventure. This is typical of Pepose’s writing which tries to use every story as a way to examine a character–even if only to a small degree.

Jan’s arc also backfills the missing development of the relationship between her, Jace, and Space Ghost. The several weeks’ time jump between Space Ghost #2 and Space Ghost #3 speeds the series along considerably by avoiding the “meet and greet first mission between new teammates” issue. The downside is that the reader isn’t privy to whatever that backstory might be. So when Jan presses Space Ghost early in the issue for a change of tactics, it’s unclear why the one character with experience would so easily accede to such a request. Indeed, Jan’s arc almost creates a kind of causality loop of exposition. Why does Space Ghost go along with Jan in the beginning of the issue? Probably because of what Jan reveals at the end of the issue. As far as having it both ways goes, Pepose does a fair job of it here.

The issue’s story overall is engaging with a few moments of humor. Whether the individual antagonists present in the issue will return is unclear, but it is in Space Ghost #3’s favor to finally have identifiable enemies as opposed to just Robo Corp writ large. Pepose drops in another few allusions to Space Ghost’s past, making sure to keep his mysterious backstory on readers’ minds.

Widow’s initial entrance is Space Ghost #3’s defining image. It’s a full page spread that sees her sitting on a flower atop a mass of predatory vines as though a queen on a throne. Depicting most of the throne-like mass means that Widow’s face is actually pushed back from being front and center on the page. Lau adds a great deal of detail to the organic mass that is Widow’s “throne.” He isn’t able to bring the high level of detail to Widow’s features and expression, though, relying on more generalized shading. But the overall effect is to forcefully project Widow’s power before getting to know her up close.

Dalhouse’s color choices further enhance Widow’s entrance. Her black gown creates a heavy contrast with the purple and violet color scheme of her flower and vine chair. These moments of contrast help define Space Ghost’s visual identity.

Lau and Pepose make interesting choices with the action sequence late in the issue. There are a few reversals that seem to come out of nowhere if the reader is not paying close attention to the art. One example is a desktop item that Jan at one point uses to defend herself with. There is no panel that directly shows Jan picking the object up. But Lau features it, sometimes prominently, in every panel that includes the desk. Readers who have been paying attention to the surroundings in any given panel as well as Jan’s location as the scene in question progresses–essentially reading between the artistic lines–will more easily make the leap in understanding when they see Jan wield the item. The potential to momentarily confuse less astute readers does call into question whether this is an effective choice from a narrative point of view. But from a creative point of view, it is a good use of the medium.

Esposito’s lettering does what it needs to. Dialogue and caption boxes are well organized. Muffled speech is rendered in small text within comparatively larger (and mostly empty) bubbles. The sound effects in this issue are largely forgettable with fairly uniform font and color choices.