Space Ghost vs. The Herculoids #2: A Fun Middle Entry

Space Ghost vs. the Herculoids is something new for the current Space Ghost run. Until now, Space Ghost has been made up almost exclusively of standalone issues. Even the most action forward issues spend time setting up and/or resolving the plot. But the longer ongoing storyline of this series lets Space Ghost vs. the Herculoids #2 deliver non-stop, wall-to-wall action.

Pepose opens Space Ghost vs the Herculoids #2 with another flashback to Amzot. The fight between the Herculoids and the Galactic Federation rages for three pages during which the fate of Zandor’s wife and child is revealed. This was a mystery left from the previous issue. Pepose set up the start of the fight and later fast forwarded to its aftermath. The big emotional moment was left unseen. The revelation of it here is a good reminder of the stakes for Zandor and a very good way to impart emotion into an issue that takes very little time to worry about more than the titular fight.

This nonstop fight in Space Ghost vs. the Herculoids #2 is the perfect opportunity for Lau to show off the outstanding art he brings to all the Space Ghost series. Lau’s style always lends itself to rich, layered, high energy action sequences. His use of shading–a high volume of shorter lines to accentuate features both on characters and backgrounds–create an appearance of depth and dimension. In a fight that is not chaotic but is a little busy at times, building these layers within the panels–characters in front of other characters, complex backgrounds, and so forth–makes the art especially dynamic.

That style of shading also pays dividends when it comes to characters’ expressions. Lau always gets the most out of Space Ghost whose face is almost always half covered by a mask. The character is an especially emotional one. Even more engaging in this issue, though, is the Herculoid Zandor, who leads with his emotions both in dialogue and art. Following an accidental but shocking action on his part, Zandor is horrified. Lau delivers on that in a big way with linework that communicates the weight of the moment.

Dalhouse’s coloring feels strangely subdued in this issue. Part of that is the nature of the fight with the Herculoids. Zandor’s threat is much more a physical one, and his conflict with Space Ghost isn’t the bright exchange of energy blasts that is often the case with this series. It’s actually nice to see a little more nuance from Dalhouse here rather than have bright swaths of color steal the show.

Esposito has a surprising amount of dialogue to handle for a very action heavy issue. Space Ghost and Zandor are both pretty talky at times. Esposito does a good job keeping all that dialogue out of the way of Lau’s outstanding, energetic artwork. The issue also features more sound effects than Space Ghost usually does. Esposito ties them into the action well, makes color selections that make the sound effects pop without stealing too much attention from the rest of the visuals, and uses related sound effects together with font choices to tie everything together.

The big fight isn’t just two groups of characters throwing themselves at each other in one big tangled mass. Space Ghost and Zandor are the main event, but the other characters break off into smaller conflicts with coordination. Zandor issues instructions to the other Herculoids. Jace and Jan hop into the Phantom Cruiser and provide air support. Blip is dropped off to fight one of the secondary Herculoids in a nice reminder that he doesn’t just tag along. It’s a nice suggestion of tactics.

Space Ghost vs. the Herculoids #2 goes out with a big surprise that promises a shake-up for the series. It looks like this series will deliver a more complex story than just one big fight which is what Space Ghost readers probably expect. There’s also a nice moment when Zandor’s actions result in an unintended result that hits close to home under the circumstances. His and Space Ghost’s dialogue give the moment a good amount of weight.