With the recent success of Dynamite’s Thundercats series, the comic book publisher is following up with another comic book series with one of the most memorable heroes in animation, Space Ghost. The Legendary Guardian of the Spaceways is back in his first solo series in twenty years!
Joining Space Ghost in his new series will be writer David Pepose (Spencer & Locke, The Devil Wears My Face, Punisher) and artist Jonathan Lau (Battlestar Galactica, Green Hornet, Bionic Man). Also, the new book series will feature a diverse range of beautiful covers from artists such as Francesco Mattina, Jae Lee, Bjorn Barends, and Michael Cho.
In a recent interview, David Pepose spoke about being approached for a new book series involving Space Ghost, saying “When Dynamite first approached me about tackling this series, I was immediately struck by the sheer amount of raw material we had to play with — the cartoons were immensely stylish and a heck of a lot of fun, but they never had the time to develop those characters beyond their powers and the roles they played in each episode. So we’re taking those classic vibes and using them as a starting point to dig even deeper into the characters than the original cartoons were ever able to.” His true origins and motivations are unknown to many. Some claim he is a policeman who abandoned the rigidity of the law. Others contend he must be the sole survivor of a war-torn planet. Or a phantom with no story. Those who have survived his wrath live to tell he is a force of nature, able to bend the very elements of creation to deal with his foes.
Space Ghost first began as an animated series produced by Hanna-Barbera, which featured character designs by legendary artist Alex Toth (Super Friends, Fantastic Four, Sealab 2020). The series would run for 20 episodes and become a huge hit, thanks to countless reruns. The character would make his return between the late 90s, and early 00s in a new satirical take on the Superhero in a talk show, called Space Ghost: Coast-to-Coast, and several other comedy spin-offs. As for comics, publisher Gold Key’s Hanna-Barbera-based titles of the day. A one-shot from Comico in 1987 written by Mark Evanier with art from Steve Rude, unfortunately, no follow-ups were published. With his rise in popularity in the 90s (thanks again to Space Ghost Coast-To-Coast), he would make appearances in Archie Comics’ line of Cartoon Network-based titles. Years later, DC then tried its hand at a short-lived Space Ghost title in 2005. And finally, in the mid-2010s, Space Ghost appeared in Future Quest, one of the flagship titles of DC’s now-defunct Hanna-Barbera line.
Space Ghost was one of the titles announced by Dynamite Entertainment in a new licensing deal with Warner Bros. Discovery, confirming that the Comic Book Publisher has the license to publish both Disney animated titles and now their competitor Warner Bros. Discovery, even though both Disney and Warner Bros own their own Comic Book Publishing Companies. SPACE GHOST #1 will be available in May 2024.
Greed and corruption flourish in the darkness between stars. The Galactic Federation’s territories are spread across the cosmos, far and wide in the vastness of space. At the scale of the cosmic landscape, pirates, hijackers and other nefarious actors are able to slip stealthily through the pitch black, ransacking distant colonies with cruel disregard for the innocent scientists that inhabit them. They’ve often been able to get away with impunity. Yet a powerful force is set to put a stop to this, a cosmic vigilante who metes out justice throughout the known galaxy, bringing vengeance to those who prey upon the defenseless.
Evil cannot hide from the gaze of Space Ghost!
Source: Press Release
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