The Ghost Fleet #2

By Donny Cates, Daniel Warren Johnson and Lauren Affe

While the first issue of The Ghost Fleet was great, and another fine addition to the fantastic Dark Horse line of comics, the second issue steps up the story in a huge way. Two years after the events of issue one, Trace is out to settle an old debt with an old friend and, boy, is he out to do it in a big way.

Donny Cates (Buzzkill) absolutely raises the bar here and arguably produces his best issue of his career to date. There’s so much intrigue and little mysteries here that just suck you into the story and by the time you reach that insanely cool final page you’re flipping past the ads hoping for more story because you’re just not satisfied yet like some crazy drug you can’t get enough of. Not only that, but he writes some great, great characters. Trace is a personal favorite already, just based on the one scene with the dog which was well before all that badassery at the end (which, yes, raised him up even higher). Even the slick, villainous Senator with his snarky attitude and hilarious finger scan, though his appearance was brief, was instantly interesting and someone who we need to see more of.

Now, Donny Cates is a gentleman and a scholar and he did a fantastic job with this issue, but Daniel Warren Johnson (Space-Mullet) absolutely slays this issue into a million pieces and then incinerates those pieces with napalm. There isn’t enough time or space to say everything that needs to be said about his work; it has so much movement and speed combined with depth and fantastic character, and vehicle, designs that you’d think he’d been doing this a hell of a lot longer than he has. His art has such a James Harren-esque flair to it (yes, this was said last time, but it’s one of the best comparisons that can be made about Daniel’s art) you just can’t help but love it, instantly. Add to that the wonderful, bright colors from Lauren Affe, who really takes the ink work from Daniel and brings it to another level, and you’ve got a book that visually rivals anything else on the shelf.

Only two issues in, and admittedly this reviewer is hooked. The story is interesting as hell, and it’s just getting started, and the visuals are absolutely top-notch. This is some stellar Dark Horse stuff here, folks, and it’s the kind of thing we all need more of in our comic lives. If you like crazy action, interesting story, and fantastic art then look no further.