Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Writer: Donny Cates
Artist: Daniel Warren Johnson
Release Date: 3rd Dec 2014

We see so many entry points, reboots and new titles these days that when you come late to the party you’d be forgiven for thinking Hey, why bother? But in the case of The Ghost Fleet, you’d be mistaken, because this is a belter of an issue.

As the writer of the fan-favourite Buzzkill (hey, even Mark Waid liked it), Cates has already established a decent pedigree, and Johnson’s work for Dark Horse and Image is already many and varied (and the man likes a beer). But before I dive in to the issue proper I must mention Laure Affe’s excellent colouring – it’s vibrant, on point and really well judged: it could easily, in places, scream at you, but she really knows when to dial it back.

The central premise, presented in summary from #1 (though you really don’t feel like you’ve missed anything) is of a road haulage crew who will get anything, anywhere, no questions asked. The main character Trace Morales made the mistake of looking at less-than-natural cargo, got shot in the back by his former partner Robert Ward, and got dragged straight to hell. Ward took over the operation – and now Trace is back for revenge. This could be contrived, it could be simplistic, but instead it’s a mythos-fuelled (with a touch of Court of Owls) romp with spectacular art and great dialogue. There’s some astonishing panels in this – great cut-ins and stand-out shots that wouldn’t look out of place in a dystopic movie or game of your choice. I’m really impressed by this, and look forward to seeing where it’s going.

Rating: 4/5.

The Writer of this piece was: Sam Graven
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