Dynamite Set to Release Space Ghost Comic in May
Space Ghost: Da Cosmic Hero Set Fo’ Launch Dis May! 🚀
Dynamite stay teamin’ up wit Warner Bros an’ Discovery Global Consumer Products fo’ drop da new book starring da legendary guardian of da spaceways. It’s gon’ feature da creative team of writer David Pepose an’ artist Jonathan Lau.
Da Beat wen’ catch up wit Pepose befo’ da release.
DEANNA DESTITO: How dis project wen’ start?
DAVID PEPOSE: I wen’ know Nick Barucci an’ da editors at Dynamite fo’ ’bout 15 years now. I wen’ make sure dey stay know me as I wen’ build up my writing career. I like fo’ tink my work on Punisher an’ Moon Knight: City of da Dead wen’ catch Joe Rybandt an’ da crew eye fo’ dis Space Ghost gig — an’ I stay real stoked dey wen’ pick me. Dis project, yeah, it’s been one dream fo’ real, gettin’ fo’ juggle all da action, emotion, an’ sci-fi worldbuildin’ ’bout dese characters.
Francesco Mattina cover
DESTITO: Wot caught you ’bout Space Ghost?
PEPOSE: Brah, get so much tingz gettin’ me stoked ’bout dis project. Da main one gotta be da character journey we cookin’ up fo’ Space Ghost an’ his crew. Space Ghost wen’ drop da same year as Adam West’s Batman, an’ dem old cartoons, dey get plenny in common. An’ mo’ dan jus’ him being all powered up wit his Power Bands an’ Inviso-Belt, wen’ first tinkin’ ’bout Space Ghost, I was like, “Whoa, dis dude get not jus’ one sidekick, but three!”
Dem old cartoons, dey was all slick an’ fun, but dey neva really dig into how or why dis unlikely crew wen’ come together — an’ dat became da heart of how I see Space Ghost. Past all da sci-fi action an’ adventure, dis series, it’s ’bout Jan, Jace, an’ Blip findin’ demselves hangin’ wit Space Ghost, how dey journey from bein’ rescued orphans to becomin’ tight partners, fo’ finally comin’ togedda wit Space Ghost an’ makin’ dey own family. Fo’ real, dis one fun ensemble tale where all da characters get fo’ learn, grow, an’ even heal.
An’ course, gotta mention da villains. Space Ghost wen’ come out from da brilliant mind of Alex Toth, but he neva stop deyah — once you see all da wicked villains Toth wen’ whip up, like Zorak, Metallus, Brak, Creature King, an’ da rest of da Council of Doom, you realize dis character get one rogues’ gallery good as Batman or Spider-Man. It give you da chance fo’ spin all kine exciting stories wit one character like Space Ghost ’cause he stay dealin’ wit plenny threats.
Jae Lee cover
DESTITO: You was one fan of da character already?
PEPOSE: Fo’ real! I wen’ grow up during da Coast to Coast years but wen’ really start payin’ attention to him as one superhero wen’ see da works like Joe Kelly an’ Ariel Olivetti’s Space Ghost run at DC, an’ Jeff Parker an’ Doc Shaner wen’ drop some real fun stuff wit Future Quest.
But I gotta say, as I wen’ rewatch all da old episodes get ready fo’ dis project, my love fo’ da character wen’ jus’ grow deeper — I wen’ do one deep dive not jus’ wit da cartoons, but even readin’ every Space Ghost comic I could lay my hands on. Mark Evanier an’ Steve Rude wen’ do one Space Ghost one-shot at Comico, brah, dat ting was unreal.
Bjorn Barends cover
DESTITO: How it stay workin’ wit Dynamite an’ dis creative team?
PEPOSE: It’s been unreal. First an’ foremost, I stay real grateful fo’ my editor Joe Rybandt an’ da crews at both Dynamite an’ Warner Bros., who wen’ let me dive deep into Space Ghost’s universe in da most excitin’ an’ character-driven way. Dis series, it’s my longest runway yet, an’ da fact everybody involved been so open to all da plans I wen’ come up wit, it’s jus’ heartwarming.
An’ gotta give big ups to Jonathan Lau — when I wen’ peep his artwork fo’ da first time, da ting dat catch my eye wasn’t jus’ how strong but kinda mystical he wen’ make Space Ghost, or how he wen’ set da mood fo’ each scene, but dat he neva ignore Jan, Jace, or Blip. From da jump, he get dis is one story told from dey point of view too, an’ dey can share da spotlight wit Space Ghost as dey work an’ grow togedda. (Plus, Jonathan’s shots wit Blip always crack me up.) Colorist Andrew Dalhouse, he get plenny credit too fo’ givin’ dis series so much vibe an’ energy — I wen’ work wit him one time before on one Miles Morales short story at Marvel, an’ he one real artist’s artist wit his colors. I stay real lucky to be workin’ wit dis top-shelf team.
Michael Cho cover
DESTITO: Wot dis version get fo’ da old fans an’ da new ones of Space Ghost?
PEPOSE: We stay gearin’ dis series so if you stay new to Space Ghost or you stay watched every episode of da old series, you gon’ follow dis book from da first issue. Fo’ da hardcore Space Ghost fans, we stay goin’ deep into his rogues’ gallery — I wen’ rewatch every episode of da old series an’ da Space Stars reboot from da ’80s, so watch out. Da universe out deyah, it’s plenty dangerous — you gon’ see all kinda familiar faces, plus some deep cuts you might not expect.
But even fo’ da newbies who might not know da lore right away, da characters stay da key. We tellin’ one real nice story ’bout family, loss, an’ redemption wit dis series — without givin’ too much away, I tink Space Ghost, Jan, an’ Jace’s stories, dey all come togedda in some real heartfelt ways, an’ I tink if you stick ’round wit dis book, you gon’ catch feelings fo’ dese characters like I did.
DESTITO: Any lil’ teasers ’bout da series you can leak?
PEPOSE: Hmmm, wot else I can tease dat I neva mention already…? ‘Spect plenty villains. ‘Spect plenty sci-fi adventure, drama, humor, an’ heart. ‘Spect fo’ fall in love wit dis cosmic quartet.
NOW IN ENGLISH
Dynamite Set to Release Space Ghost Comic in May
Space Ghost: The Cosmic Hero Set For Launch This May!
Dynamite is teaming up with Warner Bros and Discovery Global Consumer Products to release the new book starring the legendary guardian of the spaceways. It will feature the creative team of writer David Pepose and artist Jonathan Lau.
The Beat caught up with Pepose before the release.
DEANNA DESTITO: How did this project start?
DAVID PEPOSE: I’ve known Nick Barucci and the editors at Dynamite for about 15 years now. I made sure they knew me as I built up my writing career. I like to think my work on Punisher and Moon Knight: City of the Dead caught Joe Rybandt and the crew’s eye for this Space Ghost gig — and I’m really stoked they picked me. This project, yeah, it’s been a dream for real, getting to juggle all the action, emotion, and sci-fi world-building about these characters.
Francesco Mattina cover
DESTITO: What caught you about Space Ghost?
PEPOSE: Man, there’s so much things getting me stoked about this project. The main one has to be the character journey we’re cooking up for Space Ghost and his crew. Space Ghost came out the same year as Adam West’s Batman, and those old cartoons, they have plenty in common. And more than just him being all powered up with his Power Bands and Inviso-Belt, when I first thought about Space Ghost, I was like, “Whoa, this dude has not just one sidekick, but three!” Those old cartoons, they were all slick and fun, but they never really dug into how or why this unlikely crew came together — and that became the heart of how I see Space Ghost. Past all the sci-fi action and adventure, this series, it’s about Jan, Jace, and Blip finding themselves hanging with Space Ghost, how they journey from being rescued orphans to becoming tight partners, to finally coming together with Space Ghost and making their own family. For real, this one fun ensemble tale where all the characters get to learn, grow, and even heal.
And of course, gotta mention the villains. Space Ghost came out from the brilliant mind of Alex Toth, but he never stopped there — once you see all the wicked villains Toth whipped up, like Zorak, Metallus, Brak, Creature King, and the rest of the Council of Doom, you realize this character has a rogues’ gallery as good as Batman or Spider-Man. It gives you the chance to spin all kinds of exciting stories with a character like Space Ghost because he’s dealing with plenty of threats.
Jae Lee cover
DESTITO: Were you a fan of the character already?
PEPOSE: For real! I grew up during the Coast to Coast years but really started paying attention to him as a superhero when I saw works like Joe Kelly and Ariel Olivetti’s Space Ghost run at DC, and Jeff Parker and Doc Shaner came out with some real fun stuff with Future Quest.
But I gotta say, as I rewatched all the old episodes getting ready for this project, my love for the character just grew deeper — I did a deep dive not just with the cartoons, but even reading every Space Ghost comic I could lay my hands on. Mark Evanier and Steve Rude did a Space Ghost one-shot at Comico, man, that thing was unreal.
Bjorn Barends cover
DESTITO: How is it working with Dynamite and this creative team?
PEPOSE: It’s been unreal. First and foremost, I’m real grateful for my editor Joe Rybandt and the crews at both Dynamite and Warner Bros., who let me dive deep into Space Ghost’s universe in the most exciting and character-driven way. This series, it’s my longest runway yet, and the fact everybody involved has been so open to all the plans I came up with, it’s just heartwarming.
And gotta give big ups to Jonathan Lau — when I saw his artwork for the first time, the thing that caught my eye wasn’t just how strong but kind of mystical he made Space Ghost, or how he set the mood for each scene, but that he never ignored Jan, Jace, or Blip. From the jump, he gets this is a story told from their point of view too, and they can share the spotlight with Space Ghost as they work and grow together. (Plus, Jonathan’s shots with Blip always crack me up.) Colorist Andrew Dalhouse, he gets plenty of credit too for giving this series so much vibe and energy — I worked with him one time before on a Miles Morales short story at Marvel, and he’s a real artist’s artist with his colors. I’m real lucky to be working with this top-shelf team.
Michael Cho cover
DESTITO: What does this version have for the old fans and the new ones of Space Ghost?
PEPOSE: We’re gearing this series so if you’re new to Space Ghost or you’ve watched every episode of the old series, you’re going to follow this book from the first issue. For the hardcore Space Ghost fans, we’re going deep into his rogues’ gallery — I rewatched every episode of the old series and the Space Stars reboot from the ’80s, so watch out. The universe out there, it’s plenty dangerous — you’re going to see all kinds of familiar faces, plus some deep cuts you might not expect.
But even for the newbies who might not know the lore right away, the characters are the key. We’re telling a real nice story about family, loss, and redemption with this series — without giving too much away, I think Space Ghost, Jan, and Jace’s stories, they all come together in some real heartfelt ways, and I think if you stick around with this book, you’re going to catch feelings for these characters like I did.
DESTITO: Any little teasers about the series you can leak?
PEPOSE: Hmmm, what else can I tease that I haven’t mentioned already…? Expect plenty of villains. Expect plenty of sci-fi adventure, drama, humor, and heart. Expect to fall in love with this cosmic quartet.
