Exploring the Cosmic Realm with Space Ghost: An Exclusive Interview with Writer David Pepose
Space Ghost Flies Again: An Epic Tale fo’ Old and New Fans!
Dynamite stay gearing up fo’ release Space Ghost dis May. Dey stay hooking up wit Warner Bros an’ Discovery Global Consumer Products. Da new book starring da legendary guardian of da spaceways goin’ feature da creative team of writer David Pepose an’ artist Jonathan Lau. 🚀
Da Beat went talk story wit Pepose before da release.
DEANNA DESTITO: How dis project came ’bout?
DAVID PEPOSE: I know Nick Barucci an’ da editors at Dynamite fo’ ’bout 15 years now. I stay hustlin’ fo’ stay on dey radar as I build up my writing career. I like fo’ tink my work on Punisher an’ Moon Knight: City of da Dead is wat catch Joe Rybandt an’ da crew fo’ consider me fo’ Space Ghost — an’ I so glad dey did. It’s been one dream project fo’ work on, gettin’ fo’ juggle all da action an’ emotion an’ sci-fi worldbuildin’ behind dese characters.
Francesco Mattina cover 🎨
DESTITO: Wat get you into Space Ghost?
PEPOSE: Boy, dey get so many t’ings dat make me excited ’bout dis project. Da first gotta be da character arc we puttin’ together fo’ Space Ghost an’ his ohana — Space Ghost come out da same year as Adam West’s Batman, an’ da original cartoons share plenny DNA. An’ beyond da wide range of abilities he get tanks to his Power Bands an’ Inviso-Belt, wen I first start tink ’bout Space Ghost as one character, my first thought was how unique dat he not only get one sidekick but three!
Da original cartoons stay so stylish an’ so fun, but dey neva really get any time fo’ establish any backstory to how o’ why dis unlikely team come together — an’ dat become da heart of my take on Space Ghost. Beyond all da fun sci-fi action an’ adventure, dis series ultimately ’bout how Jan, Jace, an’ Blip find demselves in Space Ghost’s orbit, an’ how dey dynamic evolve from dem being rescued orphans to becoming trusted partners to eventually comin’ together wit Space Ghost fo’ form dey own surrogate family. It really one fun ensemble story where all da characters get one chance fo’ learn, grow, an’ even heal.
An’ of course, I gotta talk ’bout da villains. Space Ghost was designed by da legendary Alex Toth, but he neva stop deyah — wen you see all da amazing villains dat Toth created fo’ da character, like Zorak, Metallus, Brak, Creature King, an’ da rest of da Council of Doom, you realize dat dis one character who get jus’ as iconic of one rogues’ gallery dat Batman o’ Spider-Man get. It allows you fo’ tell all sorts of exciting stories wit one character like Space Ghost ’cause he get such one variety of threats fo’ work against.
Jae Lee cover 🎨
DESTITO: Was you one fan of da character beforehand?
PEPOSE: I was! I grow up during da Coast to Coast years but really latch onto his potential as one superhero in his own right wit works like Joe Kelly an’ Ariel Olivetti’s Space Ghost run at DC, as well as Jeff Parker an’ Doc Shaner’s incredibly fun work on Future Quest.
But I tink as I rewatched all da original episodes fo’ prepare fo’ dis project, my appreciation only deepen — I did one super-deep dive not jus’ wit da cartoons, but even reading every Space Ghost comics appearance I could get my hands on. Mark Evanier an’ Steve Rude’s Space Ghost one-shot at Comico, fo’ example? Absolutely sublime stuff.
Bjorn Barends cover 🎨
DESTITO: How it stay workin’ wit Dynamite an’ dis creative team?
PEPOSE: It’s been absolutely spectacular. First an’ foremost, I so grateful to my editor Joe Rybandt an’ da teams at both Dynamite an’ Warner Bros., who really give me one ton of latitude fo’ dive into Space Ghost’s universe in da most exciting an’ character-driven way possible. Dis series get my longest runway to date, an’ da fact dat everyone involved been so open to da wide-reaching plans I come up wit is such one heartening experience.
An’ I can’t say enough great t’ings ’bout Jonathan Lau — wen I first saw his artwork, da t’ing dat stood out to me was not just how powerful but ethereal he stay able fo’ make Space Ghost, o’ how powerfully he establish da mood of each scene, but dat he neva ignore Jan, Jace, o’ Blip. He understood right from da jump dat dis one story dat told through dey eyes as well, an’ dat dey can share da spotlight wit Space Ghost as dey work an’ grow together. (Also, Jonathan’s cutaways to Blip regularly crack me up.) Colorist Andrew Dalhouse also deserve one ton of credit fo’ give dis series so much mood an’ energy — I’d work wit him once before on one Miles Morales short story at Marvel, an’ he just one real artist’s artist wit his colors. I lucky fo’ be workin’ wit one really top-shelf team heah.
Michael Cho cover 🎨
DESTITO: Wat dis incarnation get fo’ both old an’ new fans of Space Ghost?
PEPOSE: We stay workin’ fo’ gear dis series so dat whether you new to Space Ghost o’ you watch every episode of da original series, you goin’ be able fo’ follow dis book from da very first issue. Fo’ dose who stay diehard fans of Space Ghost, we goin’ be diggin’ deep into his rogues’ gallery — I rewatched every episode of da original series an’ da Space Stars revival of da ’80s, so keep your eyes peeled. It’s one dangerous universe out deyah — you goin’ see jus’ ’bout everybody you might expect, plus one few deep cuts dat you might not.
But even fo’ newcomers who might not be instantly familiar wit da lore, da characters stay key heah. We stay tellin’ one really wonderful story ’bout family, loss, an’ redemption wit dis series — witout giving too much away, I tink Space Ghost, Jan, an’ Jace’s stories each complement one anodah in some truly heartfelt ways, an’ I tink if you stick ’round wit dis book, you goin’ fall in love wit dese characters jus’ as much as I have.
DESTITO: Any teasers ’bout da series you can share?
PEPOSE: Hmm, wat else can I tease dat I neva discussed already…? ‘Spect plenty of villains. ‘Spect plenty of sci-fi adventure, drama, humor, an’ heart. ‘Spect fo’ fall in love wit dis cosmic quartet.
NOW IN ENGLISH
