Reviewed by Weird – Geiger Ground Zero #1
Of all of the big announcements coming out of this year’s New York Comic Con, and there were a lot of them, the one that stuck out the most to me and made me the most excited was the announcement regarding the formation of Ghost Machine, an exclusive comics publishing division of Image Comics.
Ghost Machine is a first-of-its-kind, creator-owned and operated media company! The company consists of some of the biggest names in comics, including Jason Fabok, Gary Frank, Bryan Hitch, Lamont Magee, Francis Manapul, Brad Meltzer, Peter J. Tomasi, Maytal Zchut, and one of my all-time favorites, Geoff Johns.
Before the first official comic from this new company launches this January, which is the self-titled Ghost Machine #1, the comics launch schedule will begin with a two-issue prequel series, Geiger: Ground Zero, written by Geoff John with art by Gary Frank. Here’s the premise:
The saga of THE UNNAMED continues! GEOFF JOHNS and GARY FRANK return to the apocalyptic world of GEIGER for a special explosive two-issue origin epic. What happened to Tariq Geiger in the days after the nuclear bombs first dropped? How did mankind survive the UNKNOWN WAR?
Who is the mysterious Russian scientist Dr. Molotov and why is he hunting Geiger? And how does this tie all the way back to the American Revolution? Get ready to put on your hazmat suit and find out!
This book is a prequel to the previously released Geiger comic series that came out in 2021, which means you don’t have to have read the original series to understand what’s going on here. This is a perfect starting point. Geiger told the story of Tariq Geiger after the results of a nuclear war ravaged the planet. As a fan of the original series, I was excited to pick this one up and learn more about what happened before the war, and what happened shortly after it started.
It was great to see more of the background of what was happening with Tariq and his illness, see his interactions with his family, and get a glimpse into this man willing to do whatever it takes to protect his family. We also got to see more of Dr. Molotov, the person credited with helping Tariq control his newfound powers and abilities. Geoff has a real knack for grabbing onto your heartstrings and leading you into a story full of every emotion across the spectrum.
His world-building is very intricate and well thought out, allowing for what you thought was a small moment or reference to pay off in a big way down the line. Gary did an incredible job with the art on this story, just like he did with the original Geiger series. He manages to capture the slightest details, from the skin falling off the bones after a massive explosion to the heartbreaking loss on the face of a man who doesn’t know if he will ever be with his family again.
If this book says anything about the quality of the books we are going to see from this new imprint, you should go to your local comic shops and make sure anything from Ghost Machine is added to your pull lists as soon as you can! And if you want to read the origin of the Glowing Man, make sure you head to your LCS this Wednesday, November 15, and pick up your copy of Geiger: Ground Zero #1!
Chris Dailey
A jack of many trades, but a master of none, Chris dabbles in many nerdy hobbies including toy collecting, reading comics, writing fiction, reading novels, and playing video games. He’s also a huge wrestling fan, and knows more about it than most normal people should.
When he’s not writing or hosting podcasts for Geek Network, he can be found listening to podcasts and hanging out with his wife, his two daughters, and his little dog Gertie.
