Ghost Fleet #3 Review


A Casey Jones look-alike has hijacked one of Ghost Fleet’s payloads. And slowly, we’re starting to figure out what the hell this new series from Dark Horse is all about.

The official description from Dark Horse:

For the first time in its history, the Ghost Fleet has lost a shipment . . . in an explosive hijacking! But can Trace, blinded by vengeance, even comprehend the payload he’s hauling? Can Director Ward do anything to stop his former friend? Their fates will be sealed on a lonely roadside . . .

23959Okay, here’s the premise: Ghost Fleet is a service that will ship cargo anywhere in the world, no questions asked, and uses high-tech semi-trucks to get the job done. Director Ward, who runs the whole operation — and seems strangely indebted to a cult of weirdos with political connections — has just lost a truck to his former partner who was left for dead in issue #1. And such is the unfolding drama brought to us by writer Donny Cates, who’s done a pretty decent job of creating a new title full of drama, guns, and occult mystery. Issue #3, which seems primarily concerned with the buddy drama between Trace and Ward — Trace is pissed, and Ward is torn, feeling loyalty to both his former partner and the Ghost Fleet. Cates offers little snippets of backstory to help punch the drama up — there’s another round of references to Ward’s wife, and a few references to the friendship they shared before — but so far we’re not offered enough to really understand the stakes for either character. In this sense, Ghost Fleet continues to feel flat, but promising. And I’m willing to give it a few more issues before I make a final verdict.

Artist Daniel Warren Johnson continues to shine with this title — his line work, which is sketchy and frantic, fits the mood of the script. The art literally rushes across the page and Johnson seems especially adept at capturing action scenes.

Ghost Fleet #3 offers a cryptic continuation it’s inaugural arc. But it’s still worth reading.

 

OUR RATING
7
  • -Slow Start
  • + But Plenty of Action

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