This week, Image Comics’ Ghost Machine imprint adds another title to its lineup in The Rocketfellers by Peter Tomasi and Francis Manapul. The Ghost Machine imprint is a new universe of comic books curated by Geoff Johns who has written and created many of the series alongside a who’s who of some of the best comic artists in the industry.
The Ghost Machine Universe is connected to an event in the near future that leaves the Earth an apocalyptic wasteland. The cause of this catastrophe is an ongoing mystery. How The Rocketfellers series will fit into this overarching narrative isn’t clear yet, but the first issue does a fine job of introducing us to the characters and family dynamics that form the heart of this series.
Peter Tomasi, a longtime DC comics writer, begins the series by throwing the reader directly into the action. The Rocketfellers are a family from the distant future, and they are being hunted down by an as-yet-unknown party. The family consists of Roland (the father), Rachel (the mother), Richie (their oldest son), Rae (their young daughter), and Rodney and Rose (Roland’s parents). And of course, the family dog Rex. Tomasi only offers a few glimpses into the overall reason for the family’s flight from their home and eventual asylum in 2024. The dire nature of their flight is shown through the single-minded ruthlessness of their pursuer and the lengths to which each family member will go to save each other. When the action dies down a bit, Tomasi allows us to dive deeper into the characters as they host a backyard barbecue for their 21st century neighbors. Through these interactions, we gain insight into each character’s backstory and the impact the choice to leave home has had on them and their family.
The overall tone of the book reminds me a lot of the old show, Lost in Space, with a helping of the DC’s The Challengers of the Unknown, and a dash of Marvel’s Fantastic Four. This should tell you that this a story, first and foremost, about a family in crisis and how that will both will strengthen and weaken the bonds between them.
Francis Manapul’s art captures this mix of wonder and danger beautifully. I’ve long been a fan of Manapul’s art, and it particularly pops in this issue. As a veteran Flash artist for DC, Manapul has long been able to convey movement in his work, and he captures that again here with the opening sequence’s intense chase. Rob Leigh on lettering made some design decisions that really stood out to me. In the opening chase scene, the Rocketfellers crash into an icy surface that breaks into the title of the series. I also appreciated the different word balloon style for Roland’s brother Reggie that made me hear radio static in my head as he communicated with Roland from four hundred years in the future.
All in all, The Rocketfellers continues Ghost Machine’s run of impressive comic debuts that began with Geiger, Rook: Exodus, and Redcoat. And, like the recently released Hyde Street, The Rocketfellers promises to explore a new corner of this burgeoning comic universe. New readers who haven’t read the other series in the line will have absolutely no problem jumping into this book. It is incredibly new-reader friendly. Add it to your pull list and enjoy.
Creative Team: Peter J. Tomasi (story and words), Francis Manapul (story and art) , and Rob Leigh (Lettering)
Publisher: Image Comics/Ghost Machine
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