This week, Ghost Machine and Image Comics released the highly anticipated, giant-sized Geiger #25. Created by comic veterans and icons Geoff Johns and Gary Frank, Geiger follows the adventures of Tariq Geiger, the glowing man, as he traverses the United States after the “Unknown War” and the death of his family. The bombs that destroyed society turned Geiger into a radioactive powerhouse, and he has spent most of the series escaping and confronting those who want to either kill him or control him.
Like Marvel’s Incredible Hulk, Geiger views his powers as a curse and a danger to those around him. His powers are cruel, everyday reminder of what he has lost. Issue #25 feels like the culmination of multiple storylines begun in this second volume of Geiger. Early on in the first volume, readers were teased of the existence of a President Griffin who didn’t physically appear in the series until issue 5 of volume 2. Griffin and his patchwork United States government have been hunting Geiger across the wasteland, and now the two finally meet here in issue #25.
And yes, for those wondering, Johns and Frank make it worth the wait. President Griffin had, until this point, always been hidden behind a face wrapped in bandages, lending an air of mystery to the character. I won’t spoil anything here, but this issue delves into Griffin’s origins and motivations, setting him up to be an even more intriguing foil for Geiger in the future. And the future of this title feels wide open at the end of this issue, with so many avenues for Johns and Frank to take Geiger and his companions; issue #26 could be the beginning of an all-new volume. Readers are also left pondering if Geiger’s transformation was merely an accident or an act of a dying Earth to save itself.
That next phase of Geiger seems to be a crossover with one of my other favorite titles, Redcoat. Redcoat stars Simon Pure, a roguish hero gifted/cursed with immortality, and has been an exciting examination of an alternate history of the United States. Geiger has already included other heroes of The Unnamed such as the Northerner and Junkyard Joe. It’s been a slow burn so far, but Johns seems to be drawing his Unnamed characters and storylines closer together over the past few months. The center of the Unnamed universe is the “Unknown War,” and I’m hoping we might get a few more insights into the nature of that conflict.
As always, Gary Frank’s art is superb. I’ve been a fan of his for more than thirty years, from his run on Marvel’s Incredible Hulk, Image’s Midnight Nation, and now Geiger. Frank’s greatest gift in my opinion is his ability to capture emotion in his characters, and that is on full display in this issue. Each panel packs an emotional punch, especially at the end. The best artists, in my opinion, can sell the quiet moments as successfully as the bombastic action set pieces, as Frank does here. Frank frames his panels perfectly, creating the illusion of movement and giving his work a truly cinematic feel. Fans of Frank need to pick-up Geiger, as his work on this book is some of his best to date.
Geiger hits its milestone 25th issue this week and it’s a blast. Johns and Frank capitalize on long-gestating plot threads and serve up a tale that caps off years of storytelling. To everyone reading this who still hasn’t dipped into the books of the Ghost Machine imprint, you are missing out on classic stories told by some of the best in the business. Pick this issue up and seek out the collected trades for past Geiger goodness.
Creative Team: Geoff Johns (writer), Gary Frank (artist), Brad Anderson (colorist), Rob Leigh (letterer)
Publisher: Image Comics/Ghost Machine
Click here to purchase.
