Ghost Cage #1
Doyle gets a new job, ferrying Sam through Ohm Tower in Ghost Cage #1, by writers Nick Dragotta and Caleb Goellner, art by Dragotta, letterer Run Wooton, and cover colors by Frank Martin Jr.. Ghost Cage drops readers into a completely new world. Propelling them inexorably forward in an exciting first issue.
The tower centers around Ohm Tower, a massive edifice that supplies power to the world. Created by Mr. Karloff, Ohm Tower is a massive achievement, one he’s ready to take to the next phase, which doesn’t seem too altruistic. He launches Sam at the tower in a supposed terrorist attack and enlists one of his tech support employees, Doyle, to help the new arrival. First, they battle the monster called Coal, then Hydro, all while being watched by a mysterious player. They’re able to overcome everything in their way, moving towards the top of the tower.
From Karloff’s opening monologue on, Dragotta and Goellner are creating what feels like a cool cyberpunk manga. There’s the big evil corporation manipulating events, the mysterious weapon created by the corporation, and the audience surrogate main character. The art’s in black and white and everything. It all works wonderfully, laying out its mysteries in fascinating ways. What’s Karloff’s plan? What is Sam? What is going on? At this point, the answers are impossible to know, but it all seems interesting.
The comic is well-paced but a little short on characterization, except for Karloff himself, who is a bit of a cliche. He’s definitely the villain of the piece, the human-hating capitalist who pretends to be about helping people. The Ohm Tower is a stunning achievement, but there are no doubts readers will learn something terrible about it before the end. Doyle is a cipher, and Sam is barely a character. In some ways, this is a drawback, but it’s also exactly how this kind of story goes. The characters aren’t as important as the plot and the mysteries plus, there’s always some late-game reveal about the characters themselves that explains everything. The book is well-paced and action-packed.
Another thing that is very manga-esque is Dragotta’s art. Dragotta doesn’t modify his style to fit a manga sensibility, but there’s something about the character design, the way he lays out the pages, and action sequences that all scream manga. Dragotta is a fantastic artist, and this issue shows that off on every page. This story is a visual delight from start to finish.
Ghost Cage #1 is a cool beginning for a new series. Dragotta and Goellner do a great job of sucking people in from the word go. It all feels familiar in its set-up and characters, a ‘90s cyberpunk manga, but it’s exciting and mysterious, which will definitely make a reader want to come back.
