Table of Contents
Readers of comics tend to sit up and take notice when a celebrated mover in the industry, like Geoff Johns, with work in DC Comics, says: “We want to create beyond superheroes.” And Bryan Hitch adds, “Heroes, yes. Capes no.” Fans are in for a whole new world-building experience. Welcome to Ghost Machine Comics’ shared universe of bizarre, entertaining, stimulating, action-packed narratives, larger-than-life personalities, and “the first fully shared creator-owned universe!”
Timelines & productions
The collective states, “Our passion is for the magic of graphic storytelling and the emotional resonance of compelling characters. ” This is shown in the shared environments, which are not in the capped crusader genre but touch upon historical fiction, speculative fantasy, post-apocalyptic ambiance, and horror sensation.
Geiger: Ground Zero came out in November 2023, followed in January 2024 by the brand’s first “official” release, the 64-page special, and then that April with a batch of books that make up the shared venues of character-propelled works—The Unnamed, whose premier intro brings us Geiger, Redcoat, and other fantastic adventures. Like the intro says: “The stories all start now! Creators you know. Characters you’ll love. Welcome–“
The Unnamed
The Unnamed universe centers upon “a mysterious group of heroes across history,” including:
Geiger—Fast-forward 25 years, and we follow Tariq Geiger, a man in a post-nuclear world after the Unknown War. Without family or humanity, our heroes transitioned into the Glowing Man, who has the gift of absorbing radiation–but issues with keeping it controlled. Ground Zero is the prequel to the eponymously named 2021 work and then volume two of the series in April 2024.
Ghost Machine #1 — Dropping in January 2024 as the brand’s first official book, this 64-page anthology acts as a Rosetta Stone, showing readers the characters and venues of the four shared universes.
Redcoat—From the brain of Geoff Johns and brought to life by the art of Bryan Hitch, we’re introduced to Simon Pure, American Revolution, who gains immortality after a skirmish with the Founders and their cryptic secrets. “A bit of a tool” is how the mercenary is described by the artist Hitch, who captures the wicked one on the lam from many terrible foes, including debt collectors, opposing militias, and erstwhile paramours.
Rook: Exodus
Enter the Exodus and the wide-ranging sci-fi tale in the future, where most/all parts of life and nature are cultivated. Meet our hero, a struggling farmer dealing with plant problems–like, say, winged scavengers! Taking the name Rook, he must work to save this word–or get a Plan B–like now! Donning a special helmet, he connects with birds, who become his allies and artillery. What happens next will amaze you!
Also Read: The Best RPGs: Top Role-Playing Games You Must Play in 2024
Hyde Street
The horror-based happenings of Hyde Street inspired its progenitors—Image Comics—to call it out in terms of intrigue, saying, “Blackest Night’s fantastic scope with Twilight Zone’s thought-provoking drama.” Speaking of combining for synergy, artist Ivan Reis is re-united with writer Geoff Johns, and the duo should be known to fans from their previous collaboration for DC Comics in Green Lantern.
