David Pepose and Jonathan Lau’s run on Dynamite’s Space Ghost has made fans old and new quite happy. The team is now adding an epic annual to the list, which takes place after the events of issue #12’s second story arc finale. Space Ghost Annual #1 is set to debut on June 11 and features an exciting list of cover artists like Francesco Mattina, Jae Lee and June Chung, Bjorn Barends, and Anthony Marques.
The Beat chatted with Pepose about the oversized adventure.
DEANNA DESTITO: So, where does this annual fall in the Space Ghost canon?
DAVID PEPOSE: Our Space Ghost Annual is the capstone of me and Jonathan Lau’s first year of storytelling on the book, as we get to see Robo Corp’s long-brewing plans dating all the way back to Issue #1 finally come to fruition! Expect a lot of high-octane action between Space Ghost and the Council of Doom… not to mention Robo Corp’s secret weapon against the universe. It’s an action-packed crescendo that’ll lead us into our next round of exciting stories!
DESTITO: What has been your favorite part about working with this character and universe?
PEPOSE: My favorite part about writing Space Ghost in particular is watching him grow and evolve as his dynamic with Jan and Jace continues to develop. It’s fun to write a character with some rough edges about him, but one who’s always striving to try to be better — especially when that motivation comes from wanting to do right by his adoptive sidekicks. Sometimes it’s two steps forward, one step back, but Space Ghost’s relationship with the twins is the emotional heart of the book, and always serves as a compelling compass for me when I’m writing.
Beyond that… it’s the bad guys! Space Ghost has such an eclectic mix of supervillains, and that opens him up to so many different tones and subgenres of stories. When I watched the original cartoon, it was clear to me that Alex Toth’s eye-catching designs gave each of these characters so much personality, and it’s been such a treat being able to dig into each of the villains and find new ways to play that up.
But first and foremost, it has to be working with artist Jonathan Lau, colorist Andrew Dalhouse, and letterer Taylor Esposito. Space Ghost’s success has 100% been a team effort, and seeing first-hand all the ways that Jonathan, Andrew, and Taylor elevate the material has been such a profoundly heartening experience. This book does not work without them, full-stop, and they continually inspire me to bring my A-game.
DESTITO: What fallout from this issue can fans expect to see affecting the series?
PEPOSE: Space Ghost’s threats have always come from two places — his villains that threaten the known universe and his found-family dynamic with Jan and Jace. I can’t spoil the particulars, but what I can say is that there are going to be some big developments in the annual that will have profound ripple effects on Space Ghost and his family in the months to come.
DESTITO: Can you tease anything else from the future of Space Ghost?
PEPOSE: I’ve always been a big believer that Space Ghost’s rogues gallery isn’t just limited to the Council of Doom, and there are several exciting new villains that we’ll be seeing soon! The other thing I can say is that the scale of Space Ghost’s adventures will range from the deeply personal to an epic scale that we haven’t seen before, so stay tuned!
DESTITO: We see a lot of dynamic covers for these issues. How much input do you have on them?
PEPOSE: I actually don’t see the covers until the solicits drop, so I get to be just as excited and surprised as you guys when they come out! Our cover teams have really been laying it all out on the field for this series, and we’ve got some VERY exciting covers coming very soon — including an all-time bucket list artist whose work I can’t believe will be gracing our book!
