And so concludes another strong outing from the Mad Ghost team.


Geoff Johns has managed to write another fun adventure, but one which also manages to be oddly heartwarming at times. Whereas Geiger reminded me of Fallout New Vegas, my favorite video game, by the end Junkyard Joe reminded me most of The Iron Giant, which is one of my favorite films. So, either Geoff Johns and I have some overlapping interests, or he is actively reading my thoughts looking for what he could write next that I'll recommend. You might say that's absurd, and you're probably right, but if the next book they publish features the Founding Fathers as wizards, I'm going to be very suspicious...


Anyways, Junkyard Joe. The characters are likable, the broader worldbuilding is strong, and the whole thing radiates with a sincere spirit that many other stories simply lack. Gary Frank is exceptional in his artwork as always and Brad Anderson's coloring is genuinely second to none in my opinion. Every part of this creative team gels together quite nicely and all in all it's one of those stories where you can pick it up, read it, finish it, and just generally feel good afterwards. Plus, despite being part of the broader "Unnamed" timeline they've got going, it's self-contained. You don't need to read Geiger or The Blizzard to understand anything happening here (but you definitely should because they're good too!).
And as a final note, I'd like to take a moment to appreciate the good nature of this book. You may remember that the 1st issue had a load of black and white variant covers, the proceeds of which went to charity to support homeless veterans. Reading the book, it's clear that veterans are an issue genuinely close to the team's hearts as the whole thing can be seen as a metaphor for the experience of soldiers coming home from overseas, so I just want to give the book and the team additional kudos for handling that subject with appropriate respect and care. Good on you guys. Can't wait to see what comes next.