GEIGER #4, by Image Comics on 7/10/24, takes the Glowing Man and Nate the Nuclear Man through the den of the Organ People to save Geiger’s kidnapped dog, Barney.
Credits:
- Writer: Geoff Johns
- Artist: Gary Frank
- Colorist: Brad Anderson
- Letterer: Rob Leigh
- Cover Artist: Gary Frank, Bra Anderson
- Publisher: Image Comics
- Release Date: July 10, 2024
- Comic Rating: Teen
- Cover Price: $3.99
- Page Count: 36
- Format: Single Issue
Covers:
Analysis of GEIGER #4:
Plot Analysis:
Depending on your point of view, Geiger #4 is either perfectly paced or way too slow. Things happen, and Gary Frank’s detailed art is stunning, but Geoff Johns’s plot moves almost in real-time, which works at the moment but not so much when you have to wait a month between issues.
When last we left Geiger and Nate in Geiger #3, Nate learned a valuable lesson about the power of books, the importance of family, even in memories, and how we hold onto things in the present as a link to what we held dear in the past. The issue ended with Barney getting kidnapped while Geiger slept.
In Geiger #3, we begin with a flashback to the previous night when the Electrician set a bait trap to lure out Barney and zapped him with electricity for transport. In the morning, Geiger chastises Nate for letting Barney out, and Nate, to his credit, finds the right words to get Geiger recentered.
Geoff Johns’s interaction between Geiger and Nate continues to strengthen their relationship through its authenticity and complexity. Nate has the awareness to see how Geiger’s anger is a misdirect for what truly matters, which bolsters Nate’s status as a worthy, albeit annoying, sidekick.
Geiger finds a note, a map, and one of Barney’s extracted teeth left as an invitation to come to a meeting spot of the Electrician’s choosing. The shortest path is through the airport where the Organ People make their home. Nate reminds Geiger about Geiger’s earlier warning not to go through the airport, but his determination to retrieve Barney overrides his caution. Geiger activates his radiation and marches ahead, with Nate following behind.
Again, Johns allows the personality of the emotions and personalities of the characters to guide where the story takes them. No, it’s not smart to go through the airport, but everyone can understand that “consequences be damned’ feeling when a loved one is in trouble, so Johns plays that feeling up, and it works.
What follows is a series of attacks by the cannibalistic mutants who live in the airport hangars when they glimpse the potential of fresh meat. Geiger is undeterred as he tears through the ravenous mob. Nate manages to keep up, dealing damage with his sword as best as he can. The gauntlet concludes with all Organ People either dead or scattered, and Geiger saving a captive mother and daughter in the exchange.
Here, Johns goes for straight action to show how formidable Geiger can be in the face of overwhelming odds. Further, Nate’s status as an awkward and possibly impotent sidekick goes up a few notches when he proves his worth in battle more than once.
The issue concludes with a confrontation with the Electrician, brains over brawn, and a gut punch.
Overall, this is a solid issue. That said, the engaging plot doesn’t move very far. You almost feel like the ending is where you would expect to find the commercial break before coming back to the second half of a thirty-minute television episode.
Artwork and Presentation:
Gary Frank’s super-detailed artwork is cinematic in every sense of the word. You could make the criticism that Geiger is nothing more than a glorified Netflix pitch, and you’d probably be right, but Frank’s visuals get you as close to live-action without being there, which is all you really need.
Art Samples:
The Bigger Picture:
Series Continuity:
Past the prologue, Geiger #3 explicitly points out that this story takes place 25 years from now in the Ghost Machine timeline. According to the marketing materials, this series will intersect with Junkyard Joe, Redcoat, and others at some point, but as of now, the seeds hinting at how this series ties in have yet to sprout.
Final Thoughts:
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GEIGER #4 layers on mounds of emotion and authenticity in the protagonists’ character development, and Gary Frank’s stunning artwork makes every panel count. However, Geoff Johns’s engaging script is taking the slow train to wherever this story is headed. The issue isn’t boring by any means, but you’re constantly left feeling unsatisfied that not enough happened by the end.
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