GEIGER #9, by Image Comics on 12/25/24, pits The Glowing Man against the King of Las Vegas for the fate of Grover’s Corners.
Credits:
- Writer: Geoff Johns
- Artist: Paul Pelletier, Gary Frank, Andrew Hennessy
- Colorist: John Kalisz, Brad Anderson
- Letterer: Rob Leigh
- Cover Artist: Gary Frank, Brad Anderson (cover A)
- Publisher: Image Comics
- Release Date: December 25, 2024
- Comic Rating: Teen
- Cover Price: $3.99
- Page Count: 36
- Format: Single Issue
Covers:
Analysis of GEIGER #9:
Recap:
When last we left Tariq and Nate in Geiger #8, they arrived in a secluded town, Grover’s Corners, that miraculously survived the fallout of the Unknown War. The town’s Mayor sought to burn books and keep knowledge of the outside world away from the next generation to prevent war from happening again. Geiger prepared to leave the town, but his exit was blocked by the arrival of Las Vegas’s New King.
Plot Analysis:
In Geiger #9, the battle for Grover’s Corners begins. The King of Las Vegas came prepared to fight and capture Geiger by wearing armor laced with Titanium and Tungsten. His knights have smoke bombs laced with Boron. All defenses are designed to stop Geiger’s radioactive strength and heat. If Geiger comes quietly, the King promises to spare the town.
Nate tells the nearby children and their parents to take shelter inside for what he’s about to do. He knows Geiger will have to let loose to overcome sheer numbers, so no one is safe within the radius of his radioactive powers.
Covered in Boron dust, the King’s knights beat Geiger to break his spirit before they shackle him. Suddenly, Nate sprays the entire scene with a hose from a nearby fire truck, giving Geiger the chance to activate his powers and unleash his fury on the King.
The issue ends with Geiger losing control, an invitation to leave town, and the Ghost Machine heroes heeding the call to find the Glowing Man.
First Impressions:
All in all, Geiger #9 is a decent enough ending to Tariq’s visit to Grover’s Corners. Writer Geoff Johns gives readers a relatively gripping battle that could have ended in the death of multiple characters the readers care about. That said, non-stop action comes at the expense of the plot.
Artwork and Presentation:
As you can see from the credits listed above, a small army of artists worked together to pull this off, and we’re happy to report that the difference isn’t noticeable. Yes, art connoisseurs will have no trouble picking out which pages belong to Gary Frank and which ones belong to Paul Pelletier, but their styles are complementary enough that you aren’t jarred out of the reading experience.
Art Samples:
Story Positives & Negatives:
The Positives:
Geoff Johns’s standard action fest brings the visit to Grover’s Corners to an end with a relatively satisfying conclusion. The status quo for the Seven Remnants gets a mild shakeup, and the last few pages tease the long-awaited crossover, so there’s a lot to like in this issue.
The Negatives:
What’s missing is any type of consequence, meaning, or change for Grover’s Corners. Geoff Johns goes through the trouble of setting up an oasis town but does nothing with it. You could make the case that Grover’s Corners will be visited again in the future, but what’s the point if nobody remembers it?
The Bigger Picture:
Series Continuity:
Yes, the long-awaited Ghost Machine is picking up traction. Specifically, the Northerner, Junkyard Joe, and Redcoat make brief cameos at the end of this issue with a loosely common goal.
Final Thoughts:
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GEIGER #9 is a relatively satisfying end to Geiger’s visit to Grover’s Corners. Geoff Johns uses the climactic battle to shake up the status quo of Geiger’s enemies and bring the radioactive anti-hero one big step closer to a crossover with other ghost Machine characters. Plus, the sizeable art team’s presentation is outstanding.
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