I didn't sound off on the first issue of Space Ghost, but my website partner Randy Lander summed things up pretty well when he pointed out that an attempt to instill grim-n-gritty, cop-drama elements into the world of Space Ghost was a poor choice. I still hold that view after reading the second issue, but it's not as though I expected the overall tone of the series to suddenly shift after the first chapter. This issue is stronger than the first, though, save for one gaping hole in the plot. An interesting personality is introduced here, and despite it being a poor fit for the character, it is a pleasure to see Ariel Olivetti's richly detailed and wondrous art once again. I think Haven may have been his last foray into American comics, and that's too long a wait.
Officer Thaddeus Bach's comrades in the Watch leave him for dead on am uninhabited, desolate planet, returning to their homeworld to pass off a story about his untimely demise that deflects suspicion away from them. What they didn't know was that the planet they left him on wasn't quite so deserted, as a lone survivor finds Thaddeus and nurses him back to health. The two become friends, but Thaddeus's thirst for revenge worries his kindly savior. It seems his efforts to atone for past sins come into conflict with Thaddeus's violent intentions toward his family's murderers.
Olivetti's style reminds me a little of the work of Bernie Wrightson, albeit with a much more polished look. There's a harshness and ugliness in the villains, and his designs for aliens are novel and refreshingly varied from the typical humanoid-with-unusual-skin-color approach we see in other sci-fi comics. He also conveys a kindness, wisdom and sadness in Salomon's face that helps the reader to know and appreciate the alien figure. I also enjoyed the slight variation on the Space Ghost design we see on the final splash page in this issue.
The script also paints Salomon as a likable figure almost instantly. Kelly's decision to present this issue's narration in his voice was a smart one, as it enables us to get to know the character better. His quirky, Yoda-esque personality draws one further into the story, and that's important, because the plotting is rather transparent. The hero's abandonment of revenge for justice seems a foregone conclusion at this point.
The biggest problem with this particular issue is a key question that goes unanswered: why do the members of the Watch fail to kill Thaddeus in the opening scene? There's no satisfactory explanation as to why they don't shoot him in the head or stab him through the heart. It's unfortunate that DC has opted to tell such a dark story about a character that's connected with a lighter tone, but to do so awkwardly is puzzling. 4/10
