Ghost Projekt #1

By Colin Andersen
July 17, 2010 - 17:14

Here’s a book I’d never even heard about before reading it. In fact, I haven’t even heard of the creative team of Joe Harris and Steve Rolston, but the cover alone drew me in. There is nothing particularly stand-out about it, but the creepy imagery of the men in radiation suits was vaguely creepy and drew me in, just like a cover is supposed to. The stark white color of the woman in the foreground, who we come to know as Anya, stands out intensely from the dark red in the background and somehow creates a creepy atmosphere that only interested me more. It’s really is an effective cover to draw interest, even though it doesn’t convey all that much about the plot.

   Speaking of the plot, it revolves around an abandoned research laboratory filled with empty baby cribs, brains in jars, and a mysterious cat, in Siberia. Some bandits raid the lab and soon some figures from the lab’s past have a secret meeting during which one ends up dead and two Americans come in to investigate the lab after the robbery only to be stopped by a Russian investigator, the woman, Anya, from the cover. There always seems to be an extra presence written into the scene that may or may not be there, there are political intrigues that are sure to be exploited, and even the cat comes off as having many mysteries around it to be unraveled. Joe Harris creates a unique voice for all the characters and makes them quite interesting even when there’s very little screen time for most of them. The story here is nothing new so far with yet another story of Cold War science haunting the modern world, but the characters make it endearing and worth following.

   I was also really impressed by Steve Rolston’s art. It’s very simplistic and rather cartoon-ish, making it seem like a poor fit for a poky story like this, but it really works. The characters are all distinct and look unique and the lab looks suitably creepy with brains and fetuses and jars scattered about. Far and away the best artistic effect in the book is the hazy breeze that constantly blows through the lab. It really makes the place feel desolate and abandoned as it should be, though I’m not sure whether the credit for this should go to Rolston or colorist Dean Trippe. Either way it’s perfect for the book.

   This book really surprised me. I had no plans of reading but felt compelled to and it was a great read. There are a ton of other plots that need to be explored that are sure to explored in depth in the following issues and the art was just fun to look at. Despite its simplicity, I found myself pouring over each page looking at all the little details that littered the world here. The only real problem here is that the story is a little generic at this point, but has plenty of room to open and get more creative and I’m hoping it does just that. This was a fun read and I’ll definitely be back for the second issue to see more of these characters.

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12

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