Preview — Space Ghost & friends return this week in new series

Originally a Hanna Barbera character that became the impetus for the animated superhero TV genre that took off in the 1960s, Space Ghost got his own reboot in the 1990s as a has-been superhero hosting his own late night talk show Space Ghost: Coast to Coast. Airing first on Cartoon Network and later Adult Swim, Space Ghost: Coast to Coast was a series with its very own style of humor, featuring the superhero interviewing real-world guests via a television monitor to the right of his desk.

Last year a new comic book series rebooted the characters from the shows, a fun return that brought some new readership to Dynamite Entertainment’s line of licensed superheroes. The creative team behind that series is back, with an all-new story beginning with a renumbered Issue #1 of Space Ghost arriving in comic shops today. Readers find Space Ghost and Blip being tormented by a diabolical villain, as Jan and Jace encounter a visitor from the past.

Is the visitor who he purports to be, and can Space Ghost survive the crazy antics of the Toymaker?

David Pepose returns as writer on this series with artist Jonathan Lau providing more cosmic views. Look for variant covers from Alex Ross, Francesco Mattina, Jae Lee & June Chung, Bjorn Barends, and Michael Cho.

Perhaps the definite modern take on Space Ghost can be found in Joe Kelly, Ariel Olivetti, and Alex Ross’s epic graphic novel (still in print and available here). To get caught up on Pepose and Lau’s story, find the collected editions of last year’s series here — you’ll find our hero in the wake of a surprise attack on Space Colony Omicron, home of scientist Dr. Jerrod Keplar and his young children, Jan and Jace, as well as their pet monkey, Blip. That story featured fan-favorite arch-enemies Brak and Sisto.

And if you missed them, you can stream all the episodes of the classic comedy series here at the Adult Swim website for free. The Bee Gees, Weird Al Yankovic, Jim Carrey, Alice Cooper, Billy Mumy, Mark Hamill, Lassie, Catherine Bach, Jimmie Walker, Bill Nye, Goldie Hawn, Charlton Heston, Steve Allen, Michael McKean, Tom Arnold, Bob Costas, Conan O’Brien, Tenacious D, Willie Nelson, and William Shatner all appeared in Space Ghost’s interview seat, plus many others.

Arrogant and cocky, sometimes zapping his guests to oblivion, Space Ghost’s style was very similar to David Letterman’s, but even closer to Stephen Colbert, who wouldn’t have his own interview show until years later. Space Ghost’s questions aimed to confuse the interviewee. All in, Space Ghost: Coast to Coast aired for ten years. His guests featured a varied list like no other show except possibly The Muppet Show.

Here’s a look inside the first issue of the new series in comic shops today: