Review — ‘Ghost Pepper’ #2 Continues To Be Delightfully Weird

Welcome to the table,

There are a lot of stories out there I love that take on a lot of forms. But there is a really fun thing that happens when you get injected into a new setting, have zero clue what the rules of the world are, what factions or powers are in play, and are learning things through exposition. Sometimes, it happens in a comic with beautifully strange visuals that speak to a very lived-in world with multitudes of stories to tell. Image Comics’ Ghost Pepper is one of those truly weird, unknowable, but really enjoyable stories, and I, for one, am happy to be along for the ride. Let’s get into it.

Ghost Pepper #2, by Ludo Lullabi and Adriano Lucas, picks up with some insight into a hero who may be less than he seems. I keep picking up on a very religious undertone in this book; it could be all those semesters of art history or countless hours watching Antiques Road Show, but there is a very “visual shape” language and a very noticeable composition when dealing with saints or religious icons. There are even panels that feel like they have taken nods from the Renaissance masters themselves.

The story continues with some strong exposition provided by the plucky food truck driver while our broody and mysterious protagonist, Ash, sits around being broody and mysterious.

He is, so far, not very likable. I don’t know that he is supposed to be to this point. I also don’t know that he is supposed to be ever. There is something to be said for an almost god-like, powerful savior of a populated planet who was lost in some kind of stasis for a few years and has thawed out to a world that thinks someone else saved the day. I think when you are dealing with big tech set pieces, immense power, and strange devices, that kind of thing is totally acceptable.

Not a lot happens in this issue, and that is fine, as the debut was pretty much all action. I think where Ghost Pepper shines the most is that even in the moments where it feels like you are just looking at talking heads in weird future food trucks talking about strange future-history moments, it’s still fun. The novelty of the unknown and endless possibilities of a fresh fantasy landscape have not worn off yet.

Until next time, I think this is the kind of book I’m going to keep picking up until it gets predictable, and if the art and weirdness are any indication, that is going to take a while.