Geiger TP Vol 3 Review

 

Creators: Geoff Johns & Gary Frank

Writer: Geoff Johns

Artist: Gary Frank

Penciler: Paul Pelletier

Inker: Andrew Hennessy

Colorists: Brad Anderson & John Kalisz

Letterer: Rob Leigh

Editor: Brian Cunningham

Designer: Steve Blackwell

Publisher: Image Comics

Price: $16.99

Release Date: June 4, 2025

 

After their battle with the Electrician, Barney feels down. Geiger and Nate wonder if the two-headed wolf will carry on. That night, Barney abandons their camp to protect and befriend a zebra. Geiger doesn’t want another mouth to feed. But Nate adores the three-eyed foal. So, the living nuclear reactor is responsible for four people. Can Geiger find the other glowing man like him and discover a cure for his condition? Or will the people hunting Geiger find them first? Let's grab some Boron dust, leap into Geiger TP Vol 3, and find out!

 

Story

Geoff Johns begins with a fight as Goldfield and other warriors try to capture Geiger. These knights regard Nate as a traitor. The Nuclear Knight understands the need to bring order to the post-apocalyptic wasteland. The warlords of Las Vegas safeguard civilization. They want the Glowing Man to unleash his immense power on their enemies. Before Nate sought redemption from Geiger, the Nuclear Knight served the warlords. Now, Nate protects isolated communities with his new friends in Geiger TP Vol 3.

 

As Geiger, Nate, Barney, and Zigzag travel to Lewistown, Montana, they find Nightcrawlers attacking people. When they realize the children donned radiation suits and risked the giant ants to find books, Geiger feels a link with them. Yet, the children also remind him of the family he lost. Before he became the Glowing Man, Geiger loved sharing his love of reading with his son and daughter. Like Geiger, these children’s parents mourn a world they can never have again. Unlike him, the community’s leaders disdain books.

 

After continuing Geiger's adventures with three recent issues, Geiger TP Vol 3 revisits the Glowing Man's origins. The two-issue story explains why the Russian bombs that decimated cities spread their mutation-producing radiation across the continental United States. Like the parents who fear the consequences of reading books, the Geiger: Ground Zero miniseries reminds us how often we perpetuate our ancestors' flawed legacies.

 

Art

While Nate cuts and thrusts with his sword, Geiger’s glowing skeleton slices through plate armor or breaks glass faceplates. As Geiger wields his control rods like truncheons, and the two-headed wolf bites and claws, the three-eyed Zebra foal watches. Paul Pelletier and Andrew Hennessy portray Geiger's battles with giant ants, repressive leaders, and the knights who seek Geiger as a wedding gift for the Queen and New King of Las Vegas.

 

Then, a Russian immigrant aids a military leader in Geiger TP Vol 3. Gary Frank peels away a quarter-decade to show Tariq Geiger’s fragile form before the radiation healed him. The art reveals why the military leader hunts the Glowing Man and, like Nate, how the Russian strives to relieve Geiger’s suffering.

 

Brad Anderson and John Kalisz lavish loaded palettes on Geiger TP Vol 3. Perhaps the brightest colors adorn a meeting in Las Vegas as the corpulent queen holds court. The warlords adopt iconic costumes from decades and centuries past. Subdued colors portray green-clad soldiers pursuing a glowing green skeleton through the gray night. Lamps illuminate the darkness as Tariq reads to his son and daughter. Sunlight helps a community glow when Geiger and Nate escort their children home.

 

Rob Leigh places uppercase black letters in dialogue balloons that grow bold for intonation, enlarge for volume, and shrink for lowered voices. Intense emotions distort balloons, while colorful dialogue amplifies the action. Sound effects help us hear the Nightcrawlers’ clicking, Zigzag’s braying, knights battling, control rods hissing, and a cherished memory incinerating. Script excerpts, process art, and covers close out Geiger TP Vol 3. Thanks to Image Comics and Ghost Machine for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

The Glowing Man is a dangerous man to know. Befriending him also has its perils. Painful memories propel Geiger on a desperate hunt for a cure in Geiger TP Vol 3. Yet his strange condition has allowed the morose man to survive and protect others from gangs, scavengers, and the monsters that terrorize the American wasteland.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

This review first appeared at Comic Book Dispatch.

 

For a look inside see my preview of Geiger #7, the first issue in Geiger TP Vol 3. 

Geiger TP Vol 2 Review

 

Creators: Geoff Johns & Gary Frank

Colorist: Brad Anderson

Letterer: Rob Leigh

Editor: Brian Cunningham

Designer: Steve Blackwell

Publisher: Image Comics

Price: $14.99

Release Date: February 5, 2025

 

Nate worked for the King of Las Vegas. He followed orders and punished those who broke the law. Seeking a more worthy life, Nate approaches the glowing man. But Geiger spurns him. Will Nate return to his former life? Or will the Nuclear Knight convince the glowing man to accept his aid? Let's leap into Geiger TP Vol 2 and find out!

 

Story

When Russia attacked the United States, Geiger couldn't get into their nuclear fallout shelter in time. His wife and children watched as the radiation interacted with his experimental cancer treatment, transforming Geiger into a living nuclear reactor. Now, Geiger wanders the land, wondering if he will ever find a cure for his condition.

 

Nate suggests a potential cure in Geiger TP Vol 2. After a quarter century, Geiger dismisses Nate's story as a fairy tale. When the Nuclear Knight tries to kill himself, Geiger takes pity on him. He may want Nate as much as Frodo wanted Gollum. Still, if Nate turns on him, Geiger doesn’t have to take him to Mount Doom to incinerate him.

 

The men and Barney follow a trail of breadcrumbs toward salvation. Geiger and his two-headed wolf look out for each other. Geiger and Nate seek information on a second glowing man while remaining alert for attackers, not knowing someone else pursues them.

 

The electrician is not the only danger in Geiger TP Vol 2. Radioactive fallout mutated people and animals. A president inhabits another White House. Still, he cannot cleanse the American wastelands of the nightcrawlers, crazed organ harvesters, or bosses who rule their territories.

 

Geiger TP Vol 2 speaks to our fears about the future. While warning us of threats to our way of life, Geoff Johns and Gary Frank's story reminds us of the importance of kindness. Despite their differences, Geiger and his companions accept each other's foibles. And when they pursue those who have wronged others, Barney may take a bite out of crime, but Geiger and Nate often opt for mercy over justice.

 

Art

Bandits charge past a tilting McDonald's sign. People and horses wear respirators or transparent facemasks. Geiger hides his features with his hood and a book. When danger threatens, Geiger withdraws the boron rods embedded in his back. As Geiger hurls the radioactive batons, green energy suffuses him, and his burning face resembles a skull.

 

Two pairs of green lupine eyes watch as a man in armor approaches. He lifts his visor, revealing the cuts and burns covering the right side of his face. In Geiger TP Vol 2, the travelers hunt a man with a mask that evokes the Lone Ranger. A robot in army fatigues searches a house as memories fill his vision. Tumors and wounds cover mutants who eschew masks and sharpen their teeth. One evokes a savage Zaphod Beeblebrox.

 

As Brad Anderson lavishes a loaded palette on intense action scenes, dramatic encounters, and quiet character moments, Rob Leigh serves uppercase letters into white dialogue balloons. Words come in varying sizes and colors, while Barney's barks and growls reveal his personality. Amid the gunfire and explosions, Geiger's fiery hands sometimes evoke sadness, while red graffiti adorning a train car makes us smile. Thanks to Image Comics for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

Nuclear explosions blew up his life while curing his cancer. As he seeks a reunion with his family, Geiger helps those in need. In Geiger TP Vol 2, the stories he loves remind the living nuclear reactor of what he treasures and who he strives to be.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

For more covers see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

Geiger #7 Sells Out As Ghost Machine Takes On NYCC

 

Have you heard the latest news about Geiger #7? Are you attending New York Comic-Con? The Ghost Machine universe is creating some terrific titles, and this news is so hot it's radioactive! Check it out! 

IMAGE/GHOST MACHINE’S GEIGER #7 SELLS OUT AHEAD OF NYCC 2024, RUSHED BACK TO PRINT THIS WEEK

 

The latest issue in the bestselling Image/Ghost Machine series, Geiger (2024) #7 written

by Geoff Johns with art by Paul Pelletier and Andrew Hennessy, colors by Brad Anderson, lettering by Rob Leigh and cover by Geiger co-creator Gary Frank has sold out completely at the distributor level. This new story arc kickoff issue is being fast tracked for reprint this week in order to keep up with escalating demand.

Excitement surrounding Geiger and the Ghost Machine line of comics is at an all-time high headed into New York Comic Con this week. Fans won’t want to miss the “Ghost Machine: One Year In” panel this Saturday, October 19 at 10:45 a.m. in room 1C03 to get the scoop on what’s to come for the popular series. Ghost Machine will also be exhibiting at the show and can be found at booth #3043.

“The entire Ghost Machine team are excited to see readers and retailers embrace the second Geiger story as strongly as they did when we began our ongoing series last April," said Johns. "This next chapter introduces new characters, new threats and new mysteries in the world of ‘The Unnamed’ as we build to the shocking revelations ahead."

In Geiger (2024) #7, readers follow Geiger, Barney, and Nate the Nuclear Knight as they come across a hidden community in the wastelands—one that offers an echo of what once was suburban America…and a hope for what it could be again. But the dark forces in pursuit of The Glowing Man threaten to destroy it all, and only the unleashed rage of Geiger can stop them. But will Tariq go too far? The answer: yes.

Geiger (2024) #7, second printing (Lunar Code 0924IM870) will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, November 13.

All Ghost Machine titles, including Geiger, Hyde Street, Redcoat, Rook: Exodus, and more, are also available across many digital platforms, including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Google Play.

Ghost Machine’s groundbreaking creator collective was launched at New York Comic Con in October 2023 and features a global best-of-class lineup of artists and writers whose award-winning and iconic works include a who’s who of comic book legends such as Batman, Superman, Spider-Man, Aquaman, Stargirl, JSA, The Flash, The Ultimates, Black Lightning, Green Arrow and countless more: Brad Anderson, Jason Fabok, Gary Frank, Bryan Hitch, Geoff Johns, Rob Leigh, Lamont Magee, Francis Manapul, Brad Meltzer, Ivan Reis, Peter Snejbjerg, Peter J. Tomasi, and Maytal Zchut. In an industry first, all of Ghost Machine’s creators jointly own and run the company, sharing in all of Ghost Machine’s publishing, media, merchandising and licensing. Each creator is exclusive to the company for their comic book work after completing projects already committed to. Ghost Machine recently boosted its already unrivaled creator roster with renowned inkers Andrew Currie and Danny Miki who joined on an exclusive basis alongside designer Steve Blackwell, in charge of the company’s publishing design. Earlier this year Brian Cunningham was named Ghost Machine’s first editor-in-chief.

With an eye towards fostering superstar creators of tomorrow, the company also set up the Ghost Machine Scholarship in June of this year with the famous Joe Kubert School.

Let's take a look inside Geiger #7!  

(Warning: This is not for the squeamish!)

Thanks to Image Comics and Ghost Machine for sharing this announcement and previews with us!

For more on Ghost Machine, follow them on social media:

Follow @ghostmachinepro on Instagram, YouTube and Facebook

 ABOUT IMAGE COMICS
Image Comics is a comic book and graphic novel publisher founded in 1992 by a collective of bestselling artists. Image has since gone on to become one of the largest comics publishers in the United States, and is the #2 graphic novel publisher in America. It is the publisher of such award winning titles as, Spawn, The Walking Dead, Invincible, Saga, Monstress, Deadly Class, Chew, The Old Guard, I Kill Giants, Criminal, The Department of Truth, W0rldtr33, Geiger, Descender, Gideon Falls, It’s Lonely At The Centre of The Earth, Do A Power Bomb, and more. The company currently has six individuals on the Board of Directors: Robert Kirkman, Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri, Jim Valentino, and Eric Stephenson. It consists of five major houses: Todd McFarlane Productions, Top Cow Productions, Shadowline Comics, Skybound Entertainment, and Image Central. Image publishes comics and graphic novels in nearly every genre, sub-genre, and style imaginable. It offers science fiction, fantasy, romance, horror, crime fiction, historical fiction, humor, and more by the finest artists and writers working in the medium today. For more information, visit: www.imagecomics.com.