The Rocketfellers TP Vol 1 Review

 

Writer: Peter J Tomasi

Artist: Francis Manapul

Colorists: Francis Manapul, John Kalisz & Ian Herring

Letterer: Rob Leigh

Cover Artist: Francis Manapul

Designer: Steve Blackwell

Editor: Brian Cunningham

Publisher: Image Comics

Price: $14.99

Release Date: September 10, 2025

 

When does your life begin? With your birth, your first big job, marriage, or a singular achievement? The Rocketfellers' story starts in the 25^th Century, as they race to evade their pursuers. Yet their lives begin anew when they travel back in time. How will this future family find life in the 21^st Century? And why did they have to flee the era of their birth? Let’s leap into The Rocketfellers TP Vol 1 and see!

 

Story

After remaking their lives in Olympia, Washington, the Rocketfellers invite the neighbors over for a meet-and-greet. A BBQ on Thanksgiving may be unusual, but Roland recognizes the need to get to know his neighbors as he flips the burgers. The wives and mothers gather around Rachel. They pepper her with questions about handsome Harry Helicopter, who Rachel flies above the city each morning for his traffic reports.

 

Rodney is getting up in years, but he intrigues the older ladies by mentioning his age and his military service. Richie makes new friends in the pool. His little sister, Rae, offers umbrellas in case it rains. The Rocketfellers TP Vol 1 introduces readers to a loving, supportive family. Yet Peter J Tomasi’s story reveals how they are suffering.

 

Rose’s death plagues them most. But aside from leaving Rodney’s wife and Roland’s mother behind, they also miss the 25^th Century. Leaving the technology and superior resources of their time forces each member to adapt. Rae develops a close relationship with nature. Richie's technological abilities help him pursue his interests, but don't come without risks.

 

Rachel has put her career on hold for her family twice before. Now, her family's safety forces her to miss what might be her last opportunity to fulfill a dream. At least Roland can continue his bioengineering project in the basement. And after losing his wife, Rodney's dedication to fitness attracts disciples.

 

In The Rocketfellers TP Vol 1, trouble arises from the people they left behind. Roland’s former employers aren’t happy that he absconded with company property. Reggie covers his brother's tracks at the Time Zone Protection Agency. Yet while Reggie gets on with his life, the wheels of justice that would allow his family to return grind slowly.

 

Art

Francis Manapul begins his story with the Rocketfellers speeding across a snowy landscape. Yellow energy courses through a sleek copper structure that would give Anakin Skywalker’s podracer a run for Watto’s money. A missile sends the vessel tumbling through the snow. The family climbs from the fiery wreck clad in yellow and black, with orange insulation extending above their necks. Rose helps her husband hobble along as figures on hoverbikes race toward them. After she begs them to abandon her, a silver cyborg confronts Rose. White specks of snow dot the metal face as orange eyes reflect Rose's final moments.

 

After the desperate race for survival in the tundra, the family surrounds Roland as he greets neighbors on their backyard deck. Older women watch as Rodney does pullups with a free weight chained to his waist. When their neighbors aren’t watching, Rex, the family’s chihuahua, proves an able companion. The canine cyborg sprouts appendages handy around the house or piloting a vehicle. Yet this family from the future motors around town in an old Volkswagen bus. John Kalisz, Ian Herring, and Francis Manapul adorn Peter J Tomasi’s lighthearted tale with a bright, cheery palette.

 

Rob Leigh portals black uppercase letters into white dialogue balloons in The Rocketfellers TP Vol 1. The letters grow bold for inflection, enlarge for raised voices, and rarely shrink. Balloons grow spiky when characters undergo stress. Purple letters in lavender boxes denote time and space changes, while Reggie speaks with his brother across time using green boxes with lightning-bolt arrows. Sound effects enhance this story about losing loved ones, forming new traditions, and Roland’s bioengineering experiment floating in green liquid. Thanks to Image Comics and Ghost Machine for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

Each member of the Rocketfellers has given up something to become exiles. Yet each also gains something to ease the pain of that loss. Every page of this reverse Buck Rogers saga resonates with the power of family to help, harm, and inspire in The Rocketfellers TP Vol 1.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

For covers from the series (including a Christmas one) see my review at Comic Book Dispatch. 

 

Merry Christmas, All! 

Hornsby & Halo TP Vol 1 Review

 

Creators: Peter J Tomasi & Peter Snejbjerg

Colorist: John Kalisz

Letterer: Rob Leigh

Cover Artists: Peter Snejbjerg & John Kalisz

Editor: Brian Cunningham

Designer: Steve Blackwell

Publisher: Image Comics

Price: $14.99

Release Date: September 3, 2025

 

When nations go to war, resolving the issues that sparked the conflict can be difficult. Often, the underlying problem is that they're different and don't understand each other. Ancient cultures brokered peace by exchanging royal children and letting their adoptive families raise them as their own.

 

There are no more ancient cultures than Heaven and Hell. When the two realms wish to broker peace after years of war, they exchange babies. Who will raise these children from Heaven and Hell? And how will the realms ensure that the children grow up to accept both realms? Let's grab a party hat and blow tickler, leap into Hornsby & Halo TP Vol 1, and see!

 

Story

Zachary was an infant sired by angels. Rose was born to rule the Underworld. The task of overseeing their development fell to the Adjudicator. He placed them with Human families of opposing natures. The Hornsbys adopted Rose. As she grows, she helps them run the local community center. The Adjudicator placed Zachary with the Halos, who operate a funeral home. While Rose helps feed and clothe the unhoused residents of Warwick, New York, Zachary performs all the menial tasks so his parents can preen in their finery and go skiing on a snowy weekend.

 

As thirteen marks the beginning of the teen years, agents from Heaven and Hell arrive to test the children. These are not authorized visits in Peter J Tomasi’s story. Instead, they are surreptitious attempts to activate the children's inherent natures and help them reclaim their destiny. The Adjudicator has watched over Zachary and Rose for twelve years. But because the agents come in disguise, he doesn’t realize they are trying to break the celestial peace.

 

In Hornsby & Halo TP Vol 1, an unintended act of vandalism stirs Zachary's and Rose's emotions. When Zachary's parents upset him, his spirit attempts to rectify their foul deed. Linked by Zachary's hurtful act, Rose's spirit rises to pursue him. When their paths cross at Mount Hope Cemetery, Zachary and Rose compete for the same goal. While one wins the prize, both must deal with the consequences of victory.

 

Art

While baby Rose bathes in fire, baby Zachary flies with doves in Hornsby & Halo TP Vol 1. As she plays with skeletal birds and a toy ferryman in his boat, he eats tufts of clouds and shares his meal with his avian playmates. Rose clutches her mother’s horns when a sword-clad demon lifts her daughter from her bath. Zachary clambers over an angel's back, yanking out wing feathers as they fly over a field of fallen demons. More feathers descend as angels and demons hover above heavenly and hellish cities. Swords, pitchforks, and spears glow as energy and fluids spill from their lifeless bodies.

 

While Peter Snejbjerg provides tantalizing visions of Heaven, Hell, and small-town life in New York, John Kalisz lavishes a loaded palette on Hornsby & Halo TP Vol 1. Stars shine amid the darkness surrounding the blue-skinned Adjudicator as he clutches the orange and pink infants. After the intensely colored eternal realms, red-haired Rose sits amid gentler colors in her school bus. Her green art bag hovers before her as her schoolmate grabs her sketchbook. Zachary garners more attention as he leans out of the bus window. As he closes his eyes, birds soar above his outstretched arm.

 

Black uppercase letters in gray boxes reveal the children’s cosmic origins. Black letters in white balloons convey dialogue as the children fail to recognize the bond uniting them. Rob Leigh shows the children’s pets bark and meow into nonspherical balloons with lightning bolt arrows. Sound effects fill panels as agent provocateurs descend on Warwick, unleashing a variety of colored and shaped dialogue balloons. Thanks to Image Comics and Ghost Machine for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

What does becoming an authentic person involve? Can you accommodate others' differing worldviews without diminishing your identity? In Hornsby & Halo TP Vol 1, a celestial war has slaughtered millions of angels and demons. All that prevents the conflict from restarting is two children who don't know who they are and must decide who they wish to become.

 

Rating 9.5/10

 

For more cover art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch. 

The Rocketfellers #5 Review

 

Writer: Peter J Tomasi

Artist: Francis Manapul

Letterer: Rob Leigh

Cover Artist: Francis Manapul, Ryan Sook & Germán Peralta

Designer: Steve Blackwell

Editor: Brian Cunningham

Publisher: Image Comics

Price: $3.99

Release Date: April 30, 2025

 

Rachel Rocketfeller trained to captain a flight to Jupiter. Instead, the astronaut put her career on hold to have Richie. After giving up on having children, life gifted her a son and daughter. Her husband's research cost Rachel their life in the 25th century. Rachel loves her family and flying a news station helicopter. Still, she engages in extreme sports to fill a void. How will Rachel and her family react when Rae faces danger? Let’s grab our hoverboards, leap into The Rocketfellers #5, and find out!

 

Story

Rae rescued baby sparrows from a Christmas tree. Before her grandmother died, Rose told the girl that trees have a communication network through the ground. Rae seems to sense that connection. Like a priestess of the Delphic Oracle, the girl makes comments about the future open to interpretation. Her brother thinks she is weird. But when Rae faints and their parents react in shock, Richie orders them to take her to a doctor.

 

Tony Martinez looks out for his community. When it snows, Tony offers to bring the Rocketfellers their mail or pick up their groceries. So when Rachel explains that their Volkswagon van won't start and they want to take Rae to the hospital, Tony tosses Rachel his keys and watches as the family drives away. But Tony will find that befriending Rachel, Roland, and the family carries risks in The Rocketfellers #5.

 

In Peter J Tomasi's story, Roland is a 25th-century bioengineer. His nano-borgs have reconstructed an eyeball from its dead husk. Cronex searches the centuries for traces of the family, hoping to recapture Roland for his knowledge and research. Yet when danger threatens the Rocketfellers, it comes from 21st-century Russia.

 

Like Rachel, Richie lost a future that challenged him. His parents restrict his use of anything that could garner notice from the time agents. But Roland and Rachel are so wrapped up in their lives that they don’t know that Richie gets detention at school or hacks offshore accounts on his bedroom computer. While the Cronex agent Raina tracks the family through time, Russian mobsters trace their missing money to Richie’s home in The Rocketfellers #5.

 

Art

Amid scenes of domestic harmony as the Rocketfellers sleep and rise for breakfast, one of the Sparrows Rae adopted finds the reconstructed eyeball in Roland's basement lab. Scenes follow the family’s first visit to a 500-year-old hospital (from their perspective), a team of Russian suits driving around Olympia, Washington, to Yuri and Nicolas reclining in a room below sea level on the Baltic Sea. Instead of watching fish exploring ocean wrecks on the sea floor, the diminutive mobsters clothed in full military attire cover their eyes in immersion glasses.

 

While Francis Manapul lavishes a loaded palette of color on The Rocketfellers #5, pink overtakes panels to convey what Yuri and Nicholas see. Green and blue dominate hospital scenes, while greenish light streams through the undersea windows. Exterior lights on the family home cast brightening rays on a blue evening while the Rocketfellers await the medical staff’s diagnosis. One noteworthy panel shows a man standing in the checkerboard tile hall of the Rocketfeller home, Rodney's greenlit basement lab, and the intervening stairs as white lines on a streaked charcoal background.

 

Rob Leigh portals black uppercase letters into white dialogue balloons in The Rocketfellers #5. The letters grow bold for inflection and enlarge and change color for raised voices. Rae’s wavering lines of small text convey her wooziness. Balloons grow spiky when characters undergo stress. Purple letters in oval lavender boxes locate us in time and space. Sound effects help us hear birds tweeting, hands knocking, Rex barking, and high-tech equipment breaking as danger threatens the family on two fronts. A fact sheet on Richie featuring lowercase letters closes this family saga. Thanks to Image Comics and Ghost Machine for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

When their daughter faints, the family flies into crisis mode. But a trip to the hospital leaves the family home open to threats. While showcasing how Rex greets uninvited visitors, The Rocketfellers #5 hints at interconnections between little Rae, Rodney's basement laboratory project, and the agent pursuing the 25^th Century family through time.

 

Rating 9.4/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

Hornsby And Halo #6 Review

 

Storytellers: Peter J Tomasi & Peter Snejbjerg

Colorist: John Kalisz

Letterer: Rob Leigh

Designer: Steve Blackwell

Editor: Brian Cunningham

Cover Artists: Peter Snejbjerg & John Kalisz; Germán Peralta; Mark Chiarello

Publisher: Image Comics

Price: $3.99

Release Date: April 23, 2025

 

After returning the zombies to their graves, Zachary Halo and Rose Hornsby wanted to resume their lives. But even a Vulcan Nerve Pinch can’t awaken the teenagers from this nightmare. The creature Rose calls a Mutant Demon Lion can assume any shape. Zachary and Rose know him best as their bus driver, but the Adjudicator has taken many forms while watching over them during their adolescence.

 

With agents from Heaven and Hell trying to influence the thirteen-year-olds, the Adjudicator agrees to show them where they came from. Will discovering their origins bring Zachary and Rose peace? Or will it freak them out even more? Let’s grab some snacks from the Drive-In Theater concession stand, leap into Hornsby And Halo #6, and find out!

 

Story

Zachary damaged Rose's sketchbook, broke into her bedroom, hotwired the truck from Jim's Orchard, and pilfered candy bars from the concession stand. So, when the Adjudicator transports them to Hell, Rose struggles to accept she belongs there, while Zachary hails from Heaven. It doesn't help that a demon welcomes her by name. Nor does Rose appreciate Zachary's snarky comments as they watch people suffering eternal torment.

 

But then, Zachary is not enjoying their interdimensional sightseeing tour either. Zachary has spent his youth weighed down by guilt over his parents’ bad behavior. He blames himself for the zombie uprising. So when Zachary visits Heaven in Hornsby And Halo #6, he struggles to feel like he belongs. Worst, Heaven delivers good vibes but seems strangely lacking in substance.

 

The Adjudicator finds the teenager’s dissatisfaction troubling in Peter J Tomasi & Peter Snejbjerg’s story. He has watched over them all their lives. Yet Rose and Zachary hesitate to trust him. The Adjudicator granted their wish to see where they belong. Yet the teens wonder if they want the privileged futures awaiting them. The Adjudicator tries to make Rose and Zachary understand that they must prevent a cosmic war. Still, Rose and Zachary struggle to accept that everything they thought they knew about themselves is a lie in Hornsby And Halo #6.

 

Art

Peter Snejbjerg conveys Rose and Zachary’s space odyssey amid cinematic widescreen imagery. Panels stretch across two pages or convey depth in vertical strips as the characters descend to Hell and ascend to Heaven. The interdimensional imagery seems lifted from illuminated manuscripts painted with quill pens in medieval monasteries. A moment of wonder in Hornsby And Halo #6 recalls Superzach’s “flights” on the school bus. Visions of her eternal destiny evoke drawings in Rose’s sketchbook.

 

After remaining by Zachary’s side during the zombie uprising, Pepper gazes at a tiny cosmos of pink, blue, and white circles. The green-eyed orange-and-white cat paws at the sparkling energy as if struggling to believe its master left it behind. Rose and Zachary fly through green clouds amid the starry cosmos. Orange, yellow, and red convey the horrors of Hell, while purple and green portray doomed souls. Greens and blues dominate the Adjudicator’s ascent, while beige, blue, mauve, and white fill Heaven with radiance and mystery. John Kalisz's colors capture the majesty and horrors of the eternal realm and the richness of Earth.

 

Rob Leigh places uppercase letters into white and colored dialogue balloons. Letter size, balloon shape, and arrow size vary as the teens ask the Adjudicator to hold their hands. Sound effects convey the anguish of Hell, a battle in Heaven, and the Adjudicator’s frustration when the future rulers turn on each other. Thanks to Image Comics and Ghost Machine for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

Rose and Zachary used to respect Mr Wenders. Now, they call their bus driver by his first name and question everything he tells them. Like many teens, Rose and Zachary struggle to embrace truths they don't want to accept. But then, people like the Adjudicator have been influencing them without their knowledge or consent. While their friends ponder how to spend their lives, Rose and Zachary's futures seem already written in Hornsby And Halo #6.

 

Rating 9.4/10

 

For more cover art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

Hornsby And Halo #5 Review

 

Storytellers: Peter J Tomasi & Peter Snejbjerg

Colorist: John Kalisz

Letterer: Rob Leigh

Designer: Steve Blackwell

Editor: Brian Cunningham

Cover Artists: Peter Snejbjerg & John Kalisz; Gary Frank & Brad Anderson; Dean Haspiel

Publisher: Image Comics

Price: $3.99

Release Date: March 26, 2025

 

A hellish night united them, forcing Zachary to sprout a feathered wing to spirit a fiery Rose and his cat Pepper away. After resuming human form, Zachary uses his ingenuity to appease the unquiet dead and return them to the cemetery. But their transformations and evening assisting zombies leave both teens disturbed. Each thought they knew who they were. Now, they are unsure where they belong.

 

Zachary and Rose attend Warwick Valley Central School but have never been friends. After destroying Rose's sketchbook, Zach invaded Rose's bedroom to reclaim the burial goods she stole from the grave robbers. Zachary is a child of Heaven raised by fiendish undertakers. Rose is a child of Hell growing up with nurturing social workers. Can the two thirteen-year-olds help each other adjust to their supernatural puberty? Let's leap into Hornsby And Halo #5 and find out!

 

Story

Zachary is used to taking the blame. His parents may run the mortuary, but he does all the work. Like Cinderella and her stepsisters, Zachary slaves while his mom and dad play. He takes responsibility for the zombie invasion, weighed down by guilt over his parents’ thefts. But Zachary also picks locks and hotwires vehicles. In Hornsby And Halo #5, Rose becomes his conscience, pointing out consequences await those who groove to Judas Priest's famous song.

 

Like Zachary, the Adjudicator also feels guilty. He believes he failed to prepare the children for their Coming Out party. So, when agents from Heaven and Hell attempt to use the children to restart the War Between The Realms, Zachary and Rose aren't ready. The zombie invasion and their transformations freaked them out. Now, they can no longer distinguish reality from fantasy.

 

Peter J Tomasi and Peter Snejbjerg's story evokes parents ripping away the illusion of belonging. In Hornsby And Halo #5, the Adjudicator must find a way to get Rose and Zachary to trust him. But the young teens want nothing to do with him. Unlike Rose, Zachary can not lock horns with him. But, like Rose, he insists they belong with their human parents.

 

Art

The Sphinx towers over the children in the cemetery. Rose and Zachary are so desperate to wake up that when they pinch each other, both children scream and shake off the pain. Zachary, Rose, and the Adjudicator become reverse silhouettes before the blazing truck headlights. With one sweep of his hands, energy crackles across the graves, and the snow covering the reburied caskets smoothen. But, the moment the Sphinx takes his eyes off them, the teens vanish.

 

John Kalisz lavishes a bright palette on appealing characters caught in crisis. The little cemetery, old truck, and snow-covered town are just some of the beloved remnants of Americana that ground readers in fantastic events. The evening sky becomes a tapestry of grayish greens dappled with white amid the frantic, high-flying action. But in Hornsby And Halo #5, nothing is more eye-catching than the Sphinx. Pink, blue, and purple galaxy spin across its dark wings while its glowing yellow eyes link with the golden bands covering his forearms.  

 

Rob Leigh places uppercase letters into white and colored dialogue balloons. Letter size ranges from blessedly generous to accursedly small as the children confront a creature out of mythology. Enlarged and bold letters deform arrows and threaten balloon integrity. Flying stars enhance the children’s pain, while sound effects amplify their fright. But the emblem on a stolen truck reminds us Zachary and Rose tasted something forbidden. Their childhood is over, and scary adulthood awaits. Thanks to Image Comics and Ghost Machine for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

After settling an undead uprising, Rose and Zachary hope to resume their lives. Neither feels like they belong. Still, that is all they know. In Hornsby And Halo #5, the shocks to their systems continue. On the cusp of physical, emotional, and social changes, the thirteen-year-olds discover that their peers aren’t their peers, their parents aren’t their parents, and their world isn’t their home.

 

Rating 9/10

 

For more cover art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

The Rocketfellers #4 Review

 

Writer: Peter J Tomasi

Artist: Francis Manapul

Colorists: John Kalisz, Ian Herring & Francis Manapul

Letterer: Rob Leigh

Cover Artist: Francis Manapul; Brad Walker & Brad Anderson; Todd Nauck

Designer: Steve Blackwell

Editor: Brian Cunningham

Publisher: Image Comics

Price: $3.99

Release Date: March 19, 2025

 

Roland Rocketfeller discovered a secret his employer prefers to remain hidden. Forced to flee their wrath, Roland's brother Reggie enlisted Roland and his family in the Time Zone Protection Program. Officially, no one knows where and when the Rocketfellers reside. But Reggie has told his fiancée Olivia. And Cronex is scouring time zones and interlinked realities for clues to their hiding place.

 

Abandoning the 25^th Century for the 21^st necessitated learning new ways of living. It also meant leaving behind Roland's mother, Rose. While the Rocketfellers gradually adjust to our time, their neighbor notices Rachel’s enhanced swimming ability. Roland and Rachel's son Richie exploits his futuristic skills for spending money. Can Cronex follow the family’s footsteps through time? And will they capture Roland’s bioengineering project before it matures? Let’s grab our hoverboards, leap into The Rocketfellers #4, and find out!

 

Story

While Richie attracted notice at the family's neighborhood Thanksgiving bash, Rodney proved a hit with the ladies. Seniors in the neighborhood join him on his morning run. The ladies don't realize he wasn't joking about his age. Nor do they know he has a cybernetic leg. But they respond to his zest for life, and he inspires them with his commitment to physical fitness.

 

Rachel remains the thrill seeker in the family. In The Rocketfellers #4, she remembers the heartbreaks of her career. Roland takes a rare break from his basement lab to revive her spirits. While Rachel refuses to complain about her sacrifice, her actions on their sporting date suggest resentment over putting her dreams on hold.

 

Perhaps the most intriguing member of the family is little Rae. In The Rocketfellers #4, the Sparrows she rescued from a Christmas tree are no longer babies. Yet they return to her after their flights and are content to remain in a box. Rae has a reverence for nature. In Peter J Tomasi's story, the young girl demonstrates a deeper understanding of our world than her brother senses.

 

Art

Francis Manapul gives us a second look at Yuri and Nicholas. The stature-challenged brothers dress like decorated generals as they shake a seated man awake. Like Dennis Nedry in Jurrasic Park, the worker sits at a desk littered with empty cans, paper cups, and scattered snacks from a bag. He is shocked when his Napoleon-like bosses surround him in The Rocketfellers #4. Their words relax his facial muscles, and he smiles as they escort him from the control room. When the brothers activate a big screen, the other workers turn to watch the man meet with the demure Miss Kleb.

 

John Kalisz, Ian Herring, and Francis Manapul lavish bright colors and realistic flesh tones on Rachel as we glimpse her face through a page of numbers. Green holoscreens surround control room workers clad in green suits. The repulsors on their gravchairs glow yellow, linking them with the mission controller and the astronauts surrounded by purple. Then Rachel, clad in a green-and-yellow Jetsons-like minidress, stares at their yellow-and-brown TZPP suits hanging in the closet.

 

Rob Leigh portals black uppercase letters into white dialogue balloons in The Rocketfellers #4. The letters grow bold for inflection, enlarge for raised voices, and rarely shrink. Balloons grow spiky when characters undergo stress. Purple letters in lavender boxes denote time and space changes as Reggie's fiancée Olivia travels through time. A fact sheet on Rodney featuring lowercase letters closes this family saga. Thanks to Image Comics and Ghost Machine for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

Raina demonstrates the company's ruthlessness when she travels through time to prevent the Time Zone Protection Program from building a case against Cronex. Raina seems heartless and cruel. Yet a repetitive injury suggests an intriguing link between Raina and Roland in The Rocketfellers #4.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

To look inside and view more cover art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

Hornsby And Halo #4 Review

 

Storytellers: Peter J Tomasi & Peter Snejbjerg

Colorist: John Kalisz

Letterer: Rob Leigh

Designer: Steve Blackwell

Editor: Brian Cunningham

Cover Artists: Peter Snejbjerg & John Kalisz; Ivan Reis, Danny Miki & Brad Anderson; Kyle Hotz & Dan Brown

Publisher: Image Comics

Price: $3.99

Release Date: February 26, 2025

 

Heaven and Hell made a pact. They sacrificed their highborn children to end a terrible war. Hell sent Rose to live among the selfless Hornsbys. Heaven sent Zachary to live with the selfish Halo family. The Adjudicator chose their Human parents to ensure the children got a balanced view of good and evil. Perhaps one day, they will visit the Council Of Realms. Zachary and Rose can share how they learned to tolerate other views and make peace with their enemies. But first, they must survive their turbulent teen years.

 

Zachary and Rose’s powers manifest when they hit thirteen. Zachary shares his cupcake with his cat in an empty home. Rose’s parents throw her a party in the Hornsby Warwick Community Center. After falling asleep, the children fly to Mount Hope Cemetery to intercept grave robbers. But while Zachary returned home empty-handed, Rose captured the robbers' loot. Can the Highborn Infernal and Celestial survive the zombies that arose from the cemetery and want their valuables back? Let's leap into Hornsby And Halo #4 and find out!

 

Story

A Celestial posing as a postal worker gave Zachary a box. Inside was a quill and a tiny cloud. When the zombies chased the kids, she urged him to eat the cloud. Zachary sprouted a wing, prompting Rose to assume her demon shape. The kids may not be friends, but both realize this extraordinary experience unites them. This metamorphosis differs from their night at the cemetery when they shed their Human forms. Zachary evades the zombies by carrying Rose and his cat into the air. But he is new to flight and unsure of his abilities. The kids end up back in the snow, and the zombies resume their pursuit.

 

A Celestial influenced Zachary's changes. Yet, Infernal agents have also visited the kids' town. Factions from both sides want to end the peace and resume the War Of The Realms. As Zachary and Rose revise their perceptions of who they are, the Adjudicator watches over them in Hornsby And Halo #4. By day, he poses as their school bus driver. But he takes other forms and jobs in Warwick to keep watch over his charges.

 

Rose and Zachary have otherworldly powers. Yet, in Peter J Tomasi and Peter Snejbjerg’s story, they tackle the zombies using their skills and ingenuity. While her parents’ ethics have rubbed off on Rose, she angers easily and realizes her role in endangering her neighborhood. Zachary uses the skills his underhanded undertaker parents taught him to right wrongs and recognize his responsibility for the undead uprising.

 

Art

White fire burns one side of Zach’s face. Yellow and orange fire erupts on half of Rose’s. While Rose’s body assumes her demonic shape, Zachary remains in street clothes. Each has one glowing eye and one Human eye, while light fills the zombies' eyes. The inked and colored faces lend the zombies a kid-friendly appeal. Pepper, Zach's orange cat, also enchants with its antics. While wearing the pearl necklace, Pepper betrays no fear of falling from trees or risky maneuvers requiring split-second timing.

 

Zach’s white and orange coloring matches the night sky and falling snow. Ruth may struggle to walk on her clawed toes, but her orange and yellow coloring links her with Pepper. Ruth's pink jacket turns lavender amid darkness, and both colors echo the zombies' attire. Blues and greens also dominate the attractive coloring in Hornsby And Halo #4. After Peter Snejbjerg pairs Zachary, Rose, and Pepper’s flight with the Adjudicator and the Celestial’s, John Kalisz colors the Adjudicator’s power yellow and orange.

 

Rob Leigh places uppercase letters into white and colored dialogue balloons. Letter size ranges from blessedly generous to accursedly small to signal inflection and volume. Enlarged and bold letters deform arrows and threaten balloon integrity. Sound effects link small actions between Zachary and the Adjudicator while enlivening impacts and honking horns. Yet the multiple squiggly arrows dropping from the zombies' balloons make the strongest statement about life and our relationship with each other in Hornsby And Halo #4. Thanks to Image Comics and Ghost Machine for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

While Rose and Zachary discover their Nature, the thirteen-year-olds rely on their Nurture to resolve a crisis and bring peace to the injured in Hornsby And Halo #4.

 

Rating 9/10

 

For two more covers see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

Ghost Machine #1 Review

 

Creators: Jason Fabok, Gary Frank, Bryan Hitch, Geoff Johns, Lamont Magee, Francis Manapul, Brad Meltzer, Ivan Reis, Peter Snejbjerg, Peter J. Tomasi & Maytal Zchut

Inker: Danny Miki

Colorists: Brad Anderson & Bjarne Hansen

Letterer: Rob Leigh

Cover Artists: Gary Frank & Brad Anderson; Bryan Hitch & Brad Anderson; Francis Manapul; Jason Fabok & Brad Anderson; Peter Snejbjerg; Ivan Reis & Brad Anderson; Ivan Reis & Steve Blackwell

Publisher: Image

Price: $4.99

Release Date: January 24, 2024

 

A radioactive man traverses an apocalyptic wasteland. Wardens in an abandoned terraformed world wear helmets to control animals. Novelty store items wield unexpected power. A family travels back through the centuries to live among us amid a contest between Heaven and Hell. What do all these stories have in common? Let’s leap into Ghost Machine #1 and find out!

 

Stories

Geiger

Creators: Geoff Johns & Gary Frank; Colors by Brad Anderson

Geiger wanders post-apocalyptic America. He burns with radiation. Beside him trots a two-headed wolf. Many come to him for help. One, the nuclear knight, begs to assist him. But all that interests Geiger is another immortal named Redcoat.

 

Redcoat

Creators: Geoff Johns & Bryan Hitch; Colors by Brad Anderson

Redcoat was born in 1749. Colonists killed him in 1776. He awoke on the battlefield and has since fought in many wars. He’s met many historical figures, including Einstein and Annie Oakley. Every time Redcoat dies, his mind returns to a painful childhood memory. Then Redcoat awakens to fight another day.

 

In Ghost Machine #1, Geiger and Redcoat introduce several antiheroes who fight wars across time. As these stories interweave, so are the acts of these immortal warriors. A chart provides the timeline for each soldier's origin across a tapestry called The Unnamed, while biographies reveal insights into their histories and characters.

 

Rook: Exodus

Creators: Geoff Johns & Jason Fabok; Colors by Brad Anderson

Rook failed at farming. Now he’s a Warden. His helmet helps him command crows, ravens, and rooks. With Swine’s help, Rook searches for parts to repair a rocket and leave the planet. Swine isn’t sure he wants to leave Exodus with Rook. Dire Wolf argues they should build a new community among those who have not abandoned the terraformed world. Yet someone else hunts the three wardens long after the corporation that settled the planet fled. As with the Unnamed characters, short biographies provide insights into their histories and characters.

 

 

The Rocketfellers

Creators: Peter J. Tomasi & Francis Manapul

A 25^th-century family travels back to 2024. Neither his father, wife, or children are inclined to sacrifice their likes and interests. Still, Roland’s determined to forge them into a loving, supportive family. While doing this for personal reasons, Roland worries that Vertex will discover them.

 

In Ghost Machine #1, The Rocketfellers participate in the Time Zone Protection program. Perhaps the family protects our future. In any case, Roland must help them disregard traditions and perspectives that originate in their society and adapt to our less-advanced ways.

 

Hornsby & Halo

Creators: Peter J. Tomasi & Peter Snejbjerb; Colors by Bjarne Hansen

Zachary Halo and Rose Hornsby live in Warwick, New York. Zach is the child of angels who now lives with demons. Rose is a demon maturing among angels. While Rose's parents are loving, Zach struggles to please his adoptive mother and father. As the eleven-year-olds compete against each other, they reveal supernatural abilities.

 

In Ghost Machine #1, Heaven and Hell wonder whether nature or nurture will triumph. How the contest relates to peace between both realms is yet to become apparent. And how will mortals react when they notice Zachary and Rose’s superhuman abilities?

 

The Rocketfellers and Hornsby & Halo shelter under the Family Odysseys umbrella. Fact sheets provide the lowdown on each character. Even Rex--the Rocketfellers' family dog--gets a paragraph!

 

Hyde Street

Creators: Geoff Johns, Lamont Magee & Ivan Reis

Inks: Danny Miki

Colors: Brad Anderson

A boy blows a whistle to punish a rude man. A woman who has tried everything makes another attempt to lose weight. The items look like mass-produced gimmicks. How do these powerful objects influence the user, and what happens when wielded for evil purposes? Could using these artifacts hasten the apocalypse?

 

Ghost Machine #1 introduces all these stories arriving in comic shops in the upcoming months. Among this tempting array of appetizers, The Rocketfellers and Hornsby & Halo best resemble entrees. But all these appealing starters will tempt the palettes of readers hungering to discover a promising new storytelling universe.

 

Art

An elder sits on a rock, telling stories of Geiger, the Nuclear Knight, and Redcoat to children gathered around a campfire. They clutch cloaks or blankets over their antiradiation suits and gaze at each other through the visors of their helmets. Geiger doesn’t need a radiation suit. He strides through the wasteland, carrying two sticks across his back like ninja swords. He glows with green fire when angered.

 

American colonists surround Redcoat on a hill. Their rifles encircle his head. Redcoat smiles congenially, offering to change sides. Yet he awakens moments later amid the Revolutionary War as scavengers try to pinch his boots. A lifetime later, Redcoat awakens when people try to bury him. The Unnamed features appealing realism with vibrant colors.

 

Rook: Exodus catches Rook and Swine on the run. The Wardens charge through trees and fall off a cliff, pursued by a beast they cannot control. Water streams down their features and flies into their faces as they struggle through a stream. Grays and browns saturate this failed terraformed project. Yet Rook and Swine shine, thanks to nuanced coloring and detailed penciling.

 

Lavish penciling inscribes The Rocketfellers into our hearts in Ghost Machine #1. The limited color palettes shift by scene, while other panels offer full-spectrum coloring. Many images evoke paintings. Grandma appears via hologram. The art conveys rapid movement as the family leaves their clapboard home, boards their VW bus, and races to escape pursuit. A 25th-century blaster—stored in the dash—provides their only protection.

 

 

 

The soft tones of the limited palette imbue Hornsby & Halo with All Ages appeal. The art suits these young heroes as they compete against each other on the baseball diamond. While outshining their peers, they endure parents who view the world from a different paradigm.

 

Three sections comprise Hyde Street in Ghost Machine #1. Pages advertising novelty items evoke Bronze Age Comic advertisements for items children could purchase via mail. These give way to paintings of realistic art in which characters exude warmth and settings radiate vitality. Moments of action strike powerfully while danger menaces throughout.

 

Rob Leigh populates Ghost Machine #1 with a wide range of lettering. Sizes ranged from large to small, and styles from simple block font to italicized. Vibrant sound effects enliven every story, and Easter Eggs hint at linkages to others.

 

Thanks to Image Comics for providing a copy of this sixty-six-page issue for review.

 

Final Thoughts

Popular and promising creators introduce a lavish sampler of exciting stories in Ghost Machine #1. The oversized one-shot fires a salvo across the bows of local comic shops, warning readers to take heed and other storytelling universes to remain on High Alert.

 

Rating 10/10

 

For more covers see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.