Written by Andrew Fontana
Green Lantern/Space Ghost Special #1 is pretty straightforward as far as crossovers go. The creative team of James Tynion IV and Ariel Olivetti squeeze all they can out of a Green Lantern/Space Ghost team-up, and the result is a surprisingly good read. With their space-set shenanigans and gruff cop attitude, these two heroes play off each other in an amusing manner. Tynion writes a lot of their interactions for laughs. He delivers on the humor, but adds heart to the proceedings as well. The mission they team up on fits the modus operandi of both characters, and concludes in a stirring and heartfelt manner.
Olivetti’s art is perfectly suited for Tynion’s script. Pulling double duty on colors and pencils, Olivetti’s art gives the book a seventies Sci-fi feel. His Hal Jordan and Space Ghost are muscular and heroic looking figures, his aliens suitably surreal.
The back-up focusing on Ruff N’ Reddy is somewhat less successful. Written by Howard Chaykinin with art by Will Quintana, the back-up reimagines these venerable cartoon characters as down on their luck comedians. It’s a more adult take on the characters that doesn’t quite gel. While not bad by any means, seeing these toons beloved of generations of children give a beat down to their comedic rivals is jarring to say the least.
Rating: 7.5 out of 10
