Ghost Cage #3
Doyle, Blair, and Sam discover the secrets of Karloff and Ohm in Ghost Cage #3, by writers Nick Dragotta and Caleb Goellner, art by Dragotta, letterer Rus Wooton, and cover colors by Frank Martin Jr. Ghost Cage #3 sticks the landing, and that’s all there is to it.
Doyle and Blair make a discovery about Blair’s sword after she explains what she’s been doing at Ohm. They decide to split with Sam, allowing the automaton to take the Nuclear floor while they go to Solar. Meanwhile, Karloff’s physical self shows up, ready to take command and put his immortality protocols into effect, something the holographic Karloff won’t allow. After meeting back up on the Solar floor, the three confront holo-Karloff and stop his plan from coming to fruition, one that also makes sure they can start a new family, just the three of them.
Dragotta and Goellner do an amazing job with this final issue. There is still a lot of story to tell here, and they nail it. From the origin of mortiplasm, the purpose of the Ghostrupter sword, Sam’s part in Karloff’s plan, and just Karloff’s plan in general, this book does a whole lot of heavy lifting, but it also does it in a way that is both entertaining and intuitive. For the previous two issues, this comic’s biggest strength was the art and the teases of what was going on. The final issue is able to pay all of those off in an entertaining manner without the pace of the book ever flagging. Even with the increased page count of this issue, it never drags because it’s all so interesting.
This book has definitely leaned into being an American manga, in the best possible way. Dragotta and Goellner dropped a lot of weird stuff on fans. From new terminology to strange character designs, they used manga tropes to make the whole thing work and made it stick. This is hard enough to do with a traditional comic, but the fact they were able to do so here makes it even more impressive.
Dragotta’s art is the secret weapon. For someone who has never seen his work in black and white, Ghost Cage is definitely a treat. This issue is a little lacking in some of the crazy visuals of the prior two issues, but the final battle definitely does a great job of making up for it. Dragotta’s storytelling really makes this issue sing, though, and that’s very important. This is a story-heavy issue, and Dragotta is able to get it all across while also delivering the action fans have come to expect.
Ghost Cage #3 is a wonderful thrill ride that sticks the landing. Dragotta and Goellner have done so much with these three issues, putting out an action-packed manga that has heart and humor to spare, as well as the kind of wild dystopian sci-fi concepts that make this sort of story work. It’s been an amazing book, and this ending is wonderful.