• Story: Peter J Tomasi
• Art/colour: Francis Manapul

I fell madly in love with Peter Tomasi’s writing during his Superman run with Pat Gleason and he doesn’t disappoint here. Challengers of the Unknown, the Fantastic Four and The Incredibles are all channelled here in the latest Ghost Machine launch, which although often confusing has a lightness of touch and strong conspiracy bent to keep it unmissable. What’s surprising is how much is kept under wraps – what the Rockefellers are doing and why they’re doing it is completely opaque, yet each family member is compellingly written, and the art by the always delightful Francis Manapul is expressive and energetic. There’s a lightness of touch here which both creators brought to their signature runs on Superman and the Flash alike, and Geoff Johns is wise to have them here fleshing out his Ghost Machine universe. No doubt the artefact shown at the end is key not just to the plot of this book but the future of said universe too – delightful if so, but I wish it had made a little more sense here.

That said the family is a lot of fun, the whimsical feel in the face of the undefined threat of Cronex is a lot of fun, and Manapul just gets better and better with his line work and colours. Storytelling-wise it does feel as though the jump from the 25th to 21st century is jarring, as is the relaxed way in which the Rocketfellers’ neighbours accept their eccentricities, but the 21st century Ghost Machine universe is so far largely undefined and may be open to as much investigation as this family’s backstory. It’s a cracking start – the mysteries intriguing for younger and older readers alike, and the property feels ripe for a translation to screen. Why is Cronex after Roland? What has he stolen? Why choose 2024 to hide in? How do the Rocketfellers fit in to the larger Ghost Machine universe? I’m really eager to find out – this is fun.