The Ghost Fleet #3
Dark Horse Comics
Written by: Donny Cates
Art by: Daniel Warren Johnson
Colors by: Lauren Affe
If you find yourself sitting at home on a Saturday afternoon scrolling through the endless list of cable networks hoping to come across an 80s action gem like Escape from New York, The Terminator, or my personal favorite Tango and Cash, then boy do I have a comic for you. Now on its third installment The Ghost Fleet continues to ramp up the intrigue, action and WTF factor. Last issue we got a great set up as Trace executed his plan to highjack the ghost fleet. In this issue we get to see that high octane plan in full motion as Trace takes out the fleet 
and its security detail in minutes. Writer Donny Cates knows this genre well as he expertly plots out each panel and scene to give the reader an overwhelmingly satisfying action sequence. But this issue isn’t about the action but rather its importance lies in establishing our villain. Cates does this in one swift but impactful panel as we quickly learn that even though Trace has nothing to lose he still has his limits.
Cates’ writing is off the wall and fun, as it can be only gets better with Daniel Warren Johnson’s pencils. Johnson does a wonderful job of making this feel like it belongs in the 80s as character models feel as though they were pulled directly from the era. From Senator Roland Cohle’s flat top buzz cut, to Trace’s shaggy pony tail and eye patch, each character could have easily been an extra in Road House. While Cates’ writing is engaging and Johnson’s pencils are fitting it is Lauren Affe’s colors that really stood out to me in this issue. From the pinks and reds that fill the panels in our opening action scene to the dense white and blacks that envelope Ward and Cohle’s conversation, it is the backgrounds, settings, and color pallet that made me spend the majority of my time with this comic concentrating on its fabulous coloring choices.
The Ghost Fleet continues to scratch my 80s action itch with Cates and crew bringing us a story that only gets better with each issue. After seeing the final page of issue 3 I can’t wait for The Ghost Fleet to give me another swift kick to the balls.
