Geiger #18 is published by Image Comics under the Ghost Machine imprint, with writing credits attributed to Geoff Johns, inks by Norm Rapmund, pencils by Eduardo Pansica and Gary Frank, and colors by Robert Nugent and Brad Anderson.
Geiger #18 picks up following the events of #17, with Tariq Geiger finding himself separated from his companions and captured by the guards of the brutal Coldwater Prison, governed by the callous Warden Wren. #18 opens with narration by the post-apocalyptic pirate Captain Goldbeard, who is hatching a plan to break his crew into Coldwater and dig up his long-lost treasure while using Tariq Geiger as a distraction.
A much more scaled-down and stripped-back issue compared to the rest of this series so far, this issue creatively explores how Tariq Geiger uses and is affected by his powers.
Life Locked Up: Exploring The Plot
So, if the idea of post-apocalyptic pirates doesn't grab you, I'm not sure what will. I really appreciate writer Geoff Johns bringing back Captain Goldbeard, who first appeared in Volume 1, as I consider him a very fun character and a light addition to a mostly miserable world. I think Johns does a great job of reintroducing him into the series, too, with new readers not really needing to research who he is or his history with Tariq Geiger to appreciate and follow the story. No spoilers, but I think the way the story humanizes him and the way his and Geiger's stories overlap and parallel in this issue is quite fun, with both rediscovering a core piece of their beings for better or worse.
#17 and #18 come hot off the heels of the last arc, in which Tariq Geiger came face to face with Ashley Arden, also known as The Glowing Woman, a person suffering from the same affliction as his own. She claimed she had learned to control it. It was all too good to be true, and after the arc, he was left feeling even more hopeless and without cause, feeling that redemption would never arrive. And so, I feel in many ways this short Coldwater Prison arc serves as a way to reinvigorate the spark inside Tariq and reawaken the legend of the Glowing Man.
Personally, I feel like another issue of the Coldwater Prison arc would have been welcomed. Yes, we get glimpses and hear how savage the prison and Warden are, but the story doesn't really have time to truly explore any of that. I think more world-building and characterization would help pay off the arc better for me. For example, we understand that the Warden is aware of who Tariq Geiger is and why he's infamous, but we don't know why he wants to control him or have him caged. I realize that's not really the point of this arc, but I feel like it would give the reader way more investment in the story if we cared and understood the surrounding world more.
The Sadness of The Glowing Man
I think the story in this issue does a really great job of showing the savagery and sadness of Tariq Geiger's curse and how it can be turned into a weapon against those he perceives as worthy of his justice, but also those unfortunate enough to be caught in his radius, as well as the pain it causes his body. I found it very effective when he seeks revenge against his captors, but the unpredictability of his powers seems to drive him further than he intended to go. I feel like this is what makes Tariq Geiger such a compelling character to me and why I want to read about his journey so much. Johns does a really fantastic job of creating a brooding drifter who has lost all hope in the world, but we can also understand how and why he has become that way. It's not senseless brooding; it's real and tragic brooding—a fear of letting anyone into his life in case they get hurt by him.
The World of The Wasteland: Exploring The Art
Now onto the art, oftentimes I get a little bit skeptical when a guest artist comes onto a title as I feel it distracts from and ruins the artistic tone set from the main artist of the book. But, I think Eduardo Pansica backed up by Norm Rapmund and Brad Anderson do a really great job of adding their own artistic style that still fits in with the rest of the series. I really liked the tone and vibe the art created, in fact, I'd be happy if the creative team remained on the series.
In particular, I really liked the use of positioning and shadows, which in my opinion added a very sinister and dank vibe to Coldwater. It made the prison really appear visually like an unpleasant place. The use of shadows and line work really helped the art pop, and I could really imagine and feel the layers and depth of the world.
Eduardo Pansica is also very good at depicting savagery, as both the moment early on in the issue where an inmate gets shot in the head and near the climax of the issue where Tariq Geiger finally explodes looked very impactful and memorable. The way those in Geiger's vicinity get their flesh ripped off their bodies and skeletons disintegrated has really stuck in my mind since reading, and I don't see it leaving anytime soon. I definitely feel like he is now on my radar, and I'd really like to see him return to the Ghost Machine imprint.
The Final Verdict
In conclusion, even though Geiger #18 is a more stripped-down entry in the series than past issues, it still manages to add enough emotional and narrative weight to drive a compelling story that really strips back who Tariq Geiger is as a character. Backed up by killer guest art that helps create great depth and atmosphere for the mythos of Geiger's world, readers are sure to have a lot of fun here.