With "Ghost Machine" #1 coming up this week, I decided to read Johns' previous "The Unnamed" works. It's a very Johnsian story full of in-universe allusions. I enjoyed it so much I wound up reading everything connected to "The Unnamed," so I'm going spend most of this week's posts getting current on the related series.
Geiger #1: Johns starts the issue with two men wearing hazmat suits traveling a radiated wasteland. The younger man asks the older one about the legend of a man who didn't need to wear a suit, and the older man agrees to tell the story of Tariq Geiger, who did everything, "good and bad, for family."
At some point in the past, Geiger is listening to a news broadcast in Boulder City, NV. In typical Johnsian fashion, the broadcast contains items that may — or may not relate — to the story. The most relevant items seem to be the president deciding to return fire on some revolutionaries and the reclusive cartoonist Morrie "Muddy" Davis — of the "Junkyard Joe" strip — dying.
Suddenly, the reporter says that the tracking systems have found incoming alerts across the country, and the broadcast ends abruptly as the reporter comments, "After months of global violence, it is unknown who has started this war..."
Tariq orders his wife, Tracy, and their two kids to run to their fallout shelter. Tariq insists they have everything in the shelter that they needed to survive, though Tracy notes, with concern, that they only have a limited supply of his medicine. (Given his hair is sparse, it seems clear he has cancer.)
The family's dog, Molly, starts barking, and they turn to see a missile in the sky. Tariq gets his family in the shelter and runs to get Molly. His wife, Tracy, watches in relief as he grabs her, but some neighbors in a Mercedes-Benz pull into their driveway and shoot Tariq's foot. The neighbor man says they're taking his shelter, and his wife blames "his [i.e., Tariq's] people" for staring the war. (Based on his name, I'm assuming Tariq's family is from the Middle East.) Tariq tells Tracy to shut the door, which she does as she yells, "I love you."
The wife shoots Molly as she barks at them, and the husband demands that Tariq has his family open the shelter's door. Tariq says he'll do anything to protect his family as the husband is ready to open fire on him. But the bomb detonates and Tariq and the two neighbors are caught in the blast.
Twenty years later, some dudes in hazmat suits are scavenging the wastes of Boulder City, expositing that the region's resources are running low. One of the men mentions, with trepidation, the legends about Geiger, but one of the two other men dismisses the rumors about the "Monster of Boulder City, " saving people invested them to raid the area without competition.
The men come upon Geiger's shelter, which now has a wall of crushed cars on top of it. One of the men wonders whether the Organ People constructed the structure, though one of the two other men observes the People aren't that organized. The remaining man tries to pry open the door, hoping that whatever is inside is enough to pay the king's taxes.
Suddenly, Geiger appears on the wall, and the first (scared) guy from earlier notes that Geiger isn't wearing a suit. The men open fire, and he makes quick work of them; he then pulls out two rods from his back and begins to glow. The men flee, and Geiger collects the box of explosives they left as he talks to his two-headed wolf.
Geiger heads into his house and expresses boredom at the books and comics (including "Junkyard Joe") that he's read so many times. Eating a meal of beans, we see the cross marks on the wall where he keeps time. He heads to the shelter door and pledges that he'll open the door when it's safe so they can be a family again.
Elsewhere, in a royal banquet hall, we're introduced to the aforementioned king. His man-at-arms, Warhead, informs him that "Safari Bob" made a pact with Geiger that no one would go to Boulder City, but Bob apparently made that agreement when resources were less scarce. (It seems clear the scavengers work for the young king.) As the king berates a man painting a mural of him, Warhead expresses concern that they've broken Bob's law. The king says he isn't worried and demands Warhead gather the Nuclear Knights so they can find "this myth of a man." Warhead says the king can't come with them to take on Geiger, and the king rants to Warhead that it's his chance to become more than his father.
Stepping onto his balcony, the king declares that brining back the Glowing Man's head will be his moment of glory. The camera pulls back enough for us to see his "castle" is a resort in Vegas, and a map in the back matter shows the location of all the Las Vegas bosses and their casinos.
The issue ends with a one-page "Junkyard Joe" strip, which shows that the proverbial Joe is a robot who's a better soldier than everyone else.
Geiger #2: Oof, we are not getting a happy story here, people.
In the past, Tariq's doctor tells him that his cancer has metastasized. Our narrator informs his colleague that some people assume that it's the cancer that saved him though other people say it was his devotion to his family.
In the present, a man and woman race toward Vegas crowing about how they're going to get a tower and seats at the Court given what they've found. They go through the deradiation showers and then enter the Camelot, the king's resort in Vegas. They take off their hazmat suits, revealing a tuxedo and gown. They ask the page at the door for Hazmatt, and the page tells them that he's likely on the floor.
As they enter, a docent tells some guests the story behind a mural, which details the king banishing Geiger from the lands. Meanwhile, a server named Carolina tells a bartender named Jo that she's worried about her daughter Hailee who turns 16 years old in two months; Carolina hopes she isn't assigned to the Dragon Club. Jo suggests they do something to make her ugly so she can go to the kitchen but also observes that she'd be more worried about her little boy.
Carolina delivers the drink Jo was making, and we learn that Warhead, from last issue, is junior to Hazmatt, a huge fucking dude annoyed everyone is interrupting his craps game. The pair from the motorcycle inform "Haz" that they traded a heart to the Organ People for something from Air Force One, which the Organ People scavenged without knowing what it was. As everyone is distracted by Hazmatt's throw, Carolina swipes the bag with the "something," which the man describes as the king's Holy Grail.
At Carolina's home, Hailee threatens her little brother, Henry, that if he doesn't stop playing with his Junkyard Joe toy the "nightcrawlers" will eat him. Henry helps with the dishes though again complains that he feels tired. Carolina arrives home and tells them to get ready to go outside. Believing that the bag she swiped can pay their way "in," Carolina tells the kids that she has the nuclear football and they're heading to NORAD, where they last remains of the American government is in control.
Carolina shows the kids that the bag also has keys to a car right before Hazmatt kicks down their door. Carolina hides the kids under the sink and refuses to tell Hazmatt where the bag is, even though he knows she has it due to the casino cameras. (Dumb, Carolina.) Hazmatt stabs her, and Henry gasps, leading Hazmatt and Warhead to find them. Hailee sprays water in Warhead's face and grabs Henry; they flee the room as Hailee gives one last look at her dead mother's body.
The kids make it to the elevator and cling to each other as they head to the parking garage. (Frank does an amazing job making it such a sad moment.) They put on the hazmat suits and find the car. As they exit Vegas, Henry peppers Hailee with questions, and she loses her patience. He starts to cry, and she apologizes. (Again, it's all horribly sad, particularly when Henry chokes out "they" killed their mom.)
Suddenly, a nightcrawler — which we learn are enormous spiders — crashes into the car. Hailee tells Henry to forget the bag as they flee the car, but he tells Hailee that their mom said they needed it so he grabs it. Another nightcrawler leaps onto Hailee, but Geiger's two-headed wolf rips it to shreds before it can hurt her. Geiger arrives and tells the kids to get home before "the big ones show up." Before they go, he asks if they have any good books on them.
At the Court, Hazmatt and Warhead are on their knees before the king, and Hazmatt explains they have a team going after the kids. The king reveals his irradiated face, which he now has to cover with a mask. He then heads to the Manhattan, where he has a proposition for Miss Borden, who runs the place.
Geiger #3: Oof, just when you think this story can't get sadder!
In the past, Tariq's doctor explains to Tracy that the type of "systemic radioisotope therapy" that they're going to try on Tariq is experimental, but it has an encouraging success rate.
In the present, the kids thank Geiger for saving them, and he warns them that the nightcrawlers from last issue were just scouts — they need to get home before the soldiers arrive. Henry remembers a birthday as he tells Geiger that the King's Men (i.e., the Nuclear Knights) killed his mom, which prompts Geiger to remember one of his family's trips.
In a flashback, Geiger remembers the night after he sent away the scavengers in issue #1. He enters a building on his compound and discovers three Knights waiting for him. He leaps from the building, but, before he can pull out his rods, an explosion knocks him unconscious. (In the present, Geiger is leaving the kids as they struggle to get the car started.) The aggressive scavenger from issue #1 tells the Knights that they have to be careful to keep Geiger's rods in his suit.
The king appears dressed in a ridiculously gaudy hazmat suit. One of the Knights discovers Geiger's arsenal, but the king expresses disappointment that Geiger isn't glowing. He orders his men to hold Geiger's neck so he can cut off his head in "a few swings." Someone interrupts him to announce that they've found a bunker. Geiger panics, making the king curious so he orders his men to blow open the bunker. Geiger tells him to take all the guns but not to do that, and the king disregards him.
The men open the bunker, and it turns out Tariq's family is just skeletons. It seems like they died right when the bomb happened. (Johns doesn't explain why the bunker didn't save them.) In one of the most heart-breaking panels I've ever seen, Geiger cries as he stares at their skeletons.
In another flashback, a doctor gives Geiger the vest and the rods, explaining that he'll kill everything he touches now unless he's wearing the vest with the rods fastened.
As Geiger cries, one of the Knights throws the skull of one of Tariq's family members and the king ridicules Geiger for thinking his family was still alive. Geiger disarms the Knight holding onto him and pulls out his rods. He makes quick work of the Knights, with his two-headed wolf's help. Geiger makes it to the king and screams at him that he took away hope from him. The king, ever the idiot, threatens Geiger, and Geiger tells him that he's left him with nothing now. Geiger then uses his powers to put his hands through the king's hazmat suit's helmet and burns the king's face, as we saw last issue.
In the present, Tariq is telling the kids not to follow him, but the King's Men arrive. Tariq takes out the soldiers quickly and then asks the kids to show him the map of the "safe place" where their mom wanted to take them.
Geiger #4: The thing about this series so far is that it reminds you what it's like to read a master of his craft at work. Johns does a spectacular job of showing us enough glimpses of this reality's past that you want to know more while at the same time keeping us engaged in the action in the present.
The issue begins with a flashback showing us how Dr. Molotov — whose grave on Geiger's compound we've previously seen and we're shown again —saves Tariq to help him protect his family, as Dr. Molotov lost his family in the war. (Little did either of them know that Tariq's family is likely dead by now.)
In the present, Geiger checks the kids into a motel, telling them to put on their hoods after they're done eating because he doesn't trust the motel's filters. Henry asks about the "dog," and Geiger tells him that he's a wolf named Barney, which the kids find hilarious. (Geiger explains that Barney was cute and small when he found him.)
The next day, they cross into Arizona, and Henry sleeps with his mom's bag clutched to his chest as Barney sleeps on Henry's foot. Hailee asks Geiger why he doesn't need to wear a suit, and he comments that it's a long story. She comments that it's a long drive, so he tells her. In another flashback, we see Dr. Molotov create the vest and rods, explaining the rods are made of boron.
At the Camelot, the king is raging that the elevator is too slow, threatening the staff that he's going to feed them to the "beast" below (a threat that he's made in previous issues as well). As the door opens, a waiter is standing in the hallway with a cart full of dirty plates. The king comments how the beast has eaten, and the waiter responds that the "queen" requested seconds. The king screams at him that she's the "beast" (not the "queen") and opens a cell door to reveal a morbidly obese woman in a rat-filled room.
He informs his mother (natch) that he has a lead on the nuclear football but needs to know where his father hid the launch codes. He promises to bring his mother back upstairs if she tells him where they are, and she simply laughs at what the Glowing Man did to him. The king then opens the shades, telling her that he wants her to suffer for letting him suffer at his father's hands. The queen calls him Jeremy (I love the Pearl Jam reference, Geoff) and begs him to close the blinds. We see a photo of her and her dashing husband rotting in the corner as Jeremy again asks for the codes.
At Goldbeard's, Borden tells Goldbeard that she doesn't necessarily believe Jeremy that he has the football but notes his father was a senator before the war so it's possible he has them — which means they might be able to launch the missiles once they find the silos. (It's interesting they don't know where the silos are.) Goldbeard asks what Safari Bob thinks about the plan to track down the children to get their hands on some nukes, and Borden makes it clear that she doesn't intend to tell him. She has her Copper Squad, and she encourages Goldbeard to call up his pirates.
In Arizona, Hailee tells Geiger that her mother used to tell them stories about breeze, ice cream, and playgrounds from the before-times. Before they can continue their conversation, the Organ People attack. We learn that they're people who refused to wear the suits (paging anti-mask folks!), so their bodies and minds are riddled with tumors. Whatever their surgeons don't stitch inside them, they eat. Hailee takes over driving the car so that Geiger can fight off the People. One manages to grab Henry, but Barney bits off the guy's arm. (Frank does a great job through this entire sequence.)
The fight ends, but Hailee and Henry don't see Geiger. Hailee goes to look for him, but one of the People grabs her ankle. He's shot in the head, though, and Hailee sees a hazmat-suited person and some soldiers on a mesa above them.
Geiger #5: Holy fucking shit!
In the present, the narrator tells his colleague that the bombs caved in Geiger's shelter, which explains how Geiger's family was exposed to the radiation, and that it's been 20 years since the bombs exploded. (Notably, he's talking about their present, which may — or may not — be different from Geiger's present.)
In Geiger's present, he awakens and grabs his rod, with Barney bringing him the other one. On the mesa, Henry tells one of the soldiers about the football, despite Hailee's reservations. The soldier bring the football to the hazmat-suited person, who recognizes it. (In a flashback, we see two soldiers fighting over it next to the remains of Air Force One, though eventually someone shoots one of them.) Hailee tells one of the soldiers to let them go, but another soldier assures Hailee that they're the good guys. Henry says their friend is down there, and the soldiers shoot tasers at Geiger and Barney.
Meanwhile, Jeremy, Borden, and Goldbeard are on the kids' trail. Jeremy rants about how Milky Way, Mr. Karloff, and Safair Bob will bow to him once they get the nukes, though Goldbeard reminds him they agreed to carve up Vegas so long as Jeremy gets the Glowing Man to stuff and mount. One of the Jeremy's men then finds the discarded map.
In the convoy, Henry tells his sister that he has the chills again, and Hailee assures him it's just his nerves. He worries about Barney and Tariq ("I like Barney.") as they enter NORAD. The hazmat-suited person briefs the Vice President and confirms that it is the football. The Vice President exposits that they can now find the hidden silos and take back control over the nuclear arsenal. (Presumably the football locates the silos and the Army — unlike Jeremy — has the codes.) The hazmat-suited woman (we can now see that she's a woman) informs us that President Griffin will likely be able to unite the South and Great Lakes if they manage to do so.
At this point, it's important to note that the NORAD people do seem like the good guys, as the one solider claimed. The hazmat-suited woman stresses that the kids are getting their physicals and will be integrated and happy. To back up that point, we see a woman escorting Hailee and Henry on a tour of their new school — Henry marvels that the kids are playing while Hailee wonders what "classes" are. They're introduced to one of the kids who was playing; as they move onto the next site, he wishes them "good luck," though crosses his fingers behind his back as he does so, which is...creepy.
In an exam room, two technicians pull out Geiger's rods, and Geiger awakens. In a separate room, Hailee stares in marvel at a hamburger and fries on a tray in front of her. Meanwhile, Geiger breaks free from his room and asks the soldier sitting guard whether he likes the book he's reading. After the guard responds that he does, Geiger knocks him unconscious and takes the book with him.
Elsewhere, a doctor informs the kids' escort that Henry has early stage leukemia, which means that he must die under the laws. The escort's sorrow worsens when Henry taps on the two-way glass, thanking them for helping him and his sister as he also eats a hamburger. (The escort tells the doctors to get Henry some dessert.)
In Hailee's room, the escort informs Hailee that Henry has acute lymphocytic leukemia and the laws state he can't get support because their resources aren't limitless. (Again, they aren't necessarily evil; it makes sense that a society confined to a mountain base has to ration resources.) The escort tells Hailee that she can stay; in fact, they need her to stay so that they can learn more about the football. Hailee tells the escort that she'll leave if they kick out Henry. The escort is horrified at the idea that they'd leave him to the nightcrawler or Organ People and tells her about NORAD's life-ending program. Hailee nopes from the room immediately.
In the hallway, Barney picks up Hailee's scent as a soldier restrains her and the escort insists it's a "good place." Barney takes down the man, and Hailee hits her head in the skirmish. She awakens to Barney licking her, and she tells Geiger that Henry is sick and they're going to kill him.
In the command center, the Vice President learns President Griffin has approved the mission to find the silos as someone comes to tell them about the children's guardian (i.e., Geiger). Somewhere, Geiger kicks open a door as an orderly is preparing to end a woman's life with a shot, and the Vice President orders activation of...Junkyard Joe!
Geiger #6: We get a helluva ending here.
The issue starts with the launch of Johns' larger universe, as the narrator mentions America has always been at war and the unknown heroes fighting these wars are called "the Unnamed." He lists a series of "the" names here —the Immortal (Revolutionary War), the Historian (Civil War), the Monster (WWII), the Robot (Vietnam), the Widow (unknown), the Ghost (the Unseen War), and the Glowing Man (the Unknown War) — before his colleague is like, What the hell happened to Geiger and the kids?!?
In the bunker, Henry is thanking the two-way mirror for the ice cream, because he's never had so much, and asks if they have strawberry, since it was his mother's favorite flavor. Suddenly, a guard slams through the door, and Geiger and Hailee enter. Henry is like, Why the hell are you interrupting my sundae?
Hailee tells him that he's sick and apologizes for always riding him for complaining that he was tired. Frank does an amazing job here of showing Henry's grief at this news. Geiger kneels before Henry and tells him that he was sick, too, but people helped him just like people are going to help Henry. Suddenly, Barney growls and Hailee says they have to go. But Henry is weeping hysterically, asking if he's going to die "like mom." It's heartbreaking, you guys. But Geiger tells him that he's not going to let that happen to him or Hailee and that he's there for them. He then hugs him. It's a wonderful moment for two people who really need a hug.
Barney then leaps into the hallway and takes out some guards, and Hailee wonders how they can escape. Suddenly, the boy from last issue appears and tells them he can help. I am skeptical here, you guys — given the crossed fingers from last issue, I was sure he was luring them somewhere bad. But it seems like he crossed his fingers because he overstated how much he liked it at NORAD not because he didn't really wish them luck. He brings Geiger, Barney, and the kids to a hangar and gives the kids back their hazmat suits, which he swiped before the guards incinerated them. When Hailee asks why he's helping them, he says that he doesn't know but "we all don't like the rules here."
Geiger opens the door, and Junkyard Joe attacks in another great page by Frank. Geiger attacks in return, but Joe destroys one of his rods. Geiger slams the remaining one in the ground and then grabs Joe's head, trying to burn it. He manages to melt Joe's helmet, but Joe's head is unharmed. Joe belts Geiger into a fuel truck, which destroys the hangar's outside wall.
The kids try to pull the rod from the ground and the other kid, Rick, comes to help. Hailee expresses concern that Rick's glasses are broken and he isn't wearing a suit, but he helps them anyway. Geiger realizes Joe is nuclear powered, too, and the kids manage to free the rod and bolt to get it to Geiger. He tells them to stay back but Joe launches missiles at them.
On a screen in NORAD's control room, the Vice President watches Joe, and one of his aides tells him that Joe has been "reprogrammed to do what needs to be done." The Vice President asks if the rumors about his creator are true, and the aide responds, "Every last one of them."
Hailee manages to get the rod to Geiger, who screams, "Stay away from my kids!" as he attacks Joe. He plunges the rod into Joe's "heart," and we get a quick flashback of someone at a door in his robe asking, "Joe? That really you?", before Joe ceases to function.
Geiger is ready to explode without his rods, but Hailee pushes through his corona and says to him, "You won't hurt us. We're like a family now." Suddenly, Geiger becomes Tariq. The kids hug him, and Hailee tells him that they're here for him, too, as Rick watches with a smile from the hill. Geiger just looks at the kids, and Henry asks why he's so sad, to which Geiger responds, "I'm...not, Henry." Then Barney arrives for licks. With one eye bleeding, Rick waves to Hailee as guards arrive to take him back inside because "his mother is going to kill us." (I'm going to guess his mother is the hazmat-suited woman.)
Tariq struggles to control his powers as he drives from NORAD, and their flight is interrupted when they encounter Jeremy and his men (along with Borden and Goldbeard and their troops). It's a great scene, as the Vegas bosses and their troops are on top of a mesa above Geiger and the kids, their jeeps' lights blazing in the desert night. Geiger exits the car and approaches the mesa, and Jeremy courageously appoints Hazmatt as his champion. Hazmatt drives straight at Geiger, who cuts his jeep in half. Borden and Goldbeard have seen enough and bail with their troops.
Geiger returns to the car and tells the kids that he knows of a town with doctors. He says one of the doctors helped him (likely Dr. Molotov) a long time ago but they don't like him now. But they can help Henry. Henry asks if they can help him, too, and he says they can. As they leave, Geiger yells to Jeremy to meet him in Boulder City in a week at sunset.
Three days later, in Copper Canyon, Mexico, Geiger and the kids arrives at the place where Geiger once got help. A woman dressed in red, whom he calls Nurse Red, tells him that he isn't welcome there and they've been ordered to kill him on sight. Geiger explains to the kids that he lied about them helping him but they're safe now. He apologizes that it's good-bye, and Hailee, bless her heart, asks if he's going to be OK without them. He tells them that he isn't going to be without him, and Nurse Red comments, "Huh. You're different." Tariq responds, "Not really," as he leaves, with Barney barking and chasing his car.
The narrator explains that Geiger went home, took down the wall, buried his family, and waited for Jeremy. He arrives with his Nuclear Knights, and Geiger tells him that he can't hurt anything anymore. As the narrator says, Geiger then opened his heart and went nuclear, finding peace as Barney watches the explosion from the top of a mesa. (I guess Barney followed him all the way from Mexico?)
In the present, the narrator's colleague asks him to confirm that Geiger exploded in the spot where they're located. The narrator confirms that he did and tells his colleague that the kids found help. He says the girl was special to him once, and I realize that the narrator is Rick, given his blond hair and eyepatch. He says it was the end of Boulder City and Jeremy but not Geiger, whose story was only beginning.
In Vegas, Jeremy's mother tells the assembled bosses that Boulder City and her son are gone, and she begs for forgiveness for his actions. Safari Bob informs the group that the military wants Geiger and they (the bosses) want the West, so he introduces the hazmat-suited woman, who's now dressed in Army fatigues. She proceeds to have her men bring in some pre-war whiskey to discuss their new partnership.
Final Thoughts: I loved this series, so much so that I not only put "Junkyard Joe" in my cart but added "Redcoat" to my pull list. As John mentions in his letter at the end of issue #6, it's thrilling to get to read new stories set in a new universe. I feel like this start really underscores what Tim Seeley was saying in his letter at the back of "Local Man" #6, where we're all suffering a malaise of superhero content. This series is an antidote to that malaise.
No comments:
Post a Comment