Image Comics reviews 5/14/25 – Battle Beast 1, Geiger 14

Geiger 14

Geiger 14 is one of the more intense and emotional chapters of the series so far.

Tariq seeks the truth from Ashley the Glowing Woman after discovering the man she claimed was killed by The Hillborn — Dr. Molotov — is very much alive and claiming she is set to detonate a nuclear device.

Further complicating matters is the arrival of the US Army with President Griffin seemingly ready to battle both The Glowing Man and Woman. The army is also closing in on Tariq’s allies, Nate the Nuclear Knight, Barney, ZigZag and Junkyard Joe.

The latter is facing another challenge as Joe’s creator has arrived with a neutralizing device and plans to wipe out his memory. Writer Geoff Johns certainly raises the stakes and tension this issue with all of the heroes dealing with major threats. Geiger’s abilities can sometimes give him a cheat code for overwhelming odds, but this time he can’t just explode his way out of a terrible situation — especially after learning the extent of Ash’s plans.

Few can write comic book characters as layered and nuance as Johns. This issue read like a crossroads of various subplots coming together and it seems unlikely that any will come out of it completely unscathed.

Gary Frank’s art remains impeccable with a tremendous amount of detail and expressive characters. This was a more action-heavy installment and Frank retained that looming sense of danger. Brad Anderson’s colors are also a highlight with impressive work as always for the lighting effects of Tariq and Ash when they’re powered up. Letterer Rob Leigh provided quality dialogue and sound effect placements as usual helping to further ratchet up the tension.

Geiger 14 sets the series up for what seems to be an explosive payoff to one of its strongest arcs yet.

Rating: 9.5 out of 10

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