Geiger (2024) Vol. 5

Geiger #24-31

by Geoff Johns, Gary Frank (Artist), Eduardo Pansica (Artist)

Ashley Arden explodes into the world of GEIGER! THE GLOWING WOMAN has all of Geiger’s powers but says she can help the Nuclear Nomad begin to control the raw radioactive power inside him. But ASHLEY’s motivations aren’t as altruistic as she claims, and the truth will drive her and Geiger into a fight that changes Geiger’s perspective forever. Things don’t get any easier for Geiger as he then finds himself in a prison literally run by the inmates. And just as Geiger emerges from captivity, The Northerner appears. The time-traveling soldier erupts from the past where he’d just met Redcoat and now searches for answers as to why the world is a wasteland and what caused The Unknown War. Can Geiger help The Northerner get the answers? Collects GEIGER (2024) #16-23.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Fiction

Kindle Edition

Published July 14, 2026

About the author

Geoff Johns originally hails from Detroit, Michigan. He attended Michigan State University, where he earned a degree in Media Arts and Film. He moved to Los Angeles in the late 1990s in search of work within the film industry. Through perseverance, Geoff ended up as the assistant to Richard Donner, working on Conspiracy Theory and Lethal Weapon 4. During that time, he also began his comics career writing Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. and JSA (co-written with David S. Goyer) for DC Comics. He worked with Richard Donner for four years, leaving the company to pursue writing full-time.

His first comics assignments led to a critically acclaimed five-year run on the The Flash. Since then, he has quickly become one of the most popular and prolific comics writers today, working on such titles including a highly successful re-imagining of Green Lantern, Action Comics (co-written with Richard Donner), Teen Titans, Justice Society of America, Infinite Crisis and the experimental breakout hit series 52 for DC with Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka and Mark Waid. Geoff received the Wizard Fan Award for Breakout Talent of 2002 and Writer of the Year for 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 as well as the CBG Writer of the Year 2003 thru 2005, 2007 and CBG Best Comic Book Series for JSA 2001 thru 2005. Geoff also developed BLADE: THE SERIES with David S. Goyer, as well as penned the acclaimed “Legion” episode of SMALLVILLE. He also served as staff writer for the fourth season of ROBOT CHICKEN.

Geoff recently became a New York Times Bestselling author with the graphic novel Superman: Brainiac with art by Gary Frank.

Reviews

[Victor]

This was a fantastic story arc by Geoff Johns. Raises more questions about time travel, the unknown war, redemption and the motives of some of the characters. Very complex and definitely compelling. Amazing art once again by Gary Frank.
Geiger remains a must read post apocalyptic tale.

[Jayson]

Review to come...

Notes: Review pending re-read. Individual reviews for included issues can be found here:
- Geiger (2024) #16
- Geiger (2024) #17
- Geiger (2024) #18
- Geiger (2024) #19
- Geiger (2024) #20
- Geiger (2024) #21
- Geiger (2024) #22
- Geiger (2024) #23

[James DeSantis]

Starting to be crossover heavy, not sure how I feel, but it's still solid.

[Gary Sassaman]

I have thoroughly enjoyed writer Geoff Johns and artist Gary Frank’s Geiger series from their Image Comics imprint Ghost Machine. It’s the only GM book I buy (well, I have Junkyard Joe, too) and I wait for the trade each time. Volume 5 includes Geiger issues 17 through 23, the bulk of them drawn by Gary Frank, who memorably teamed up with Johns over a decade ago over at DC when they worked on Superman. Geiger is the story of the “Glowing Man,” who is glowing because of radioactivity, and his journey through this post-apocalyptic world after something called “The Unknown War.” (At times—especially in this volume—the concept reminds me of the Atomic Knights, a beautiful DC series from the early 1960s in Strange Adventures, illustrated by Murphy Anderson. There’s a page of a character in a suit of armor riding a Zebra in this volume that really brings that memory home.) This trade also features The Northerner, a time-traveling Civil War soldier. I’ve never read any of the other Ghost Machine books, even the ones in the same universe as Geiger, but now I’m a little more curious of Redcoat, which also features The Northerner, and hope to check it out soon. I’ve always enjoyed Johns’ work … he’s a comic book writer who lets his artists do a lot of the storytelling, something I feel too many writers just don’t get these days. I look forward to the next Geiger volume.

[Chris Lemmerman]

Geiger's adventures continue with a three issue detour to a prison, some flashback issues for the Glowing Woman, and the arrival of the Northerner after his recent appearances in Redcoat.

Geiger's always been very much about the nature of a monster, and what separates us from each other - Geiger's reactions to certain situations and those of the Glowing Woman's are put on display here, highlighting exactly how different they are, while the Northerner story not only pushes forward the greater Unknown War narrative that's been building across all of the other Ghost Machine superhero books that Johns has been writing, with some hints as to just how wide the scope of that really is. Plus the cliffhanger for this volume looks to finally be bringing the Junkyard Joe of it all back to the foreground too.

Artwise we have series artist Gary Frank for five of the eight issues collected here, while Eduardo Panscica picks up two and Eamon Winkle turns out a spectacular first impression (for me, anyway).

Onwards and upwards for Ghost Machine.

[Shaun Stanley]

Geiger Vol. 5 collects issues 16-23 of the Image Comics series written by Geoff Johns with art by Gary Frank, Eamon Winkle, and Eduardo Pansica.

A surprise attack unleashes Geiger’s fury causing him to explode in an uncontrollable rage, flinging his body far away from his companions. When he awakes he suddenly finds himself with The Northerner, a time displaced Union soldier who is on a mission to correct the timeline of who won the American Civil War. Together the two will travel to Detroit to get answers from the Department of Historical Preservation.

The Unnamed War universe is very much a slow burn in the main story and revealing answers, but it’s been an incredibly fun journey getting there. The Geiger title has done a great job of providing captivating “side missions” and world building. I will say it was a bit jarring at first not seeing Gary Frank’s familiar art in the first couple issues in this volume, but Winkle and Pansica more than held their own. I flew through this volume so now I am eagerly awaiting the next installment of this universe to arrive!

[Cale]

Weirdly, it's Ashley's story that really holds this book up. Geiger gets sidelined relatively early, and then the second half of his plot with the Northerner, while interesting in concept, ends up adding up to a bit of a goose egg. It feels like lore table-setting for a crossover (or detritus from a crossover), and is pretty underwhelming at its conclusion. That's unfortunate, because the character of the Northerner has a lot of potential and I was invested in him. But ultimately its other side characters introduced here that get the best storylines, and help to flesh out the world well beyond Geiger's small portion of it.

[Drew Woodworth]

Geiger keeps cranking along and is always an entertaining read. The only detriment for this collection is we have at least 3 fill in issues and it's not even Paul Pelletier. The we get an issue or two to see what the Glowing Woman has been up to, and, after that, Geiger meets up with the Northerner to find out that what they were doing didn't really matter. Honestly, though, even with all the spinning of wheels this is still a super solid read. We are thirty some issues into this series and it's still really well done and super entertaining.

[Jordan Anderson]

Well when Geoff Johns is doing his own stuff, he doesn’t miss.

21 issues in and he somehow manages to keep Geiger not only interesting, but exciting as well. This 5th volume finds Tariq proving he’s basically immortal but at the same not immune to emotions like loneliness or love. This collection also starts to really pull the various other “Unnamed” characters together into what I expect to be a massive crossover event somewhere down the line.

Johns isnt afraid to use typical post apocalyptic tropes and turn them into to something totally original and extremely entertaining.

[Chad]

Even when Gary Frank sits out for 3 issues, this book doesn't lose anything. Besides Eduardo Pansica and Eamon Winkle capably give Frank a break. We see what's going on with Ashley Arden and the Northerner pops in from Redcoat as the Unnamed gets a little closer together. I do with that'd hurry up and get here. There's still 2 or 3 of them that we haven't even seen yet.

[Mee Too]

Ive only read Geiger and the one vol of the robot joe or whatever. Anyways i can tell this is about to get repetitive, confusing, and downright stupid.

3.1 🌟 for introducing like 30 new narratives. Should of just left it alone.

[Daniel Butcher]

Great insight to Geiger and thoughts on history.

And a cliffhanger that makes me want more.

[Ziyad Baksh]

a new path

geiger is set on a new path after his hope for a cure is dashed.

a decent read that sets up a few new teases for the future.

[Alfie Keltie]

9.2/10

[Trevor ComicFan]

96

Hot damn this book is great.

Geoff Johns is a comic writing genius!

[Aaron]

It’s a bit messy now.

[McJankers]

This series continues to be a fun ride with Geiger dealing with his personal reasons of finding purpose in this broken world