Cover Date: November 2001
On Sale Date: September 2001Writer: Devin Grayson
Artist: Trent Kaniuga
Inker: Danny Miki
Letterer: Jason Levine
Colorist: Dan Kemp
Editor: Stuart Moore
Editor In Chief: Joe Quesada
Cover Artist: Trent Kaniuga
The next morning, Gunmetal arrives at the Chicago police station where Detective Harlan Smith (the cop who killed the father of Corbal, Ghost Rider's last victim) works and tells the cop about the demon that's targeting him. Elsewhere, Juneau leads Johnny to a camp of bikers in a nearby forest. Blaze recognizes Juneau's dad as the mechanic from Maryland that tried to help with his motorcycle. Merril explains that the problem isn't the bike, it's Blaze himself: he's hosting a spirit of vengeance, and tells him that the only way to regain control is to learn how to overcome vengeance. At that moment, Blaze is transformed into Ghost Rider, who is cheered on by the bikers as he rides away.
When Ghost Rider nears Chicago, he stops to intervene in a heated argument between two motorists on the freeway. Before Ghost Rider can kill one of the men, the other stops him by forgiving him for running into his car. The demon releases his victim and rides into the city, right to the police station in search of Harlan Smith. He finds Smith near death at Gunmetal Gray's hand, making Gray the next target on Ghost Rider's vengeance list - which is just how Gunmetal wants it to be.
However, all that has nothing to do with the simple fact that the book's artwork became more and more rushed-looking with each new issue. I like Kaniuga's artwork, and while I thought his work on the first two issues of this series was quite enjoyable I just don't think he was an appropriate artist for a character like Ghost Rider (similar to the Pop Mhan situation a few years prior). The most glaring example of the increasing sloppiness of the artwork in this issue is the chase sequence between the cops and the two bikers. There's zero sense of motion in what should be a fluid sequence, chases hinge on this important detail and Kaniuga's figures are stiff and obviously posed with no sense of movement. Kaniuga is a good artist, and I like his character design for Ghost Rider exaggeration and everything, but his work on this issue is not up to par with what he did on the first issue of the series. Hell, just compare the interior artwork to the cover of this issue, which I've always loved.
A good story can be good despite mediocre artwork, but that's not necessarily the case here. I can't really judge how good of a writer Devin Grayson is, as I've never read anything else by her, but I can say that she has absolutely zero insight into Johnny Blaze's character with her version baring no similarity whatsoever to the character established over the previous 20 years. Her Blaze is a weak-willed wimp, which is a far cry from the shotgun toting Carnival owner from only a few years before. This issue also continues the two major themes of the series: the chain of vengeance that continues with Harlan Smith and the Ghost Rider being a hero for bikers. While the first one is an interesting idea that makes sense for the character, the latter is absolutely not and again shows that Grayson has no idea what makes Ghost Rider an interesting character.
"The Hammer Lane" is not fondly remembered, and while it does have its good qualities I think its a series better off left on the side of the road.
John Blaze is held at gunpoint by Gunmetal Gray, who has just learned that Blaze and Ghost Rider are the same person. Blaze tries to convince Ghost Rider to take control through the psychic rapport they share, but the demon refuses to help. Johnny tries to convince Gunmetal to let him go, but the hitman refuses to break a contract. Luckily, they're spotted by the police, which forces Gunmetal and his two partners to escape on their bikes. Before the cops can arrest Blaze, he's saved by a mysterious biker that gives him a ride. When they reach Johnny's own bike, the two manage to outrace the police by jumping over a ravine. When they're clear of the cops, the mysterious helper introduces himself as Juneau, who was sent by his father Merril to retrieve Blaze.
The next morning, Gunmetal arrives at the Chicago police station where Detective Harlan Smith (the cop who killed the father of Corbal, Ghost Rider's last victim) works and tells the cop about the demon that's targeting him. Elsewhere, Juneau leads Johnny to a camp of bikers in a nearby forest. Blaze recognizes Juneau's dad as the mechanic from Maryland that tried to help with his motorcycle. Merril explains that the problem isn't the bike, it's Blaze himself: he's hosting a spirit of vengeance, and tells him that the only way to regain control is to learn how to overcome vengeance. At that moment, Blaze is transformed into Ghost Rider, who is cheered on by the bikers as he rides away.
When Ghost Rider nears Chicago, he stops to intervene in a heated argument between two motorists on the freeway. Before Ghost Rider can kill one of the men, the other stops him by forgiving him for running into his car. The demon releases his victim and rides into the city, right to the police station in search of Harlan Smith. He finds Smith near death at Gunmetal Gray's hand, making Gray the next target on Ghost Rider's vengeance list - which is just how Gunmetal wants it to be.
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| Motorcycle Gang Santa Claus. |
THE ROADMAP
Johnny hired Gunmetal Gray to kill the Ghost Rider in Ghost Rider (2001) # 2. Blaze met Merril the mechanic in the same issue.
CHAIN REACTION
This is a series that has developed a really bad reputation amongst online Ghost Rider fans, and while I think some of it is unfair I can understand why the readers dislike this story with such intensity. I'll get to the story aspect in a moment, but first I want to talk about the artwork. Since the last review I did for this series I had the pleasure of interviewing artist Trent Kaniuga, who was a great sport when it came to answering my questions (you can find the interview elsewhere on the site, 'natch). I want to publicly clarify here that a lot of my statements in the reviews for the previous three issues may have been erroneous, as I learned during the interview with Trent. For instance, while I remember the series missing its release dates as it went along, Kaniuga told me that he has never missed a deadline in his life, and I believe him. Likewise, he was correct when he said the book did have successful sales numbers, which I certainly did misremember.
However, all that has nothing to do with the simple fact that the book's artwork became more and more rushed-looking with each new issue. I like Kaniuga's artwork, and while I thought his work on the first two issues of this series was quite enjoyable I just don't think he was an appropriate artist for a character like Ghost Rider (similar to the Pop Mhan situation a few years prior). The most glaring example of the increasing sloppiness of the artwork in this issue is the chase sequence between the cops and the two bikers. There's zero sense of motion in what should be a fluid sequence, chases hinge on this important detail and Kaniuga's figures are stiff and obviously posed with no sense of movement. Kaniuga is a good artist, and I like his character design for Ghost Rider exaggeration and everything, but his work on this issue is not up to par with what he did on the first issue of the series. Hell, just compare the interior artwork to the cover of this issue, which I've always loved.
A good story can be good despite mediocre artwork, but that's not necessarily the case here. I can't really judge how good of a writer Devin Grayson is, as I've never read anything else by her, but I can say that she has absolutely zero insight into Johnny Blaze's character with her version baring no similarity whatsoever to the character established over the previous 20 years. Her Blaze is a weak-willed wimp, which is a far cry from the shotgun toting Carnival owner from only a few years before. This issue also continues the two major themes of the series: the chain of vengeance that continues with Harlan Smith and the Ghost Rider being a hero for bikers. While the first one is an interesting idea that makes sense for the character, the latter is absolutely not and again shows that Grayson has no idea what makes Ghost Rider an interesting character.
"The Hammer Lane" is not fondly remembered, and while it does have its good qualities I think its a series better off left on the side of the road.
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| This comic is aggressively bad. |
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