Felipe Smith's Spirits of Radness

Artwork: Felipe Smith

So, Marvel's Editor-in-Chief, Axel Alonso, has stated that Robbie Reyes would be coming back in a new series sometime in the coming months.  I assume the writer will still be Felipe Smith, why wouldn't it be?  The big thing I want to petition for is having Smith on art as well as writing, because his work on the last two issues of All-New Ghost Rider was amazing.  I was definitely a fan of Tradd Moore's work on the series, but had Smith started doing the art chores with issue # 6 (in place of the inappropriately-cast Damion Scott), I don't think sales on the book wouldn't have dropped quite so sharply.  Having Smith back as the main creative force, both words and pictures, would be a huge boon to the new series, whatever it may be.

Robbie Reyes by Felipe Smith

As far as what that series may be, I think the ending to Ghost Racers (the Secret Wars tie-in series by Smith and Juan Gedeon) gave a big clue.  A new SPIRITS OF VENGEANCE series focusing on all of the Ghost Riders as an ad-hoc ensemble book would be awesome, and I think Smith has the chops to pull it off.  I know a lot of fans complained about the way Ghost Racers handled characters like Danny Ketch and Johnny Blaze, but I think those fans missed the point a bit.  The whole concept of Secret Wars was that these were alternate realities smashed together, with only one section of Battleworld being from the Marvel 616 Universe.  None of the characters were actually the established versions we know and love, they all hailed from other dimensions, even Robbie Reyes.

Alejandra Jones by Felipe Smith

I think that one image may be the best thing ever produced with Alejandra, 'cause she looks rad as all hell.  Anyway, another clue to what I think is the eventual launch of a SOV series comes from Felipe Smith's Tumblr page.  While Ghost Racers was running, Smith produced some character portraits of several of the Ghost Riders, but not in their Racers incarnations.  So I'll just leave these portraits here for everyone to admire, because they're bad-ass, and we'll see if I'm right about that Spirits of Vengeance series in a month or two.

Danny Ketch by Felipe Smith

Johnny Blaze by Felipe Smith

All artwork taken from Felipe Smith's Tumblr page, Peepo Choo.  I'm going to have to seriously try for an interview with Smith once we get the podcast up and running, consider it on my bucket list..