Vengeance Unbound: March 2016

Night Rider (1974) # 1

Cover Artist: Gil Kane

Published: Oct. 1974
Original Price: $.25

Title: "The Origin of the Night Rider"
Writers: Gary Friedrich & Roy Thomas
Artist: Dick Ayers
Inker: Vince Colletta
Letterer: John Verpoorten
Colorist: None Credited
Editor: Stan Lee

SYNOPSIS

Carter Slade, a school teacher on his way out west, sees a ranch being attacked by a group of indians. When he tries to intervene, the indians shoot him, but not before he realizes that the "indians" are actually white men in disguise. Left for dead by the marauders, a mortally wounded Slade is found by a young boy named Jamie Jacobs, the only survivor of the ranch attack. He manages to put Slade on his horse, and the two begin their march toward help. They stumble across a group of Sioux, who take the dying Slade to their medicine man, Flaming Star. Slade awakens, his wounds suddenly healed, and Flaming Star tells him of the prophecy delivered to him by his gods. He witnessed a falling meteor and was told to gather up the luminous dust left in the rock's wake and wait for the coming of a great champion, known as "He Who Rides the Night Winds". Flaming Star leads Slade and Jacobs to a white horse, whom Slade easily tames and gives the name Banshee. They leave the Sioux, and after making camp that night Slade offers to raise Jacobs himself. He then uses the glowing dust to fashion himself a costume and spooky identity as the Night Rider.

The next day, the faux indians have gathered at the ranch of their employer, Jason Bartholomew, who wants to chase off all of the settlers who have made their way to "his land". He orders his men, led by his foreman Blackie Clay, to burn down the schoolhouse in nearby Bison's Bend. When they do so, however, the townspeople easily see through their disguises, and in return Clay kidnaps a woman named Natalie, sister to settler Ben Brooks. Slade and Jacobs arrive in town and are told the news, prompting Carter to ride off to find Natalie.

That night, Bartholomew is chastising his men for bringing Natalie back to his ranch when the lights suddenly go out. The Night Rider appears before the men, seemingly impervious to their gunshots, and he makes quick work of the men that attempt to fight instead of flee in terror. Slade frightens Bartholomew into agreeing to turn himself into the marshals, then departs while Natalie herself escapes, unaware of what has really happened. The next day, Slade and Jacobs are invited to remain in Bison's Bend, and the two go off to start their new lives.

ANNOTATIONS

This issue is a reprint of The Ghost Rider (1967) # 1.

To avoid confusion with the then-current Johnny Blaze character and series, when Carter Slade was reintroduced in the pages of Avengers his name was changed to Night Rider. In this reprint series, all instances of the Ghost Rider's name were re-lettered to "Night Rider". Marvel would change the name again to "Phantom Rider" in the 1980s when they realized the white-garbed Ku Klux Klan called their soldiers Night Riders, an unfortunate coincidence to say the least.

This issue also had back-up story, "The Walking Target", reprinted from Quick Trigger Western # 18.

Ghost Rider (2005) Director's Cut # 1

Cover Artist: Clayton Crain

Published: Dec. 2005
Original Price: $3.99

Title: "The Road to Damnation", Part 1
Writer: Garth Ennis
Artist: Clayton Crain
Letterer: Chris Eliopoulos
Colorist: Clayton Crain
Editor: Axel Alonso
Editor In Chief: Joe Quesada

SYNOPSIS

In the depths of Hell, the Ghost Rider rides through the flames, chased by all manner of demons in a desperate bid for freedom. Every night he makes the same ride, and this night - same as every night - just as he nears his destination...the demons take him down, destroying him utterly. When the dawn comes, the Ghost Rider will be whole again, the vicious cycle starting all over again.

On Earth, two angels - Daniel and Malachai - meet atop a skyscraper in New York City. Daniel asks his brother how he could have allowed the demon Kazaan to come to Earth, then says that there are hunters from both Heaven (the archangel Ruth) and Hell (the demon Hoss) after him. Kazaan has fed Malachai information over the centuries, allowing the angel to get promoted to higher classes - a debt to which Malachai feels he owes Kazaan. Malachai then notices that a woman in a neighboring building can see them, a rarity, and the angel causes her to pass out - and also to miscarry her pregnancy, to which Malachai responds "one less mouth to feed".

Meanwhile, in Texas, the demon Hoss drives down the road in his Cadillac. He soon picks up a motorcycle gang that starts harassing him. Hoss kills the gang instantly and causes the leader of the bikers to wreck his bike. The demon stops his car and approaches the dying biker, telling him that he could either lay there and bleed to death or sign up to help him. Taking the biker's choked response as a "yes", Hoss alters the man's body - by shoving his head up his ass and exposing his spine. Proud of his new creation, Hoss christens him "Buttview".

Back on the skyscraper, Daniel asks Malachai if he's ever heard of the Ghost Rider. When his brother claims ignorance, Daniel begins to tell the story of Johnny Blaze - a biker who found out his stepfather was dying of a disease and for a cure sold his soul to the Devil. The deal stated that at some unspecified point in the future Johnny would arrive in Hell for eternal torment while Crash Simpson would be spared from the cancer. Obviously, the Devil tricked Johnny and Crash died in a motorcycle wreck instead - a trick Malachai points out that humanity falls for every single time. Daniel then points out that Johnny was the exception. When they came for his soul, something went wrong and Johnny doesn't go to Hell. Instead, he becomes bonded with a super-powerful hellspawn - and from then on, Johnny Blaze is the Ghost Rider. Malachai moans that Blaze must not be very smart, but Daniel tells him that he's missing the point: Blaze is incredibly powerful and incredibly gullible. Malachai becomes convinced that Blaze would be the perfect agent, not attached to either Heaven or Hell - and with the angel's aid, he could have a head start to find Kazaan. But Daniel cuts him off, saying that there's a catch.

Elsewhere, in a diner bus-stop in Texas, the archangel Ruth finishes her meal - while a young boy across the restaurant tells his mother that the woman at the bar has wings. The mother can't see, and the boy's persistence goads Ruth to draw a sigil of fire in the air. The boy picks up his pencil and says to his mom that "the lady says I'm a sinner" - and he shoves the pencil into his eye. While the mother screams for her son, Ruth boards the bus.

Daniel continues the story of the Ghost Rider by telling Malachai that, a couple of years ago, the demons finally caught up with Blaze and carried him back to Hell. The Ghost Rider is now in Hell, and every night he tries to race the pack to the gates - and every night, he loses. Daniel finishes by telling Malachai that, unless he wants to wind up there himself, he's got to get the Ghost Rider out of Hell.

ANNOTATIONS

This is a reprint of Ghost Rider (2005) # 1 that also includes the original pitch and first issue script by writer Garth Ennis, a look at Clayton Crain's artwork process on the covers and interiors, a cover gallery, and an essential reading list.

REVIEW

Marvel has been intermittently releasing "Director's Cut" versions of certain comics since the late 1990s (the first, I believe, being Kurt Busiek and George Perez's Avengers # 1 in 1998). This one is a straight reprint of the first Ennis/Crain issue that came out a month before, but for a dollar more you get 18 pages of "extra features". Personally, I thought the dollar difference was worth it for the most part.

Obviously, the highlight of the book's extra content is the original series pitch by Ennis, despite the last paragraph being blacked out to avoid spoiling the rest of the mini-series. The script for the issue is also a nice addition, giving us a look at how comic writers like Ennis actually write their comics. In the script, for instance, you can see just where some of the little detail touches came from, be they Ennis' ideas or Crain's.

Speaking of Crain, I find it absolutely astonishing that he can produce such visceral artwork without ever touching pencil to paper. While I still think fully computer-generated artwork for comics is well on down the line (translation: traditional artists needn't start worrying just yet), Crain's work is down right stunning. Starting as wire frames with details added on in layers, I just can't imagine how long it must've taken him to develop such a style. Amazing, just amazing.

So, yes, I'm certainly not going to advise anyone to pay four dollars for a book they probably already own unless they're true Ghost Rider completists that enjoy the behind-the-scenes content provided within. I enjoyed it, but I'm also hardcore. Ha!

Grade: N/A

Ghost Rider Special Edition (1995) # 6

Cover Artist: Paris Karounos

Published: 1995
Original Price: N/A

Title: "Zarathos Unbound"
Writer: Chris Cooper
Artist: Paris Karounos
Inker: Derek Fisher
Letterer: Janice Chiang
Colorist: Jim Hoston
Editor: Glenn Herdling

SYNOPSIS

Ghost Rider and Vengeance have joined John Blaze in the hospital room of Linda Addams, whom Blaze has just saved from being killed by Skinner. The three Spirits of Vengeance discuss the events of the last several issues, now with the knowledge that Linda's blood is the key to freeing Zarathos from his dimensional prison. While they talk, the skeletal Skinner manages to cut Linda's arm with a blade before being stopped by Blaze, waking Linda up in a blast of mystical energy. Above her bed a portal opens, from which enters Zarathos, now returned to Earth. The Spirits of Vengeance put up a brief fight, but are all three defeated by the seemingly-triumphant Zarathos.

ANNOTATIONS

This mini-comic was the sixth in a series packaged with Toy Biz's line of Ghost Rider action figures. This issue came with the Ghost Rider figure.

There's really no place to fit this series into established continuity. It obviously takes place after "Siege of Darkness" and Ghost Rider (1990) # 50, but the relationships between Ghost Rider, Blaze, and Vengeance certainly don't fit the characters at the time.

If this follows the standard Marvel continuity (which is questionable, at best), then Zarathos was banished to another dimension at the conclusion of the "Siege of Darkness" crossover in Midnight Sons Unlimited (1993) # 4.

Ghost Rider Special Edition (1995) # 7, which would have featured the conclusion to this story, does not actually exist. The first wave of action figures originally planned to have Zarathos as the seventh figure in the line, but the figure was pushed back to the second wave. The mini-comics released with the second figure wave start with # 8 and the delayed Zarathos figure was packaged with random issues from the rest of the series.

REVIEW

Zarathos finally makes his return to Earth and the heroes all fail spectacularly at their job. Way to go, Spirits of Vengeance!

Chris Cooper had what was probably both an easy yet unenvious job when it came to writing these comics. He had to introduce characters in 6-page installments and keep them relatively kid friendly, which is tricky for a horror series like Ghost Rider. Now that all of the characters (outside of Zarathos) have had their spotlight, this one turns into an extended recap. That's due to this issue being packaged with the only other actual Ghost Rider figure in the line, so having it be mostly a rehash of "what's gone before" is probably intentional. After all, how many kids would likely skip the Blackout and Skinner figures in favor of just the two Ghost Riders? A good majority, I'd say. So not much happens in this installment, though it also features the biggest event so far, Zarathos' return to Earth, which the whole series had been leading up to. Zarathos gets to be the badass for two pages, stomping holes in the heroes' faces and making his victory speech...too bad we'll never know how he was defeated, since issue # 7 doesn't exist!

Paris Karounos continues as the artist for these mini-comics, and his work seems a lot sloppier here than in the previous installments. I can't imagine the conditions these comics were produced under, I assume they had accountants waiting with censoring notices waiting beside the art tables, which would explain how Linda is cut by Skinner with no blood being produced. Still, Karounos' art was sharper in the last few issues, which is a let down for the big Zarathos fight here.

So that's it, kids, Zarathos wins! Forever!

I hate stories without an ending, though luckily I wasn't waiting with baited breath to see how this one gets resolved. We can imagine Ghost Rider was saved by, oh let's say...Moe.

Grade: C

Deadpool (2008) # 26

Cover Artist: Dave Johnson

Published: Oct. 2010
Original Price: $2.99

Title: "Sinner-Sinner, Chicken Dinner"
Writer: Daniel Way
Artist: Carlo Barberi
Inker: Juan Vlasco
Letterer: VC's Joe Sabino
Colorist: Marte Gracia
Assistant Editor: Jody Leheup
Editor: Axel Alonso
Editor-In-Chief: Joe Quesada

SYNOPSIS

In the desert outside of Las Vegas, Johnny Blaze leaves a diner and rides into the city. At a casino in Vegas, Deadpool quits his newly-acquired job as the casino's security head. He kills the casino owners, but as he's leaving he is stopped by the Ghost Rider, who grabs the killer with his chain and pulls him behind his motorcycle through the city. Ghost Rider has tracked Deadpool down to make him face vengeance for all the lives he's taken. When they reach the desert, past the city's limits, Deadpool pulls himself onto the back of the Ghost Rider's bike and grabs one of the handles, throwing on the brakes. The bike flies out of control, throwing the two men into the air. As they fall, Deadpool pulls out his guns and blows Ghost Rider's skull apart. After they land, which results in several broken bones for Deadpool, Ghost Rider reforms his head and grabs his target by the throat. Ghost Rider gives Deadpool the Penance Stare, which causes an unforeseen feedback between them that causes Ghost Rider to turn back into Johnny Blaze.

The Penance Stare causes Deadpool to relive the "highlight reel" of his life, including when he first became a mercenary, when he was diagnosed with cancer, and when he signed up for the Weapon X project. He wakes up screaming and immediately punches Blaze in the face. Blaze tells him that they're 80 miles away from Las Vegas, and that he'll need time to fix his motorcycle. After he finishes, Deadpool asks Blaze if he came after him to kill him. Johnny explains that it wasn't him that came after him, it was the Ghost Rider that wanted him to see something important; if he'd wanted Deadpool dead, he'd be dead. Deadpool asks Blaze if he thinks he deserves to die. Johnny answers "yes", to which Deadpool replies "Thanks, man".

ANNOTATIONS

Johnny Blaze first encountered Deadpool in Deadpool Team-Up # 897.

Ghost Rider last appeared in Doctor Voodoo: Avenger of the Supernatural # 5 and he appears next in Shadowland # 2.

REVIEW

Ghost Rider appears in another Deadpool story, but thankfully this one's a helluva lot better than the last issue they appeared in together. As always, the creative team makes all the difference.

As you may remember, I recently reviewed an issue of Deadpool Team-Up that ranked as one of the worst comics I'd ever read. That comic failed because it wanted to be a comedy without actually being funny, which just further illustrated to me why Deadpool is a character I really could care less about. It was with severe trepidation that I picked up this issue for another Ghost Rider appearance, but I was pleasantly surprised. Daniel Way, who wrote his fair share of bad Ghost Rider stories a few years ago, actually turned in a pretty good comic here. The secret...? He actually took the characters seriously. Deadpool is a character that I suppose can work as strictly comedy, but the approach to the character in this issue is one that I find infinitely more interesting. Way treats him as an actual character instead of a walking cartoon.

The interaction between Deadpool and Ghost Rider is really good, too. I wasn't much of a fan of Way's run on the Ghost Rider series, but I never really had a problem with how he wrote Blaze himself. He had a fair handle on the character, and here he makes a good contrast to Deadpool. The most interesting part of the story, though, is the Penance Stare sequence that shows how Deadpool became the man he is today. The gives a very downbeat ending to what I assume is usually a fairly light-hearted series.

The artwork is by Carlo Barberi, who has a style that's very reminiscent of Humberto Ramos without so much exaggeration. He does a good Ghost Rider, but his action sequences a little hard to follow (see the sequence with the bike wreck, which took me a few looks to understand what was supposed to be happening).

So, my opinion on Deadpool has improved somewhat since that Team-Up issue. I won't be buying any more of his comics, but at least I didn't regret buying this one. Perfectly decent comic.

Grade: B-

All-New Ghost Rider (2014) # 11

Cover Artist: Fiona Staples

Published: April 2015
Original Price: $3.99

Title: "Great Power", Part 1
Writer: Felipe Smith
Artist: Felipe Smith
Letterer: VC's Joe Caramagna
Colorist: Val Staples
Editor: Mark Paniccia
Editor In Chief: Axel Alonso

SYNOPSIS
10 months after meeting Johnny Blaze, Robbie Reyes is using his power as the Ghost Rider to break up a child trafficking ring in Los Angeles. During the battle, the spirit of Eli Morrow talks to Robbie in his head, reminding him that if he gets too angry and loses himself to rage Eli will take over. Despite Eli's presence, Robbie is able to hold back from killing the slavers and calls the cops before he drives away.

Robbie takes his disabled brother Gabe (now on crutches instead of a wheelchair) to the doctor, who tells Robbie that Gabe's physical and mental improvements over the last few months have been remarkable. During their session, Gabe tells the doctor that he is able to think more clearly about things and that sometimes he hears his a voice in his head, which the doctor assures is his conscience and is perfectly normal. Robbie states that Gabe has thrown away all of his comics and toys and now spends all of his time shut up alone in his room, but the doctor tells him that it's normal behavior for a 13 year old boy to be rebellious. On the drive home, Robbie's attempts to connect with Gabe are halted by his brother asking why he was left alone and without food on the floor by Robbie (unaware that it was Eli Morrow in possession of Robbie's body at the time). At home, Eli directs Robbie to the box that Eli had dug up from the floorboards under Gabe's room, which contains a photo of Eli with Robbie's parents, revealing that Eli is Robbie and Gabe's uncle. At that moment, Robbie's friend Lisa arrives for a tutoring session, but Gabe's attitude makes the visit uncomfortable. On the drive home, Lisa admits that she would like to be Robbie's girlfriend, but before they can kiss Eli reveals another emotional bombshell: Gabe came out disabled because Eli pushed their mother down the stairs while she was pregnant. Robbie drops Lisa off and flies into a rage, transforming into the Ghost Rider as he drives.

The next day, Robbie and Lisa see on the news a report about the Ghost Rider's rampage and how a violent street gang was found with all of their bones broken, yet still alive. Meanwhile, in his room, Gabe is visited by Eli, who claims to be a "spirit of justice" that wants to make Gabe into a superhero. He directs Gabe to the "Ninja Wolf" costume he'd worn for Halloween years before. Robbie receives a call from the auto garage asking him to work and Lisa volunteers to stay with Gabe. She takes Gabe to the pharmacy to pick up some medications, but when she returns to the car Gabe is gone. Directed by Eli and wearing the "Ninja Wolf" costume, Gabe takes an elevator to the top floor of a nearby building and jumps out the window.

ANNOTATIONS
While Robbie's body was under the control of Eli Morrow, Gabe was left alone in their home in All-New Ghost Rider (2014) # 9. Morrow found the box under the floorboards in Gabe's room in All-New Ghost Rider (2014) # 8.

Robbie met Johnny Blaze and learned about the history of the Ghost Riders in All-New Ghost Rider (2014) # 9.

REVIEW
Following a rocky second arc, All-New Ghost Rider hits a high note with one of the title's best issues to date.

Felipe Smith is a creator I had absolutely no familiarity with prior to his work on this series, and while I had my concerns after the convoluted mess of "Legend", I'm happy to report that this is almost a perfect comic. We've finally moved away from Zabo, his pills, and all of the gang war things that cluttered the previous arc, and the focus has narrowed considerably that what I consider the real heart of this series. The relationships that Robbie has with his brother Gabe and the spirit of Eli Morrow is what absolutely needs to drive this series, and it's no surprise that those aspects were the shining bits of "Legend". Giving those relationships the spotlight returns the charm that the opening arc had in spades, and they're definitely the most interesting aspects of the series. We also learn a fact that should have been obvious in hindsight, that Eli is related to Robbie (specifically his uncle), which explains why the haunted car chose Robbie seemingly at random. It's a revelation that explains a lot but still leaves the dangling mystery of what happened to Robbie's parents, who I guess just sort of disappeared one day?

The core of the issue, though, is the relationship between the Reyes brothers and the development of Gabe since the last arc. Including a 10 month gap of time between this issue and the last was a good way to allow Gabe to step into being his own character and to play up how traumatic the events of the last arc was to him and the way he perceives his brother. Gabe no longer resembles the child from the first issue, even though only about a year has passed since then, and while the character's physical and mental progression was a little jarring at first I like how it was left a bit vague as to what really happened. Did Gabe's development leap forward because of the medication and treatments that Robbie paid for or because of Eli's supernatural influence? I like that not everything is being spelled out, and in Gabe's case there really doesn't need to be a concrete confirmation of what happened.

The best thing about this issue, though, is the artwork. Ever since the first production art was released prior to the first issue, I've wanted to see Felipe Smith take over the art chores alongside the writing. I highly enjoyed Tradd Moore's work on the first arc, it was phenomenal, but Damion Scott coming on board with issue 6 really killed a lot of momentum that the series had developed. Smith is a fantastic artist, and he draws my ideal version of the Robbie Reyes Ghost Rider, especially when it comes to evoking the rage and horror that should go with such a character. That opening page (which also contains an awesome shot of Johnny Blaze, to boot) with Robbie mid-transformation following into his arrival as Ghost Rider on the next page, howling like a real demon from hell as he leaps from his car...god damn that is some seriously amazing art. Whatever Marvel's next step for Robbie may be, Smith should absolutely be allowed to both write and illustrate it.

It's a shame that the book gets this good again just as it's coming to an end.

Grade: A+

Ghost Rider Special Edition (1995) # 5

Cover Artist: Paris Karounos

Published: 1995
Original Price: N/A

Title: "Skin Condition"
Writer: Chris Cooper
Artist: Paris Karounos
Inker: Derek Fisher
Letterer: Janice Chiang
Colorist: Jim Hoston
Editor: Glenn Herdling

SYNOPSIS

Posing as a mutilated victim of the riots, the demonic Skinner is brought into a hospital, where he quickly murders the doctors and uses their skin to replenish his own. Dressed as a doctor, he is able to make his way to the hospital room of Linda Addams, who he is there to kill, referring to her as his daughter. However, John Blaze is waiting to protect Linda and blasts Skinner with his hellfire shotgun. During the fight, Skinner states that only by releasing the magical energy within Linda can Zarathos be brought back to this dimension. Blaze shoots Skinner once again with his shotgun, stopping Skinner before he can kill his daughter.

ANNOTATIONS

This mini-comic was the fourth in a series packaged with Toy Biz's line of Ghost Rider action figures. This issue came with the Skinner figure.

During his first appearance in Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance (1992) # 3, Skinner murdered his wife and children to appease his mother, Lilith. Given the virtual immortality of the Lilin, it's certainly feasible that Skinner would have more children.

Blaze rescued Linda Addams in Ghost Rider Special Edition (1995) # 3.

REVIEW

The second villain in the action figure line, Skinner, gets his spotlight issue as Cooper and Karounos continue their tie-in storyline.

Skinner was an interesting choice for a villain for this series (and the action figure line), but he made sense considering he's got an interesting visual and is one of the few Blaze-centric villains to choose from (unless they went with Centurious, who I'm surprised they skipped, or Steel Wind). Skinner's story here hits the highlights of his established characterization, that he will kill his family to pay off debts to those he serves, and he gets a better introduction than poor Blackout last issue. Of course, it does strike me as odd that the figures and comics couldn't flag up Blackout being a vampire, but having Skinner mutilate innocent people to steal their skin is A-Okay.

Paris Karounos continues as the artist for these mini-comics, illustrating 4 of the 6 of this first wave of figure tie-ins, and I imagine the small scale of the comics does his work no favors. He's not the most detail-minded artist, but he has a style that is clear and mostly easy to follow (and hey, this issue has backgrounds!). He naturally can't show any of the gruesome stuff that usually pops up in Skinner stories, but he does well to sell the brutality of the character. I did like the panel with Blaze wheeling on screen in a desk chair to surprise the readers, that was a nice touch.

So as a spotlight issue for a villain, this one works just fine.

Grade: B+

Ghost Rider Special Edition (1995) # 4

Cover Artist: Paris Karounos

Published: 1995
Original Price: N/A

Title: "Dead Air"
Writer: Chris Cooper
Artist: Paris Karounos
Inker: Derek Fisher
Letterer: Jimmy Novak
Colorist: Jim Hoston
Editor: Glenn Herdling

SYNOPSIS

The vampire Blackout is at a radio station threatening a technician for cutting off the broadcast signal that had been driving New York citizens to go insane and riot. Before Blackout can kill the technician Ghost Rider arrives and stops him. A brief fight results in Blackout taking the technician hostage, but Ghost Rider's chains snake in behind the villain and imprison him. Blackout explains that he used mystical spell words to make the city go into a violent rage as a distraction to keep Ghost Rider busy. The real plan is the return of Zarathos from his dimensional prison, which Ghost Rider vows to stop.

ANNOTATIONS

This mini-comic was the fourth in a series packaged with Toy Biz's line of Ghost Rider action figures. This issue came with the Blackout figure.

Blackout killed the talk radio host at the beginning of Ghost Rider Special Edition (1995) # 1, which sparked the riots in New York City.

REVIEW

Now that our three heroes have had their spotlight issues, Blackout gets his introduction as the first villain of this series.

These mini-comics are damn hard to review, given that they're just 6 pages meant to do nothing more than hype a toy line. The story is ultimately incidental other than to give the spotlight to the issue's designated action figure accompanying it, but we at least get a forward movement of plot this time. Blackout has taken over a radio station and sent out a mystical "crazy signal" in order to distract Ghost Rider from Zarathos' return, which is I suppose straightforward enough for a mini-comic aimed at children. Blackout is made out to be less than a credible threat against Ghost Rider, though, consider all he does is swipe once with his claws and then threaten a hostage. Again, since it's aimed at kids writer Chris Cooper can't really get into the vampire aspect of the character other than gesturing vaguely via the artwork, which kind of neuters Blackout into "generic clawed guy". They might as well have cast Sabretooth in this comic, to be honest.

The artwork is from the returning Paris Karounos, who drew the first issue of this series, and his work is decent enough, if slightly amateurish. Other than the opening splash page, Karounos doesn't seem concerned with drawing backgrounds in any of his panels, meaning the radio station recording booth that is meant to be the setting is really just a blank white void with infinite amounts of space. The weirdest bit of the art comes in the design of Blackout himself, who has hands bigger than his head, but that was actually what the figure in the toy line looked like, so I assume Karounos was told to use the toy as the character model. Still, it looks so freaking odd.

These mini-comics are honestly just for die-hard Flameheads, you're not going to get much in the way of story or characterization out of them. Still, for what they are, they're not that bad.

Grade: B

Ghost Rider Special Edition (1995) # 3

Cover Artist: Geoff Isherwood

Published: 1995
Original Price: N/A

Title: "To the Rescue"
Writer: Chris Cooper
Artist: Geoff Isherwood
Inker: Dan McConnel
Letterer: Janice Chiang
Colorist: Jim Hoston
Editor: Glenn Herdling

SYNOPSIS

While riots rage in Brooklyn, John Blaze hears a woman screaming from help inside a high-rise building. Blaze rides his bike up the side of the building and crashes through a window on an upper floor, where he finds rioters attacking a young woman. Surprisingly, though, the rioters recognize Blaze and immediately attack him. He holds them off long enough for him to rescue the woman; her name is Lynda, and she senses that John is the reason she was drawn to this part of the city. Blaze thinks to himself that she must be connected to the supernatural, due to him being a sort of magnet for magical beings.

Blaze and Lynda ride up to the building's roof, but the attackers bust their way through the rooftop to find them. This tells Blaze that they're not normal people, they're either superhuman or supernatural, most likely the latter. Blaze whips out his hellfire shotgun and blasts them, revealing them to be demons as they're destroyed. However, the weakened roof collapses beneath Blaze's bike - and though he's able to land without harm to himself, Lynda is injured during the fall. Blaze decides to take her to a hospital, where he'll protect her from any more demon attacks.

ANNOTATIONS

This mini-comic was the first in a series packaged with Toy Biz's line of Ghost Rider action figures. This issue came with the Blaze figure.

Blaze learned that he was a magnet for supernatural magic in Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance (1992) # 1.

Lynda's connection to the supernatural is revealed in Ghost Rider Special Edition (1995) # 5, which focused on Skinner of the Lilin.

REVIEW

Chris Cooper continues his series of Ghost Rider toy tie-in comics with John Blaze and an artist who I was surprisingly familiar with: Geoff Isherwood.

Following last issue's disappointing introduction story for Vengeance, Cooper gives a much stronger showing with a much stronger character in John Blaze. Not only is Blaze immediately more interesting than last issue's star, we also get an advancement in the plot (paper thin as it may be). Lynda is introduced as an unknown variable thrown against the riot plot, where we also get to see our first example of demonic intervention amidst the rioting humans of the previous issues. Most importantly, while the first two issues seemed to be severely lacking in story, even for a 6-page comic, Cooper finally shows a glimmer of being the great writer I know he is from his work on Darkhold. I'm actually invested in the storyline now, believe it or not!

Even more of a surprise is the artist for this issue, Geoff Isherwood. Unlike the last two issues, which featured artists I was largely unfamiliar with, Isherwood had been the artist for Marvel's Dr. Strange and Namor comics for extended runs. His work helps to elevate the story in this issue, as it lacks a lot of the amateurish elements of the previous artists. I'm not sure what happened to Isherwood after the 1990s were over, but he was a solid artist who does a great job on this assignment.

So the mini-comics are getting better, people!

Grade: B+

Ghost Rider: Cycle of Vengeance # 1

Cover Artist: Leinil Francis Yu

Published: March 2012
Original Price: $5.99

Title: "Ghost Rider"
Writer: Gary Friedrich
Artist: Mike Ploog
Letterer: Jon Costa
Editor: Stan Lee

Title: "Life's Blood"
Writer: Howard Mackie
Artist: Javier Saltares
Inker: Mark Texeira
Letterer: Michael Heisler
Colorist: Gregory Wright
Editor: Bobbie Chase

Title: "Vicious Cycle" Part 1
Writer: Daniel Way
Artist: Javier Saltares
Inker: Mark Texeira
Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Colorist: Dan Brown
Editor: Axel Alonso

Collection Editor: Mark D. Beazley
Assistant Editors: Alex Starbuck & Nelso Ribeiro
Layout: Jeph York

SYNOPSIS

"Ghost Rider!": Johnny Blaze, the Ghost Rider, rides through the streets of New York City and accidentally witnesses two men killing another. Wanting no part of what's happened, he rides on, but is then chased by the killers. Upon trapping him in an ally, the men are shocked to see Blaze's flaming skull. The Ghost Rider points his finger, causing flame to erupt on the ground. The men make a run for it, and Blaze rides back to Madison Square Garden, where he transforms back into his human form. He thinks back to try and remember what happened, hoping to find some answers in the past.

Johnny's father, Barton Blaze, died in a motorcycle accident when his son was very young. Johnny was then adopted by Crash Simpson, another stunt rider that ran his own cycle show with his wife Mona and daughter Roxanne. Johnny grew into adolescence, and had followed his step-father's footsteps by taking up cycle riding. When he was fifteen, his motorcycle caught fire during a practice session. Though he attempted to save his family, Mona Simpson is killed in the bike's explosion. Before she dies, she makes Johnny promise her that he'll never ride in the show due to the danger, which he agrees to. Five years later, Johnny is discovered riding in secret by Roxanne, who tells him that she is in love with him. Later on, Crash tells the two that he has cancer, and that the show's performance at Madison Square Garden will be his last, if he lives to even see that.

Determined to keep his step-father from dying, Johnny researches some occult books, finally using them to summon Satan. In exchange for Johnny's soul, the Devil will spare Crash Simpson from the cancer that's killing him. Three weeks later, Crash tells Johnny that he plans to try and break the world's cycle jump record at the Garden. Johnny knows he'll be fine, due to the deal he made with Satan. When Crash attempts to jump it, he doesn't make it, and dies in the resulting accident. Furious at what happened, Blaze suits up, mounts a bike, and does the same stunt...and makes it, breaking the world record. That night, Satan returns to claim Johnny's soul, claiming that he only said he'd spare Crash from the disease and nothing else. As Satan prepares to take Johnny to Hell, Roxanne enters and banishes the demon with the pure essence of her soul. She tells Johnny that she read his books behind his back, and learned how to send the devil away. The next night, however, Johnny begins to burn with fever, until his head suddenly transforms into a flaming skull. Every night since, he has undergone the transformation into...the Ghost Rider!

"Life's Blood": Late at night, Dan and Barbara Ketch are taking a walk through Brooklyn's Cypress Hills Cemetery. The two hear gunshots nearby, and go to investigate. They witness a man named Deathwatch, dressed in a ninja's outfit, kill another man over a briefcase. Barbara screams when Deathwatch snaps a man's neck, which gives away their position. An arrow is shot, piercing Barbara in the heart. Deathwatch orders his men to track the two down and kill them. During the confusion, Pauline, a member of a gang called the Cypress Pool Jokers, steals the case. Dan manages to drag his sister into a nearby autoyard, where he stumbles across a strange looking motorcycle. As the ninjas close in, the bike's gascap begins to glow. Dan touches it and is engulfed in hellfire. Moments later, the Ghost Rider explodes from Dan's hiding spot, holding the wounded Barbara. He makes short work of the ninjas, but is then attacked by the police, who believe him responsible for what's happened. After a lengthy chase, the Rider loses his pursuers and transforms into Danny, who runs away from the motorcycle in a panic.

Later that night, the ninjas return to Deathwatch, who is actually a wealthy businessman. Using his psychic powers, he learns of the Ghost Rider. He then kills one of the ninjas for their failure. Elsewhere, the Kingpin is informed that his briefcase has been stolen. He tells his aide that the contents are dangerous and it must not fall into the wrong hands. Back at the cemetery, Pauline and the rest of the Jokers open the briefcase, only to find three locked canisters inside. They decide to hide them, so whoever wants them can't find them. Danny, meanwhile, staggers into the nearest hospital, where he collapses in front of his mother, his girlfriend Stacy, and her father, police captain Dolan. The next day, Dan awakens and is told that the police brought Barbara to the hospital, and that she's in a coma.

A few hours later, Dan returns to where he left the motorcycle, hoping that the magic within it will somehow help him heal his sister. Half a mile away, the Jokers are caught by the Kingpin's men, who demand to be taken to the briefcase. During the conversation, one of the kids is stabbed in the chest by a throwing knife. Deathwatch's ninjas descend onto the street, and a firefight immediately begins between the two groups. Danny hears the gunfire, and then sees the bike's gascap begin to glow. He places his hand upon it, and is transformed into the Ghost Rider. The demon attacks the assassins, defeating them easily, until one hits him with a rocket launcher. He then tells Pauline to take him to the canisters, and she tells him that they're hidden in three different mausoleums in the cemetery, and that she doesn't remember which ones. Before she can say anything else, the Ghost Rider knocks the man out with his chain. He then takes the boy that was stabbed to the nearest hospital. The next day, Dan overhears Captain Dolan blaming the Ghost Rider for hurting Barbara. Dan visits his comatose sister, the only person that knows his secret.

"Vicious Cycle" Part 1: Trapped in Hell, the Ghost Rider races through the underworld's dark gates, blowing through them with a horde of demons on his heels. Having finally escaped, the Rider turns to observe the horde, only to find that he hasn't escaped at all - he is still in Hell. And as Satan watches atop his tower, calling the Rider a "sucker", Johnny Blaze falls to his knees after realizing that he's fallen for the Devil's trick once again.

In his tower, Satan is approached by his minions, who praise him over his manipulation of the Ghost Rider. While Lucifer admits that he's well aware of his superiority, in the case of the Ghost Rider he knows just how to pull the strings. The Ghost Rider, meanwhile, rages at the fact that he may never get out of Hell. Punching furiously at the ground, he uncovers a small demon hidden beneath the dirt. Though the little demon protests otherwise, Blaze accuses him of observing him for Satan. While the demon asks the Rider for his help, a group of demonic horsemen charge toward them. Blaze prepares to fight, but instead watches in bewilderment as they ignore him in favor of snatching up the smaller demon, catching him with a hooked chain and dragging him away. As the demon is dragged back to Lucifer, he yells to the Rider that if he saves him he can dig them both out of there.

In the tower, the digging demon - Greexix - is brought before Lucifer, who tells him that had he simply told him that he no longer wished to serve in the Pit he would've gladly relocated him. Instead, he ran away. Greexix attempts to explain that he just got lost, but Satan sends him off to be tortured regardless. One of the riders then tells Lucifer that when they found Greexix he was speaking with the Ghost Rider. Outside, as the minions drag Greexix off to be tortured, Blaze rides past them and catches the small demon with his chain, pulling him free. As they're chased by the demon horde, Blaze tells Greexix that they're going to the Pit. When Greexix protests, Johnny corrects himself and says they're not going INTO the Pit...they're going OVER it. Jumping over the giant gorge on his mystical motorcycle, Blaze and Greexix crash on the other side, buying them only a small amount of time. His eyesight poor, Greexix asks the Rider if there are mountains and a cave nearby. Spotting it, the two make their way into the cave. Greexix tells Johnny that when they reach the bottom of the cave he'll start digging, and that they're pretty close to the boundary already. Greexix explains that people's assumptions have a huge effect on Hell, commenting that it's pretty funny that Hell looks exactly like one would think it would look. That's Lucifer's only power: deception. He uses people to get what he wants because he can't get it himself. Greexix himself had been used in the Pit, digging to expand it deeper and deeper to fit more and more souls inside. One day he gave up and tried to escape...and found water. Blaze hesitates, saying that there's no water in Hell - to which Greexix replies, "exactly". The little demon asks Johnny if he's going to help him, so they can both escape. Johnny says yes, but thinks to himself that Greexix is a demon, in Hell because he deserves to be. Blaze promises Greexix, not feeling the least bit guilty about lying, and takes the demon's hand...only to find Greexix transformed into Lucifer himself, who says that lying is a sin. Lucifer laughs as the water rises to engulf the trapped Ghost Rider, and as he loses consciousness he hears Satan say "see you on the other side".

On Earth, a young couple walk across a moonlit beach. While a light flares across the water in the distance, the couple see hundreds of people walking up out of the water and onto the beach. The light grows closer...as the Ghost Rider rides across the water, back on Earth.

ANNOTATIONS

This issue is a reprint of Marvel Spotlight on Ghost Rider (1972) # 5, Ghost Rider (1990) # 1, and Ghost Rider (2006) # 1.

This issue was published as a tie-in to the Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance film that was released in theaters in February 2012.

Ghost Rider: Highway To Hell

Cover Artist: Mark Texeira

Published: Aug. 2001
Original Price: $ 3.50

Title: "Ghost Rider"
Writer: Gary Friedrich
Artist: Mike Ploog
Letterer: Jon Costa
Editor: Stan Lee

Title: "Deathrace!"
Writer: Jim Starlin
Artist: Jim Starlin
Inker: Steve Leialoha
Letterer: Tom Orzechowski
Colorist: Petra Goldberg
Editor: Roger Stern
Editor In Chief: Jim Shooter

Title: "The End of the Ghost Rider!"
Writer: J.M. DeMatteis
Artist: Bob Budiansky
Inker: Kevin Dzubin
Letterer: Diana Albers
Colorist: Bob Sharen
Editor: Tom DeFalco
Editor In Chief: Jim Shooter

SYNOPSIS

Determined to keep his step-father from dying, Johnny researches some occult books, finally using them to summon Satan. In exchange for Johnny's soul, the Devil will spare Crash Simpson from the cancer that's killing him. Three weeks later, Crash tells Johnny that he plans to try and break the world's cycle jump record at the Garden. Johnny knows he'll be fine, due to the deal he made with Satan. When Crash attempts to jump it, he doesn't make it, and dies in the resulting accident. Furious at what happened, Blaze suits up, mounts a bike, and does the same stunt...and makes it, breaking the world record. That night, Satan returns to claim Johnny's soul, claiming that he only said he'd spare Crash from the disease and nothing else. As Satan prepares to take Johnny to Hell, Roxanne enters and banishes the demon with the pure essence of her soul. She tells Johnny that she read his books behind his back, and learned how to send the Devil away. The next night, however, Johnny begins to burn with fever, until his head suddenly transforms into a flaming skull. Every night since, he has undergone the transformation into...the Ghost Rider!

"Deathrace!": As he rides down a Utah highway, the Ghost Rider thinks back to a time when his curse was less consuming; back to a time when Johnny Blaze was a newly-hired stuntman for the Stuntmaster television show...

Johnny rides through the desert, only to find himself transforming into the Ghost Rider. He questions why, since he only transforms when danger is near, but then sees a storm forming rapidly overhead. He then sees a man standing directly in the middle of the road, causing Blaze to brake as hard as he can to keep from running him over. The skull-headed biker in black greets the Ghost Rider, saying that he is the reason he rides that absurd motorcycle, the reason he risks his life in insane stunts...he is Death, who tells him that he has devised an appropriate challenge for the Ghost Rider. The two shall race three times, with three prizes for the winner. Slowly it dawns on Johnny that the creature in front of him truly is the specter of death, and that all of this really is happening.

Death's first challenge is a street race; five miles down the road is a lone cyclist named Richie Petrillo, both the destination and prize. If Blaze reaches him first, he will live...if not, then the innocent man will die. The two inhuman bikers race toward the unsuspecting man, but Death pulls ahead at the last minute to touch Petrillo as he passes. Within moments, the man is dead and Death is the victor. Blaze declares that "Death Ryder" has cheated the man out of his entire life, but Death replies that there is no cheating in their game and that anything goes. Johnny then tries to quit the contest, but Death explains that if he does so then he will forfeit his life.

The second race is a cross-country drive, where Death's extra power will matter little. The goal is a little girl named Anna Devere, four miles north and lost, searching for her parents. The two cyclists start their race, and neither gains an inch on the other as they approach the doomed girl. At the last moment, Johnny tries a daring stunt where he jumps over Death and dives to save the girl, sparing her life but wrecking his bike.

Once his bike is checked out and ready to ride, Death tells him the final race is for Blaze's own life. If he reaches the distant mountain peak first without Death touching him, he will win and live. Blaze decides he's had enough of the game and blasts Death with hellfire, only to find that it didn't affect his foe at all. Blaze takes off with Death close behind, unable to shake his pursuer. Finally, Johnny realizes that Death himself said "anything goes" in the race, and does something he would never do against a human...he cheats and kicks the "Death Ryder's" front tire, causing him to crash all the way down the jagged mountain cliffs. Blaze watches the fire consume his foe, content that the challenge is over...for now. He knows, however, that Death will continue to dog his tracks in one form or another.

"The End of the Ghost Rider!": Johnny Blaze's soul has been trapped inside Centurious' Soul Crystal, leaving his body a mindless husk. Centurious, the Sin-Eater, and their zombie followers leave the church, allowing Roxanne Simpson to take Johnny back to her aunt's house in hopes of helping him. In the void, Zarathos realizes that Blaze's soul is gone, so the demon is able to take possession of the body. The Ghost Rider is free from Blaze's influence, so he creates a hellfire cycle and leaves Roxanne to gain his vengeance on Centurious. Meanwhile, Blaze finds his soul being devoured slowly by the Soul Crystal.

Zarathos finds Centurious and attacks, quickly overpowering his foe. Just as quickly, however, the Ghost Rider finds his power fading away and Centurious (who was feigning defeat) easily beats down on the demon. Centurious explains that without Blaze's soul, Zarathos will grow weaker and weaker until he finally dies - that is the revenge that Centurious has planned for his greatest enemy. Centurious buries Zarathos under the collapsed church, then explains to Roxanne that he will let her live out of remorse for her lost love. After the villain departs, Roxanne sees Zarathos painfully dig himself free from the wreckage. She tells him that they need to reunite him with Johnny, which Zarathos hates but ultimately accepts.

Elsewhere, in the cave that serves as Centurious' new headquarters, Pastor Domblue turns against his master now that he sees how evil he truly is. In response, Centurious mortally injures his Sin-Eater and declares that he will find another to wield the Soul Crystal. Roxanne and Zarathos arrive, only to be swarmed upon by the soulless townspeople of Holly. The Ghost Rider manages to crawl to his enemy, and with the last vestige of hellfire he can muster, Zarathos splits the Soul Crystal in half, sucking Centurious inside it and freeing all of the souls it had taken throughout the centuries. However, this means that Zarathos has been denied his vengeance on Centurious, and he no longer has the strength to split the Crystal again. The Sin-Eater, barely alive from his wounds, tells Zarathos that he can use his power to send him into the Soul Crystal to gain his revenge. However, Blaze has awoken in the void and begins to struggle for control of his body. Roxanne realizes the mistake that Johnny is making, and she begs him to relinquish control to the Ghost Rider. Blaze agrees, trusting in Roxanne's love for him, and gives up the fight - which allows the Sin-Eater to send Zarathos into the Soul Crystal after Centurious. Roxanne rushes to Johnny's side, and the two realize that the Ghost Rider is gone and their curse has finally ended.

Later, Johnny and Roxanne discuss their future now that the Ghost Rider curse has been broken. They're finally free after so many years, and they decide that they have all the time in the world to plan their future. However, the Soul Crystal still lays on the ground, which splits open and allows the Crystal to fall down into Hell - and into the clutches of a laughing Mephisto. Zarathos and Centurious are trapped within the Crystal for all eternity, their struggle never to end...

ANNOTATIONS

This issue is a reprint of Marvel Spotlight on Ghost Rider (1972) # 5, Ghost Rider (1973) # 35, and Ghost Rider (1973) # 81.

This issue was published as a tie-in to Ghost Rider (2001) # 1.

The cover to this one-shot had been used once before as the cover for The Original Ghost Rider (1992) # 1, which was also a reprint series.

Ghost Rider Special Edition (1995) # 2

Cover Artist: Karl Kerschl

Published: 1995
Original Price: N/A

Title: "Vengeance"
Writer: Chris Cooper
Artist: Jim Craig
Inker: Randy Emberlin
Letterer: Jimmy Novak
Colorist: Jim Hoston
Editor: Glenn Herdling

SYNOPSIS

New York City has been crippled by its citizens rioting like maniacs, while the local police try to calm things down. Two uniformed officers have been joined by Lt. Michael Badilino, who are unable to fire at the crowd of people who are obviously not in their right minds. The two uniformed cops are quickly overwhelmed by the insane rioters, and in order to save himself Badilino jumps into a nearby squad car and transforms into the demonic Vengeance!

Vengeance drives away most of the rioters with his blasts of hellfire, but three brave lunatics stand their ground to fight him as commanded by the radio voice that started the riot. Behind them, however, Vengeance's motorcycle surges forward and scatters them like bowling pins. Vengeance is then approached by Ghost Rider and John Blaze, reuniting the Spirits of Vengeance once more. Ghost Rider informs his partners that a radio broadcast is what triggered the riot, and while Vengeance and Blaze help on the streets Ghost Rider himself will try to stop the source of the insanity.

ANNOTATIONS

This mini-comic was the first in a series packaged with Toy Biz's line of Ghost Rider action figures. This issue came with the Vengeance figure.

Vengeance first appeared as an enemy of Ghost Rider in Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance (1992) # 9 but eventually switched sides in Ghost Rider (1990) # 43.

A copy of this comic was donated to Vengeance Unbound by GR_Fan82 from the Superhero Hype forums. Thanks, GR_Fan!

REVIEW

Vengeance is the second character to get a spotlight in this series of mini-comics that were released with the Ghost Rider line of toys in 1995.

So we've been given the thinnest of plots - a supernatural force causing people to riot in Brooklyn - to justify introductions of each member of the Ghost Rider starring cast with each new issue. Not surprisingly, the second issue is given over to Vengeance, who was essentially the "extreme" version of Ghost Rider who wouldn't hesitate to kill his enemies while making a wry comment. Like with Venom a few years before, I understand why Vengeance was popular during this time (though I still say he was far more interesting and successful as a villain than an anti-hero, which only served to make a weak sauce Ghost Rider clone), and I can imagine he would similarly be a popular character in the toy line. For boys who thought Ghost Rider looked cool, and even scarier looking demon biker should have been an easy sell.

Chris Cooper is still the writer as in the first issue, but the art chores have changed to artist Jim Craig, who had previously penciled other giveaway comics a year or so before (the Spider: Trial of Venom and Hulk/Venom one-shots). His work is not dissimilar to last issue's artist, Paris Karounos, so there's a smooth transition from part 1 to part 2. The colorist gets Badilino's hair color wrong, making it light brown instead of black, but there's not much else to complain about in the art.

Unfortunately, this story does little more than show Vengeance off as yet another flaming skeleton on a motorbike. It almost hurts Ghost Rider himself, because the character is no longer unique. But this is an inoffensive comic, it does what it needs to do in its 6 pages.

Grade: C+

Ghost Rider Chronology: 1990-1991

Ghost Rider Special Edition (1995) # 1

Cover Artist: Paris Karounos

Published: 1995
Original Price: N/A

Title: "Transformation"
Writer: Chris Cooper
Artist: Paris Karounos
Inker: Derek Fisher
Letterer: Janice Chiang
Colorist: Jim Hoston
Editor: Glenn Herdling

SYNOPSIS

Talk radio star Russ Armtree is telling his New York City audience to "rise up" against the "scum that's holding America down". Suddenly, the lights in his studio go off and Armtree is killed. The show's new host, speaking with "the word of Zarathos", tells the listeners that Russ was right - they need to destroy.

Dan Ketch rides through the city while its gripped in an insane riot with half the population attacking the other half for no reason. Dan sees a group of insane rioters assaulting a young woman, and he crashes his motorcycle through the crowd to stop them. The rioters advance on the crashed Ketch, but he's able to transform into Ghost Rider in time to save his own life. Ghost Rider gives one of the rioters his Penance Stare, which causes her to reveal that a voice on the radio is what's caused them to go crazy. Ghost Rider uses his chain links to incapacitate the other rioters, determined to find out who is causing the madness and stop them.

ANNOTATIONS

This mini-comic was the first in a series packaged with Toy Biz's line of Ghost Rider action figures. This issue came with the Transforming Ghost Rider/Danny Ketch figure.

The identity of the radio show announcer that kills Russ Armtree is revealed to Blackout in Ghost Rider Special Edition (1995) # 4.

REVIEW

This is the first issue in the series of mini-comics that tied in with the Ghost Rider action figure line, and it does its job of introducing the character to new readers well.

There's really not much to say about this comic, considering its only 6 pages long. That doesn't give much room for a good story to develop, but that's not really the point of this comic, is it? If anything, its purpose is to get the kids that buy the action figures to get a sample of the comics as well. In that respect, its successful, as it gives an abbreviated showing of what the character was about in the regular comic series.

Chris Cooper, besides being one of the editors of the Midnight Sons titles, seemed to be Marvel's go-to-guy for the few Ghost Rider tie-in comics that the company produced for their toy division. At least they went with a writer that knew the established back story, given his involvement with "Siege of Darkness", and not someone else unconnected to the regular books. Of course, making these comics (and the toys, for that matter) a sequel of sorts to "Siege of Darkness" is a problem in itself given the reader reaction to that crossover. The Midnight Sons books had moved away from the "Siege" type stories by 1995 as well. But complaining about stuff like this is a moot point; they were trying to sell toys, not produce compelling literature.

These mini-comics are the only place I've seen artwork by Paris Karounos, and he has a nice handle on Ghost Rider. The size format doesn't do the artwork any favors, though, and I wonder how it would look at normal comic size. I especially like the shot of Ghost Rider giving his Penance Stare, with his eyes becoming more round with the energy radiating outward. Nice stuff.

I doubt many current readers have seen these mini-comics and tracking them down now outside of buying the toys is nigh impossible. I'd imagine they'd fetch a hefty price tag if you did find them, though, and they're certainly not worth it unless you're a hardcore, diehard Ghost Rider fan.

Grade: B-

Marvel Age # 87

Cover Artist: Mark Texeira

Published: April 1990
Original Price: $1.00

Contributing Writers: Brian Nelson, Fred Hembeck, John A. Wilcox, & Howard Mackie
Editor: Jim Salicrup
Assistant Editor: Barry Dutter
Designer: Steve Alexandrov
Editor In Chief: Tom DeFalco

SYNOPSIS

This issue of Marvel Age, the monthly "behind the scenes" magazine produced by Marvel, had numerous features on the second Ghost Rider series that was debuting that month. Included in the issue were:

-- a Ghost Rider Trivia Page

-- a 2-page "Li'l Blazer" story by Fred Hembeck that featured the adventures of Johnny Blaze as a child long before he became the Ghost Rider

-- an article focusing on the new Ghost Rider series that featured interview segments with Howard Mackie and Javier Saltares

-- a 5-page preview of Ghost Rider (1990) # 1

-- a segment of "Marvel Reviewers" that focused on advance reviews of Ghost Rider # 1

ANNOTATIONS

N/A.

REVIEW

Much like the latest Marvel Spotlight series, Marvel Age was the in-house Marvel magazine that acted as a "behind the scenes" hype machine for their products being released each month. This issue focused much of its attention on the brand-new Ghost Rider series by Howard Mackie, Javier Saltares, and Mark Texeira - and Marvel was obviously going out of their way to make sure people picked the series up.

Of course, hype was certainly necessary for the series. Ghost Rider hadn't been in publication for a good seven years, and many younger readers of the time plausibly had no idea who the character was. So Marvel Age stepped in to fill in the gaps, providing looks at the absolutely smoking artwork - including a new cover by Mark Texeira that soon became an iconic image for the character - and interviews with the creative team. There are some hidden bits of knowledge held in the interviews, one that surprised even me. Did anyone else know that Blackout's original name was Nightwalker? Curiouser and curiouser.

But unlike the Spotlight series (which admittedly can be rather dry most times), Marvel Age at least attempted to keep a sense of humor and fun in its pages. From the Ghost Rider trivia questions to the so-cute-it-hurts "Li'l Blazer" short by Fred Hembeck, there's a deliberate attempt to poke fun at the characters in a way that's lighthearted and not mean-spirited.

I always enjoyed Marvel Age until it became nothing but a hype machine in the mid-90's, just prior to it's cancellation, and it was a definite help when it came to launching books in the 80's and 90's. I'm certain that it was one of the many factors that went into Ghost Rider being such a huge success...I mean honestly, who could look at that 5-page preview and NOT pick up the first issue?

Grade: N/A