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| Cover Artist: Paris Karounos |
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.
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.
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.
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.
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+
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