Cover Date: August 2008
On Sale Date: June 2008
Writer: Jason Aaron
Artist: Tan Eng Huat
Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Colorist: Jose Villarrubia
Editors: Aubrey Sitterson & Daniel Ketchum
Executive Editor: Axel Alonso
Editor In Chief: Joe Quesada
On Sale Date: June 2008
Writer: Jason Aaron
Artist: Tan Eng Huat
Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Colorist: Jose Villarrubia
Editors: Aubrey Sitterson & Daniel Ketchum
Executive Editor: Axel Alonso
Editor In Chief: Joe Quesada
Cover Artist: Marko Djurdjevic
In the present, at Waxahachie Maximum Security Prison, a prisoner named Moss is put into a solitary confinement cell by the guards. To the surprise of all, Moss points out that there's someone else in the cell with him: Johnny Blaze. While the guard try to get the door open, Moss threatens Blaze, who Johnny points out is a murderer and rapist. He grabs Moss's face and engulfs him in hellfire, burning the killer's soul. When the startled guard enters the cell, Blaze tells him that its taking every bit of willpower he's got to keep control over the Spirit of Vengeance, which would like nothing more than to send every inmate in the prison to Hell. He tells the guard to go get the warden, otherwise he may just have to let go of the reins on the thing inside him. Meanwhile, elsewhere in the prison, a guard named Bob talks with an unseen spirit and uncovers the mark of Zadkiel on his chest.
Back in the cell, the prison's warden arrives to talk to Blaze. Johnny asks the warden if he's read the Bible much, then asks if he knows how many people God kills in the Bible. Adding up all of the floods and plagues and fires, God kills millions while the big scary Devil's body count comes to a paltry ten. That raises a big question: between Heaven and Hell, which one should they really be afraid of? The warden then says that any man crazy enough to break into his prison ought to be welcome to stay there, and they lock Blaze in the cell. Elsewhere in the hospital, Bob the guard goes into the control room and incapacitates two of his fellow guards, then by order from Zadkiel he opens all the cells in the prison.
Blaze busts down the door of his cell, tapping into as little of the Ghost Rider's power as possible for fear of the Spirit of Vengeance taking control and burning everything around him to the ground. It would be so easy for him to be the Ghost Rider and nothing else, but to do so would kill whatever's left of Johnny Blaze's soul. When he enters the prisoner ward, he sees a full blown riot taking place. After getting directions from an inmate, Blaze makes his way to Cell Block D, where he's confronted by a group of Satanists who want revenge on Blaze for his earlier defeat of their master Lucifer. Before they can do anything, a voice tells them to back off - their leader recognizes Blaze as someone who has had his life destroyed by the angels. The inmate takes down his hood and reveals himself to be the priest responsible for the church massacre two years earlier. He tells Blaze that if he's here seeking his help against Zadkiel then he's a fool who's likely doomed them all to a horrifying death.
In another part of the prison, specifically Cell 17 of Solitary Confinement, Bob the guard comes up on two coworkers who are guarding a very special prisoner. Bob kills his fellow guards and unlocks the door. Inside is a massive brute of a man known only as the Deacon, who asks Bob if he is a disciple of the New Dawn. When Bob replies that he is, the Deacon asks for his rifle and the names of those who need to be killed.
Blaze defeated Satan and sent him back to Hell in Ghost Rider (2006) # 19.
I continue to really enjoy how Aaron writes John Blaze, from his dialogue to his inner thoughts to his personality. This really shines at the start of the issue when Blaze just mysteriously appears inside a cell in a maximum security prison; there's no explanation for how he got inside, he's just there as an outsider mystery for the poor inmates and guards that are brought screaming into the Ghost Rider's world. In fact, and this is something I really didn't notice until my second read-through of the issue, the Ghost Rider doesn't make an actual appearance in this issue. We see Blaze using the Rider's power in places, but the idea is that Johnny is holding back as much as he possible can to keep the Spirit of Vengeance from breaking loose in a place filled with evil men deserving of punishment. It's a cool idea, particularly when coupled with the artwork that shows just how close Blaze is to transforming throughout the issue as events demand it. His head is on fire, but the skull isn't shining through yet, showing that Blaze is indeed beginning to wrest a bit of control over the power for himself. The Blaze of the early series, hell of just a year or so ago, would not have been able to pull that trick off without losing the battle of wills.
If there's a problem to be found in Aaron's new direction for the book, its that the recent "revelations" about Zadkiel and the angelic origins of the Ghost Rider are being presented as common knowledge by seemingly everyone. The ghost cannibals in the last arc and the satanists in this issue all make reference to Ghost Rider being an angel, but if this was something that well-known, well I think any one of the demonic or otherworldly entities that Johnny's fought over the years would have mentioned something about it. Similarly, now that the Zadkiel connection is out in the open, the guy apparently has agents everyone Johnny goes. I understand that he operated in secret all these years, and I suppose all this works internally (for instance, Zadkiel's servant Bob could be stationed at the prison to keep guard over the Deacon). It stretches credibility just a wee bit thin, though, suspension of disbelief or not.
But that's really a minor complaint when measured against all the good things in this issue, from the whip-smart dialogue to the good use of pacing. That's something not to be taken for granted, considering how plodding and slow the book was during Daniel Way's tenure. I never feel cheated when I finish an issue of Aaron's Ghost Rider, as it actually takes more than 20 seconds to read through and digest all the information presented in each new installment. Events move at a good, solid clip without the feeling that stories are being padded to fill trade paperbacks.
New to the Ghost Rider series this issue is artist Tan Eng Huat, who is coming off a recently-completed Silver Surfer mini-series. I've been a fan of Huat's work for quite a few years, ever since his run on Doom Patrol for DC Comics with writer John Arcudi. His style has changed quite a bit since his Doom Patrol work, with things looking looser and less restrained here. Along with just a gradual evolution of his pencils, I'd credit a lot of the differences in the inking/coloring departments, with Jose Villarrubia digitally coloring the pages straight from Huat's pencil work without benefit of an inker. The pages have a neat water-color effect to them that adds to the other-worldly mood that's appropriate for a series like Ghost Rider. To be mentioned, however, is how stylized Huat's art looks in comparison to more traditional Ghost Rider artists like Javier Saltares; much like Roland Boschi and Richard Corben, Huat's work won't be for everyone. I appreciate the unique flavor he brings to the series, but I'm certain there a number of readers who would prefer a more straight-forward action artist.
So while this issue isn't as immediately engaging as the previous story-arc, it is still certainly another great chapter in what's shaping to be a monumental run by Jason Aaron.
Two years ago, police raid the First Church of the New Dawn after getting a report of shots fired. When they enter the church they find the entire congregation slaughtered in the pews. The man responsible is the church's priest, who tells them its not his fault - that the angels made him do it.
In the present, at Waxahachie Maximum Security Prison, a prisoner named Moss is put into a solitary confinement cell by the guards. To the surprise of all, Moss points out that there's someone else in the cell with him: Johnny Blaze. While the guard try to get the door open, Moss threatens Blaze, who Johnny points out is a murderer and rapist. He grabs Moss's face and engulfs him in hellfire, burning the killer's soul. When the startled guard enters the cell, Blaze tells him that its taking every bit of willpower he's got to keep control over the Spirit of Vengeance, which would like nothing more than to send every inmate in the prison to Hell. He tells the guard to go get the warden, otherwise he may just have to let go of the reins on the thing inside him. Meanwhile, elsewhere in the prison, a guard named Bob talks with an unseen spirit and uncovers the mark of Zadkiel on his chest.
Back in the cell, the prison's warden arrives to talk to Blaze. Johnny asks the warden if he's read the Bible much, then asks if he knows how many people God kills in the Bible. Adding up all of the floods and plagues and fires, God kills millions while the big scary Devil's body count comes to a paltry ten. That raises a big question: between Heaven and Hell, which one should they really be afraid of? The warden then says that any man crazy enough to break into his prison ought to be welcome to stay there, and they lock Blaze in the cell. Elsewhere in the hospital, Bob the guard goes into the control room and incapacitates two of his fellow guards, then by order from Zadkiel he opens all the cells in the prison.
Blaze busts down the door of his cell, tapping into as little of the Ghost Rider's power as possible for fear of the Spirit of Vengeance taking control and burning everything around him to the ground. It would be so easy for him to be the Ghost Rider and nothing else, but to do so would kill whatever's left of Johnny Blaze's soul. When he enters the prisoner ward, he sees a full blown riot taking place. After getting directions from an inmate, Blaze makes his way to Cell Block D, where he's confronted by a group of Satanists who want revenge on Blaze for his earlier defeat of their master Lucifer. Before they can do anything, a voice tells them to back off - their leader recognizes Blaze as someone who has had his life destroyed by the angels. The inmate takes down his hood and reveals himself to be the priest responsible for the church massacre two years earlier. He tells Blaze that if he's here seeking his help against Zadkiel then he's a fool who's likely doomed them all to a horrifying death.
In another part of the prison, specifically Cell 17 of Solitary Confinement, Bob the guard comes up on two coworkers who are guarding a very special prisoner. Bob kills his fellow guards and unlocks the door. Inside is a massive brute of a man known only as the Deacon, who asks Bob if he is a disciple of the New Dawn. When Bob replies that he is, the Deacon asks for his rifle and the names of those who need to be killed.
 |
| Well, that's one way of looking at it, sure. |
THE ROADMAP
Blaze discovered that the Ghost Rider curse was given to him by the angel Zadkiel in Ghost Rider (2006) # 18. He has been searching for a way to get to Heaven since Ghost Rider (2006) # 20.
Blaze defeated Satan and sent him back to Hell in Ghost Rider (2006) # 19.
CHAIN REACTION
Writer Jason Aaron begins his second story-arc on the series and is joined by the book's new regular artist, Tan Eng Huat, for a story set inside a maximum security prison.
I continue to really enjoy how Aaron writes John Blaze, from his dialogue to his inner thoughts to his personality. This really shines at the start of the issue when Blaze just mysteriously appears inside a cell in a maximum security prison; there's no explanation for how he got inside, he's just there as an outsider mystery for the poor inmates and guards that are brought screaming into the Ghost Rider's world. In fact, and this is something I really didn't notice until my second read-through of the issue, the Ghost Rider doesn't make an actual appearance in this issue. We see Blaze using the Rider's power in places, but the idea is that Johnny is holding back as much as he possible can to keep the Spirit of Vengeance from breaking loose in a place filled with evil men deserving of punishment. It's a cool idea, particularly when coupled with the artwork that shows just how close Blaze is to transforming throughout the issue as events demand it. His head is on fire, but the skull isn't shining through yet, showing that Blaze is indeed beginning to wrest a bit of control over the power for himself. The Blaze of the early series, hell of just a year or so ago, would not have been able to pull that trick off without losing the battle of wills.
If there's a problem to be found in Aaron's new direction for the book, its that the recent "revelations" about Zadkiel and the angelic origins of the Ghost Rider are being presented as common knowledge by seemingly everyone. The ghost cannibals in the last arc and the satanists in this issue all make reference to Ghost Rider being an angel, but if this was something that well-known, well I think any one of the demonic or otherworldly entities that Johnny's fought over the years would have mentioned something about it. Similarly, now that the Zadkiel connection is out in the open, the guy apparently has agents everyone Johnny goes. I understand that he operated in secret all these years, and I suppose all this works internally (for instance, Zadkiel's servant Bob could be stationed at the prison to keep guard over the Deacon). It stretches credibility just a wee bit thin, though, suspension of disbelief or not.
But that's really a minor complaint when measured against all the good things in this issue, from the whip-smart dialogue to the good use of pacing. That's something not to be taken for granted, considering how plodding and slow the book was during Daniel Way's tenure. I never feel cheated when I finish an issue of Aaron's Ghost Rider, as it actually takes more than 20 seconds to read through and digest all the information presented in each new installment. Events move at a good, solid clip without the feeling that stories are being padded to fill trade paperbacks.
New to the Ghost Rider series this issue is artist Tan Eng Huat, who is coming off a recently-completed Silver Surfer mini-series. I've been a fan of Huat's work for quite a few years, ever since his run on Doom Patrol for DC Comics with writer John Arcudi. His style has changed quite a bit since his Doom Patrol work, with things looking looser and less restrained here. Along with just a gradual evolution of his pencils, I'd credit a lot of the differences in the inking/coloring departments, with Jose Villarrubia digitally coloring the pages straight from Huat's pencil work without benefit of an inker. The pages have a neat water-color effect to them that adds to the other-worldly mood that's appropriate for a series like Ghost Rider. To be mentioned, however, is how stylized Huat's art looks in comparison to more traditional Ghost Rider artists like Javier Saltares; much like Roland Boschi and Richard Corben, Huat's work won't be for everyone. I appreciate the unique flavor he brings to the series, but I'm certain there a number of readers who would prefer a more straight-forward action artist.
So while this issue isn't as immediately engaging as the previous story-arc, it is still certainly another great chapter in what's shaping to be a monumental run by Jason Aaron.
 |
| It's the Human Torch! |
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