On Sale Date: August 2008
Title: "A Town Called Mercy"
Writer: Simon Spurrier
Artist: Mark A. Robinson
Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Colorist: Raul Trevino
Editors: Daniel Ketchum & Aubrey Sitterson
Executive Editor: Axel Alonso
Editor In Chief: Joe Quesada
Cover Artist: Mark Texeira
Later that night, Blaze is given a nightmare vision of an angel that offers him a silver key. When he wakes, he sees the girl from the bar wandering into the forest. Blaze follows the girl and in turn is followed by the deputy, who fires a warning shot just as Johnny sees a winged being flying above the trees. Blaze disarms the deputy, but is stopped at gunpoint by the sheriff. Blaze transforms into the Ghost Rider and leads the cops to the body of the girl, who dies in the deputy's arms. Obviously not a suicide, Blaze comments that they interrupted the creature before it could finish its job.
The next day, the sheriff puts together a hunting party to track the creature. The deputy tells Blaze that the town attracts “sad folks” that are later found dead. The first victim was the town's original sheriff, who hung himself in a barn. When the deputy discovered the body, he caught a glimpse of the angel responsible. Blaze and the two cops re-enter the forest, but the deputy realizes that his pistol is empty of ammunition. The sheriff sends his deputy back to re-arm, allowing Blaze to have a conversation with the man. He tells the sheriff that the deputy's pistol was loaded before they set out, and the night before when the sheriff appeared he'd had blood on his hands. Blaze turns and transforms into the Ghost Rider, only to find that the sheriff has undergone a transformation of his own into a terrifying angelic monster. The angel attacks, declaring itself to be a rebel from Heaven, and nearly kills Blaze before the deputy returns to stop the fight. When the angel hesitates, Blaze burns him down with a blast of hellfire. The crippled angel explains that he was once the gatekeeper of Heaven who was able to grant access to any mortal he so chose. When Zadkiel began his war against God, the Gatekeeper kept to himself until he found a point of argument - he believed that suicide should not be considered a sin. Zadkiel's host struck the Gatekeeper down and exiled him to Earth, but did not take away his ability to grant mortals access to Heaven. Since then he has drawn the suicidal to Mercy and murdered them, granting them paradise. He tells Blaze that when he dies his soul is forfeit to Hell, and only the Gatekeeper's power could have sent him to Heaven to confront Zadkiel. Blaze then demands that the angel kill him to grant him access to Heaven, but the angel explains that the rules force him to resist and fight as hard as he can - otherwise it would be considered suicide. The angel attacks, and Blaze is forced to kill him, leaving him and the deputy alone in the forest.
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.
This issue also includes a reprint of Ghost Rider (1975) # 35.
CHAIN REACTION
Marvel wisely discontinued the production of Annuals in the early 2000s, stating that the decades-long traditional one-shot had degenerated into sub-par fill-in stories that not even the most faithful of readers would waste their money on. When the Annuals returned in 2007, it looked as if Marvel had learned its lesson following the shelving of the concept by producing Annuals that actually tied into the ongoing titles. But now, only two years later, we're back to the random fill-in stories by relatively unknown creative teams.
For example, we have Simon Spurrier and Mark A. Robinson producing “A Town Called Mercy”. I had high hopes for this one-shot considering Spurrier is the writer on the Ghost Rider: Danny Ketch mini-series, so there was a major possibility that this would be at least a slightly relevant story. Instead, we're given a rush job that barely hangs together as a story with plot holes you could fly a jumbo jet through.
I can certainly see the point that Spurrier was trying to make with this story, that suicide should not be deemed a mortal sin when viewed as a way of escaping Earthly miseries. It's a fair point (even if I disagree with it), but Spurrier falls down when it comes to the execution by writing an entirely over-complicated plot. A fallen angel that was Heaven's gatekeeper falls to Earth because he disagreed about suicide being a sin, so far so good. He calls to the depressed and draws them to the town of Mercy, where he then executes them - bringing us to problem # 1: he's not helping the people commit suicide, he's outright murdering them. I understand that this is the angel's attempt to circumvent the rule on suicide barring people from Heaven, but if he wields the key to Heaven and can grant access to any he chooses, then why the elaborate deception? He calls to Blaze and attacks him, trying to kill him so he can send him to Heaven to confront Zadkiel, but once Blaze learns the truth he can't let the angel kill him because it would be considered suicide and he'd go straight to Hell. Er, well, the angel says that he could flood Heaven with murderers and rapists, but can't kill Blaze because suicide would send him to Hell? That makes absolutely no god damn sense, I'm sorry. I get the twist that Spurrier's going for, that if Blaze doesn't fight back once he knows the truth, it would be considered suicide - but the internal logic just flat out does not work. Again, the angel can allow access to anyone he so chooses - including murderers and rapists - so what makes a suicide case so much worse than those heinous sins? In fact, if Blaze is bound for Hell when he dies, what does it matter if he's murdered or if he kills himself?
I've complained enough about the plot, so let's move on the artwork. I'm completely unfamiliar with Mark A. Robinson, and while he's competent enough he also draws in a style that I'm far from a fan of. It's a bit reminiscent of artists like Humberto Ramos or Skottie Young, an ultra-stylized faux-manga design that just grates with the dark tones of the story. He draws a nice Ghost Rider, but his people just look like...well, they look like children with scruffy hair. I'm not sure why Marvel insists on putting these type of artists on Ghost Rider - see Pop Mhan, Trent Kaniuga, etc... - when its fairly obvious that the majority of the fans don't like it.
So, yeah, not only is it a fill-in issue, its not even an entertaining fill-in issue. It's especially jarring when compared to the classic Ghost Rider story reprinted in the back half (though really, there's no thematic connection between the new story and the reprint, so why the heck was it included in the first place?). This Annual is completely unnecessary.
In the snowy town of Mercy, Idaho, Johnny Blaze is approached at a local bar by a young deputy who mistakes him for a “gloomie”, a person who's come to the town to commit suicide. Blaze points to a newspaper that talks about an angelic monster that's suspected of being responsible for a rash of “suicides” in the town. The deputy lies when asked if he's seen the creature and orders Blaze to leave the town. The town's sheriff asks if there's anyone else new in town, not noticing a young girl sitting by a window.
Later that night, Blaze is given a nightmare vision of an angel that offers him a silver key. When he wakes, he sees the girl from the bar wandering into the forest. Blaze follows the girl and in turn is followed by the deputy, who fires a warning shot just as Johnny sees a winged being flying above the trees. Blaze disarms the deputy, but is stopped at gunpoint by the sheriff. Blaze transforms into the Ghost Rider and leads the cops to the body of the girl, who dies in the deputy's arms. Obviously not a suicide, Blaze comments that they interrupted the creature before it could finish its job.
The next day, the sheriff puts together a hunting party to track the creature. The deputy tells Blaze that the town attracts “sad folks” that are later found dead. The first victim was the town's original sheriff, who hung himself in a barn. When the deputy discovered the body, he caught a glimpse of the angel responsible. Blaze and the two cops re-enter the forest, but the deputy realizes that his pistol is empty of ammunition. The sheriff sends his deputy back to re-arm, allowing Blaze to have a conversation with the man. He tells the sheriff that the deputy's pistol was loaded before they set out, and the night before when the sheriff appeared he'd had blood on his hands. Blaze turns and transforms into the Ghost Rider, only to find that the sheriff has undergone a transformation of his own into a terrifying angelic monster. The angel attacks, declaring itself to be a rebel from Heaven, and nearly kills Blaze before the deputy returns to stop the fight. When the angel hesitates, Blaze burns him down with a blast of hellfire. The crippled angel explains that he was once the gatekeeper of Heaven who was able to grant access to any mortal he so chose. When Zadkiel began his war against God, the Gatekeeper kept to himself until he found a point of argument - he believed that suicide should not be considered a sin. Zadkiel's host struck the Gatekeeper down and exiled him to Earth, but did not take away his ability to grant mortals access to Heaven. Since then he has drawn the suicidal to Mercy and murdered them, granting them paradise. He tells Blaze that when he dies his soul is forfeit to Hell, and only the Gatekeeper's power could have sent him to Heaven to confront Zadkiel. Blaze then demands that the angel kill him to grant him access to Heaven, but the angel explains that the rules force him to resist and fight as hard as he can - otherwise it would be considered suicide. The angel attacks, and Blaze is forced to kill him, leaving him and the deputy alone in the forest.
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| Detective Johnny Blaze. |
THE ROADMAP
Ghost Rider last appeared in Ghost Rider (2006) # 25 and appears next in X-Force (2008) # 9.
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.
This issue also includes a reprint of Ghost Rider (1975) # 35.
CHAIN REACTION
Another year brings us another inconsequential Ghost Rider Annual. Along the same lines as last year's one-shot that introduced Mister Eleven (though at least he goes on to make further appearances), Simon Spurrier turns in a simple story that has no bearing on the ongoing story by regular series writer Jason Aaron. Unfortunately, while last year's Annual was at least a fairly entertaining story that introduced a relatively engaging character, this year's Annual gives us a story that could be called - at best - a weak fill-in issue.
Marvel wisely discontinued the production of Annuals in the early 2000s, stating that the decades-long traditional one-shot had degenerated into sub-par fill-in stories that not even the most faithful of readers would waste their money on. When the Annuals returned in 2007, it looked as if Marvel had learned its lesson following the shelving of the concept by producing Annuals that actually tied into the ongoing titles. But now, only two years later, we're back to the random fill-in stories by relatively unknown creative teams.
For example, we have Simon Spurrier and Mark A. Robinson producing “A Town Called Mercy”. I had high hopes for this one-shot considering Spurrier is the writer on the Ghost Rider: Danny Ketch mini-series, so there was a major possibility that this would be at least a slightly relevant story. Instead, we're given a rush job that barely hangs together as a story with plot holes you could fly a jumbo jet through.
I can certainly see the point that Spurrier was trying to make with this story, that suicide should not be deemed a mortal sin when viewed as a way of escaping Earthly miseries. It's a fair point (even if I disagree with it), but Spurrier falls down when it comes to the execution by writing an entirely over-complicated plot. A fallen angel that was Heaven's gatekeeper falls to Earth because he disagreed about suicide being a sin, so far so good. He calls to the depressed and draws them to the town of Mercy, where he then executes them - bringing us to problem # 1: he's not helping the people commit suicide, he's outright murdering them. I understand that this is the angel's attempt to circumvent the rule on suicide barring people from Heaven, but if he wields the key to Heaven and can grant access to any he chooses, then why the elaborate deception? He calls to Blaze and attacks him, trying to kill him so he can send him to Heaven to confront Zadkiel, but once Blaze learns the truth he can't let the angel kill him because it would be considered suicide and he'd go straight to Hell. Er, well, the angel says that he could flood Heaven with murderers and rapists, but can't kill Blaze because suicide would send him to Hell? That makes absolutely no god damn sense, I'm sorry. I get the twist that Spurrier's going for, that if Blaze doesn't fight back once he knows the truth, it would be considered suicide - but the internal logic just flat out does not work. Again, the angel can allow access to anyone he so chooses - including murderers and rapists - so what makes a suicide case so much worse than those heinous sins? In fact, if Blaze is bound for Hell when he dies, what does it matter if he's murdered or if he kills himself?
I've complained enough about the plot, so let's move on the artwork. I'm completely unfamiliar with Mark A. Robinson, and while he's competent enough he also draws in a style that I'm far from a fan of. It's a bit reminiscent of artists like Humberto Ramos or Skottie Young, an ultra-stylized faux-manga design that just grates with the dark tones of the story. He draws a nice Ghost Rider, but his people just look like...well, they look like children with scruffy hair. I'm not sure why Marvel insists on putting these type of artists on Ghost Rider - see Pop Mhan, Trent Kaniuga, etc... - when its fairly obvious that the majority of the fans don't like it.
So, yeah, not only is it a fill-in issue, its not even an entertaining fill-in issue. It's especially jarring when compared to the classic Ghost Rider story reprinted in the back half (though really, there's no thematic connection between the new story and the reprint, so why the heck was it included in the first place?). This Annual is completely unnecessary.
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| Stupid heavenly technicalities! |
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