On Sale Date: November 1996
Writer: Ivan Velez Jr.
Artists: Anthony Chun & David Finch
Inkers: Aaron Sowd & Joe Weems V
Letterer: Dennis Heisler
Colorist: Peter Steigerwald
Editor: David Wohl
Editor In Chief: Bob Harras
Cover Artist: Anthony Chun
In another universe, the one from which Mephisto originated, college student Dan Ketch is lectured by one of his professors on his poor attendance and falling grades. On his way home, Dan thinks about how his role as the Ghost Rider's human host had thrown his life into chaos. Meanwhile, in her East Village apartment, sorceress Jennifer Kale attempts to practice a spell of calming to help her relax following the recent revelation that she's related to Dan, John Blaze, and the Ghost Rider by blood. Her spell is interrupted by Eternity, the cosmic embodiment of the universe, who tells her that the Ghost Rider is needed and she must be the physical messenger. On the subway, Dan is approached by the cosmically powered Jennifer, who triggers his transformation against his will. The Ghost Rider is filled in on Mephisto's plan to subjugate the other world, and the Rider agrees to stop him. Kale opens a portal through which the Ghost Rider rides, draining her of Eternity's power and leaving her stranded on the subway car.
Back on the parallel Earth, Cyblade sees a flash of light elsewhere in the city from her balcony and suits up to investigate, unable to shake the feelings of dread she's experiencing. Mephisto, meanwhile, rages as he sees the Ghost Rider arriving on the new Earth through Eternity's portal. The Rider is immediately approached by the police, who are knocked unconscious by the vigilante's chain. While he ponders on the best way to find Mephisto, Ghost Rider is attacked by Cyblade, who has mistaken him for a villain. Throughout the battle, the Rider recognizes that she must be one of the new Earth's heroes, but quickly becomes annoyed at her attempts to stop him. Mephisto, realizing that the battle will soon turn to the heroes teaming up against him, sends forth demons to possess the surrounding police. The Ghost Rider saves Cyblade from one of the demons, and the two quickly decide that they are both heroes when the Rider explains his mission against Mephisto. After a short fight with the demons, the two are approached by another of the world's heroes, Killrazor, who has been corrupted to evil by Mephisto's power. Cyblade fights her former friend, beating him nearly to death before she is stopped by the Rider. Ghost Rider gives Killrazor his penance stare, which drives the laughing form of Mephisto from the former hero's body. Mephisto vanishes in an explosion that rocks the Rider to his feet, and when he rises he finds that Cyblade has disappeared as well, leaving him alone in an unfamiliar world.
"Devil's Reign" was an 8-part crossover between Marvel Comics and Top Cow Comics, with each one-shot chapter starring a team-up between Marvel and Top Cow characters. Ghost Rider will appear in the next chapter, Devil's Reign: Ghost Rider/Ballistic # 1, while Cyblade will appear next in chapter 7, Devil's Reign: Elektra/Cyblade # 1.
Mephisto was "killed" by his son, Blackheart, in Ghost Rider/Wolverine/Punisher: The Dark Design.
Jennifer Kale learned that she was the descendant of Noble Kale, the Ghost Rider, and cousin to Dan Ketch and John Blaze in Ghost Rider (1990) # 78.
Years later, the Johnny Blaze incarnation of Ghost Rider will encounter Witchblade and the Darkness from the Top Cow Universe in Unholy Union # 1, though whether that takes place in the same continuity as this remains unclear.
"Devil's Reign" was an ambitious 8-part crossover between Marvel Comics and Top Cow Comics, artist Marc Silvestri's division of the independent Image Comics company. Silvestri had grown to fame in the late 80's during his stints on Uncanny X-Men and Wolverine, and his first Top Cow series - Cyberforce, from which Cyblade originates - is an obvious clone of the X-Men, like many of the other Image characters of the time (see Youngblood, Brigade, and the Wildcats). Cyblade herself is a pretty clear rip-off of Marvel's Psylocke with a little bit of Elektra thrown in, and it's hard to take her seriously as a character when she's nothing more than a cipher of much better characters that have the benefit of years of good storytelling behind them. But despite this, the Top Cow books were heavy sellers in the late 90's, and this crossover was a major success for both companies.
What's surprising is Marvel's decision to give the starring roles on their part to characters that had somewhat fallen out of favor with the fans. Both the Silver Surfer and Ghost Rider were major characters in the story, and neither character had been burning up the charts by this point. While Wolverine was of course included, I'm honestly a bit shocked that the editors chose appropriate characters like the Surfer and Ghost Rider over more popular ones like Spider-Man or Gambit. But the character choices on Marvel's part truly do enhance the story, making it more than the gimmick that it obviously is intended to be.
It also serves to make Cyblade look really bad in comparison, given that Ghost Rider is an actual original and distinct character. What helps is that this issue is written by the regular Ghost Rider writer Ivan Velez, meaning that the character is written correctly and the storyline actually ties in to several ongoing plots in the main book. Mephisto, the crossover's antagonist, had been written out a few years prior to this in a Ghost Rider story, and it's good to have a follow-up with the appropriate characters involved.
The artwork for this issue is split in half by two Top Cow artists, one of which who has gone to much larger fame in recent years. The first artist is Anthony Chun, who handles the majority of the work, and I admit that his name was unfamiliar to me since I was never a regular Top Cow reader. But he does a good job illustrating this story, though it's a bit more mainstream super-hero styled than it probably should be, given the horror-centric plot elements. The other artist is Dave Finch, who became a hot commodity due to his work on New Avengers and Moon Knight, and fans of his work today would probably really enjoy what he brings to this issue. His work is more heavily stylized than Chun's, giving it the appropriate level of darkness and grittiness that's called for - his work on Dan's transformation into the Ghost Rider is particularly well done.
I admit to not having read any of "Devil's Reign" other than the two Ghost Rider specials, but what's found here is easily above average work. In the next special, Ghost Rider is paired with Ballistic, another female character cloned from Marvel but who is handled with a much more distinct voice than Cyblade in this issue.
In a universe parallel to our own, Mephisto - former lord of Hell - watches over the new realm he has decided to conquer for his own. Having found a portal to this new universe, Mephisto began his plot by corrupting several of that world's heroes, and now plans on transforming it into a new Hell for him to rule. Even the most powerful of the world's heroes, the team Cyberforce, are falling apart - and Mephisto gloats as he turns his attention toward Cyblade, one of the last remaining members of Cyberforce. In her apartment, Cyblade thinks to herself about the ramifications of Heatwave, her team leader, and his disappearance. A feeling of dread comes over her, that things are going to get much worse.
In another universe, the one from which Mephisto originated, college student Dan Ketch is lectured by one of his professors on his poor attendance and falling grades. On his way home, Dan thinks about how his role as the Ghost Rider's human host had thrown his life into chaos. Meanwhile, in her East Village apartment, sorceress Jennifer Kale attempts to practice a spell of calming to help her relax following the recent revelation that she's related to Dan, John Blaze, and the Ghost Rider by blood. Her spell is interrupted by Eternity, the cosmic embodiment of the universe, who tells her that the Ghost Rider is needed and she must be the physical messenger. On the subway, Dan is approached by the cosmically powered Jennifer, who triggers his transformation against his will. The Ghost Rider is filled in on Mephisto's plan to subjugate the other world, and the Rider agrees to stop him. Kale opens a portal through which the Ghost Rider rides, draining her of Eternity's power and leaving her stranded on the subway car.
Back on the parallel Earth, Cyblade sees a flash of light elsewhere in the city from her balcony and suits up to investigate, unable to shake the feelings of dread she's experiencing. Mephisto, meanwhile, rages as he sees the Ghost Rider arriving on the new Earth through Eternity's portal. The Rider is immediately approached by the police, who are knocked unconscious by the vigilante's chain. While he ponders on the best way to find Mephisto, Ghost Rider is attacked by Cyblade, who has mistaken him for a villain. Throughout the battle, the Rider recognizes that she must be one of the new Earth's heroes, but quickly becomes annoyed at her attempts to stop him. Mephisto, realizing that the battle will soon turn to the heroes teaming up against him, sends forth demons to possess the surrounding police. The Ghost Rider saves Cyblade from one of the demons, and the two quickly decide that they are both heroes when the Rider explains his mission against Mephisto. After a short fight with the demons, the two are approached by another of the world's heroes, Killrazor, who has been corrupted to evil by Mephisto's power. Cyblade fights her former friend, beating him nearly to death before she is stopped by the Rider. Ghost Rider gives Killrazor his penance stare, which drives the laughing form of Mephisto from the former hero's body. Mephisto vanishes in an explosion that rocks the Rider to his feet, and when he rises he finds that Cyblade has disappeared as well, leaving him alone in an unfamiliar world.
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| Bare feet on the New York Subway? Ewwww! |
THE ROADMAP
This story takes place between Ghost Rider (1990) # 85 and Ghost Rider (1990) # 86.
"Devil's Reign" was an 8-part crossover between Marvel Comics and Top Cow Comics, with each one-shot chapter starring a team-up between Marvel and Top Cow characters. Ghost Rider will appear in the next chapter, Devil's Reign: Ghost Rider/Ballistic # 1, while Cyblade will appear next in chapter 7, Devil's Reign: Elektra/Cyblade # 1.
Mephisto was "killed" by his son, Blackheart, in Ghost Rider/Wolverine/Punisher: The Dark Design.
Jennifer Kale learned that she was the descendant of Noble Kale, the Ghost Rider, and cousin to Dan Ketch and John Blaze in Ghost Rider (1990) # 78.
Years later, the Johnny Blaze incarnation of Ghost Rider will encounter Witchblade and the Darkness from the Top Cow Universe in Unholy Union # 1, though whether that takes place in the same continuity as this remains unclear.
CHAIN REACTION
In a rare (and honestly surprising) move, Marvel decided to include the Ghost Rider in a major starring role during a crossover with another comic company. The results are mixed, mainly because the Ghost Rider comes off as such a better character than the one he's paired with here.
"Devil's Reign" was an ambitious 8-part crossover between Marvel Comics and Top Cow Comics, artist Marc Silvestri's division of the independent Image Comics company. Silvestri had grown to fame in the late 80's during his stints on Uncanny X-Men and Wolverine, and his first Top Cow series - Cyberforce, from which Cyblade originates - is an obvious clone of the X-Men, like many of the other Image characters of the time (see Youngblood, Brigade, and the Wildcats). Cyblade herself is a pretty clear rip-off of Marvel's Psylocke with a little bit of Elektra thrown in, and it's hard to take her seriously as a character when she's nothing more than a cipher of much better characters that have the benefit of years of good storytelling behind them. But despite this, the Top Cow books were heavy sellers in the late 90's, and this crossover was a major success for both companies.
What's surprising is Marvel's decision to give the starring roles on their part to characters that had somewhat fallen out of favor with the fans. Both the Silver Surfer and Ghost Rider were major characters in the story, and neither character had been burning up the charts by this point. While Wolverine was of course included, I'm honestly a bit shocked that the editors chose appropriate characters like the Surfer and Ghost Rider over more popular ones like Spider-Man or Gambit. But the character choices on Marvel's part truly do enhance the story, making it more than the gimmick that it obviously is intended to be.
It also serves to make Cyblade look really bad in comparison, given that Ghost Rider is an actual original and distinct character. What helps is that this issue is written by the regular Ghost Rider writer Ivan Velez, meaning that the character is written correctly and the storyline actually ties in to several ongoing plots in the main book. Mephisto, the crossover's antagonist, had been written out a few years prior to this in a Ghost Rider story, and it's good to have a follow-up with the appropriate characters involved.
The artwork for this issue is split in half by two Top Cow artists, one of which who has gone to much larger fame in recent years. The first artist is Anthony Chun, who handles the majority of the work, and I admit that his name was unfamiliar to me since I was never a regular Top Cow reader. But he does a good job illustrating this story, though it's a bit more mainstream super-hero styled than it probably should be, given the horror-centric plot elements. The other artist is Dave Finch, who became a hot commodity due to his work on New Avengers and Moon Knight, and fans of his work today would probably really enjoy what he brings to this issue. His work is more heavily stylized than Chun's, giving it the appropriate level of darkness and grittiness that's called for - his work on Dan's transformation into the Ghost Rider is particularly well done.
I admit to not having read any of "Devil's Reign" other than the two Ghost Rider specials, but what's found here is easily above average work. In the next special, Ghost Rider is paired with Ballistic, another female character cloned from Marvel but who is handled with a much more distinct voice than Cyblade in this issue.
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| She's fairly dismissive of the flaming skeleton monster, isn't she? |
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