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| Cover Artist: Adam Kubert |
Original Price: $1.75
Title: "Carnival of Death", Part 1
Writer: Howard Mackie
Artist: Adam Kubert
Inkers: Bill Reinhold & Klaus Janson
Letterer: Bill Oakley
Colorist: Gregory Wright
Editor: Bobbie Chase
Editor In Chief: Tom DeFalco
SYNOPSIS
In an unknown location, Steel Vengeance is punished by her master while her sister watches patiently. The sisters' master blames the woman for the failure at the Quentin Carnival, despite Mephisto's interference, so as an example he kills Steel Vengeance. He then instructs Steel Wind to return to the Carnival, granting her an eyeball amulet that controls the demons of Styge. He also gives the captured Deathwatch, Hag, and Troll over to another of his minions, Carver, to make some use of.
Blaze and Ghost Rider make their way back to the Carnival ruins, only to find Wolf and the other survivors brandishing guns for protection against the demons that Steel Wind left behind. Clara tells John that Miranda's son, Timmy, is alone out in the woods, prompting Blaze and Ghost Rider to search for him. Before they leave, the cripple mechanic Eli tells John that he has something to give him when he gets back.
Meanwhile, two men have a mysterious meeting. The first man, brandishing a gun, asks about the other man's offer, saying he'd give anything for "him". The other man says that it sounds as if he'd sell his soul for a chance at Ghost Rider, to which the first man agrees. The second man then reveals himself to be Mephisto, who takes the first man's soul and transforms him into a horrific creature. Creating for him a mystical motorcycle infused with the blood of the innocent, Mephisto remarks "As Ghost Rider is so fond of saying 'Vengeance will be ours." and so you are named...VENGEANCE!" This new player will be Mephisto's right arm in the upcoming events, and that his desire for vengeance against Ghost Rider will be all-consuming.
Back in Dover, Timmy walks through the deserted snow-covered streets, unaware that he's being stalked by the cannibal demons of Styge. In the woods on the outskirts of town, Steel Wind implements the eyeball amulet on the Stygian demons, doubling their number. They are to slaughter everyone but Blaze and Ghost Rider, who are to be left for her. In the city, a few of the demons have surrounded Timmy, but the boy is rescued by Blaze and the Ghost Rider. After a brief fight, the demons run away, escaping to attack the Carnival. At the Carnival ruins, Clara begins to have another vision of death, prompting Wolf and the other remaining survivors to run out and meet the demons head-on. Blaze and Ghost Rider return to find the Carnival overrun by the demons and Steel Wind, the people being slaughtered. As the two heroes race down to join the battle, another watches them from a nearby hilltop. Vengeance has arrived, and he declares himself to be the Ghost Rider's death.
ANNOTATIONS
Steel Wind and Steel Vengeance failed in their attack on the Quentin Carnival in Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance (1992) # 7. Steel Wind makes a deal with Adam to resurrect her sister in Ghost Rider (2011) # 7, but Steel Vengeance is instead returned as a mindless zombie.
The fate of Deathwatch, captured by Steel Wind in Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance (1992) # 7, is revealed in Ghost Rider (1990) # 42. What happens to Hag and Troll is never revealed.
The Stygian Demons are connected to the former Ghost Rider villain, Reverend Styge. The eye used to control the demons was ripped from Styge in Ghost Rider (1990) # 18, and the cannibalistic priest later died at the hands of the Punisher in Darkhold: Pages From the Book of Sins (1992) # 5.
The identity of the man that became Vengeance was left to speculation for quite some months before finally being revealed to be Michael Badilino in Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance (1992) # 15. Badilino first appeared in Ghost Rider (1990) # 21 and he made his last appearance before this issue in Ghost Rider (1990) # 35. His reason for hating Ghost Rider is explained in Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance (1992) # 15.
REVIEW
Ah, Vengeance. Easily one of the most visually exciting and downright cool villains introduced in the pages of the Ghost Rider titles, Vengeance was unfortunately led down the same road as Venom - namely, making him into an anti-hero clone of his enemy. While the character lost a LOT in his transition to a hero, in his first appearances Vengeance was most certainly a villain - and one of the most intriguing characters to emerge during the Midnight Sons era.
This four-issue story arc which introduces Vengeance is truly the pinnacle of the Mackie/Kubert collaboration on Spirits of Vengeance, producing one of my favorite stories from this period in the Ghost Rider mythos. And, in a somewhat unfortunate way, this issue shows just how much Spirits had surpassed the Ghost Rider title in terms of quality. Whereas the core book was bogged down with an incompatible artist and issue after issue of vague characters and go-nowhere plots, Spirits was very clear in its dealings with the Quentin Carnival and the shadowy villain that was being developed as Blaze's ultimate nemesis. This series also had the high ground with Adam Kubert and Bill Reinhold on art, doing one of the best renditions of Ghost Rider and Blaze that the characters would ever see.
With the focus on Blaze and Carnival in mind, it strikes me as odd that a nemesis truly geared totally on Ghost Rider - Vengeance - made his first appearance here instead of in Ghost Rider. But there's no doubt that Mackie and Kubert brought all of their strengths to the fore with this character, giving him a distinct edge over any of the other Ghost Rider villains that had appeared since "Rise of the Midnight Sons". If for no other reason, this issue gets incredibly high marks for Vengeance's introductory scene with Mephisto. The demon's speech as he transforms the unknown individual into his right-hand agent is impeccable: "I create you as a mockery to his image. He will see you and he will see what he could be. As Ghost Rider is so fond of saying..."vengeance will be ours." And so you are named...Vengeance!" From the onset, Vengeance is immediately a frightening and visually striking character, which was absolutely necessary for him to stand out as Ghost Rider's antithesis. We're also given the mystery of just who Vengeance truly is, a mystery that immediately comes down to just two suspects after the information in this and the next issue: either Captain Gerry Dolan or Lt. Michael Badilino. It really was a toss-up between which one it could be, and both made sense (even if the eventual revelation and history behind the character during "Road to Vengeance" overcomplicates things just a tad).
This issue and the next also effectively destroy the Quentin Carnival as we know it in one of the best all-out battle scenes the series has seen. There's no mistaking the carnage and devastation the poor Carnival withstands, and the bleak future for the characters is hammered home expertly.
The artwork does slide down a bit when Klaus Janson steps in to ink the second half of the issue, unable to accentuate Adam Kubert's artwork in the same high quality capacity as Bill Reinhold. But Kubert's incredibly detailed and gritty work still shines through despite the switch in inkers, and his design for Vengeance stands out as one of the drop-dead coolest. There's no doubt that this guy is the evil version of Ghost Rider, but he's also clearly given his own striking look and identity - through the more demonic skull and blood-red flames.
Overall, this issue continues the high point of the first year of Spirits of Vengeance, and promises one of the bloodiest and vicious battles of the Ghost Rider's history in the next issue. Absolutely recommended.
Grade: A+
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