Vengeance Unbound: 2017

Inner Demons Episode 18: "Chestnuts Roasting On an Open Hellfire"

Happy Holidays from Inner Demons! As our gift to you, we present this special mini-episode dedicated to the Christmas season, which would surely warm our souls had we not already sold them to the Devil. In this Ho-Ho-Horrific episode Brian and Chris take a fond look back at the Ghost Rider stories from Marvel Holiday Special (1992) # 1 and Marvel Holiday Special 1994 before finishing off with 2016's Ghost Rider X-Mas Special # 1!

You can listen to the episode at the Vengeance Unbound page on blogspot, or you can download it from either Stitcher or iTunes . You can also find us on Facebook, just search for "Vengeance Unbound" and on Twitter under @InnerDemonsGR. Thanks for listening!

Inner Demons Episode 17: "Hanging Out In a Bookstore With Blade"

Inner Demons is finally back to throw out tons of unnecessary exposition and tell you a whole lot of stuff about nothing particularly important! This episode has Brian and Chris braving the wilds of new Ghost Rider material by reviewing Spirits of Vengeance (2017) # 2 & 3 and Thanos (2016) # 13. Only one of those titles has a Cosmic Space Ghost Rider that is also a Herald of Galactus...the other one has a bookstore? Exciting!

Buy This Comic

I realize it's been quite a long time since I've posted anything of note here on the blog, that will hopefully change soon. In the meantime, I want to point out that all Ghost Rider fans should pick up Thanos # 13 by Donny Cates and Geoff Shaw that came out this week. You absolutely will not regret it.

SERIOUSLY, READ THIS COMIC.

Inner Demons Episode 16: "Hellfireface"

After too long a delay Inner Demons is back with another new episode! This time Chris and Brian are talking about Iceman getting dating assistance from the Champions and little kid Spirits of Vengeance on flaming Big Wheels, among other things. Reviewed this episode are Iceman # 6-7 and Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur # 24. Also, as a special flashback section, we review two 1990s promotional comics: Marvel Collector's Edition (1992) # 1 from Charleston Chew and Ghost Rider Collector's Edition (1993) # 1 from Kaybee Toys!

Podcast Update

Just to update everyone who's waiting for the next episode, there won't be a new one released this week. Personal lives have intruded on our recording schedule, so we're forced to push back the next release by a week or two. So sorry everybody, thanks so much for all your support for the show!

Inner Demons Episode 15: "Canadian Bacon"

After a bit of a delay, Inner Demons is back with a brand new attack! This episode Chris and Brian take a look at two new Ghost Rider related comic releases, namely Marvel Legacy # 1 and Spirits of Vengeance # 1! Then, in place of our regular classic reviews, we take a fond look back at a Very Special Issue from Ghost Rider history, Amazing Spider-Man: Hit and Run # 3. Remember to always wear your helmets when riding your bicycles, kiddos!

Bad Timing

This morning I posted the newest episode of Inner Demons for everyone to download and listen to, and in that episode Brian and I discussed Ghost Rider # 5 from 1973. That issue featured a villain named Roulette attacking Las Vegas and destroying a casino, killing lots of people in the process. We recorded this episode over a week ago, and I had it scheduled in advance for today's release. The episode went live this morning, and I thought nothing else about it when I announced the release here and on the Vengeance Unbound Facebook page.

Obviously, I wasn't considering that Las Vegas had just experienced a mass shooting at a concert on Sunday night that claimed 59 innocent lives. Had we recorded this episode after that incident, our conversation would have certainly been a lot different. When creating material for entertainment, in this instance discussing a comic book that was published 40 years ago, we have no way of accounting for a real life tragedy.

So, if listening to the episode this morning with no warning of the content has made you upset, I absolutely understand. It wasn't until a listener sent me a message saying that it was a little too early to be talking about mass murder in Las Vegas that I even realized how our content was now being viewed a hell of a lot different than normal. If you don't want to listen to that section, skip ahead about 45 minutes to completely bypass our review of Ghost Rider # 5.

Thanks to Jason Hall for pointing this out to me, it certainly wasn't my intention to upset anyone with the content.

Inner Demons Episode 14: "Ms. Jemima Catmint: Spirit of Vengeance"

Do you get frustrated when the villain you're trying to give your Penance Stare to turns out to be a robot? Do you hold the popular belief that all motorcyclists should be lined up against a wall and shot? Do you ever become angry when you realize your freedom from Hell was all just an elaborate game where you were the witless pawn? Then welcome to our magic floating castle everyone, Inner Demons is back with another new episode! Brian and Chris take a look back at Ghost Rider (1973) # 5, Ghost Rider (1990) # 10, Ghost Rider (2005) # 6, and Ghost Rider 2099 # 8!

Warning: This episode contains talk about a scene of mass death and destruction in Las Vegas, which was recorded before the Las Vegas shooting on 10/1/17. If you do not wish to listen to that section, please skip ahead 37 minutes.

Inner Demons Episode 13: "Edge of Orbverse"

We've got Spider-Man to the left of us, Spider-Man 2099 to the right, and now we're stuck in the middle with Thor! Inner Demons is back with unlucky episode # 13, and this episode we look at Marvel Team-Up (1972) # 15, The Mighty Thor # 429-430, Ghost Rider (2005) # 5, and Ghost Rider 2099 # 7! This episode was recorded before the news broke of Len Wein's passing, an unfortunate coincidence that this episode featured us looking back at his one time writing Ghost Rider. R.I.P. Mr. Wein.

Inner Demons Episode 12: "Ghost Passenger"

Hope everyone's ready to cruise around in the back of a Cadillac, because Inner Demons is back with a new episode! Brian and Chris examine Ghost Rider (1973) # 4, Ghost Rider (1990) # 9, Ghost Rider (2005) # 4, and Ghost Rider 2099 # 6. Always remember: flaming skulled stunt biker vigilantes can totally hide behind rocks in the middle of the night and not be seen by dune-buggy driving police officers. That information might save your life some day.

Inner Demons Episode 11: "Total Eclipse of the H.E.A.R.T."

Unzip your pants and let your tentacle appendages loose for the newest episode of Inner Demons, the 'net's best (i.e. only) Ghost Rider podcast! This time Brian and Chris turn a critical eye toward Edge of Venomverse # 3, where Robbie Reyes totally tongue kisses Mr Hyde (spoilers ahoy, of course). Then the classic reviews shine a light on Ghost Rider (1973) # 3, Ghost Rider (1990) # 8, and Ghost Rider (2005) # 3! Finally, stick around 'til the end of the episode for a very special creator interview with a legendary Marvel Comics creator!

Lost Spirits of Artwork

I realize that it's been a while since I've posted any new content, and for that I apologize. I've been taking some time away from blogging/reviewing comics the last few weeks to deal with some personal stuff (not the least of which is impending eye surgery on the 23rd of August, yikes!), so that's why Vengeance Unbound has been relatively quiet of late.

Don't worry, though, because the Inner Demons podcast is still going strong, and in fact we just recorded the 11th episode last night! There's going to be a very cool creator interview in the next ID episode, so everyone be on the lookout for it when it's posted this weekend!

And, just because I don't want to go TOO long without spotlighting something here on the blog, I thought I'd post a few pieces of artwork for everyone to enjoy. These were all covers that had originally been commissioned for publication, but for various reasons never saw the light of day. If this is the first time you're seeing them, awesome! Hope you enjoy!

This first piece of art is from Salvador Larroca from his time as Ghost Rider artist in the mid 1990s. Specifically, this was originally the cover for Ghost Rider (1990) # 65, the conclusion of the "Ghost Rider In Chains" story-arc. That issue's cover (and contents) were altered last minute when the book was drafted into the "Over the Edge" crossover, but the original cover art made its way online. Awesome!

Next comes this piece from Trent Kaniuga, the artist on the Ghost Rider: The Hammer Lane mini-series. This art piece was originally the cover for the follow-up miniseries "Ghost Rider: Redux" that was in the works by "Hammer Lane" creative team Devin Grayson, Kaniuga, and inker Danny Miki. While the series never made it to publication, this fantastic piece of art survived!

Marko Djurdevic was the cover artist during Jason Aaron's run on Ghost Rider in 2008, and this was an unused cover piece by him that was scrapped when the art direction went in a more humorous tone. There are several other unused cover drawings by Djurdevic, all of which can be seen in the Ghost Rider by Jason Aaron Omnibus!

Finally, there's this awesome cover drawing for Spectacular Spider-Man # 207 from 1994, which was originally supposed by a direct tie-in to the "Siege of Darkness" crossover event! When the story content changed and Ghost Rider was dropped as the issue's guest-star, the cover had to be scrapped. Still, it's an awesome piece of artwork!

If anyone has any other unused Ghost Rider cover images they'd like to send my way, please do so and I'll include them here on the blog!

Inner Demons Episode 10: "No Donuts For Bad Cops"

The tenth episode of Inner Demons comes at you like a flaming chariot pulled by demon horses! Chris and Brian take a critical look back at Marvel Spotlight (1972) # 12, Fantastic Four # 347-349, Ghost Rider (2005) # 2, and Ghost Rider 2099 # 5. Highlights include: the Son of Satan living in a heavy metal album, Ghost Rider as Spider-Man and the Hulk's stern older brother, and Ghost Rider 2099 barbecuing his own human body! Tell me that's not worth the price of admission, folks!

You can listen to the episode at the Vengeance Unbound page on blogspot, or you can download it from either Stitcher or iTunes . You can also find us on Facebook, just search for "Vengeance Unbound" and feel free to send us a message. Thanks for listening!

31st Century Spirit of Vengeance Chronology

Cover Artist: Jim Valentino

At the request of reader Alex Maki, here's a chronology of Wileaydus Autolycus, the Spirit of Vengeance of the 31st century! This character is an interesting side-note to the Ghost Rider legacy, and his creation and presence actually say a lot more in subtext than one would think. Created by Jim Valentino in 1991 during the writer/artist's run on Guardians of the Galaxy, Wileaydus was an alien possessed by the Spirit of Vengeance, making him a future iteration of Ghost Rider. He lived on the planet Sarka, which was ruled by an oppressive religion called the Universal Church of Truth. The Church went about policing their world with practices straight out of the Spanish Inquisition, and was actually a priest in the Church in his human guise. As the Spirit of Vengeance (never called "Ghost Rider", just "Spirit of Vengeance"), Wileaydus fought against the Church's regime but was often just as judgmental and murderous as his enemies.

Eventually, Wileaydus came into contact with the Guardians of the Galaxy. This was the original incarnation of the team, the 31st century group with characters like Vance Astro and Starhawk, not the modern day movie star team. After some expected misunderstandings and clashes, the Spirit of Vengeance became an ally to the Guardians and was drafted into a spin-off group called the Galactic Guardians (original, yes, I know). This team included other future versions of Marvel heroes, such as Phoenix, Firelord, and Wonder Man. Following the conclusion of the 90s' Guardians series Wileaydus fell into limbo and has yet to make any more appearances. But who knows, maybe he'll pop up again in some time travel story down the line?

Most interestingly is what he means to the Spirit of Vengeance concept, that subtext I mentioned earlier. He's not from Earth, he's an alien with no contact or knowledge of humanity, yet he's possessed by an entity seemingly created by the Christian deity of Earth. Does this mean Yahweh is the "one true god" of every planet, race, and civilization in the universe and has created Spirits of Vengeance to police all of them? Does this mean the Spirit of Vengeance somehow made its way across the stars to settle on another world after Earth's near-destruction in that future timeline? A story that detailed just HOW Wileaydus Autolycus became a Ghost Rider is one I would be truly interested in reading, though the likelihood of ever seeing that is slim to none.

1991
Guardians of the Galaxy (1990) # 13
Guardians of the Galaxy (1990) # 14

1992
Guardians of the Galaxy (1990) Annual # 2

1993
Guardians of the Galaxy (1990) # 34 (cameo)
Guardians of the Galaxy (1990) # 35
Guardians of the Galaxy (1990) # 36
Guardians of the Galaxy (1990) # 37

1994
Guardians of the Galaxy (1990) # 47 (cameo)
Guardians of the Galaxy (1990) # 50 (cameo)
Galactic Guardians (1994) # 1
Galactic Guardians (1994) # 2
Galactic Guardians (1994) # 3
Galactic Guardians (1994) # 4

Ghost Rider Collected Editions, or the Lack Thereof: Redux

Marvel recently let loose a preview book to retailers that details all of their trade paperback and hardcover/omnibus releases through April of 2018. Naturally, I poured through the catalog in hopes of seeing some new Ghost Rider collections, because we're damn sure due a few, and lo and behold I found a whopping ONE listing, for the new SPIRITS OF VENGEANCE mini-series.

That pisses me right he hell off, people.

In that same catalog is listings for books like "Werewolf by Night Classic Volume 2" and "Ka-Zar Masterworks Volume 2". Those are characters that I'm sure have fans of their own, and I'm not trying to knock any attempts to release Marvel's awesome back catalog of comics. When Ghost Rider gets ignored in favor of those niche characters, though, I am simultaneously disappointed and surprised. I had hoped that Marvel had more Ghost Rider collections coming, after the release of the "Rise of the Midnight Sons" and "Hearts of Darkness" trade paperbacks, but apparently they think fucking Ka-Zar has more of a chance at selling copies than Ghost Rider.

So, for my own benefit more than anything else, I've put together a list of Ghost Rider collections that Marvel NEEDS to make happen. How can they expect the character to catch on with a wider audience if there's nothing printed for them to read? I'm going to break this down into a couple of different categories, and you're going to see some repeats in material.

OMNIBUS EDITIONS - The Omnibus is honestly my favorite way to see comics collected, because they look awesome on a bookshelf and they can pack in a LOT of material in one volume. However, the price point for most of these, usually $100 or more per book, can turn away anyone other than the most die-hard collectors. So far, Ghost Rider has had only one Omnibus edition published, which collected the Jason Aaron run. That should be rectified with the following:

Ghost Rider: Johnny Blaze Omnibus (Volume 1)
Collects: Marvel Spotlight on Ghost Rider (1972) # 5-11, Ghost Rider (1973) # 1-9 & 11-20, Marvel Spotlight on the Son of Satan (1972) # 12, Marvel Team-Up (1972) # 15, Marvel Two-In-One (1973) # 8, Daredevil (1964) # 138
Written by: Gary Friedrich, Tony Isabella, Len Wein, Steve Gerber, and Marv Wolfman
Illustrated by: Mike Ploog, Tom Sutton, Jim Mooney, Ross Andru, George Tuska, Sal Buscema, Frank Robbins, Herb Trimpe, and John Byrne

Ghost Rider: Danny Ketch Omnibus (Volume 1)
Collects: Ghost Rider (1990) # 1-24, Ghost Rider/Wolverine/Punisher: Hearts of Darkness, Marvel Comics Presents (1988) # 64-71, Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme (1988) # 28
Written by: Howard Mackie and Roy Thomas
Illustrated by: Javier Saltares, Mark Texeira, John Romita Jr., Ron Wagner, Larry Stroman, and Chris Marrinan

Ghost Rider: Robbie Reyes Omnibus
Collects: All-New Ghost Rider (2014) # 1-12, Ghost Racers (2015) # 1-4, Ghost Rider (2016) # 1-5, Ghost Rider X-Mas Special # 1, Secret Wars: Secret Love # 1
Written by: Felipe Smith and Method Man
Illustrated by: Tradd Moore, Damion Scott, Juan Gedeon, Danilo Beyruth, Felipe Smith, and Anthony Piper

MARVEL MASTERWORK EDITIONS - These are the really high-end collections of Marvel's Silver and Bronze Age comics. These hardcover editions usually come with restored pages and in some cases touch ups on color and print quality. The only Masterwork collection to feature Ghost Rider to date has been last year's Champions collection, and it's a shame that such a seminal character of the 1970s has been neglected in this format.

Marvel Masterworks: The Western Ghost Rider
Collects: The Ghost Rider (1967) # 1-7, Western Gunfighters (1971) # 1-7, and the back-up stories from The Original Ghost Rider (1992) # 3-5, 7-13, & 15-20
Written by: Gary Friedrich, Len Wein, Dan Slott, Tom Brevoort, and Mike Kanterovich
Illustrated by: Dick Ayers

Marvel Masterworks: Ghost Rider (Volume 1)
Collects: Marvel Spotlight on Ghost Rider (1972) # 5-11, Ghost Rider (1973) # 1-9, and Marvel Spotlight on Son of Satan (1972) # 12
Written by: Gary Friedrich and Tony Isabella
Illustrated by: Mike Ploog, Tom Sutton, Jim Mooney, and Herb Trimpe

OVERSIZED HARDCOVERS - These are the same size dimensions as the Omnibus editions, but generally collect a much smaller amount of comics. These can fit side by side with the Omnibus volumes on a bookshelf, though, and would be the perfect format for the following books:

Ghost Rider by Garth Ennis & Clayton Crain HC
Collects: Ghost Rider (2005) # 1-6, Ghost Rider (2005) Director's Cut # 1, Ghost Rider: Trail of Tears (2007) # 1-6, and Shadowland: Ghost Rider # 1
Written by: Garth Ennis and Rob Williams
Illustrated by: Clayton Crain

All-New Ghost Rider HC
Collects: All-New Ghost Rider (2014) # 1-12
Written by: Felipe Smith
Illustrated by: Tradd Moore, Damion Scott, and Felipe Smith

EPIC COLLECTIONS - These are high-end trade paperbacks, which collect a LOT of comics in chronological order, printed out of sequence (so you could have a "volume 4" of the back catalog printed first, for example). These have the goal of printing all of Marvel's evergreen/tent-pole titles in a recognizable numbered order, sort of like color versions of the Essential books from years ago. Naturally, a Volume 1 of Ghost Rider would include the same material as the first Masterworks volume I listed above, so I'm going to go another route:

Ghost Rider Epic Collection: The Curse of Jonathan Blaze (Volume 5)
Collects: Ghost Rider (1973) # 63-81
Written by: Michael Fleisher, Roger Stern, and J.M. DeMatteis
Illustrated by: Luke McDonnell, Jack Sparling, Tom Sutton, Don Perlin, and Bob Budiansky

TRADE PAPERBACKS - Naturally, there are some comics that need to be collected, but either a) don't warrant an expensive hardcover or omnibus or b) wouldn't fit within the confines of the Epic Collections.

Ghost Rider: Danny Ketch Classic Volume 3
Collects: Ghost Rider (1990) # 21-27, X-Men (1992) # 8-9, and Ghost Rider/Wolverine/Punisher: Hearts of Darkness
Written by: Howard Mackie and Scott Lobdell
Illustrated by: Mark Texeira, Ron Wagner, Jim Lee, and John Romita Jr.

Spirits of Vengeance: Midnight Massacre
Collects: Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance (1992) # 7-13, Ghost Rider (1990) # 39-40, Nightstalkers (1992) # 10, Darkhold: Pages from the Book of Sins (1992) # 11, and Morbius: The Living Vampire (1992) # 12
Written by: Howard Mackie, Dan Chichester, Chris Cooper, Larry Hama, and Gregory Wright
Illustrated by: Adam Kubert, Joe Kubert, Ron Garney, Vince Giarrano, Kirk Van Wormer, Rurik Tyler, and Ron Wagner

Ghost Rider: In Chains
Collects: Ghost Rider (1990) # 56-66
Written by: Howard Mackie
Illustrated by: Salvador Larroca

Ghost Rider 2099 Volume 1
Collects: Ghost Rider 2099 (1994) # 1-12
Written by: Len Kaminski
Illustrated by: Chris Bachalo, Mark Buckingham, Peter Gross, and Kyle Hotz

Ghost Rider: The Last Temptation
Collects: Ghost Rider (1990) # 87-93, Ghost Rider (1990) # -1, Venom: Sign of the Boss # 1-2, and Ghost Rider: Finale
Written by: Ivan Velez Jr.
Illustrated by: Javier Saltares, Karl Kerschl, Josh Hood, and Tom Derenick

Ghost Rider by Rob Williams: The Complete Collection (New Printing)
Collects: Ghost Rider (2011) # 0.1 & 1-9, Shadowland: Ghost Rider # 1, Amazing Spider-Man/Ghost Rider: Motorstorm # 1, and Venom # 13, 13.1-13.4, & 14
Written by: Rob Williams, Rick Remender, and Jeff Parker
Illustrated by: Matthew Clark, Clayton Crain, Lee Garbett, Sana Takeda, Tony Moore, Emanuella Luppachino, Dalibor Talajic, Brian Ching, Lan Medina, and Julio Totino Tedesco

There you go, Marvel, there's your marching orders. Seriously though, I realize that many of these are longshots, especially stuff like "In Chains" and "The Last Temptation", but it sure would be nice to see those get collected for new readers to discover. I'm telling you, Marvel Collections Department, you are underestimating how many fans there are of Danny Ketch and Ghost Rider 2099, you might just be surprised by how well some of these would actually sell.

Rant over!

Inner Demons Episode 9: "The Self-Righteous Spider-Man!"

E-Mail the Body Banks and get 'em ready for rush hour, Inner Demons is back with a new episode! Brian and Chris talk about the Marvel Legacy announcements and what it means for future Ghost Rider comics by giving an impromptu math lesson! On the review docket this episode are Ghost Rider (1973) # 2, Spider-Man (1990) # 6 & 7, Ghost Rider (2005) # 1, and Ghost Rider 2099 # 4!

You can listen to the episode at the Vengeance Unbound page on blogspot, or you can download it from either Stitcher or iTunes . You can also find us on Facebook, just search for "Vengeance Unbound" and feel free to send us a message. Thanks for listening!

Spirits of Vengeance and the Champions Reunited for Marvel Legacy

So, lots of information has been released this week about the two Ghost Rider related titles that are part of Marvel's fall "Legacy" relaunch. ICEMAN, by writer Sina Grace and artist Robert Gill, are reuniting the Champions, including Johnny Blaze, for a two-issue storyline! Meanwhile, what everyone assumed was a new ongoing SPIRITS OF VENGEANCE series is actually a 5-issue mini-series by writer Victor Gischler and artist David Baldeon. Huh, didn't see the mini-series news coming, but I think I prefer that over it being launched as an ongoing series and then get cancelled 5 issues in like the last GHOST RIDER series. Anyway, here's the solicitation artwork and text for both books!

SPIRITS OF VENGEANCE #1 (of 5)
VICTOR GISCHLER (W), DAVID BALDEON (A)
COVER BY DAN MORA
WAR AT THE GATES OF HELL Part 1
A dead angel. A silver bullet. A kept promise. For ages, the war between Heaven and Hell raged in the unseen corners of society, both sides in delicate balance that could topple if the right weapons were in the wrong hands… When an undercover angel is murdered, Johnny Blaze, the Ghost Rider, must find the killers and punish them…But this time he won’t do it alone: A deadly team must rise from the darkest depths of the Marvel Universe to form an unholy alliance – HELLSTORM! SATANA! BLADE! They are the SPIRITS OF VENGEANCE!

ICEMAN #6
SINA GRACE (W), ROBERT GILL (A)
COVER BY KEVIN WADA
CHAMPIONS REASSEMBLED
ICEMAN, one of the most powerful mutants within the Marvel Universe, discovers his powers and his outlook on life evolving. He needs to lead the charge with a team who stand proudly by his side in the war to “protect those who can’t protect themselves.” Hercules, Ghost Rider, Black Widow, Darkstar, and Angel re-unite with Marvel’s fearless frozen fighter setting ICEMAN on an all-new path. As more unexpected enemies emerge, can Bobby mature into the warrior he’s destined to become? Hope he survives the experience!

Inner Demons Episode 8: "Ninja Clown Machine"

Inner Demons is back with the 8th episode and there are ninjas EVERYWHERE. Brian and Chris take a critical look back at Ghost Rider (1973) # 1, Marvel Comics Presents # 64-71, Marvel Mangaverse: Ghost Riders # 1, and Ghost Rider 2099 # 3. We also teach some valuable life lessons, such as: only perform a motorcycle jump over a canyon in the daytime, throwing people through walls is a perfectly acceptable solution to all of life's problems, and never trust a smiling manga werewolf.

You can listen to the episode at the Vengeance Unbound page on blogspot, or you can download it from either Stitcher or iTunes . You can also find us on Facebook, just search for "Vengeance Unbound" and feel free to send us a message. Thanks for listening!

Marvel Legacy Math Quiz

So, going by all the information that's been made available so far, it looks like SPIRITS OF VENGEANCE will be the only Ghost Rider related series getting launched as part of Marvel Legacy. What I think, though, is that another Ghost Rider series focused on Robbie Reyes has to be in the pipeline for a future launch. Marvel has invested way too much in Robbie as an intellectual property to leave him out in the cold, so I'm predicting that the first quarter of 2018 is going to see a new GHOST RIDER series focused on Robbie.

Now, even though SPIRITS is launching with a new # 1 issue, Marvel's whole deal with this Legacy initiative is returning titles to their original pre-relaunch numbering. For a lot of the titles getting pre-numbered that means Marvel is adding up all the issues of various volumes of comics. A title like MOON KNIGHT, for example, gets launched with issue # 188 after you add up all of the relaunched Moon Knight comics from the past 30 years. That got me thinking about Ghost Rider.

If the series does get relaunched as another Robbie Reyes series, which I predict is going to happen sooner rather than later, there are two ways Marvel can do the Legacy pre-numbering. The series would start with either issue # 22 or issue # 248; follow along with me as I do the math. If they decide to only count the comics which featured Robbie Reyes as Ghost Rider, here's what they'd be adding up:

ALL-NEW GHOST RIDER (2014) # 1-12
+ GHOST RACERS (2015) # 1-4
+ GHOST RIDER (2016) # 1-5

That equals 21 issues of Robbie Reyes Ghost Rider comics, all written by Felipe Smith (and who I assume would be the one writing a new Reyes series, despite the failure of the most recent series). However, if they decide to add up EVERY issue of Ghost Rider, including all of the comics that featured Johnny Blaze and Danny Ketch, they'd reach a much higher number, as shown here:

GHOST RIDER (1973) # 1-81
+ GHOST RIDER (1990) # 1-93
+ GHOST RIDER (2001) # 1-6
+ GHOST RIDER (2005) # 1-6
+ GHOST RIDER (2006) # 1-35
+ GHOST RIDER (2011) # 1-9
+ ALL-NEW GHOST RIDER (2014) # 1-12
+ GHOST RIDER (2016) # 1-5

That brings the tally up to 247 issues, which would naturally start a new Ghost Rider series right before the 250th issue (and we all know how much Marvel loves anniversary issues, almost as much as they love relaunching titles!). You'll notice that I left GHOST RACERS off this count, since that would punt the pre-numbering past issue 250. If they actually don't care about hitting issue 250 they could do some wacky stuff, like counting the 7 issue Carter Slade series from 1967 or the "Heaven's On Fire" mini-series that concluded the 2006 volume. My money is on the list above, though, so they can hit that sweet, sweet anniversary number just three issues into the new series.

Which do you think would be more likely, that we'll see ROBBIE REYES: GHOST RIDER # 22 or straight-up GHOST RIDER # 248 in 2018?

Aw, one can hope, right?

Ghost Rider (1990) # 48

Cover Artist: Ron Garney

Published: April 1994
Original Price: $1.75

Title: "Under Fire", Part 2
Writer: Howard Mackie
Artist: Ron Garney
Inker: Chris Ivy
Letterer: Janice Chiang
Colorist: John Kalisz
Editor: Bobbie Chase
Editor In Chief: Tom DeFalco

SYNOPSIS

In a special holding cell at the police station house, Michael Badilino is interrogating the injured Dread, who had been responsible for murdering members of Badilino's old team. Badilino wants Dread to give up information on his employer, Hellgate, but has to be restrained from beating on the villain by his fellow cops. Badilino is ordered by Captain Dolan to go outside and talk to reporters, who have labeled him a "hero" for bringing in the cop-killer, and he reluctantly does so. In the crowd of reporters is Peter Parker, Spider-Man, taking pictures for the Daily Bugle.

Inside the station, Dread's injuries heal rapidly. Outside, another of Hellgate's minions, a monster named Rak that Vengeance fought not long ago, jumps from a nearby building and makes his way to the station to rescue Dread. While Parker runs off to change into his costume, Badilino attempts to stop Rak with bullets, which only results in the monster swatting him aside as he enters the building. Badilino transforms into Vengeance, and the frightened crowd is calmed by the entrance of Spider-Man, who assumes that Vengeance is a good guy due to his resemblance to Ghost Rider. They enter the station house and find Rak and Dread killing more cops before they turn their attention toward the heroes. The villains manage to escape, but Spider-Man is able to track them via a spider-tracer to an abandoned warehouse. Vengeance and Spider-Man find the two villains hooked up to machines, which Vengeance destroys. After a brief fight, Spider-Man stops Vengeance from killing Dread, saying that they have to be better than the villains they fight. They're interrupted by Hellgate, appearing as a hologram, who says that he has become interested in Ghost Rider and now that attention turns to Vengeance. He uses his power to punish Rak and Dread, killing them for their failure, before he disappears. Vengeance explains to Spider-Man that Rak and Dread weren't actually alive, Hellgate reanimates the dead to do his bidding. Vengeance thanks Spider-Man for his help, then tells him to stay out of his way.

ANNOTATIONS

Vengeance makes his next appearance in Midnight Sons Unlimited (1993) # 5.

Vengeance became the “new” Ghost Rider in Ghost Rider (1990) # 46 following Dan Ketch's death at the hands of Zarathos in Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance (1992) # 18.

Hellgate will make his full first appearance in Ghost Rider (1990) # 50. It is revealed in this issue that he was responsible for sending Rak to find Ghost Rider's skull in Ghost Rider (1990) # 46.

REVIEW

Vengeance continues his brief run as the "new" Ghost Rider and meets Spider-Man along the way.

Mackie and Garney are now three issues into Vengeance's time as the book's headliner, and I'm still not sold on it. As an antagonist, Vengeance was frankly more interesting than as this reluctant anti-hero, the latest in the line of villains Marvel was determined to turn into protagonists (see Venom and Sabretooth for other examples). Vengeance simply doesn't have anything original about him when moved from the bad guy score card to the good guys. He was created to be Ghost Rider's antithesis, which as a hero simply makes him a pale imitation of Ghost Rider. His human side, renegade cop Michael Badilino, isn't any better, because from his attitude all the way down to his physical appearance he's merely a watered down version of the Punisher.

It could probably be argued that Mackie knew the Vengeance run would be a brief hold over merely meant to kill time until issue # 50, but I think had it proven to be the hit that Marvel was banking on we would have had Vengeance in the driver's seat of this series for a lot longer than four issues. I don't so much mind the experimentation, a change in the book's status quo and point of view can be refreshing if handled right, and lord knows Ghost Rider needed something to change after the creative mire it had been drowning in for the last year, but Vengeance was not the solution to that problem.

This issue flags up the problems with Vengeance as the book's leading man by contrasting him with Spider-Man, which dredges up the exact same "killing is wrong/ends justify the means" debate that Spidey has with the Punisher every time they team up. The interactions between Spider-Man and Ghost Rider are usually interesting, more so because of Ghost Rider's strict stance on violence and murder that's not so much opposite to Spider-Man's but more just slightly adjacent. It makes them unlikely allies, Todd McFarlane not withstanding when he's the creator handling their team-up, and Mackie usually handled the two characters well. Here it's all just cliche after cliche, with Vengeance coming off once again as a "more EXTREME dude!" alternative to a character that didn't need to be replaced at all.

Now, all of that said, this isn't a terrible comic, because Mackie and Garney are still able to craft a semi-interesting story involving the cop murders and the introduction of Hellgate. It's nice to see Mackie taking the time to introduce a new villain with a slow burn, instead of just throwing out new concepts to bounce off the wall. Garney, too, turns in his usual solid performance on art, and though his work isn't bad by any means I'm starting to get the itch to see someone new take over the art chores. Plus, Garney's Spider-Man just doesn't look right to me, maybe he packs too much muscle onto Peter Parker or doesn't shade him without blacks, I'm not sure what it is.

The Vengeance Road Show continues for a few more issues of this series, Marvel Comics Presents, and even Spirits of Vengeance before Ghost Rider's expected resurrection. I, for one, was more than ready for Vengeance to be given his pink slip so this book might have a chance at being interesting again.

Grade: C

Blaze (1994) # 4

Cover Artist: Henry Martinez

Published: November 1994
Original Price: $1.95

Title: "Apache Autumn, Part 1"
Writer: Larry Hama
Artist: Henry Martinez
Inker: Bud LaRosa
Letterer: Bill Oakley
Colorist: John Kalisz
Editor: Bobbie Chase
Editor In Chief: Tom DeFalco

SYNOPSIS

John Blaze is an Apache "spirit kiva", where he has is experiencing a vision/hallucination of the Wendigo walking hand in hand with this two missing kids. During the vision he is confronted first by Icebox Bob and then by Bob's master, who claims to have met Blaze once before but is unrecognized by John. He claims to have Blaze's children and he'll be seeing him soon enough. John wakes up in the hut and is pulled free by Warpath and Wyatt Wingfoot, who believe Blaze to be a thief or even a killer that they're hunting for. When Blaze tells them about his vision of the Wendigo, Warpath and Wingfoot reveal that they too both had visions of the Wendigo that drew them to this area.

They show Blaze a grisly murder scene, where a family were the latest victims of a serial killer on the Apache reservation. All of the family's children had been killed but one, 5-year-old Jesse Pinto, who has gone missing. Warpath had received a vision of Jesse walking with the Wendigo, mirroring Blaze's own vision. At the local trading post, Blaze tries to convince Clara to use her magic eyes to find the kids, but she refuses, believing that the eyes are trying to corrupt her. Wyatt Wingfoot offers an alernative, and at his home he places the jar with the eyes in a magical basket, transporting himself, Blaze, Clara, and Warpath to the spirit realm. There they see the Wendigo, Icebox Bob, and hundreds of souls being devoured by a demonic entity. Once the vision ends, Wyatt gets a phone call that tells him there's been another murder and the killer is trapped inside.

Outside the trading post, they're told by the police that the killer may be a college student named Darryl Licht, who had been at the reservation studying Native American shamanism. Blaze and Warpath enter the store and are attacked by Licht, who has been transformed into a powerful new form by a mystical entity in exchange for the souls of the people he's murdered. Licht escapes out into the desert, and is followed by Blaze and Warpath. They find Licht being powered by the entity he made the deal with, who is using Licht to get a foothold into their realm.

ANNOTATIONS

Blaze last appeared in a back-up story in Ghost Rider (1990) Annual # 2.

The identity of Icebox Bob's master who kidnapped Blaze's children is revealed in Blaze (1994) # 6.

REVIEW

The Blaze series kicks off a new arc, "Apache Autumn", which brings in a whole host of new characters to the ongoing search for John's missing kids.

It's been a helluva long time since I've reviewed an issue of the Larry Hama Blaze series, years probably, so going back to re-read this issue brought back a whole rush of memories about why I love this series so much. It certainly would have been easy for Hama to just fill up this series with call backs to the original Ghost Rider series. In fact, that's almost what it seems like is happening with the monster that's kidnapped the kids saying they've met before and Blaze just doesn't "recognize me in this form". That immediately made me think it was like Asmodeus or some other demon from the 1970s Ghost Rider series, which certainly would have been cool, if a little expected. When the demon does get revealed as a character we've never seen before it kind of throws the stuff in this issue out the window, though, so I wonder if there were some behind-the-scenes chicanery going on that caused some last minute plot changes.

Anyway, this issue starts "Apache Autumn", which is billed as a 3-parter but really only lasts for two issues and an unrelated story listed as part three. Hama brings in a lot of Native American mythology for this arc, such as the Wendigo and the Trickster God (that turns out to be just committing God Fraud by way of mistaken mystical identity), and characters like Warpath and Wyatt Wingfoot. I'm a little surprised we didn't get Danielle Moonstar thrown in for good measure, but I have no idea what her place in continuity was at this point in time. Come to think of it, damn, this would have been a perfect place to bring back Linda Littletrees! Oh well, even with the severe lack of Witch Women, Hama definitely did his research into the folklore, giving us an interpretation of the Wendigo that was new to me. Usually the Wendigo is treated as a man transformed into the monster for partaking in cannibalism, but here he's more of a "friendly woodland protector spirit". That's fine, because it fits the narrative, but it's a radical departure for what the character is usually used for. It's the details in this issue that really sells it, along with Hama's distinct way of writing dialogue for Blaze and the other characters. John comes off as macho but sensible, if that makes any sense at all, and I like how he's written in this series just as much as when Mackie was at the helm.

Henry Martinez continues as the regular series artist, and his work just gets better and better with each issue. When this guy started out on Spirits of Vengeance, his work was really raw and not quite ready for prime time, but wow has his skill improved and grown. He works with really thin lines to his figures, not a lot of heavy blacks or anything else to set the mood, which makes things look a bit sunnier and cheerier than you would expect. It totally works for the series, though, and he nails all of the weird and creepy things that Hama introduces, such as Darryl Licht's new body. He's got a second torso with arms stacked on top of the first set and the head of a demonic buffalo, that's gotta be hard to put on paper for the first time.

Blaze was such an overlooked gem of the mid-1990s, much like Ghost Rider 2099 from the same period, and I highly suggest tracking it down if you can find the run. Definitely worth the search.

Grade: A

Ghost Rider (1990) # 91

"The Last Temptation, Part 2: Down Among the Dead Men"

Cover Date: December 1997
On Sale Date: October 1997

Writer: Ivan Velez Jr.
Artist: Javier Saltares
Inker: Andrew Pepoy
Letterers: Richard Starkings & Comicraft
Colorist: Brian Buccellato
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Editor In Chief: Bob Harras

Cover Artist: Javier Saltares

The Ghost Rider, near death after having his heart ripped out by Pao Fu, has been left to lay alone in Hell, visited by the ghostly woman that had visited him previously in the Void. Elsewhere in Hell, Blackheart approaches Michael Badilino and offers to send him back to Earth as Vengeance, but Badilino refuses the offer and his torture resumes. The mysterious woman tells Ghost Rider, addressing him by his real name Noble, to think before he makes his next choice. The Rider's body is pulled by demonic hands and delivered to Blackheart's throne room, where the Hell-Lord orders his consort Black Rose to share some of her power with the Rider so they can talk. She does so, which awakens Ghost Rider just in time to see Blackheart's four ersatz Spirits of Vengeance arrive: Doghead, Wallow, Verminous Rex, and Pao Fu, who holds Ghost Rider's heart. She delivers it to Blackheart, who explains to the Rider that as long as he holds his heart the Ghost Rider is his to command.

Meanwhile, in the Void, Danny Ketch waits to regain his body after the Ghost Rider is finished on Earth, unaware of what has happened. He's visited by the ghost woman, who tells him that Blackheart has set things in motion that will affect both Dan and the Ghost Rider. Danny becomes angry, stating that he wishes he were free of the Ghost Rider. The woman sighs and tells him that his wish is about to come true.

Back in Hell, a weakened Ghost Rider is forced to watch as Blackheart condemns the soul of a woman to the pits, the woman that caused Doghead's mortal death. Blackheart explains that he is going to renegotiate all of the treaties with other realms that had been forged by his father, Mephisto, including the one regarding the Ghost Rider and his bloodline. He introduces the new Spirits of Vengeance and says that he wants the Ghost Rider to lead them; and to sweeten the pot, he will offer up Pao Fu to become the Rider's wife. Meanwhile, back on Earth, Stacy Dolan takes her frustration out on an illegal gun runner. She talks with Ski, who she still has feelings for even though she truly loves Danny. Ski surprises her by asking her to marry him.

In Hell, Pao Fu reveals herself as the woman that Ghost Rider attempted to save but failed, and that his was the only kind face she ever knew. She is in love with him, but he refuses her, telling the four Spirits that Blackheart is using them. They all disagree, praising Blackheart for giving each of them what they truly desired. Blackheart then sweetens the deal even more by offering to break the bloodline curse, freeing Noble Kale's descendants from hosting the Spirits of Vengeance. While this is happening, the Void begins to break apart around Danny, and the ghost woman disappears after calling Dan her "baby boy". Blackheart reveals that he has recovered Noble Kale's mortal body, and offers it to the Ghost Rider as a gift for accepting the deal. Even though he knows that Blackheart has ulterior motives, Ghost Rider accepts the deal with one condition, that he be given Black Rose as a wife along with Pao Fu. Blackheart laughs and accepts, tossing Ghost Rider's heart back to him. The Rider approaches his human body and places the heart inside. In the void, Danny feels himself dying as the dimension is destroyed around him, but he suddenly finds himself waking up in his own bed. Finally, in Hell, Blackheart and the Spirits of Vengeance gather around Noble Kale, now in his own body again with the Brand of Vengeance blazing on his chest.

Low blow, Blackheart, try to keep the gloves up!

THE ROADMAP

Lian, the girl who became Pao Fu, died in Ghost Rider's arms in Ghost Rider (1990) # 88.

Doghead's death was caused by the woman condemned to Hell in this issue during Ghost Rider (1990) # 89.

The identity of the ghost woman is revealed in Ghost Rider (1990) # 93.

Vengeance destroyed himself to kill Anton Hellgate in Ghost Rider (1990) # 76. He appears next, still in Hell as Blackheart's prisoner, in Ghost Rider (1990) # 93.

CHAIN REACTION

"The Last Temptation" is living up to its promise to completely upend the book's status quo with an issue that has little action but a whole load of very interesting developments.

Ivan Velez's run always had a good balance of action and introspection, plenty of character-building quiet moments in between the fight scenes. This issue, though, is a real change of pace for the series, because it deals completely with conversations. This was the issue, honestly, that really sold me on this arc as a whole, given that the first chapter wasn't bad so much as it was just setting up the conflicts we see played out here. Blackheart really gets a chance to shine as more than just a Mephisto stand-in, the new Spirits of Vengeance all get some excellent definition to their characters, and the mystery of the ghost woman starts to become clearer. The faux Spirits of Vengeance, in particular, get a fantastic summation in one panel for each Spirit when they reveal what Blackheart has truly given to them. Pao Fu: "Redemption. Vengeance." Doghead: "Relevance. Vengeance." Verminous Rex: "Respect. Vengeance." Wallow: "Righteousness. Vengeance." These villains are getting fleshed out properly and becoming more than just bad guys for Ghost Rider to beat up, their nuances are coming to the fore.

I'm hard pressed to remember a time when this Ghost Rider was as defeated and weakened as he is in this issue, and that along with his acceptance of Blackheart's "deal" really serves to humanize a character that had long been defined by his inhuman characteristics. That's actually another hallmark of Velez's time as the title's writer, he was able to humanize Ghost Rider in some really unexpected ways, such as the cruelty he started to display after he learned his origin story. The Ghost Rider that he'd been developing over the last twenty issues is one who could accept Blackheart's deal without it breaking the character, because the Ghost Rider of Howard Mackie's tenure would never have accepted. That's not to say that Velez's version isn't valid, because he put in the time and the effort to get to this point and have it all flow naturally. Ghost Rider's attitude and Danny's rejection of the Ghost Rider, both of which lead to the dissolution of their connection, are things that Velez had been building to for nearly two years, and it starts the conclusion of some really interesting character evolution for them both.

Of course, all of this is benefited greatly by the presence of Javier Saltares on art. This title finally feels like its hitting the high notes again after months of sub-par artwork from some wildly inappropriate artists. While next issue reunites the Saltares/Texeira team, this issue has Andrew Pepoy on finishes for Saltares, and while its not quite the same as when Tex is involved its still some high quality work. Saltares definitely sells how far Ghost Rider has fallen through his depiction of the hands clawing at his body, the hellfire gone from his skull and gaping hole in his chest. I am one of many readers who appreciated editor Tom Brevoort's attempts to right this ship by getting Saltares back on board, and I can't help but think if it had just been six months earlier maybe this series would have made it to issue # 100. Just look at that cover, it's magnificent, and it jumped off the shelves when I first saw it.

"The Last Temptation" winds up being Velez's swan song on the series, and it's definitely proving to be a wild and unexpected ride. It's an arc I highly recommend, this issue being the particular stand-out.

Unexpected loopholes in a deal with the Devil? Never!

Marvel Comics Presents (1988) # 115

Cover Artist: Shawn McManus

Published: October 1992
Original Price: $1.50

Title: "Legion of Vengeance, Part 3: The Secret of Strontium-90!"
Writer: Joey Cavalieri
Artist: Shawn McManus
Letterer: Steve Dutro
Colorist: Fred Mendez
Editor: Terry Kavanagh
Editor in Chief: Tom DeFalco

SYNOPSIS

Vesper and her partner, Strontium-90, attack the gang of looters, who are immediately poisoned by Strontium-90's deadly radiation. When Ghost Rider and the gravely ill Iron Fist arrive, the mob turns on them in a case of mistaken identity. While the two heroes fight their way free, Vesper and Strontium-90 escape to their secret lair. Ghost Rider is able to track Strontium-90's radioactive footprints back to a crypt in Cypress Hills Cemetery, where deep underground they find the four members of the self-proclaimed Legion of Vengeance, including Bacillus and Mind's Eye along with Vesper and Strontium-90. Enraged that they claim to be heroes, Ghost Rider and Iron Fist attack the four killers. During the fight, however, Iron Fist finally succumbs to Bacillus' lethal contagion and collapses, dying of the disease.

ANNOTATIONS
This issue of MCP also contained stories featuring Wolverine/Typhoid Mary, Giant-Man, and Cloak & Dagger.

This story was reprinted in the Iron Fist: The Book of Changes trade paperback.

REVIEW
"Legion of Vengeance" introduces the last of its villains, the radioactive Strontium-90, and finally brings all of the titular Legion together to face the heroes.

Ugh, only three chapters in and this storyarc already feels like it's lasted forever. I think my biggest problem with this serial is the dialogue and how cliche every bit of it sounds. It doesn't matter if it's Iron Fist, Ghost Rider, one of the villains, or a pedestrian looter, they all sound like they've stepped out of a Silver Age comic. They all make dramatic proclamations that don't really say anything at all, especially the villains with their talk about hypocrisy and vengeance. Ghost Rider gets the only good bit of dialogue in the whole issue, when Iron Fist asks how he can see radioactivity Ghost Rider replies "I SEE EVERYTHING" in a panel that's just a tight and highly detailed capture of his eye sockets.

While I can see why Ghost Rider is in this story, what with the villains being preoccupied with vengeance and how the difference between them and the Rider is their willingness to pass judgment and murder innocent people. Why the fuck Iron Fist is here, though, I have no idea. I'm sure there was a mandate for MCP that said all the Ghost Rider stories must be a team-up with another hero, but did Cavaleri just shoe horn Iron Fist into an already plotted Ghost Rider story? He serves no purpose here, other than looking disgusting, that is.

Which brings me to the only real good thing about this issue, the way artist Shawn McManus makes the effects of Bacillus and Strontium-90's powers look absolutely grotesque. Iron Fist is a walking mass of blood, pus, and boils, and it's gloriously over-the-top and frankly difficult to look at (in a good way, of course). Unfortunately, that's the only real good thing about the artwork, because the rest of it is either hideously proportioned or badly over-rendered. There are so many lines on Ghost Rider's skull, he looks like he was carved out of wood.

I really, intensely dislike this story. I'm not seeing any point to Iron Fist's inclusion, and as a Ghost Rider story it's only passing by virtue of the villains' disgusting powers. Avoid this one, everyone.

Grade: D-

Venom (2011) # 13.1

Cover Artist: Stefano Caselli

Published: April 2012
Original Price: $2.99

Title: "Circle of Four, Part 2"
Writer: Rob Williams
Artist: Lee Garbett
Letterer: VC's Clayton Clowes
Colorist: Rob Schwager
Editor: Sebastian Girner
Senior Editor: Stephen Wacker
Editor In Chief: Axel Alonso

SYNOPSIS

At the city limits of Las Vegas, the mystical amulet placed on the city's welcome sign has placed a barrier around the city, preventing the police from entering and Hell from escaping. Dr. Strange and Daimon Hellstrom arrive to investigate, and Strange recognizes the amulet as one he gave to Hawkeye to use against the Ghost Rider.

Inside the city limits, Johnny Blaze continues to power Hell's Centrifuge, keeping open the portal to Hell. Unsure of how long he can keep it up, he hopes that Alejandra hurries up and saves the day. In Blackheart's tower, the Ghost Rider has been joined by Venom, X-23, and Red Hulk to stop Blackheart. They're immediately confronted by their Antitheses: Ichor, The Evangelist, X-666, and Encephalon. Blackheart sends his consort, Gari Oyle, to fly out to the city's border and find out what's stopping Hell from spreading across the world. Blackheart then orders the Antitheses to attack the heroes, sending all of them crashing out of the tower to the ground below. Ghost Rider leaves to stop Gari Oyle, followed by her Antithesis Ichor, leaving the other three heroes to fight. X-23 leaves to kill Blackheart alone, leaving Venom and Red Hulk to be defeated by the Evangelist and Encephalon.

Ghost Rider is outracing Gari Oyle to the amulet, but Blackheart speaks to her telepathically, offering to free the souls she damned in Nicaragua if she joins him. Ichor attacks, claiming to be "pure retribution" without her human frailties, that his vengeance is holy instead of selfish revenge. Before Ichor can kill her, Alejandra summons her motorcycle, and when it reaches her she jumps on it and crashes into Ichor, transforming him back into a human. She speeds off toward the amulet, with Blackheart still whispering in her head about his offer to join him. At the city's border, Dr. Strange and Hellstrom sense that Hell is coming toward them, and they may not be able to stop it from spreading.

ANNOTATIONS

"Circle of Four" was originally conceived as a crossover event between the Venom, Hulk, X-23, and Ghost Rider titles, and it was first teased at the end of Ghost Rider (2011) # 0.1. Due to the low sales of three of the titles, which would result in the cancellations of both Ghost Rider and X-23 immediately after the crossover, it was decided that the story would be published as "Point 1" issues of the Venom ongoing series.

The original publication plan for this story would have had the chapters released in the following order:
- Chapter 1: Circle of Four # 1
- Chapter 2: Ghost Rider (2011) # 9
- Chapter 3: X-23 (2010) # 21
- Chapter 4: Hulk (2008) # 48
- Chapter 5: Venom (2011) # 13
- Chapter 6: Circle of Four # 2

This story is an updated homage to the "New Fantastic Four" storyline from Fantastic Four (1961) # 347-349, which brought Spider-Man, Wolverine, Ghost Rider (Ketch), and the Hulk together as a substitute Fantastic Four team.

Hawkeye used the amulet given to him by Dr. Strange against the Ghost Rider in Ghost Rider (2011) # 7, and it was taken by Johnny Blaze in Ghost Rider (2011) # 8.

Alejandra, under the control of Adam, destroyed the souls of a village in Nicaragua in Ghost Rider (2011) # 3.

REVIEW
"Circle of Four" moves into its second chapter, which is focused heavily on Ghost Rider's role in the crossover.

Look guys, for all intents and purposes this is Ghost Rider # 8.1. It's written by Rob Williams and drawn by Lee Garbett, the creative team on the Ghost Rider series, and the issue's contents are heavily weighed in favor of Alejandra over the other three heroes. There is no way this wasn't intended as an issue of Ghost Rider, and I still can't get over the marketing decisions for this event. I only imagine readers of Ghost Rider who either didn't follow or just plain didn't know about all of this going on in Venom were massively confused when a) Ghost Rider didn't have an issue that month and b) there's a huge chunk of continuity missing between issues 8 and 9 of the series.

Anyway, this second part of "Circle of Four" fleshes out the Antitheses, the twisted doubles of the heroes created by Blackheart's mirror, and they're all pretty interesting concepts. The doubles for X-23 and Red Hulk are spot on, and Ghost Rider's makes sense once the two start fighting, but I don't get how the Evangelist is any kind of distortion of Venom, like at all. I can only imagine that Rick Remender was probably the creator of these characters, because he's a pro at introducing neat villain teams (like the new Horsemen of Apocalypse in Uncanny X-Force). Ichor is the Antithesis I'm most interested in, given that he's Ghost Rider's mirror double, and for as little screen time as he gets he strikes me as a really interesting concept. Rob Williams didn't delve much into the "weapon of Heaven" backstory that Jason Aaron introduced to the Ghost Rider mythos, he was more interested in dealing with Hell and Zarathos as a demonic entity. So, having Ichor show up as this angelic creature claiming to be "vengeance without the humanity" is pretty brilliant. He's what the Ghost Riders could have been if God hadn't placed them within hosts, and it plays up the angelic connection pretty heavily. Naturally, he turns out to be a fraud, as Alejandra discovers that he does too have a human host, thank you very much.

Alejandra herself goes through a pretty intense metamorphosis during this event, becoming essentially one of the villains by the end, but here she's at least trying to hold herself to the side of good. She has a really great speech during her fight with Ichor, where she says that he may have power over Alejandra, but she's dead and now all that's left is the Ghost Rider. It's almost like Alejandra is giving in and letting Zarathos take control once and for all, which Johnny Blaze can attest isn't the best idea. Still, Alejandra's corruption and fall from grace gets its beginning here, as she seriously considers the offer to join Blackheart. She's not driven by anything heroic, she just wants to fix her mistake in Nicaragua, and by doing so makes a much bigger one later in the crossover. Naturally, she doesn't realize that the events in Nicaragua were the fault of Adam, not her, but she damns herself over it anyway. Alejandra is such a broken character by this point, in spirit and as a Ghost Rider, and she's turning into someone pretty interesting to read about. Williams has turned things around again and made me root for this title to succeed (which, yes, was too little, too late given that the very next issue was the last).

Lee Garbett returns as the de facto lead artist on Ghost Rider, and he turns in another decent job. I really liked his work on Batgirl several years ago, and he at least is able to draw Ghost Rider as feminine without going either too sexy or too masculine with the design. I do miss his earlier approach to Ghost Rider's flame, where he made it resemble flowing hair, but he still has a solid handle on Alejandra as the Rider. He similarly handles all of the action scenes well, particularly the sequence with the Evangelist using the pages of his bible to flay the symbiote off of Venom's body. I do think this series is colored a bit too garishly, but that's actually an interesting through-line of this entire event: it's not dark and moody, all of the chapters of "Circle of Four" are colored in bright yellows and reds. It does make the story stand out as something distinct, I'll give it that, it's just not the approach I would have taken for it.

"Circle of Four" continues to be a really well-planned and executed event, with this Ghost Rider chapter being no exception. This is the quality that I wish this entire series could have maintained.

Grade: A+

X-Force/Champions Annual '98

Cover Artist: Terry Shoemaker

Published: December 1998
Original Price: $3.50

Title: "Demon From Within"
Writers: Tom & Mary Bierbaum
Artist: Terry Shoemaker
Inker: Sean Parsons & Harry Candelario
Letterer: Richard Starkings & Comicraft
Colorist: Marie Javins
Editor: Bobbie Chase
Editor-in-Chief: Bob Harras

SYNOPSIS
The Cult of Hades, worshipers of the Olympian god of the underworld led by a man named Link, have discovered that one of their members, Victoria, is a traitor. The next morning, the seven young mutants of X-Force have their road trip interrupted by an earthquake. When they investigate the source of the tremors they discover a giant hand erupting from the ground, while Hercules fights with Link and the Cult of Hades. X-Force's intervention forces the Cult to flee, which slows down the emergence of the giant hand. Hercules explains that years ago he teamed up with other heroes in a team called the Champions and fought against Hades' plot to overthrow Olympus by raising a giant Titan. When Hades as stopped, Zeus forced the death god to give the five Champions the ability to counter the Titan spell if it should ever be used again. Somehow, the Cult of Hades have discovered the spell and are attempting to raise the Titan. Hercules had been alerted to the Cult's plan by Victoria, who has become smitten with Cannonball of X-Force after he saved her from Link. When Moonstar reads the spell and notes that the Titan will immediately kill the person who summons it, Victoria feigns confusion.

Hercules and X-Force contact the other four members of the Champions, and soon they are joined by Archangel, Iceman, Black Widow, and John Blaze (formerly Ghost Rider). Hercules explains the situation and the Champions begin to perform the spell to banish the Titan, but Danielle Moonstar realizes that the heroes have been tricked into freeing the Titan instead of sending it away. Link returns and finds Victoria, who tells him that she has successfully tricked the Champions into freeing the Titan, and now they will be the ones that the Titan kills. Link reveals himself to be Hades and engages in a battle with X-Force and the Champions, with the heroes quickly being overpowered. Hades gloats that he planted a false memory of the banishment spell in the minds of the Champions, who he hates after being defeated by them years ago. Iceman manages to goad Hades into admitting that it was him who orchestrated the release of the Titan, which causes the giant to turn its attention toward the god. Hades flees, leaving Victoria to be captured by X-Force after she had left Cannonball to die in an avalanche. The Champions use Hades' spell to re-open the gateway and Moonstar uses her power to conjure up a person's greatest fear against the Titan. Whatever the monster sees frightens him enough that he goes back through the gateway, which is then closed behind him.

Later, the Champions answer questions from reporters, with Black Widow stating that the team has not reformed due to them all having moved on to other things in their lives. Victoria and the rest of the Cult of Hades are taken into custody, with Cannonball confronting her about her deceit before she's taken away.

ANNOTATIONS
John Blaze last appeared in Ghost Rider: Finale and won't make his next appearance until Ghost Rider (2001) # 1.

This issue states that Blaze is still owner of the Quentin Carnival, which hasn't been seen since Blaze (1994) # 12. When Blaze reappears in Ghost Rider (2001) # 1 three years have passed and he is working in an accounting firm. Johnny visits the ruins of the abandoned Quentin Carnival in Ghost Rider (2006) # 5.

The Champions came together as a team to stop Hades' plot to conquer Olympus with the other Lords of Hell in The Champions (1975) # 1-3. The bits about the Titans and the spell to bring them to Earth were not in the original story and were retroactively added in this issue.

The Champions disbanded in a flashback sequence in Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man # 17.

REVIEW
The Champions reunite for a team-up with X-Force in this seriously bizarre Annual from 1998.

For decades, the Champions of Los Angeles were nothing more than an embarrassing footnote for the five characters that made up the team's core cast. Sometimes there was a casual reference, usually in regards to the team's failure to do anything much of note, but everyone seemed to be pretty happy to forget that the team (and similarly the comic series) ever existed. Hercules had gone on to be a mainstay of the Avengers for many years, Black Widow found a home with Daredevil and then the Avengers for a long tenure, Iceman and Angel bounced from the Defenders to X-Factor and finally back to their home in the X-Men, and Johnny Blaze seemed content as a partner to the second Ghost Rider. No one ever expected or even desired to see those characters reunite as a team again, but lo there came the year 1998. That year, all of Marvel's Annuals had a "team-up" gimmick, like the X-Men/Fantastic Four or Deadpool/Daredevil. Most of them were pretty straight forward, but then X-Force found themselves without a dance partner...

...and the Champions returned!

These days, a Champions reunion isn't far-fetched at all, and in fact is going to actually happen again soon in the pages of Iceman's ongoing series. There's a new Champions series running, albeit one with a totally different line-up and concept, and the original Champions series has seen numerous reprints and flashback stories published. Back in 1998, though, this was a huge surprise for readers, but not one that was necessarily important enough to set the sales charts on fire. The Champions have never been a team that needed to exist, and the only thing that warranted its resurrection either in '98 or today is nostalgia. Still, this comic was published and I guess we need to acknowledge it, especially since it's the last time Johnny Blaze makes an appearance until 2001's "The Hammer Lane".

All told, really, this isn't a bad comic, and it does hit all of the nostalgia points that one should expect and demand if they're really going to reunite the "Team For the Common Man". The heroes have a reason to reunite, even if it's a bit contrived and reliant on a retcon of how their first story-arc ended back in 1975 (though hell, it's more of a reason than they had when the team actually formed in the first place, so it's got that going for it at least). Hades' plot doesn't make a ton of sense; if he's wanting to raise the Titan to conquer Olympus, then why is he releasing it on Earth at all? Is he really just wanting to dick over the Champions, is that his only real endgame in all of this? It's nice that the Champions get to actually affect the plot and are the ones responsible for defeating Hades again, not with their superpowers but with their brains and ability to mock bad guys on a Spider-Man level. It's also interesting to see these characters together again after all the changes made to them over the decades since the team disbanded, with Blaze no longer Ghost Rider and Angel being the blue-skinned Archangel (and Hercules being beardless for some strange reason). X-Force get their appropriate amount of time being showcased, of course, with romantic subplots carried over from their series proper that actually add to the story in this issue.

The artwork is by Terry Shoemaker, who I recognize from his numerous fill-in gigs on the late 1980s X-Men line of books, specifically New Mutants and X-Factor. His work has gotten a lot sharper since those days, and his work here is crisp and really engaging. Why this guy didn't have a better career in comics I don't know, and I'm not sure if he did anything of note after this issue, but his work here is really quite good. He has a staggering amount of characters to juggle, and none of X-Force are in costumes at all, so making them stand out in their late 90s plain clothes (lots of Jnco and Dungarees, I imagine) was a monumental feat. He also gets the scale right for a story like this involving a giant figure emerging from the Earth, it really feels like something godly is going on around these characters.

The Champions never needed to reunite, they're a team that no one cared about in 1998. Still, I'm glad they did, and I'm glad the creators did them justice.

Grade: B+