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| Cover Artist: Leonardo Manco |
Original Price: $2.99
Title: "Love is Colder Than Death, Part 1"
Writer: Paul Jenkins
Artist: Leonardo Manco
Letterer: Janice Chiang
Colorist: Marianna Manco
Editor: Joe Andreani
Editor In Chief: Bob Harras
SYNOPSIS
A rash of brutal killings has been happening in New York City, and Jack Russell - the Werewolf by Night - has been tasked by his mysterious benefactor into stopping the murderer. To do this, he visits the Underworld, a bar that is frequented by supernatural creatures. At the bar he is assaulted by three vampires, who are insulted by the presence of a werewolf. The fight is halted by the Ghost Rider, who has arrived to talk with Jack about the killings. The two talk about their recent changes, namely Russell having freed himself from the control of the wolf demon and Ghost Rider having ascended as the new king of Hell. Despite Jack's insistence, Ghost Rider refuses to help him, stating that he cannot show favoritism amongst his charges. Jack gets up angry and leaves, while Ghost Rider tells him that he doesn't have to go farther from the room to find his killer. That night, Jack locks himself in the sewer during his werewolf transformation, and when he awakens the next day he finds a dead body in the room with him.
ANNOTATIONS
Ghost Rider last appeared in Ghost Rider (1990) # 93 and appears next in Ghost Rider: Finale.
Ghost Rider ascended to the throne of Hell at the end of Ghost Rider (1990) # 93, which was the final published issue of the series. The actual final issue, # 94, went unpublished for nearly a decade before it was finally released in 2007 as Ghost Rider: Finale. This issue falls some time during the events of Ghost Rider: Finale, before he abdicates the throne to Vengeance and frees the souls from Hell. Ghost Rider would then appear back on Earth in Peter Parker: Spider-Man (1990) # 93, having been removed from Hell by the return of Mephisto.
Ghost Rider and Werewolf by Night had met several times before, most notably during Marvel Comics Presents (1988) # 107-112 and Ghost Rider (1990) # 55.
Ghost Rider ascended to the throne of Hell at the end of Ghost Rider (1990) # 93, which was the final published issue of the series. The actual final issue, # 94, went unpublished for nearly a decade before it was finally released in 2007 as Ghost Rider: Finale. This issue falls some time during the events of Ghost Rider: Finale, before he abdicates the throne to Vengeance and frees the souls from Hell. Ghost Rider would then appear back on Earth in Peter Parker: Spider-Man (1990) # 93, having been removed from Hell by the return of Mephisto.
Ghost Rider and Werewolf by Night had met several times before, most notably during Marvel Comics Presents (1988) # 107-112 and Ghost Rider (1990) # 55.
REVIEW
Ghost Rider makes his only guest-appearance as the king of Hell in the final issue of this series, which was part of the doomed Strange Tales imprint.
I was a big fan of the Strange Tales books when they were released, with the promise that they would be a comparable match to DC's thriving Vertigo line of mature horror titles. That was the intent behind Strange Tales at first, a competing imprint that would reimagine some of their horror characters for a mature readership. Things started off very strong with some great creators like J.M. DeMatteis and Liam Sharpe on Man-Thing, Warren Ellis and Ariel Olivetti on Satana, Doug Moench and Tommy Edwards on Moon Knight, and Paul Jenkins and Leonardo Manco on Werewolf by Night. Then, the publisher got cold feet in the midst of Marvel's bankruptcy, and suddenly the mature reader books had to meet all-ages requirements laid out by the Comics Code Authority. Warren Ellis pulled his Satana series due to an unwillingness to compromise and the other titles came out with little fanfare. That's not to say they weren't good, all three launch books for Strange Tales were great comics (especially Man-Thing), but you could tell that the creators were being held back from what they originally wanted to do.
Still, Strange Tales was the closest we ever got to a Vertigo style Marvel line, and Paul Jenkins was a great choice to take on Werewolf by Night. Jack Russell was one of my favorite characters from the Marvel horror group and Jenkins had just finished a phenomenally great run on Hellblazer (still my favorite run from that series). This sixth issue brought in Ghost Rider for a guest-spot, and in a normal Marvel comic that would mean a punch-up against a demon or something, but not here. Instead, it's just a conversation in a bar between a werewolf and a biker with his head on fire, and it works so well. These aren't monsters pontificating at one another, they're old friends having a conversation, discussing their lives and the politics around their situation. It's mature in tone if not in content, and it was a perfect bridge for what Ghost Rider's status quo should have been coming out of the final issue. It makes me wish we had got to read more appearances from Noble Kale during this time before the reset button was hit and he was pushed into obscurity.
Jenkins was paired with another one of my favorites for this series, artist Leonardo Manco. He had been the artist a few years earlier on Warren Ellis' Hellstorm run, and his work had evolved a lot since that time. He still had the scratchy, dirty style from before, but it was a lot tighter and just plain easier to read. His Ghost Rider actually looks scary and horrific, not at all like what we'd been seeing in recent times from artists like Salvador Larroca. He sells the conversation scene at the bar, making every panel menacing and dire, and he gets across Ghost Rider's growing impatience. Plus, he draws a great action scene between Jack and the vampires, too.
Werewolf by Night, like a lot of comics from this time, was cut down way too soon. The series would see two more chapters in the "Strange Tales" anthology, which ended before this story arc could conclude. It remains a sad "if only" tale, but it produced eight issues of high-quality writing and artwork. I don't just recommend this issue, I recommend finding the whole series and giving it a read.
I was a big fan of the Strange Tales books when they were released, with the promise that they would be a comparable match to DC's thriving Vertigo line of mature horror titles. That was the intent behind Strange Tales at first, a competing imprint that would reimagine some of their horror characters for a mature readership. Things started off very strong with some great creators like J.M. DeMatteis and Liam Sharpe on Man-Thing, Warren Ellis and Ariel Olivetti on Satana, Doug Moench and Tommy Edwards on Moon Knight, and Paul Jenkins and Leonardo Manco on Werewolf by Night. Then, the publisher got cold feet in the midst of Marvel's bankruptcy, and suddenly the mature reader books had to meet all-ages requirements laid out by the Comics Code Authority. Warren Ellis pulled his Satana series due to an unwillingness to compromise and the other titles came out with little fanfare. That's not to say they weren't good, all three launch books for Strange Tales were great comics (especially Man-Thing), but you could tell that the creators were being held back from what they originally wanted to do.
Still, Strange Tales was the closest we ever got to a Vertigo style Marvel line, and Paul Jenkins was a great choice to take on Werewolf by Night. Jack Russell was one of my favorite characters from the Marvel horror group and Jenkins had just finished a phenomenally great run on Hellblazer (still my favorite run from that series). This sixth issue brought in Ghost Rider for a guest-spot, and in a normal Marvel comic that would mean a punch-up against a demon or something, but not here. Instead, it's just a conversation in a bar between a werewolf and a biker with his head on fire, and it works so well. These aren't monsters pontificating at one another, they're old friends having a conversation, discussing their lives and the politics around their situation. It's mature in tone if not in content, and it was a perfect bridge for what Ghost Rider's status quo should have been coming out of the final issue. It makes me wish we had got to read more appearances from Noble Kale during this time before the reset button was hit and he was pushed into obscurity.
Jenkins was paired with another one of my favorites for this series, artist Leonardo Manco. He had been the artist a few years earlier on Warren Ellis' Hellstorm run, and his work had evolved a lot since that time. He still had the scratchy, dirty style from before, but it was a lot tighter and just plain easier to read. His Ghost Rider actually looks scary and horrific, not at all like what we'd been seeing in recent times from artists like Salvador Larroca. He sells the conversation scene at the bar, making every panel menacing and dire, and he gets across Ghost Rider's growing impatience. Plus, he draws a great action scene between Jack and the vampires, too.
Werewolf by Night, like a lot of comics from this time, was cut down way too soon. The series would see two more chapters in the "Strange Tales" anthology, which ended before this story arc could conclude. It remains a sad "if only" tale, but it produced eight issues of high-quality writing and artwork. I don't just recommend this issue, I recommend finding the whole series and giving it a read.
Grade: A+
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