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Writer: Howard Mackie; Artist: Ron Wagner; Inker: Mike Witherby; Letterer: Janice Chiang; Colorist: Gregory Wright; Editor: Bobbie Chase; Editor in Chief: Tom DeFalco; Cover Artist: Ron Wagner
At the headquarters of an organization called the Firm, one of their head technicians named Stern is showing a video of a recent encounter between one of the Firm's men and the Ghost Rider. The video is being shown to Blackout, who the Firm have made a deal with: he brings Ghost Rider to them alive and they will perform the surgery needed to fix the villain's face.
Later, in Cypress Hills, Danny Ketch's mother celebrates her birthday at her house, with all of Dan's friends in attendance. After a phone conversation with Johnny Blaze, who is in New Orleans with the Quentin Carnival, Dan attempts to talk to Stacy Dolan before she leaves. Still upset at the way Dan had treated her, Stacy tells him that they can't go back to way things were. After she leaves, Dan says that having things back to the way they were before is exactly what he wants. That night, Stern releases Blackout from Evergreen Hospital, the headquarters of the Firm, and sends him out to locate Ghost Rider. Blackout quickly turns on the Firm, killing their surveillance team and removing the tracking device from his head, telling them that he works for no one and will get his face fixed another way.
At his house, Danny is awake in bed, unable to sleep due to being plagued with thoughts about his life. He gets up to go for a ride when Blackout calls him on the phone, telling him that he's going to kill someone close to him tonight if he doesn't do what he says, which includes keeping Ghost Rider from being released. Back at the Firm's base, the leaders of the organization punish Stern for his failure with Blackout, noting that Stern's experimentation on himself may have made him invulnerable to harm but not unable to experience pain. They task Stern to personally take care of Blackout and return him to the Firm. Danny, meanwhile, has been unable to keep Blackout from kidnapping his friends and family. He follows a trail of notes back to his mother's house, where he finds her, Stacy, Jack D'Auria, and Captain Dolan unconscious on the floor. Blackout grabs Danny and throws him outside, promising to spare his friends only if he keeps Ghost Rider away. Blackout uses his fangs to rip out Danny's throat, killing the boy, and when his spirit rises away he sees his body transform into Ghost Rider. He watches Ghost Rider attack Blackout as he rises into the sky, his spirit fading away.
Blackout and Ghost Rider's fight rages through the cemetery and makes its way into the streets, where they attract the attention of the police. Michael Badilino's task force arrives and opens fire, allowing Blackout to escape back into the cemetery, where he's confronted by Stern, who is there to kill him. Ghost Rider arrives and drags both men deeper into the cemetery and away from the cops. That morning, the police have searched Cypress Hills Cemetery and have only one last mausoleum. When they enter, they find the Cypress Pool Jokers, the youth gang that hangs out in the cemetery. The police leave, and a few minutes later Ghost Rider emerges from one of the crypts inside the mausoleum. He thanks the kids for their assistance and wraps his chain around the crypt, imprisoning Blackout and Stern inside until he returns. He can feel that Danny is still alive somehow, and knows he must go to New Orleans to find John Blaze to help him.
Later, in Cypress Hills, Danny Ketch's mother celebrates her birthday at her house, with all of Dan's friends in attendance. After a phone conversation with Johnny Blaze, who is in New Orleans with the Quentin Carnival, Dan attempts to talk to Stacy Dolan before she leaves. Still upset at the way Dan had treated her, Stacy tells him that they can't go back to way things were. After she leaves, Dan says that having things back to the way they were before is exactly what he wants. That night, Stern releases Blackout from Evergreen Hospital, the headquarters of the Firm, and sends him out to locate Ghost Rider. Blackout quickly turns on the Firm, killing their surveillance team and removing the tracking device from his head, telling them that he works for no one and will get his face fixed another way.
At his house, Danny is awake in bed, unable to sleep due to being plagued with thoughts about his life. He gets up to go for a ride when Blackout calls him on the phone, telling him that he's going to kill someone close to him tonight if he doesn't do what he says, which includes keeping Ghost Rider from being released. Back at the Firm's base, the leaders of the organization punish Stern for his failure with Blackout, noting that Stern's experimentation on himself may have made him invulnerable to harm but not unable to experience pain. They task Stern to personally take care of Blackout and return him to the Firm. Danny, meanwhile, has been unable to keep Blackout from kidnapping his friends and family. He follows a trail of notes back to his mother's house, where he finds her, Stacy, Jack D'Auria, and Captain Dolan unconscious on the floor. Blackout grabs Danny and throws him outside, promising to spare his friends only if he keeps Ghost Rider away. Blackout uses his fangs to rip out Danny's throat, killing the boy, and when his spirit rises away he sees his body transform into Ghost Rider. He watches Ghost Rider attack Blackout as he rises into the sky, his spirit fading away.
Blackout and Ghost Rider's fight rages through the cemetery and makes its way into the streets, where they attract the attention of the police. Michael Badilino's task force arrives and opens fire, allowing Blackout to escape back into the cemetery, where he's confronted by Stern, who is there to kill him. Ghost Rider arrives and drags both men deeper into the cemetery and away from the cops. That morning, the police have searched Cypress Hills Cemetery and have only one last mausoleum. When they enter, they find the Cypress Pool Jokers, the youth gang that hangs out in the cemetery. The police leave, and a few minutes later Ghost Rider emerges from one of the crypts inside the mausoleum. He thanks the kids for their assistance and wraps his chain around the crypt, imprisoning Blackout and Stern inside until he returns. He can feel that Danny is still alive somehow, and knows he must go to New Orleans to find John Blaze to help him.
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| Blackout sticking to his motif. |
THE ROADMAP
Ghost Rider last appeared in Amazing Spider-Man: Hit and Run # 3. He makes his next appearance in X-Men (1991) # 8.
Blackout last appeared in Ghost Rider (1990) # 15. He and Stern will be freed from the crypt in which they were imprisoned in Ghost Rider (1990) # 28.
Blackout's face was disfigured by Ghost Rider's hellfire in Ghost Rider (1990) # 3. He learned that Dan and Ghost Rider were one and same prior to Ghost Rider (1990) # 7, in which the villain murdered the comatose Barbara Ketch.
This issue had a silver-ink enhanced front cover. It also contained a pop-up insert in the center of the book that served as several story pages.
This issue contained four pin-up pages spotlighting the upcoming launch of the Midnight Sons titles: Ghost Rider/Blaze Spirits of Vengeance by Adam Kubert, Morbius: The Living Vampire by Ron Wagner, Darkhold: Pages From the Book of Sins by Richard Case, and Nightstalkers by Ron Garney.
CHAIN REACTION
This comic is such a nostalgia trip for me, because while I had been reading the series long before this issue, "You Can't Go Home Again" is where the 1990s Ghost Rider phenomena hit its apex. The character and series had been gaining popularity momentum through the first two years of publication and had quickly transformed into one of Marvel's most popular and lucrative properties. Howard Mackie, along with Javier Saltares and Mark Texeira, had guided the series to insane heights, and Marvel was prepping for the character's next step. Now, instead of being a singular series with a definitive creative voice and direction, Ghost Rider was to be franchised into a "family" of related titles, birthing the Midnight Sons line of comics. While that won't actually happen for a few months, this issue is the one that marked the radical sea change that was happening.
Mackie had spent the last several months wrapping up most of the outstanding villains and plotlines that had been introduced in the series. At the end of issue # 24, Ghost Rider even asks himself "where do I go from here?" or something similar, now that all of his villains had been either killed or imprisoned. Deathwatch, Snowblind, and Zodiak had all perished, the Hobgoblin's story had appropriately moved to the Spider-Man titles, so that really left only one character as an option for issue # 25. Blackout had been given a resolution of sorts back in issue # 15, but since the character was still alive (unlike all of the others) he was readily available for a return. Plus, if you're doing an anniversary issue and want to use an established villain, Blackout was easily the title's most enduring and persistent antagonist. His personal connection to both Danny and Ghost Rider gave his return an emotional weight that would be lacking if Mackie had decided to go with someone like Mr. Hyde or Flag-Smasher instead.
Blackout as a character (and specifically as a villain) is given one of his best moments in this issue, topped only by his murder of Barbara Ketch back in issue # 7. He'd already been cemented as the hero's primary nemesis, and this story really cuts to the core about why Blackout was not just a threat but an absolutely brutal and terrifying villain. As he'd demonstrated before, while he's not really a physical match for Ghost Rider, Blackout is cunning and crafty as hell, and like before decides to strike out at Danny indirectly by going after his family. That's a horrifying modus operandi for a villain, one whose sadism and desire for revenge drives him to attack those the hero holds dearest. I remember when Christos Gage brought him back in Superior Spider-Man a few years ago, the family angle was emphasized and made the villain's primary attack strategy. It works well, it puts Danny on the defensive and makes him an easy target as a victim. In fact, had he not transformed at the last moment before death, Blackout would have won.
The biggest change was the shock I had as a kid reader that Mackie and Marvel went though with the idea of Blackout murdering Danny by ripping out his throat. It's one of those moments where you almost can't believe what you're reading, and while you of course realize that the character will eventually return it doesn't make seeing it any less shocking or impactful. That scene is, of course, "enhanced" by a ludicrously useless "pop-up" centerfold of Ghost Rider's arm. Looking at the gimmick now, I see that it adds absolutely nothing to the story and isn't even that much to look at, but at the time and as a kid I thought it was the coolest thing I'd ever seen (though still not as cool as the glow-in-the-dark cover on issue # 15, of course).
That leads me to talk about the artwork by Ron Wagner, who came on board for a exceptionally brief run of three issues. Those three issues, though, were probably some of the highest selling comics of the series, since this was a giant-sized anniversary special and the next two were crossover issues with Jim Lee's X-Men series. So even though Wagner doesn't last long as the regular artist before moving over to the new Morbius series, he definitely makes his mark on Ghost Rider while he's there. His work isn't as dark or moody as Mark Texeira, who finished up his run with the previous issue, but it's still pretty great to look at. Wagner's work is clear and easy to follow, perfect for a superhero comic, but it also retains the dark edge that this series demands. His Ghost Rider looks great and he gives a lot of small touches to panels that make certain pages stand out. I particularly like the scene of Blackout's release from the Firm's hospital, which zooms out to show a large portion of Manhattan island gone dark as the villain moves through the city.
All in all, while this comic started the series down the road to some truly dire stories, it definitely works as a stand-alone story. It's simultaneously a celebration of the previous two years of the series and an intense start to the book's third year, and that's not an easy thing to balance. Definitely pick it up and give it a read, though that may be more difficult than you think considering it's never been reprinted.
Mackie had spent the last several months wrapping up most of the outstanding villains and plotlines that had been introduced in the series. At the end of issue # 24, Ghost Rider even asks himself "where do I go from here?" or something similar, now that all of his villains had been either killed or imprisoned. Deathwatch, Snowblind, and Zodiak had all perished, the Hobgoblin's story had appropriately moved to the Spider-Man titles, so that really left only one character as an option for issue # 25. Blackout had been given a resolution of sorts back in issue # 15, but since the character was still alive (unlike all of the others) he was readily available for a return. Plus, if you're doing an anniversary issue and want to use an established villain, Blackout was easily the title's most enduring and persistent antagonist. His personal connection to both Danny and Ghost Rider gave his return an emotional weight that would be lacking if Mackie had decided to go with someone like Mr. Hyde or Flag-Smasher instead.
Blackout as a character (and specifically as a villain) is given one of his best moments in this issue, topped only by his murder of Barbara Ketch back in issue # 7. He'd already been cemented as the hero's primary nemesis, and this story really cuts to the core about why Blackout was not just a threat but an absolutely brutal and terrifying villain. As he'd demonstrated before, while he's not really a physical match for Ghost Rider, Blackout is cunning and crafty as hell, and like before decides to strike out at Danny indirectly by going after his family. That's a horrifying modus operandi for a villain, one whose sadism and desire for revenge drives him to attack those the hero holds dearest. I remember when Christos Gage brought him back in Superior Spider-Man a few years ago, the family angle was emphasized and made the villain's primary attack strategy. It works well, it puts Danny on the defensive and makes him an easy target as a victim. In fact, had he not transformed at the last moment before death, Blackout would have won.
The biggest change was the shock I had as a kid reader that Mackie and Marvel went though with the idea of Blackout murdering Danny by ripping out his throat. It's one of those moments where you almost can't believe what you're reading, and while you of course realize that the character will eventually return it doesn't make seeing it any less shocking or impactful. That scene is, of course, "enhanced" by a ludicrously useless "pop-up" centerfold of Ghost Rider's arm. Looking at the gimmick now, I see that it adds absolutely nothing to the story and isn't even that much to look at, but at the time and as a kid I thought it was the coolest thing I'd ever seen (though still not as cool as the glow-in-the-dark cover on issue # 15, of course).
That leads me to talk about the artwork by Ron Wagner, who came on board for a exceptionally brief run of three issues. Those three issues, though, were probably some of the highest selling comics of the series, since this was a giant-sized anniversary special and the next two were crossover issues with Jim Lee's X-Men series. So even though Wagner doesn't last long as the regular artist before moving over to the new Morbius series, he definitely makes his mark on Ghost Rider while he's there. His work isn't as dark or moody as Mark Texeira, who finished up his run with the previous issue, but it's still pretty great to look at. Wagner's work is clear and easy to follow, perfect for a superhero comic, but it also retains the dark edge that this series demands. His Ghost Rider looks great and he gives a lot of small touches to panels that make certain pages stand out. I particularly like the scene of Blackout's release from the Firm's hospital, which zooms out to show a large portion of Manhattan island gone dark as the villain moves through the city.
All in all, while this comic started the series down the road to some truly dire stories, it definitely works as a stand-alone story. It's simultaneously a celebration of the previous two years of the series and an intense start to the book's third year, and that's not an easy thing to balance. Definitely pick it up and give it a read, though that may be more difficult than you think considering it's never been reprinted.
 |
| It's the old "Batman kills the Joker" dilemma. |
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