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| Cover Artist: Salvador Larroca |
Original Price: $1.95
Title: "Darkness Falls"
Writer: Howard Mackie
Artist: Salvador Larroca
Inker: Sergio Melia
Letterer: Janice Chiang
Colorist: Kevin Tinsley
Editor: James Felder
Editor In Chief: Bobbie Chase
SYNOPSIS
Danny Ketch has finally accepted his shared existence with the Ghost Rider and has located a need for him to transform. The Ghost Rider stops a woman from being mugged and killed, giving the muggers his Penance Stare before riding away. Later, he contemplates the temptation to keep control of their body, but ultimately decides to relinquish control back to Dan. Meanwhile, a teenage girl attempts suicide by jumping off a bridge, but changes her mind at the last minute. She's saved from falling by Blackout, who murders her.
Later, Danny is preparing to go visit his mother with his girlfriend Paula, who is picking up from her apartment. Before they leave Paula has a phone call that angers her; she tells Dan that it's an ex-boyfriend of hers that follows her and won't leave her alone. She snaps at Danny when he asks to help and tells him to go to his mother's on his own. On the way he hears about a group of terrorists that have taken over a warehouse on the harbor and are threatening to detonate a bomb if the police don't stay away. Ghost Rider takes out the terrorists, who he learns work for Anton Hellgate, one of his enemies. When Ghost Rider returns to Cypress Hills Cemetery, he's approached by a man in the shadows who offers to act as his informant. The man, who calls himself "Deep Throat", gives Ghost Rider information on Blackout and the young girl he killed.
At his penthouse apartment, Blackout is attacked by Ghost Rider. Blackout mentions the arrangement they made during their last meeting, that if Ghost Rider leaves him alone he won't murder Danny's family. Ghost Rider tells him that there are no more deals to be made, that every victim he kills makes the Rider as culpable for having not stopped him. The battle between the two is brief, but the defeated Blackout still laughs in triumph; he knows Ghost Rider won't kill him and if he's taken to the police he'll be out in short time, after which he says he will kill Dan's mother. Ghost Rider takes Blackout and chains him to the top of the World Trade Center antenna, where the dawn sunlight burns him alive. Ghost Rider rides away, talking about his mission and how vengeance will no longer be denied.
ANNOTATIONS
Later, Danny is preparing to go visit his mother with his girlfriend Paula, who is picking up from her apartment. Before they leave Paula has a phone call that angers her; she tells Dan that it's an ex-boyfriend of hers that follows her and won't leave her alone. She snaps at Danny when he asks to help and tells him to go to his mother's on his own. On the way he hears about a group of terrorists that have taken over a warehouse on the harbor and are threatening to detonate a bomb if the police don't stay away. Ghost Rider takes out the terrorists, who he learns work for Anton Hellgate, one of his enemies. When Ghost Rider returns to Cypress Hills Cemetery, he's approached by a man in the shadows who offers to act as his informant. The man, who calls himself "Deep Throat", gives Ghost Rider information on Blackout and the young girl he killed.
At his penthouse apartment, Blackout is attacked by Ghost Rider. Blackout mentions the arrangement they made during their last meeting, that if Ghost Rider leaves him alone he won't murder Danny's family. Ghost Rider tells him that there are no more deals to be made, that every victim he kills makes the Rider as culpable for having not stopped him. The battle between the two is brief, but the defeated Blackout still laughs in triumph; he knows Ghost Rider won't kill him and if he's taken to the police he'll be out in short time, after which he says he will kill Dan's mother. Ghost Rider takes Blackout and chains him to the top of the World Trade Center antenna, where the dawn sunlight burns him alive. Ghost Rider rides away, talking about his mission and how vengeance will no longer be denied.
ANNOTATIONS
Danny began dating Paula Harris in Ghost Rider (1990) # 58. The subplot with the stalker ex-boyfriend will continue over the next few issues until it is resolved in Ghost Rider (1990) # 69.
Ghost Rider last encountered Anton Hellgate in Ghost Rider (1990) # 50, but had battles with his agents Dread and Rak as recently as Ghost Rider (1990) # 61.
The identity of "Deep Throat" will be revealed as Captain Gerald Dolan in Ghost Rider (1990) # 73. The name "Deep Throat" is taken from the mysterious informant of the Watergate Presidential scandal in the 1960s and was also used as an alias for an informant character in the X-Files, which was popular at the time of this issue's publication.
Blackout last appeared in Ghost Rider (1990) # 54, where he made the deal with Ghost Rider to spare Danny's family if he is left alone. This is the character's last appearance for many years and shows up in Ghost Rider (2006) # 26 working with Dan Ketch as an agent of Zadkiel.
Ghost Rider last encountered Anton Hellgate in Ghost Rider (1990) # 50, but had battles with his agents Dread and Rak as recently as Ghost Rider (1990) # 61.
The identity of "Deep Throat" will be revealed as Captain Gerald Dolan in Ghost Rider (1990) # 73. The name "Deep Throat" is taken from the mysterious informant of the Watergate Presidential scandal in the 1960s and was also used as an alias for an informant character in the X-Files, which was popular at the time of this issue's publication.
Blackout last appeared in Ghost Rider (1990) # 54, where he made the deal with Ghost Rider to spare Danny's family if he is left alone. This is the character's last appearance for many years and shows up in Ghost Rider (2006) # 26 working with Dan Ketch as an agent of Zadkiel.
REVIEW
Howard Mackie gives his final word on Blackout, the villain that defined much of his Ghost Rider run, with an issue that reads a lot like an introduction for new readers.
Given the first and last pages of the comic, which feature Danny and then Ghost Rider speaking directly to the reader with a cleverly written expository speech about the character's status quo, this had to have been approached as a "jumping on point" for new readers. It was the first issue released after the "Over the Edge" crossover, though I'm not sure how that crossover sold or if there were any noticeable sales bumps for the involved titles, and I'm sure Marvel wanted any potential new readers to stick around. So, having Mackie and Larroca produce a one-shot story that hits upon a bunch of different plot points at once was logistically a smart move. The storytelling gimmick at the beginning and end, the breaking of the fourth wall to address the reader, was a nice touch as well.
I wonder if Mackie knew he was going to be exiting the series a few issues later when he wrote this one? It honestly reads like it go either way, because while he spends a lot of time establishing new subplots, such as "Deep Throat" and Paula's abusive ex, he also produces a pretty final send-off for Blackout. I can imagine that Blackout might have been a character Mackie didn't want passed along to the next writer, if he indeed knew he was going to leave the book in a short amount of time, because you didn't see villains like Hellgate getting the wrap-up that Blackout receives in this issue. The ending, which featured Blackout strapped to the top of the World Trade Center while the sun comes up, is definitely a memorable moment that's both shocking and gratifying. Blackout was the major threat for so much of the title's history and been built up as a thoroughly despicable character, so seeing him finally get his due is extremely satisfying to see.
Other parts of the issue don't hang together quite so well, though it does give a very thorough "day in the life" look at the character and series as a whole. The Hellgate and Paula sections feel very out of place and ultimately just distract from the Blackout section, which is relegated to the back half of the comic. Had the Blackout section been the main focus and given enough room to breathe would have made the issue feel a lot less disjointed, but as it stands it feels rather piecemeal. There's also the "Deep Throat" introduction, which I'm sure Mackie intended as a reference to the real-life Watergate informant but always struck me as a really weak X-Files homage. Hey, it was the mid-90s, everyone was watching that show, so the reference sticks out like a sore thumb. Giving Ghost Rider an informant/guide figure to move him from threat to threat is perfectly reasonable and I think its a fair assumption to make that Mackie wanted to avoid bringing back the Caretaker and all his baggage to fit that role.
The artwork by Salvador Larroca continues to impress, still providing the clear action sequences and storytelling that's been bringing to the title for over a year. I still think it's a strange juxtaposition, having an artist like Larroca who's so bright and open on a title that had been so defined by the Texeira style of heavy blacks, but it continues to work really well. I'm not so enamored with the colors by Kevin Tinsely, who unlike previous colorist Gregory Wright has a tendency to make things look flat and washed out. The new use of computer colorization techniques makes things pop off the page pretty well and, coupled with the slick paper that the series is now using, enhances Larocca's artwork. This isn't an urban horror series anymore, Larocca has dragged it firmly into being a solid superhero comic, but it still looks great.
Overall, this is a good comic that gets bogged down in the middle with subplots but manages to redeem itself with a highly effective ending. That, coupled with the narrative tricks and the welcome attempt to make it as new-reader friendly as possible, means the good far outweighs the bad. Recommended.
Grade: A
Given the first and last pages of the comic, which feature Danny and then Ghost Rider speaking directly to the reader with a cleverly written expository speech about the character's status quo, this had to have been approached as a "jumping on point" for new readers. It was the first issue released after the "Over the Edge" crossover, though I'm not sure how that crossover sold or if there were any noticeable sales bumps for the involved titles, and I'm sure Marvel wanted any potential new readers to stick around. So, having Mackie and Larroca produce a one-shot story that hits upon a bunch of different plot points at once was logistically a smart move. The storytelling gimmick at the beginning and end, the breaking of the fourth wall to address the reader, was a nice touch as well.
I wonder if Mackie knew he was going to be exiting the series a few issues later when he wrote this one? It honestly reads like it go either way, because while he spends a lot of time establishing new subplots, such as "Deep Throat" and Paula's abusive ex, he also produces a pretty final send-off for Blackout. I can imagine that Blackout might have been a character Mackie didn't want passed along to the next writer, if he indeed knew he was going to leave the book in a short amount of time, because you didn't see villains like Hellgate getting the wrap-up that Blackout receives in this issue. The ending, which featured Blackout strapped to the top of the World Trade Center while the sun comes up, is definitely a memorable moment that's both shocking and gratifying. Blackout was the major threat for so much of the title's history and been built up as a thoroughly despicable character, so seeing him finally get his due is extremely satisfying to see.
Other parts of the issue don't hang together quite so well, though it does give a very thorough "day in the life" look at the character and series as a whole. The Hellgate and Paula sections feel very out of place and ultimately just distract from the Blackout section, which is relegated to the back half of the comic. Had the Blackout section been the main focus and given enough room to breathe would have made the issue feel a lot less disjointed, but as it stands it feels rather piecemeal. There's also the "Deep Throat" introduction, which I'm sure Mackie intended as a reference to the real-life Watergate informant but always struck me as a really weak X-Files homage. Hey, it was the mid-90s, everyone was watching that show, so the reference sticks out like a sore thumb. Giving Ghost Rider an informant/guide figure to move him from threat to threat is perfectly reasonable and I think its a fair assumption to make that Mackie wanted to avoid bringing back the Caretaker and all his baggage to fit that role.
The artwork by Salvador Larroca continues to impress, still providing the clear action sequences and storytelling that's been bringing to the title for over a year. I still think it's a strange juxtaposition, having an artist like Larroca who's so bright and open on a title that had been so defined by the Texeira style of heavy blacks, but it continues to work really well. I'm not so enamored with the colors by Kevin Tinsely, who unlike previous colorist Gregory Wright has a tendency to make things look flat and washed out. The new use of computer colorization techniques makes things pop off the page pretty well and, coupled with the slick paper that the series is now using, enhances Larocca's artwork. This isn't an urban horror series anymore, Larocca has dragged it firmly into being a solid superhero comic, but it still looks great.
Overall, this is a good comic that gets bogged down in the middle with subplots but manages to redeem itself with a highly effective ending. That, coupled with the narrative tricks and the welcome attempt to make it as new-reader friendly as possible, means the good far outweighs the bad. Recommended.
Grade: A
