Writers: Nick Spencer & Donny Cates; Artist: Rod Reis; Letterer: Travis Lanham; Colorist: Rod Reis; Editor: Nick Lowe; Assistant Editor: Kathleen Wisneski; Editor-in-Chief: C.B. Cebulski; Cover Artist: Rod Reis
Following its total destruction by Hydra, a group of Avengers (Falcon, Thor, Hawkeye, Black Panther, and Captain Marvel) stand on the outskirts of Las Vegas to commemorate the people who died. Doctor Strange appears and uses his magical power to resurrect the city and all of its inhabitants just as they were before the city was destroyed. The celebration is interrupted by a tower erupting from the ground into the sky, while a demonic carnival barker invites them to enter the Hotel Inferno casino. Strange tells the other Avengers that he will handle the situation and goes inside the casino, where he's greeted by Mephisto. The Hell Lord explains that Las Vegas and its citizens appeared in Hell after its destruction and became part of his realm; when Strange's spell brought the city back it also allowed Mephisto to spread Hell to Earth. Mephisto takes Strange to the hotel vault, where he has captured the souls of everyone in Las Vegas that has sinned, transforming the people outside into demonic creatures. Outside, the Avengers attempt to hold back the possessed people but quickly fall into bickering with one another. With their sins laid bare, the Avengers are each transformed into flaming skulled Ghost Riders. Mephisto wagers the fate of the city on a game of poker with Doctor Strange, who accepts though his own soul is on the line.
Elsewhere, Strange's ghost dog companion Bats goes to the home of Wong, Strange's former partner, to tell him that the Doctor is in trouble. Wong reluctantly agrees to help, but admits that they'll need more muscle to stop Mephisto. He uses magic to locate a team of heroes with the experience they need: Blade, Moon Knight, Else Bloodstone, Doctor Voodoo, Man-Thing, Iron Fist, and to lead them: the Ghost Rider.
 |
| Ghost Avengers Assemble! |
THE ROADMAP
"Damnation" was a crossover event in 2018. Other titles that featured tie-ins to the event were Doctor Strange, Iron Fist, Ben Reilly: Scarlet Spider, and Johnny Blaze: Ghost Rider. The event continues into Doctor Strange (2015) # 386 and Doctor Strange: Damnation (2018) # 2.
Las Vegas was destroyed during the "Secret Empire" crossover event by the evil Captain America's Hydra fleet.
Las Vegas had been transformed into Hell once before, during the "Circle of Four" event that began in Venom (2011) # 13.
Johnny Blaze last appeared in Spirits of Vengeance (2017) # 5.
Las Vegas was destroyed during the "Secret Empire" crossover event by the evil Captain America's Hydra fleet.
Las Vegas had been transformed into Hell once before, during the "Circle of Four" event that began in Venom (2011) # 13.
Johnny Blaze last appeared in Spirits of Vengeance (2017) # 5.
 |
| Bats is the best ghost dog, yes he is! |
CHAIN REACTION
The "Damnation" crossover kicks off with this extra-sized issue that, despite having some incredible artwork, fails to really impress.
At the time, writer Donny Cates was enjoying his role as Marvel's new golden child following his work on Thanos and Venom. Cosmic Ghost Rider was a surprise break-out character from that Thanos run and I suspect Cates is a fan of the ol' Spirit of Vengeance, because here he is involving him in a second major storyline. Cates had already produced a really great opening arc on Doctor Strange, so letting him have the reigns of a Strange focused event was a wise move for Marvel. Involving Nick Spencer and tying it into the incredibly divisive "Secret Empire" crossover was possibly a mistake, but ultimately those ties seem to be tenuous at best. All you really need to know is that Las Vegas was destroyed and the heroes feel really guilty about it, time to move on.
Unfortunately, while I can understand the desire to just get on with the story they're wanting to tell, it does sort of feel like this issue just starts off at a running speed. Las Vegas is back within the first few pages, whole and hearty with all the deceased residents suddenly alive again. The real implications of an event of that magnitude are kind of swallowed up whole by the Mephisto stuff, which takes all that momentum and grinds it down to a halt. Villain monologues that last for pages and pages aren't terribly interesting, even when they're interspersed with other events from around the city. The timeline gets really wonky in those pages, too, because in the span of the conversation between Strange and Mephisto it seems like Las Vegas is totally back to business as usual. Loan sharks are beating up debtors, men are hiring prostitutes, people are packed in casinos and attending parties...what the hell, these people just came back from the dead like TEN MINUTES AGO. The comic is speeding up to slow down, which makes reading it a jarring experience.
I also have difficulty buying the motivations and reasoning behind some of the characters and their actions. Doctor Strange is afflicted with arrogance and hubris, yes, but would he really resurrect an entire city full of people without thinking there would be massive consequences? Would the Avengers really just stand outside a tower from Hell to wait on Doctor Strange? I like that the bickering between the heroes is a plot point that ultimately transforms them into Ghost Riders, but it takes some suspension of disbelief just to get them into that situation to begin with. Speaking of the Spirits of Vengeance, that itself is seemingly a massive piece of retroactive continuity now that Mephisto is throwing Ghost Riders into people again. I wrote an article a while ago about how Marvel was slowly doing away with the "Spirits of Vengeance come from Heaven" origin concept that Daniel Way and Jason Aaron established about 10 years back and this story was sort of the final nail in that coffin. I think the "Ghost Riders come from Hell" angle is probably a BETTER concept for their origins, but it makes me sad that the massive amount of work Aaron put into the Heaven idea is being discarded.
The best part of this comic, by far, is the artwork by Rod Reis, who handles the pencils, inks, and colors for the issue. His work is breathtaking and reminds me a lot of Bill Sienkiewicz's work on Elektra: Assassin, or maybe even Dave McKean on Arkham Asylum (just with better storytelling skills). The Hell sequences look appropriately hellish and the facial expressions he gives to the characters are all spot-on. His Doctor Strange is emoting like crazy during his spell casting sequence and again at the end during the confrontation with Mephisto. Those Ghost Rider Avengers designs, though? Pretty amazing stuff, with each skull having the appropriate distinction for each character, making them immediately recognizable despite being, you know, a flaming skull. It's a shame that Reis didn't sign on for the entire mini-series, but having him book end the event with the first and last issues is a real treat.
All in all, "Damnation" is off to a rocky start. The premise is sound, even if it is highly reminiscent of the "Circle of Four" event that featured Las Vegas being turned into Hell, if only for the high Ghost Rider related content. It's just the execution that's a bit disjointed, here's hoping it improves as the event goes on.
At the time, writer Donny Cates was enjoying his role as Marvel's new golden child following his work on Thanos and Venom. Cosmic Ghost Rider was a surprise break-out character from that Thanos run and I suspect Cates is a fan of the ol' Spirit of Vengeance, because here he is involving him in a second major storyline. Cates had already produced a really great opening arc on Doctor Strange, so letting him have the reigns of a Strange focused event was a wise move for Marvel. Involving Nick Spencer and tying it into the incredibly divisive "Secret Empire" crossover was possibly a mistake, but ultimately those ties seem to be tenuous at best. All you really need to know is that Las Vegas was destroyed and the heroes feel really guilty about it, time to move on.
Unfortunately, while I can understand the desire to just get on with the story they're wanting to tell, it does sort of feel like this issue just starts off at a running speed. Las Vegas is back within the first few pages, whole and hearty with all the deceased residents suddenly alive again. The real implications of an event of that magnitude are kind of swallowed up whole by the Mephisto stuff, which takes all that momentum and grinds it down to a halt. Villain monologues that last for pages and pages aren't terribly interesting, even when they're interspersed with other events from around the city. The timeline gets really wonky in those pages, too, because in the span of the conversation between Strange and Mephisto it seems like Las Vegas is totally back to business as usual. Loan sharks are beating up debtors, men are hiring prostitutes, people are packed in casinos and attending parties...what the hell, these people just came back from the dead like TEN MINUTES AGO. The comic is speeding up to slow down, which makes reading it a jarring experience.
I also have difficulty buying the motivations and reasoning behind some of the characters and their actions. Doctor Strange is afflicted with arrogance and hubris, yes, but would he really resurrect an entire city full of people without thinking there would be massive consequences? Would the Avengers really just stand outside a tower from Hell to wait on Doctor Strange? I like that the bickering between the heroes is a plot point that ultimately transforms them into Ghost Riders, but it takes some suspension of disbelief just to get them into that situation to begin with. Speaking of the Spirits of Vengeance, that itself is seemingly a massive piece of retroactive continuity now that Mephisto is throwing Ghost Riders into people again. I wrote an article a while ago about how Marvel was slowly doing away with the "Spirits of Vengeance come from Heaven" origin concept that Daniel Way and Jason Aaron established about 10 years back and this story was sort of the final nail in that coffin. I think the "Ghost Riders come from Hell" angle is probably a BETTER concept for their origins, but it makes me sad that the massive amount of work Aaron put into the Heaven idea is being discarded.
The best part of this comic, by far, is the artwork by Rod Reis, who handles the pencils, inks, and colors for the issue. His work is breathtaking and reminds me a lot of Bill Sienkiewicz's work on Elektra: Assassin, or maybe even Dave McKean on Arkham Asylum (just with better storytelling skills). The Hell sequences look appropriately hellish and the facial expressions he gives to the characters are all spot-on. His Doctor Strange is emoting like crazy during his spell casting sequence and again at the end during the confrontation with Mephisto. Those Ghost Rider Avengers designs, though? Pretty amazing stuff, with each skull having the appropriate distinction for each character, making them immediately recognizable despite being, you know, a flaming skull. It's a shame that Reis didn't sign on for the entire mini-series, but having him book end the event with the first and last issues is a real treat.
All in all, "Damnation" is off to a rocky start. The premise is sound, even if it is highly reminiscent of the "Circle of Four" event that featured Las Vegas being turned into Hell, if only for the high Ghost Rider related content. It's just the execution that's a bit disjointed, here's hoping it improves as the event goes on.
No comments:
Post a Comment