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| Cover Art: Pop Mhan |
Original Price: $1.95
Title: "Faultlines"
Writer: Ivan Velez Jr.
Artist: Pop Mhan
Inkers: Jason Martin & Andrew Pepoy
Letterer: Richard Starkings
Colorist: Brian Buccellato
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Editor In Chief: Bob Harras
SYNOPSIS
Two months have passed since Dan Ketch has let the Ghost Rider out of the Void. The Rider, having been trapped for so long, begins to wonder if he'll ever see the outside world again. In Hell, Blackheart questions the Scarecrow, who failed in his mission to possess Dan's body. Scarecrow's torment is given over to Black Rose, who is quite enthusiastic to go about her duties. Meanwhile in the real world, Dan and Stacy visit Mrs. Ketch, who has been institutionalized after seeing Dan transform into the Ghost Rider. When Dan enters the room, she begins to scream.
Meanwhile, two men from Damage Control, an organization that cleans up after superhuman battles, investigate the Ghost Rider beginning with the site of his battle with the Furies. They interview Carlie Colon, who tells them that the Ghost Rider only shows up to save people. Elsewhere, Jennifer Kale gives John Blaze a haircut as part of a magic ritual intended to help locate his missing children. The Damage Control agents interview Luz and Candido, with Luz stating the Ghost Rider is a demon out for her "pure, virginal flesh". The agents are led to a group of children, who all have stories about the Ghost Rider, and finally to a church to interview a man name Toother who has turned his life around after receiving the Ghost Rider's Penance Stare.
In the top floor of a building the group of kids set the room on fire with firecrackers. Dan exits the subway and hears the screams, finally letting the Ghost Rider out. The Damage Control agents watch as the Rider rescues the children and rides off into the night.
Meanwhile, two men from Damage Control, an organization that cleans up after superhuman battles, investigate the Ghost Rider beginning with the site of his battle with the Furies. They interview Carlie Colon, who tells them that the Ghost Rider only shows up to save people. Elsewhere, Jennifer Kale gives John Blaze a haircut as part of a magic ritual intended to help locate his missing children. The Damage Control agents interview Luz and Candido, with Luz stating the Ghost Rider is a demon out for her "pure, virginal flesh". The agents are led to a group of children, who all have stories about the Ghost Rider, and finally to a church to interview a man name Toother who has turned his life around after receiving the Ghost Rider's Penance Stare.
In the top floor of a building the group of kids set the room on fire with firecrackers. Dan exits the subway and hears the screams, finally letting the Ghost Rider out. The Damage Control agents watch as the Rider rescues the children and rides off into the night.
ANNOTATIONS
Ghost Rider last appeared in Devil's Reign: Ghost Rider/Ballistic # 1.
It was revealed in Ghost Rider (1990) # 39 that Francis Ketch had always known about Dan being the host for the Ghost Rider. However, her memories were erased by Jennifer Kale in Ghost Rider (1990) # 79.
The Ghost Rider's battle with the Furies happened in Ghost Rider (1990) # 80. Carlie Colon was possessed by one of those Furies in Ghost Rider (1990) # 79.
It was revealed in Ghost Rider (1990) # 39 that Francis Ketch had always known about Dan being the host for the Ghost Rider. However, her memories were erased by Jennifer Kale in Ghost Rider (1990) # 79.
The Ghost Rider's battle with the Furies happened in Ghost Rider (1990) # 80. Carlie Colon was possessed by one of those Furies in Ghost Rider (1990) # 79.
The disappearance of Blaze's children, Craig and Emma, doesn't make a lot of sense. He states they disappeared during the "Siege of Darkness", but it actually happened after that crossover, in Ghost Rider (1990) # 50. Blaze did later see the children in the company of the Wendigo, and they did indeed disappear again while he was unconscious in Blaze (1994) # 6. However, John was reunited with this children in Blaze (1994) # 12 and the Wendigo departed. That was their last appearance and Blaze's inner thoughts in Ghost Rider (1990) # 74 revealed that they had disappeared once again.
John Blaze and Jennifer Kale appear next in Ghost Rider (1990) # 88, where they are on the road searching for the missing Blaze children.
Ghost Rider actually saved Luz's life twice, in Ghost Rider (1990) # 70 and in Ghost Rider (1990) # 73. Toother received the Penance Stare in Ghost Rider (1990) # 70.
REVIEW
Ivan Velez finally slows down his run for a breather issue that features Pop Mhan's strongest (and last) work on the title.
By this point Velez has been on the series for 17 issues, and the first 16 of those were really all one storyline, or at least a series of stories that all dovetailed into one another with very little breathing room in between. From what I can gather through multiple readings, that year and a half of comics actually all took place within maybe a week of story time. So if there's one thing the series definitely needed right now, it's to stop and take stock of everything that's happened, to effectively slow the hell down. The result of that is an issue that's probably the best of Velez's run so far, and he's had some quite good issues already up to this point. That's due to him taking the time to address the repercussions of his run on the characters, from Danny and his immediate supporting cast to the new ones that Velez created in his first issue.
This comic, in fact, is full of call backs to that first issue of Velez's run, referencing events and characters that had fallen to the side with all the Furies and Scarecrows running around. That's not to say that Velez's supporting cast are all that endearing, Luz and Candido in particular are two of the more annoying characters this series has seen, but it's still nice to acknowledge the world that exits around the Ghost Rider. Using the narrative trick of the interview process, through Damage Control's insurance adjusters no less, is certainly effective. It shows that the Ghost Rider has been interpreted in many varied ways, most of which are wrong but all with a hint of truth.
The artwork really shines in this comic, too, though it's noted that Pop Mhan was not a favorable part of the creative team at the time. He started off way too exaggerated and cartoonish in his first issue, but his work has slowly toned that down over his brief run. This issue had some fantastic visuals, and had he started with this approach from the beginning perhaps he would be more fondly remembered as a part of Ghost Rider creative history. His backdrops for the interviews, each with an increasingly demonic image of the Rider in the background, are quite good. He's still stuck with the red and yellow eyesore of an outfit, but he does get to show what his version of the black leather Ghost Rider could have been on that opening page.
While Ghost Rider's sales were dropping like a stone during 1997 that doesn't mean there weren't some gems being produced. This was certainly one of them.
By this point Velez has been on the series for 17 issues, and the first 16 of those were really all one storyline, or at least a series of stories that all dovetailed into one another with very little breathing room in between. From what I can gather through multiple readings, that year and a half of comics actually all took place within maybe a week of story time. So if there's one thing the series definitely needed right now, it's to stop and take stock of everything that's happened, to effectively slow the hell down. The result of that is an issue that's probably the best of Velez's run so far, and he's had some quite good issues already up to this point. That's due to him taking the time to address the repercussions of his run on the characters, from Danny and his immediate supporting cast to the new ones that Velez created in his first issue.
This comic, in fact, is full of call backs to that first issue of Velez's run, referencing events and characters that had fallen to the side with all the Furies and Scarecrows running around. That's not to say that Velez's supporting cast are all that endearing, Luz and Candido in particular are two of the more annoying characters this series has seen, but it's still nice to acknowledge the world that exits around the Ghost Rider. Using the narrative trick of the interview process, through Damage Control's insurance adjusters no less, is certainly effective. It shows that the Ghost Rider has been interpreted in many varied ways, most of which are wrong but all with a hint of truth.
The artwork really shines in this comic, too, though it's noted that Pop Mhan was not a favorable part of the creative team at the time. He started off way too exaggerated and cartoonish in his first issue, but his work has slowly toned that down over his brief run. This issue had some fantastic visuals, and had he started with this approach from the beginning perhaps he would be more fondly remembered as a part of Ghost Rider creative history. His backdrops for the interviews, each with an increasingly demonic image of the Rider in the background, are quite good. He's still stuck with the red and yellow eyesore of an outfit, but he does get to show what his version of the black leather Ghost Rider could have been on that opening page.
While Ghost Rider's sales were dropping like a stone during 1997 that doesn't mean there weren't some gems being produced. This was certainly one of them.
Grade: B+
I love this issue. The art is fantastic; cartoony, but still dark in the right spots. The writing takes a sort of "Marvels" approach where we get different perspectives from various "regular joes." As a result the idea of Ghost Rider is more frightening. Not being in the spotlight sort of makes the character stronger.
ReplyDeleteUnderrated issue. Definitely a diamond in the rough. Thanks for the review.
My pleasure! Agreed about the artwork, the more time goes by the more I appreciate Pop Mhan's work on the series.
ReplyDeleteThis was greatt to read
ReplyDelete