On Sale Date: September 1992
Writer: Howard Mackie
Artist: Adam Kubert
Inker: Arthur Adams, Joe Kubert, & Tom Mandrake
Letterer: Michael Heisler
Colorist: Gregory Wright
Editor: Bobbie Chase
Editor In Chief: Tom DeFalco
Cover Artist: Adam Kubert
Later, in the city both Dan and John ride to meet one another, with John thinking to himself that tonight is when he ends his association with the Ghost Rider for good. Hag and Troll kill a couple outside of Rockefeller Center and the screams are heard by Dan, who triggers his transformation that is surprisingly felt by Blaze. Ghost Rider attacks Hag and Troll, and he's soon joined by Blaze, who reluctantly joins the fight. Hag attempts to kill a nearby homeless man but is stopped by Ghost Rider. The brief battle is interrupted by the arrival of the Deathspawn, shadow creatures that pull Hag, Troll, and Deathwatch's body beneath the ground. Blaze is ready to quit and leave until he hears the rescued man say that there are more people underground, held captive by the Deathspawn. John agrees to help Ghost Rider save them and the two make their way below, unaware that they're being watched from above by Venom.
This story continues into Web of Spider-Man (1985) # 95, which is the first chapter of the "Spirits of Venom" crossover.
Hag and Troll were believed to have died during Ghost Rider's final confrontation with Deathwatch in Ghost Rider (1990) # 24. They were shown to be alive and killed the Guardsman in Web of Spider-Man (1985) # 94, which is why Venom is tracking them down.
Hag and Troll were not the most likely characters to make a comeback as villains for this series, considering they were little more than henchmen fodder in the last Deathwatch storyline in the parent Ghost Rider title. I could have seen Zodiak making a return (and honestly, I'm surprised he never did), but Hag and Troll? It's a pleasant surprise, though, because they actually make for engaging villains here with their desperate journey for survival, carting around Deathwatch's corpse as they make their way through the city. Mackie gives them enough of a personality upgrade that they evolve past their one-dimensional supporting role and actually become effective characters in their own right. There's a nervous desperation to them, a frenzy that almost makes you root for them to make it "home" even though they're terrible people doing terrible things.
This issue honestly has a whole lot going for it, it's one of my favorites even if it's purely a bridge story that sets up the next big crossover. Ghost Rider and Blaze get some great characterization moments, and the characters dynamics as they play off one another is really something special. It's been obvious since the first issue that this is actually a Blaze series that happens to have Ghost Rider in it as well, and Mackie's handle on John is immediately interesting and engaging. He gets a lot of mileage out of the carnival characters and the revamped personality of Blaze, making him a seasoned veteran who just wants to retire in peace but keeps getting dragged back into action. It would be easy to make Ghost Rider the overwhelming force that has to bail Blaze out of trouble, but Mackie makes it clear that the two compliment one another. John Blaze holds his own continuously in this series, making it a true partnership between the two heroes.
The artwork by Adam Kubert, even with assistance from three different inkers, continues to impress the hell out of me. I've gone on record that Bob Budiansky is my favorite Ghost Rider artist but Kubert might actually be a close second for me. His action sequences are amazingly detailed, he draws a particularly menacing Ghost Rider, and his John Blaze is easily the standard for the era. He takes Hag and Troll, whose Mark Texeira designs were frankly a big gaudy with all the neon green, and gives them an interesting dynamic. The fight takes a visible toll on them, such as Hag's mascara running as she attempts to seduce Blaze, which is a detail that not a lot of artists likely would have thought to include.
This may have just been the prelude to the bigger crossover coming next issue, but it's still a solid issue of the series that features everything that's been great about the series so far.
At the Quentin Carnival, John Blaze tests the ability of his new hellfire-powered motorcycle, which seems to defy the laws of physics. Meanwhile, in New York City, Hag and Troll are hiding out with Deathwatch's lifeless husk inside his destroyed building, surviving by draining the life forces of homeless people. They decide that they need to take Deathwatch "home" for the "others" to help him. Back at the Carnival, John argues with Wolf about the direction of the carnival. John then leaves to visit with Dan Ketch in New York, who he hasn't seen since Dan recovered from his injuries.
Later, in the city both Dan and John ride to meet one another, with John thinking to himself that tonight is when he ends his association with the Ghost Rider for good. Hag and Troll kill a couple outside of Rockefeller Center and the screams are heard by Dan, who triggers his transformation that is surprisingly felt by Blaze. Ghost Rider attacks Hag and Troll, and he's soon joined by Blaze, who reluctantly joins the fight. Hag attempts to kill a nearby homeless man but is stopped by Ghost Rider. The brief battle is interrupted by the arrival of the Deathspawn, shadow creatures that pull Hag, Troll, and Deathwatch's body beneath the ground. Blaze is ready to quit and leave until he hears the rescued man say that there are more people underground, held captive by the Deathspawn. John agrees to help Ghost Rider save them and the two make their way below, unaware that they're being watched from above by Venom.
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| Deathwatch has definitely seen better days. |
THE ROADMAP
Blaze last appeared, and last saw Danny Ketch and Ghost Rider, in Ghost Rider (1990) # 32. Ghost Rider last appeared in the back-up story from Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance (1992) # 8.
This story continues into Web of Spider-Man (1985) # 95, which is the first chapter of the "Spirits of Venom" crossover.
Hag and Troll were believed to have died during Ghost Rider's final confrontation with Deathwatch in Ghost Rider (1990) # 24. They were shown to be alive and killed the Guardsman in Web of Spider-Man (1985) # 94, which is why Venom is tracking them down.
CHAIN REACTION
While "Rise of the Midnight Sons" may be over, Spirits of Vengeance is already gearing up for its next crossover with this prequel to "Spirits of Venom".
Hag and Troll were not the most likely characters to make a comeback as villains for this series, considering they were little more than henchmen fodder in the last Deathwatch storyline in the parent Ghost Rider title. I could have seen Zodiak making a return (and honestly, I'm surprised he never did), but Hag and Troll? It's a pleasant surprise, though, because they actually make for engaging villains here with their desperate journey for survival, carting around Deathwatch's corpse as they make their way through the city. Mackie gives them enough of a personality upgrade that they evolve past their one-dimensional supporting role and actually become effective characters in their own right. There's a nervous desperation to them, a frenzy that almost makes you root for them to make it "home" even though they're terrible people doing terrible things.
This issue honestly has a whole lot going for it, it's one of my favorites even if it's purely a bridge story that sets up the next big crossover. Ghost Rider and Blaze get some great characterization moments, and the characters dynamics as they play off one another is really something special. It's been obvious since the first issue that this is actually a Blaze series that happens to have Ghost Rider in it as well, and Mackie's handle on John is immediately interesting and engaging. He gets a lot of mileage out of the carnival characters and the revamped personality of Blaze, making him a seasoned veteran who just wants to retire in peace but keeps getting dragged back into action. It would be easy to make Ghost Rider the overwhelming force that has to bail Blaze out of trouble, but Mackie makes it clear that the two compliment one another. John Blaze holds his own continuously in this series, making it a true partnership between the two heroes.
The artwork by Adam Kubert, even with assistance from three different inkers, continues to impress the hell out of me. I've gone on record that Bob Budiansky is my favorite Ghost Rider artist but Kubert might actually be a close second for me. His action sequences are amazingly detailed, he draws a particularly menacing Ghost Rider, and his John Blaze is easily the standard for the era. He takes Hag and Troll, whose Mark Texeira designs were frankly a big gaudy with all the neon green, and gives them an interesting dynamic. The fight takes a visible toll on them, such as Hag's mascara running as she attempts to seduce Blaze, which is a detail that not a lot of artists likely would have thought to include.
This may have just been the prelude to the bigger crossover coming next issue, but it's still a solid issue of the series that features everything that's been great about the series so far.
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| Creepy yet sexy. |
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