Marvel Comics Presents (1988) # 118

Cover Art: Steve Lightle

Published: November 1992
Original Price: $1.50

Title: "Legion of Vengeance, Part 6: Vengeance is Ours"
Writer: Joey Cavalieri
Artist: Shawn McManus
Letterer: Steve Dutro
Colorist: Fred Mendez
Editor: Terry Kavanagh
Editor in Chief: Tom DeFalco

SYNOPSIS

Ghost Rider and Iron Fist have their final battle with the Legion of Vengeance, now aware of D'Kay's plan to have the Legion supplant the heroes of Earth and then lead humanity to extinction.  Ghost Rider and Iron Fist manage to defeat the Legion by turning their powers against one another, and while they are under the fever dream of contagion they are able to convince the Legion that they must use their abilities for good and not destruction.  D'Kay appears and strips the Legion of their powers, returning them to their mundane lives in order to keep them from becoming true heroes.  Ghost Rider and Iron Fist leave the crypt, satisfied in their victory, but are unaware that the Legion still retain a vestige of their powers.  D'Kay, stating that the lust for power will always be there, swears that one day the Legion of Vengeance will return.

ANNOTATIONS 
Ghost Rider makes his next appearance in Marvel Collector's Edition # 1.

D'Kay doesn't appear again until Iron Fist (2017) # 79, which was part of the "Damnation" crossover event.  The Legion of Vengeance do not return with them and have yet to make any further appearances.

This issue of Marvel Comics Presents also contained stories featuring Wolverine/Venom, Giant-Man, and Doom 2099.

This story was reprinted in the Iron Fist: The Book of Changes trade paperback.

REVIEW
"Legion of Vengeance" concludes with an abrupt ending that leads to a pat and unsatisfying conclusion.

For all that this story has hyped up the Legion of Vengeance as the harbingers of humanity's doom, they sure are defeated awful easily in this issue.  While turning their abilities against one another is a fairly novel approach to defeating opponents whose egos run as rampant as theirs, having Ghost Rider chain up Bacillus' hands so he touches everyone, including himself, is a little ridiculous.  Is he so contagious that he can't turn his power off at all?  Then there's the bit where the heroes use the Legion's fever state to induce "fever dreams" of themselves as heroes and villains.  Ghost Rider and Iron Fist apparently missed their true callings as motivational speakers because they throw down some elementary philosophy at their enemies that immediately makes D'Kay throw his whole plan down the tubes. 

Shawn McManus' artwork is still solid enough, I think his work improved as the serial went on.  He draws a good Ghost Rider, his figures aren't as distorted as in previous chapters, and he handles the disgusting bits of Bacillus' power with apparent glee.  The Legion of Vengeance did have some strong character designs, Strontium 90's spandex get-up notwithstanding, and the visuals this issue are fairly good.

As much as I can't believe I'm saying this, I think this serial needed at least another chapter or two to sell this conclusion.  I don't particularly want to read more of this story, it's easily the worst Ghost Rider team-up in the series so far, but the ending is rushed through so quickly in this one in such an abrupt manner that it doesn't feel like an ending, just a stopping point. 

Grade: D-

Marvel Comics Presents (1988) # 117

Cover Art: Steve Lightle

Published: November 1992
Original Price: $1.50

Title: "Legion of Vengeance, Part 5: A World of D'Kay"
Writer: Joey Cavalieri
Artist: Shawn McManus
Inker: Jimmy Palmiotti, Ken Branch, & Shawn McManus
Letterer: Steve Dutro
Colorist: Fred Mendez
Editor: Terry Kavanagh
Editor in Chief: Tom DeFalco

SYNOPSIS

Ghost Rider and Iron Fist are confronted by D'Kay, the demon responsible for empowering the Legion of Vengeance.  D'Kay claims that he has created the Legion as a new breed of hero that will make Ghost Rider and Iron Fist obsolete, then invites them to Hell to see his plans.  They agree and are tricked into believing they are torn apart in Hell, though they quickly recover.  D'Kay explains that the Legion are his four avatars of doom to bring the downfall of mankind, signifying the betrayals of the mind, body, earth, and God.  He returns Ghost Rider and Iron Fist to the cave on Earth, where they are attacked again by the Legion of Vengeance. 

ANNOTATIONS 
This issue of Marvel Comics Presents also contained stories featuring Wolverine/Venom, Giant-Man, and Ravage 2099.

This story was reprinted in the Iron Fist: The Book of Changes trade paperback.

REVIEW
"Legion of Vengeance" takes a breather from the fighting to explain what's actually going on, and it makes for one weird train of exposition.

This is a strange one, folks, but it's one I appreciate on some deeper level than I thought I would.  This has not, in all fairness, been a very good story so far.  The Legion of Vengeance are bland and a weak sauce attempt to show how off the rails "heroes" obsessed with vengeance can go, which sets up a not-so-subtle parallel with Ghost Rider, and little has been done with the idea other than kung fu fights.  This chapter gets a little more expository as a demon lays out his plan, though that plan changes halfway through his explanation.  The Legion of Vengeance are either D'Kay's idea of heroic avatars under his control that will cause the obsolescence of other heroes or they're the four horsemen of the apocalypse that will usher in the end of mankind.  I like the latter idea much more than the former, and the descriptions of the Legion as the Four Betrayers is actually quite novel and interesting.

It's too bad that the rest of the comic is filled with the same overwrought dialogue and hysterically insane decisions from the protagonists as the previous chapters.  Ghost Rider and Iron Fist agree to go to Hell because, like Marty McFly, they can't stand being called "chicken".  That's not me misunderstanding their motivations, Ghost Rider literally says they'll go to show they aren't afraid to be in Hell.  That makes a ton of sense, almost as much as Iron Fist being able to shrug off having his flesh ripped off by bats with as little as a kung fu pose.

The artwork is pretty great in this one, though, and that's probably due to the influence of finishers on top of McManus' layouts.  This serial has been body horror central for poor Iron Fist and McManus seems to really relish getting to let loose with gory details like the bats stripping off flesh.  He also does really well with the four panels showing the Legion of Vengeance and their future actions on Earth, giving a great visual representation of something that could possibly have been difficult to depict on the page.

I had little enthusiasm for this serial when it started, and though it has picked up some in the latter chapters its still not very good. 

Grade: C+

Marvel Comics Presents (1988) # 112

Cover Art: Sam Keith

Published: August 1992
Original Price: $1.50

Title: "Return of the Braineaters, Part 6: Showdown"
Writer: Chris Cooper
Artist: John Stanisci
Inker: Jimmy Palmiotti & Ken Branch
Letterer: Steve Dutro
Colorist: Fred Mendez
Editor: Terry Kavanagh
Editor in Chief: Tom DeFalco

SYNOPSIS

Ghost Rider and Jack Russell are on the trail of the Braineaters, who are chasing the young boy Billy.  Russell takes silver bullets and merges them with Ghost Rider's chain, which when thrown into the Braineaters prevents them from ever becoming werewolves again, causing their deaths if they attempt to transform.  The gang's leader, Scuzz, arrives and battles Ghost Rider on the rooftop of a building, but allows himself to be impaled on a spiked fence rather than become a normal human again.  Later, Dan Ketch and Jack Russell talk about how Billy has been reunited with his remaining family.  Dan laments that he's unable to control the Ghost Rider, so before he leaves Jack tells him that if he ever needs a friend he just has to listen for the howling to know he's there with him.

ANNOTATIONS 

This issue of Marvel Comics Presents also contained stories featuring Wolverine/Typhoid Mary, Demogoblin, and Pip the Troll.

REVIEW

The Werewolf by Night team-up concludes in a strangely anticlimactic fashion.

I've been a big fan of this serial since jump street and was honestly surprised by how much trashy gold Cooper and Stanisci managed to conjure.  This easily could have been a throwaway story, and it's not surprising that it hit its highest marks when it focused on the characterization of its grimy setting versus the action pieces.  It was those action pieces that bogged the story down unnecessarily, almost like the creators were afraid to write a Ghost Rider story that hinged on mood and atmosphere instead of violence and fist fights.  This conclusion plays to that weakest element of the story with an extended fight sequence and a conclusion that sacrifices all of the world building Cooper had maintained throughout most of the arc.

Stanisci struggles here, too, because he's out of his element with the action pieces.  His art worked best when it was embracing the 1970s urban horror tone and when he's forced to drag the story into a fight scene his work really suffers.  He still draws a nice Ghost Rider, his werewolves are still looking like feeble dogs, but there's nothing pulpy about this installment.  He also really doesn't sell the twist of the heroes' plan to fuse the Ghost Rider's chain with silver bullets, which instead just looks like a bunch of bullets poked through the holes in the chain links.

I'm disappointed in this one, not because this concluding chapter was so much bad but because it threw away all the promise of the earlier installments.  I'd still recommend it, just know that the middle part of the serial is the best it gets.

Grade: B-

Marvel Comics Presents (1988) # 111

Cover Art: Sam Keith

Published: August 1992
Original Price: $1.50

Title: "Return of the Braineaters, Part 5: Roadkill"
Writer: Chris Cooper
Artist: John Stanisci
Inker: Jimmy Palmiotti & Ken Branch
Letterer: Steve Dutro
Colorist: Fred Mendez
Editor: Terry Kavanagh
Editor in Chief: Tom DeFalco

SYNOPSIS

Danny Ketch wakes up in the sewer with Jack Russell, remembering nothing since he was beaten nearly to death outside the Black Moon Bar & Grill, the headquarters of the Braineaters.  At the bar, the leader of the Braineaters named Scuzz tells the gang's human concubine Lupe that the kid they were holding hostage has outlived his usefulness.  Remembering what Dan said to her before he was savagely beaten, Lupe manipulates the Braineaters into fighting one another while she escapes with Billy.  The bikers quickly realize what's happened and give chase after them.  Lupe tells Billy to keep running and stands defiant, but the Braineaters all just ride past her on their bikes.  Only Scuzz stops, wanting the pleasure of killing Lupe himself.  Dan and Jack arrive at the bar and find the dying Lupe in the alley, and with her dying words she asks Dan if she "did good".  Dan transforms into an enraged Ghost Rider, who chases down Scuzz and punches him against a wall.  Scuzz, however, says that in the time it takes to kill him the rest of the Braineaters will have found and killed Billy, so what will Ghost Rider chose to do: kill Scuzz or save Billy?

ANNOTATIONS 

This issue of Marvel Comics Presents also contained stories featuring Wolverine/Typhoid Mary, Thanos, and Iron Fist.

REVIEW

"Return of the Braineaters" reaches its climax and continues being a surprisingly engaging story.

It had been quite a long time since I'd read this serial and I didn't have the fondest of memories of it, just that it was one of a long string of middling Ghost Rider team-up stories in Marvel Comics Presents.  However, this one is far better than my memory had led me to believe, with Cooper and Stanisci taking advantage of the pulpy plot elements to turn each chapter into a grindhouse era style treat.  Chris Cooper was usually a reliable writer, his Darkhold series was an excellent example of horror in the Marvel Universe done right, and he shows here a knack for taking what should be an unremarkable character into some truly touching pathos.  Lupe had already stood out in the previous chapter as the most interesting part of the story, a contradiction that gets her resolution here in a satisfyingly tragic way.

Stanisci also continues to make this series feel like the grimiest 1970s horror film the comic medium could have mustered in the early 1990s.  He starts out with a great splash image of Danny's dream of the Ghost Rider being pulled apart by the werewolves and only strengthens his work with Lupe's last stand against the oncoming motorcycle gang.  His anatomy for the werewolves is still strangely off, they look like starved dogs instead of hulking beasts, but it fits with the story's aesthetic.

This has probably been the strongest Marvel Comics Presents serial for Ghost Rider so far.  I really wasn't expecting that, it's far better than it had any right to be.

Grade: A

What If? Age of Ultron # 2

Cover Art: Christopher Stevens

Published: June 2014
Original Price: $3.99

Title: untitled
Writer: Joe Keatinge
Artist: Ramon Villalobos
Letterer: VC's Joe Sabino
Colorist: Ruth Redmond
Editor: Jon Moisan
Editor-in-Chief: Axel Alonso

SYNOPSIS
Due to the time-travel effects from the Age of Ultron, an alternate reality is created where Tony Stark died during his struggle with alcoholism, resulting in a takeover of his company by Obadiah Stane.  That, in turn, led to the "endless armor war" that ravaged the world.

Thirty years later, in Malta, an aged Wolverine interrupts a smuggling operation by mercenaries working for Stane Jr.  He's aided unexpectedly by a new Ghost Rider, a young man who says his power was passed to him by Danny Ketch.  They discover that the smugglers are in possession of the last of Stark's original Iron Man armors, but they are shot and left unconscious while Stane escapes with the armor.  When they wake up, the two decide to stick together to find some help.  In China they approach the Hulk, who is now a pacifist monk that refuses to help them.  They then go to Rutland, Vermont, where they find a married and retired Peter Parker.  Logan tells Peter that the new Ghost Rider is a kid who's family was killed by Stane's technology and his hate called demons to him, turning him into a monster.  Spider-Man reluctantly agrees to go, then they travel back to China and successfully convince the Hulk to join them, reuniting the "New Fantastic Four" once again.

The team travels to the Savage Land, where they find a giant Master Mold being used to mass produce Stark armor technology.  They fight their way into the Master Mold and locate Ezekiel Stane, who is holding the last of the Trask family, a little girl with the DNA of the Master Mold's creator, hostage.  Realizing that the only way to stop Stane is to disconnect the Stark armor from the Master Mold, Spider-Man removes the armor and causes a power overload, sacrificing himself in the process.  A week later, Wolverine delivers the news of Parker's death to his wife, then he, Hulk, Ghost Rider, and the little Trask girl say their goodbyes at his grave.

ANNOTATIONS
"Age of Ultron" was a 2013 crossover event that involved Ultron taking over the world via time travel.  In order to stop him, Wolverine committed more time travel actions that effectively "broke time" across the multiverse.  This act is what killed the Tony Stark of this story's universe, which deviates from the ending of 1983's Iron Man # 167.

This story is an alternate future reunion of the "New Fantastic Four", which included Spider-Man, Wolverine, the Hulk, and the Danny Ketch Ghost Rider.  They first appeared as a team in Fantastic Four (1961) # 347 and have made appearances in numerous What If? specials over the years.

REVIEW
It's yet another What If? special that features the New Fantastic Four, boy they sure do pop up a lot in alternate reality stories, don't they?

This was the only issue of the What If? Age of Ultron mini-series that I picked up and I'm left wondering if all the issues contained a premise that had absolutely nothing to do with the Age of Ultron?  I'm assuming that the rather tenuous connection of "broken time" is what they used to justify this story, and probably the entire mini-series, but it doesn't have anything to do with the actual Ultron does it?  He's right there on the cover with Iron Man, who does at least provide an influence on the plot, even though it's only slightly less tenuous than the story's ties to the crossover it's supposedly spinning out from. 

Taken solely as an excuse to the New FF band back together, Blues Brothers style, the comic mostly works.  It takes a really strange narrative jump to thirty years into some dystopian future that doesn't really do much to establish that it's a dystopia.  Other than a flashback panel showing some dead Avengers and the back-story for the new nameless Ghost Rider, it just looks like the regular world.  Peter Parker has a house in the suburbs, the Hulk and Wolverine have moved into some really weird phases of their lives, but the rest of the world seems to be ticking along just fine despite all the talk of how much Stane's armor war affected everything.  It just seems really odd to me that a story all about Iron Man, or the absence of Tony Stark at least, is used to justify these four characters coming back together. 

The real selling point for the story is the artwork by Ramon Villalobos, though I could see it being pretty divisive among more traditionalist comic readers.  His work has this rough look that's only enhanced by its doughy animation style, but those two elements don't clash as much as you might imagine.  His work is obviously influenced by Frank Quitely, though I don't consider that to be a bad thing, there are far less interesting artists to learn style techniques from.  He makes some really interesting design choices, such as Wolverine looking like an old sea captain, which do add some credence to the "thirty years later" setting. 

I'm frankly sick to death of New Fantastic Four reunion stories.  They all miss the point of the original Simonson/Adams story and never seem to have much of anything to say other than "hey, wasn't it cool when these guys were a team thirty years ago?".  This one is slightly better than some of the other New FF comics, but not by a wide margin.

Grade: C+

Cosmic Ghost Rider (2018) # 1

Cover Date: June 2018
On Sale Date: April 2018

Writer: Donny Cates
Artist: Dylan Burnett
Letterer: VC's Clayton Cowles
Colorist: Antonio Fabela
Editor: Jordan D. White
Assistant Editor: Annalise Bissa
Editor-in-Chief: C.B. Cebulski

Cover Artist: Geoff Shaw

In Valhalla, the Asgardian ream of fallen warriors, Frank Castle gets into a bar fight with a braggart of a god.  Later, overlooking the Rainbow Bridge, Odin confronts Castle about his actions.  Odin plucked Castle from a dying timeline that was erased in order to give him a warrior's reward of eternal life in Valhalla and does not understand why he continues to cause trouble.  Frank replies that he deserved damnation for riding with Thanos and making a deal with the Devil, he never asked for the reward.  Odin takes him to a room that contains his motorcycle, armor, and weaponry and tells him he will send him to any point in space and time he wishes.  Castle turns him down, unwilling to become the Ghost Rider gain, but Odin transforms him anyway.  Having lost some of his sanity again due to the power inside him, Castle agrees to Odin terms and asks to be sent into the past of Saturn's moon, Titan.

On Titan, Ghost Rider sneaks into the bedroom of a sleeping Thanos, who is only a toddler, with the intention of killing him.  Thanos wakes up and attacks him, prompting Frank to give the child the Penance Stare.  This reveals that Thanos is still an innocent and Frank finds himself unable to kill him.  Instead, he chains baby Thanos to his chest and escapes Titan on his motorcycle, kidnapping the child.

Pretty impressive pedigree there, Frank.

THE ROADMAP

Cosmic Ghost Rider was killed by the Silver Surfer in Thanos (2017) # 17.  He was rescued by Odin and brought to Valhalla in Thanos (2017) Annual # 1.

The origin of how Frank Castle became the Cosmic Ghost Rider was told in Thanos (2017) # 16.

CHAIN REACTION

The unexpected hit character Cosmic Ghost Rider quickly graduates into his own mini-series by creator Donny Cates and artist Dylan Burnett.

I think I've mentioned before than no one could have predicted just how popular Cosmic Ghost Rider became and how quickly it happened.  It's fair to say that he's not particularly original, given that he's a mash-up of the Punisher and Ghost Rider with cosmic flair sprinkled on top.  In fact, he's everything I've come to loathe about Marvel's treatment of Ghost Rider, the idea that a flaming skull can be slapped onto any character just for the cool aesthetic.  It was terribly derivative when they belched out Host Rider and Ghost Panther, so what made Cosmic Ghost Rider different?  He luckily had Donny Cates in his corner guiding his evolution, which imbued him with two things separating him from the pack: black humor and a load of heartbreaking pathos.

My only real criticism of the character in the previous Thanos storyline was that the revelation of the Frank Castle identity wasn't quite playing fair with the readers, since he speaks nor acts anything like the Punisher.  There were in-story rationalizations for this, sure, but it still felt like a cheap "gotcha" moment that hadn't been earned.  This issue goes a long way toward resolving that discrepancy during Frank's lengthy stay in Valhalla for the first two thirds of the page count.  Cates wisely allows us to see Castle as he was, reminding us all that this is indeed the Punisher.  We get the contrast with his characterization after he becomes Ghost Rider again, which makes his decision to go back in time to kill baby Thanos a little more palatable.  That's the thing that I think other writers who may tackle this character in the future are going to forget, that for all the dark comedy this is a severely broken individual that works best when thrown into a moral quandary.

It's a great hook for a mini-series, though, with Castle kidnapping baby Thanos in lieu of killing him, setting up what looks to be an epic road trip through space.  Dylan Burnett assists ably throughout, but I can't help comparing him to the work Geoff Shaw did in the Thanos story that introduced Cosmic Ghost Rider.  The characters look too exaggerated, too manic to work for what is actually a pretty chill first issue.  Burnett is going to grow a lot on this series, I just don't think this one played to his strength as much as later installments.  Still, that look on Castle's face when he goes after the minor god with the broken mead bottle is priceless.

Cosmic Ghost Rider, like most of the recent additions to Ghost Rider canon of late, is one that's fairly decisive for fans.  I think he's one that deserves a second look, especially in regards to this comic, as one that stands above the rest of his pack.  He may be a mishmash of concepts but he's developing into a surprisingly nuanced creation.

Punch that baby right in the face!

Western Gunfighters (1970) # 1

Cover Art: Dick Ayers

Published: August 1970
Original Price: $.25

Title: "Return of the Tarantula"

Writer: Gary Friedrich
Artist: Dick Ayers
Inker: Tom Sutton
Letterer: Jean Simek
Colorist: None Credited
Editor: Stan Lee

SYNOPSIS

Natalie Brooks has received the surgery needed to save her life but has yet to regain consciousness.  Her brother, Ben Brooks, and fiance, Clay Riley, talk in their room about their dwindling money, which Riley angrily says he will do something about.  Meanwhile, at the hospital, Carter Slade stands outside Natalie's room blaming his identity as the Ghost Rider for her condition.  Suddenly, his enemy the Tarantula shoves past him into the girl's room, promising to find a cure for her.  Carter attempts to apprehend him, but is knocked unconscious by the masked villain, which allows him to escape.

Later, the Ghost Rider tracks the Tarantula to his room in the city and attacks, but is outfought by the villain.  Only when Ghost Rider shoots out the lantern, plunging the room into darkness, is he able to convince the Tarantula of his ghostly nature and knock the man unconscious.  Wanting to know the Tarantula's true identity, he removes his mask and gasps in surprise.

ANNOTATIONS 

Carter Slade made his last chronological appearance in Western Gunfighters (1970) # 3, which filled in the gap between The Ghost Rider (1967) # 7 and this issue.

The splash page image of the Ghost Rider is an homage to Frank Frazetta's cover to The Ghost Rider (1950) # 4.

Natalie Brooks was accidentally shot in The Ghost Rider (1967) # 6 and was taken to Denver for emergency surgical care in The Ghost Rider (1967) # 7.

The Tarantula last appeared in The Ghost Rider (1967) # 5 and will be revealed to be Clay Riley in Western Gunfighters (1970) # 2.

This issue of Western Gunfighters also contained stories featuring the Outlaw, Fort Rango, the Renegades, and Gunhawk.

REVIEW

Two years after the untimely cancellation of the western Ghost Rider series Carter Slade is resurrected for this anthology series.

The early Marvel Ghost Rider stories are honestly not much to write home about, they're formulaic and attempt to shoehorn in the standard Marvel tropes of the time (secret identity troubles, unrequited love triangles, dogged by the law) at the expense of what made the 50s incarnation so interesting, namely the horror and mystery element.  It's not much of a surprise that the series got canned in 1968, because outside of the striking costume design for the Ghost Rider there wasn't much else to make it unique.  Dick Ayers was always a consummate illustrator, but his work was frequently sapped of all life by finishers who failed to compliment his art, and Gary Friedrich's scripts did little to make Carter Slade very interesting.  So, with all that in mind, I wasn't too thrilled about the character's further adventures in Western Gunfighters.

Color me pleasantly surprised and optimistic about the direction that Friedrich and Ayers are taking the series.  It picks up immediately after the end of the original series, complete with subplots that are being picked up and tied off here, and normally that would be a questionable decision but it actually works to the story's strength.  It throws you in a reasonable recap about Natalie Brooks and the rest of the cast, but there's this sense of drama and immediacy that the series lacked before.  Everything is tense and appropriately moody, giving the story a dark cloud that makes it pretty thrilling.  The Tarantula had already been cemented as the Ghost Rider's nemesis simply by appearing more than once, but he's a loose end that Friedrich obviously enjoys picked up to twist into knots.  Carter Slade is still mopey but he's at least got more of a personality than before, which fluctuated between "milksop" and "do-gooder".

The best part of the story, however, has to be the Dick Ayers and Tom Sutton combo on art duties.  Ayers was what made the western Ghost Rider work visually, he was the artistic creator of the character and he is always welcome to make a return with this new serial.  Unlike his collaboration with Vince Colletta in the previous series, who made Ayers work look flat and rushed, his team-up with Sutton compliments him perfectly.  I've always had a lot of time for Tom Sutton, both as an inker and an artist in his own right as an artist on the Johnny Blaze series, and his work here allows Ayers to breathe some actual life into the story.  The confrontation with the Tarantula comes off extremely well, emphasizing the lantern light and the use of darkness as factors in the fight.

I'm honestly shocked by how much I enjoyed this story, and I'm actually eager to see what happens next. 

Grade: A

Inner Demons Episode 39: "Cosmic Deadpool Destroys Drunk History"

Inner Demons returns to take a walk on the cosmic side as we check in on Frank Castle, the Cosmic Ghost Rider!  Not only does he get cursed at by a toddler in Cosmic Ghost Rider Destroys Marvel History # 1, but he has to join up with the Dark Guardians to beat up Nova in Guardians of the Galaxy (2019) # 2 and 3!  That poor guy just can't catch a break!  Thankfully, he doesn't have to appear in Ghost Rider (1990) # 18, which features Danny Ketch beating up a priest.  Wait, what?

You can listen to the episode at the Vengeance Unbound page on blogspot, or you can download it from Stitcher, iTunes, or Google Podcasts.  You can also find us on Facebook, just search  for "Vengeance Unbound" and on Twitter under @InnerDemonsGR.  Thanks for listening!

War of the Realms: Ghost Rider Ultimate Comic

Cover Art: Szymon Kudranski

Published: May 2019
Original Price: N/A

Title: untitled
Writer: Sean Ryan
Layouts: Angelo Scalise
Artist: Szymon Kudranski
Colorist: Rochelle Rosenberg
Music: Zach Heyde

Narrator – Brian Drummond
Ghost Rider – Edwin Perez
New Yorker – Deven Mack
Passenger #1 – Jewel Staite
Passenger #2 – Brian Drummond

SYNOPSIS
During Malekith's invasion of New York City, Ghost Rider Robbie Reyes attempts to rescue a traincar of passengers in danger of falling off the Manhattan Bridge.  During the rescue Ghost Rider is attacked by two winged females, warriors of the Heven realm of Asgard.  While the Hellcharger pulls the traincar to safety, Robbie takes out the angel warriors.  He then responds to news of another crisis and drives off into the city.

ANNOTATIONS 
"War of the Realms" is the 2019 event from Marvel Comics that featured the Asgardian Dark Elf Malekith invading Earth with his army.  This issue takes place between War of the Realms # 1 and War of the Realms # 2, both of which featured cameos by Robbie Reyes.

This was actually an online-exclusive "motion comic" released on 5/1/19.  It included traditional comic book artwork by Szymon Kudranski that was animated to replicate motion and a cast of voice actors.  The video's run-time was 3 minutes and 45 seconds.

Click here to watch the  War of the Realms: Ghost Rider Ultimate Comic

REVIEW
Huh, this was somewhat bizarre.  It's a motion comic years after I thought Marvel stopped producing them, released as a tie-in to the War of the Realms event while simultaneously buried on Marvel's website.  I didn't see any official announcements online that Marvel was producing these and happened upon it purely by chance while browsing Marvel.com's news on the Hulu Ghost Rider show.  Maybe it was some house project that they're quietly releasing out of obligation but not too keen to hype up?

It's honestly not much to write home about.  It's a fairly basic story involving Robbie Reyes fighting some angel women while trying to save a subway train.  The artwork is fair, though I've never been much of a fan of Szymon Kudranski's artwork.  He does a nice Ghost Rider, but his faces for people always leave me feeling uneasy in a way I don't think is initial.  The real detriment to the project is the voice acting, which features an intensely annoying Asgardian narrator and a Robbie Reyes that spouts off dialogue and inflection like a watered-down Spider-Man.  In Marvel's recent attempts to homogenize Robbie into the wider Marvel Universe they're also taking away some of his more unique characteristics, and while it's only slightly noticeable in Avengers it's blatantly obvious in this.

All in all, this is something you can watch for free and it clocks in at under four minutes.  I say give it a watch simply for the curiosity factor, just don't expect too much out of it.

Grade: C

Ghost Rider Back on Television

The news broke yesterday that Marvel is producing two new live-action television shows through the Hulu streaming service.  Those two shows, "Ghost Rider" and "Helstrom", will be the start of the "Spirits of Vengeance" branding that I can only assume will branch out into other horror characters in Marvel's catalog.  Here's some of the info regarding the 2020 Ghost Rider show that I pulled from Deadline.

Gabriel Luna is once again suiting up as Marvel’s Ghost Rider, but this time for Hulu.

Variety has learned exclusively that Luna will star in the recently announced Hulu live-action series based on the comic book character. This will mark the second time that Luna has played Ghost Rider, previously appearing as the character in the ABC-Marvel series “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” However, sources stress that this will be a completely new iteration of the character in no way connected to the “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” storyline.

 To follow up on that information, here's some more pulled from Marvel's website announcement:

"Marvel’s Ghost Rider" centers on Robbie Reyes, played by Gabriel Luna ("Terminator: Dark Fate," "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D."), the quintessential antihero, who lives on the Texas/Mexico border, consumed by hellfire and supernaturally bound to a demon. When he unleashes the Rider, Robbie brings vengeance for the innocents he encounters, but struggles controlling the power he wields. "Marvel’s Ghost Rider" is executive produced by Ingrid Escajeda, who will serve as showrunner, Paul Zbyszewski and Marvel Television’s Jeph Loeb.

“I couldn’t be more excited and honored to be handed the reins to a Marvel character as beloved as GHOST RIDER. This story hits every note for me—my love for grounded yet conflicted characters and my desire to scare the $&!# out of people! It’s important to me to find a take that thrills existing fans as well as wider audiences and I believe we’ve done just that,” said Executive Producer and Showrunner, Ingrid Escajeda.

Daimon and Ana Helstrom are the son and daughter of a mysterious and powerful serial killer in "Marvel’s Helstrom." The siblings have a complicated dynamic as they track down the worst of humanity—each with their attitude and skills. "Marvel’s Helstrom" is executive produced by Paul Zbyszewski, who will serve as showrunner and Marvel Television’s Jeph Loeb.

“As a lifelong Marvel fan, I feel incredibly fortunate to help bring this darker, thrilling corner of the comic book universe to life, and I’m just grateful to everyone at Marvel Television and Hulu for the opportunity,” said Paul Zbyszewski, Executive Producer and Showrunner. “Marvel’s known for all the heart, humor, and action they put into every series, but this time around we’re adding some scares to that mix. I think we’ve found a compelling way to dissect some of our deepest fears through the experiences of our two lead characters.”

"We're thrilled Hulu will be moving into a new—admittedly chilling—corner of the Marvel Universe with GHOST RIDER and HELSTROM. Paul and Ingrid are crafting gripping adventures into fear that live in our SPIRITS OF VENGEANCE cornerstone."

Now, as a Ghost Rider fan I find this to be extremely exciting news.  There's already been some of the naysayers out there going "Not My Ghost Rider" because it's focusing on Robbie Reyes, an attitude that still kinda stuns me every time I see it.  We all have our favorite Riders and there are definitely periods of the characters' histories that I point to as the ones that spoke to me the most as a reader.  I grew up with Howard Mackie's Danny Ketch as my Spirit of Vengeance, I had a deep respect for the latter day Johnny Blaze of the Roger Stern, Marc DeMatteis, and Bob Budiansky era, and I found myself loving Blaze as the Rider again during Jason Aaron's tenure.  Similarly, I've found myself a huge fan of Robbie Reyes, a character who deserves the chance to grow as the newest incarnation of the Ghost Rider just like Danny Ketch did nearly 30 years ago and Johnny Blaze did almost 50 years ago (Carter Slade fans represent!).

I seriously implore any fan that doesn't like Reyes to go on Netflix and queue up season 4 of Agents of SHIELD.  Not only does Gabriel Luna give an absolutely captivating performance as Robbie, but a lot of the things some fans dislike about Robbie in the comics are swerved around in the show.  He's an adult, he's much darker and less humorous, and he has the traditional "deal with the devil" backstory.  It was a great representation of the Ghost Rider, probably the best he's been in film so far.  Even if the connection to those Agents of SHIELD episodes aren't there I'm still so damn ready to watch this new show, mainly due to Gabriel Luna reprising the role. 

Just give the show a chance, don't be the typical internet fandom that immediately kneejerks into backlash because it's not exactly what you want out of the property.  I'm not saying we should settle for scraps, if the show is terrible then it's terrible, but condemning it outright because it's not Johnny Blaze isn't playing fair.  If we get a season or two of gripping television involving our favorite character (and c'mon, Johnny Blaze will have a presence in this show in some capacity, it would surprise the hell out of me if he didn't ) then what's to complain about?  Ghost Rider fans are fucking passionate, that's what makes us so awesome as a fandom, but don't let that passion turn you into a hater of something sight unseen. 

And if you're one of those fans who still whines about Ghost Rider having a car now instead of a motorcycle, then I'm sorry son, there's nothing else I can do for you.