Writer: Ed Brisson; Artist: Juan Frigeri; Letterer: VC's Joe Caramagna; Colorist: Andres Mossa; Editor: Chris Robinson; Editor-in-Chief: C.B. Cebulski; Cover Artist: Arthur Adams
Danny Ketch sits in his bar, The Fadeaway, and drinks to dull the pain of the transformation he knows is coming. The Ghost Rider emerges and rides to Cypress Hills Cemetery, where he finds a funeral gathering interrupted by Wallow, who is feeding off the dark secrets of the mourners. Ghost Rider is unable to touch the ghostly Wallow, who escapes to a nearby bus. Ghost Rider follows Wallow onto the bus and transforms back into Danny, who offers up his own misery to feed Wallow. When Wallow begins he has to turn solid, which gives Danny time to transform back into Ghost Rider and give the ghost the Penance Stare. This sends Wallow to Hell, where he's confronted by Johnny Blaze, the new King of Hell.
Danny Ketch has had a rough time since his series ended with Ghost Rider (1990) # 94. He was next seen in Ghost Rider: Danny Ketch (2008) # 1, which revealed he had exorcised the Spirit of Vengeance from his body only to find he was helplessly addicted to the power. He regained the power of the Ghost Rider in Ghost Rider: Danny Ketch (2008) # 5 as an agent of Zadkiel and spent several issues killing other Spirits of Vengeance around the world and absorbing their powers as part of Zadkiel's plan to conquer Heaven. He joined his brother, Johnny Blaze, in the final fight against Zadkiel in Ghost Riders: Heaven's On Fire (2009) # 6 and made a few appearances as a Ghost Rider immediately after. He then appeared in Superior Spider-Man Annual # 1 in a small role, where he revealed that he had lost his powers once again, though no explanation was given as to how or why. Danny Ketch most recently appeared in a small cameo role in Fantastic Four (2019) # 3-4 with his Ghost Rider powers restored.
Danny mentions in his narration that he died twice and was resurrected. The first death occurred in Ghost Rider (1990) # 25 and he was brought back to life in Ghost Rider (1990) # 32. The second death occurred in Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance (1992) # 18 and he was again brought back to life in Ghost Rider (1990) # 50.
Wallow first appeared in Ghost Rider (1990) # 87 and was sent to Hell by the Ghost Rider's Penance Stare. He was recruited by Blackheart as one of Hell's faux Spirits of Vengeance and made his final appearance before this issue in Ghost Rider (1990) # 94.
Johnny Blaze became the King of Hell in Damnation: Johnny Blaze - Ghost Rider # 1 and last appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy (2019) # 6.
Danny Ketch/Ghost Rider makes his next appearance in The Punisher (2018) # 14.
This issue of Marvel Comics Presents also contained stories featuring Wolverine and Deadpool.
Danny mentions in his narration that he died twice and was resurrected. The first death occurred in Ghost Rider (1990) # 25 and he was brought back to life in Ghost Rider (1990) # 32. The second death occurred in Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance (1992) # 18 and he was again brought back to life in Ghost Rider (1990) # 50.
Wallow first appeared in Ghost Rider (1990) # 87 and was sent to Hell by the Ghost Rider's Penance Stare. He was recruited by Blackheart as one of Hell's faux Spirits of Vengeance and made his final appearance before this issue in Ghost Rider (1990) # 94.
Johnny Blaze became the King of Hell in Damnation: Johnny Blaze - Ghost Rider # 1 and last appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy (2019) # 6.
Danny Ketch/Ghost Rider makes his next appearance in The Punisher (2018) # 14.
This issue of Marvel Comics Presents also contained stories featuring Wolverine and Deadpool.
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| It's a homecoming for Danny and for Ghost Rider fans. |
CHAIN REACTION
Danny Ketch makes his return in this special anthology series.
To say there was a lot of hype around this comic is an understatement, though unfortunately it had only a little bit to do with the return of Dan Ketch. Imagine my surprise when I went to purchase this comic only to be told it was sold out across the country. Stupid Wolverine's stupid daughter was stupid and she kept me from getting a physical copy of a comic that I was really looking forward to owning. Still, that's what Comixology is for I suppose, and I did eventually get a copy for myself.
It certainly wasn't disappointing, because while comic readers and speculators in general were all hyped up over Wolverine's daughter being stupid, Ghost Rider fans were excited about the long-awaited return of Danny Ketch. I've said many times before that Marvel seriously underestimates how many fans there are of ol' Danny, there's a whole generation of readers who grew up with him as their version of Ghost Rider. Johnny Blaze may be the nostalgic favorite for many, but for anyone who became a fan in the 1990s Danny is their Spirit of Vengeance. This story by Ed Brisson is a worthy reminder of why the character was so good in the first place as it firmly establishes the dynamic that Danny shares with the Ghost Rider while not forgetting what Jason Aaron did with the character a decade ago.
The nostalgia that this story brings up is impressive, because it shows that Brisson is either a fan of that era of the character or he is a research monster. All the great narrative references to Danny's deaths and the use of Wallow as the villain were touches that made this story more than just a sum of its parts, it's something special that seemed like it was written just for me (or, to be fair, Ghost Rider fans just like me who came up in that specific time period). It perfectly encapsulated what made Danny a great character and updated his status quo
The artwork by Juan Frigeri was a pleasant surprise as well, since he was an artist I was unfamiliar with but instantly fell in love with his rendition of the character. There's nothing particularly flashy or stylized about his work but he is a perfectly solid storyteller. I'm not so sold on his redesign for Ghost Rider, with the long jacket and all, mainly because the original Saltares design was so iconic. With Blaze going back to his original 70s jumpsuit, I don't know how necessary it was to tweak Danny's design. Still, it's a well-illustrated story that tells the story nicely.
Overall, this was an effective start to Danny's reemergence as a character with both an accessible story and some solid artwork. Recommended.
To say there was a lot of hype around this comic is an understatement, though unfortunately it had only a little bit to do with the return of Dan Ketch. Imagine my surprise when I went to purchase this comic only to be told it was sold out across the country. Stupid Wolverine's stupid daughter was stupid and she kept me from getting a physical copy of a comic that I was really looking forward to owning. Still, that's what Comixology is for I suppose, and I did eventually get a copy for myself.
It certainly wasn't disappointing, because while comic readers and speculators in general were all hyped up over Wolverine's daughter being stupid, Ghost Rider fans were excited about the long-awaited return of Danny Ketch. I've said many times before that Marvel seriously underestimates how many fans there are of ol' Danny, there's a whole generation of readers who grew up with him as their version of Ghost Rider. Johnny Blaze may be the nostalgic favorite for many, but for anyone who became a fan in the 1990s Danny is their Spirit of Vengeance. This story by Ed Brisson is a worthy reminder of why the character was so good in the first place as it firmly establishes the dynamic that Danny shares with the Ghost Rider while not forgetting what Jason Aaron did with the character a decade ago.
The nostalgia that this story brings up is impressive, because it shows that Brisson is either a fan of that era of the character or he is a research monster. All the great narrative references to Danny's deaths and the use of Wallow as the villain were touches that made this story more than just a sum of its parts, it's something special that seemed like it was written just for me (or, to be fair, Ghost Rider fans just like me who came up in that specific time period). It perfectly encapsulated what made Danny a great character and updated his status quo
The artwork by Juan Frigeri was a pleasant surprise as well, since he was an artist I was unfamiliar with but instantly fell in love with his rendition of the character. There's nothing particularly flashy or stylized about his work but he is a perfectly solid storyteller. I'm not so sold on his redesign for Ghost Rider, with the long jacket and all, mainly because the original Saltares design was so iconic. With Blaze going back to his original 70s jumpsuit, I don't know how necessary it was to tweak Danny's design. Still, it's a well-illustrated story that tells the story nicely.
Overall, this was an effective start to Danny's reemergence as a character with both an accessible story and some solid artwork. Recommended.
I had the same problem; Went to pick up the issue for the Dan Ketch short story, only to find out it was the hottest thing since sliced bread because of yet another daughter of Wolverine. Had to settle for the digital copy. Fun little story. Nice to see Dan and Wallow back.
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