Writer: Jason Aaron; Artist: David Marquez; Letterer: VC's Cory Petit; Colorist: Justin Ponsor & Erick Arciniega; Editor: Tom Brevoort; Associate Editor: Alanna Smith; Editor-in-Chief: C.B. Cebulski; Cover Artist: David Marquez
A vampire civil war has broke out in Romania, as the Shadow Colonel and his Legion of the Unliving sack Castle Dracula in search of the vampire lord. While Captain Marvel and Blade rescue a plane hijacked by fleeing vampires, Iron Man and Black Panther exterminate a group of vampires in the Wakandan Vibranium mine. At the Monster Metropolis beneath Manhattan, She-Hulk and Ghost Rider also fight vampires, but Robbie is approached by a demon boy that calls him a monster, stating that he has known all of the Ghost Riders since the very first one before disappearing and leaving Robbie very confused. Back in Romania, Captain America and Thor protect the human population from the vampires. They are approached by the Shadow Colonel and his hellhound Sarge, who surrender themselves.
Later, at Avengers Mountain, Blade interrogates the Shadow Colonel, who breaks free and starts fighting the Avengers. Elsewhere in the mountain, Robbie Reyes is found by Sarge, who invokes a spell that transforms Robbie into a monstrous version of the Ghost Rider. Meanwhile, on the Russian border, an elderly Dracula arrives, asking for amnesty from the Winter Guard.
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| I suppose this is the closest we'll ever get to a Hellboy crossover. |
THE ROADMAP
Blade was rescued from Castle Dracula to join the Avengers in Avengers (2018) # 10.
The devil boy in Monster Metropolis names "the ghost in the snow", referring to Ghost, the Spirit of Vengeance of 1,000,000 B.C. whose origin was told in Avengers (2018) # 7.
Robbie Reyes transformed into a monstrous form of the Ghost Rider once before in Ghost Rider (2016) # 5.
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| Spontaneous Vehicular Combustion |
CHAIN REACTION
Avengers begins its next arc with some really interesting developments for Robbie Reyes as the vampire war begins.
I admit to some severe skepticism about Blade joining the Avengers, thinking to myself that he's one of a handful of characters that just wouldn't fit on the team. For one, Aaron proved me wrong by going the obvious route of putting the Avengers in a vampire story, and for two, I bet that's exactly how Avengers fans felt about Ghost Rider joining. As a Ghost Rider fan first, though, this issue is exactly what I was hoping to see in this series.
As with a lot of things about this series, however, a vampire story about Blade and Ghost Rider doesn't exactly scream "Earth's Mightiest Heroes". Aaron manages to see it through by focusing on characterization of those two misfit horror heroes and introducing an intriguing new villain. I can't say I'm all that invested in vampires or Blade, but the Shadow Colonel and his plan to kill Dracula and take control of the Ghost Rider is intriguing enough to get mw past that skepticism I mentioned before.
The best part, of course, is the renewed emphasis on Robbie Reyes after several issues of a background presence. Obviously he's not going to be the focus of every issue, so seeing him get extra attention in the ensemble is exciting. Aaron knows his Ghost Rider and he obviously has a fondness for Reyes. Sure, he continues to drag him closer to the median when it comes to being a Spirit of Vengeance, but at least this issues gives a naming reference to Eli Morrow. Aaron seems to have some concrete ideas about where he's taking the character and that's a reassuring idea.
I wasn't particularly thrilled by David Marquez the last time he was handling the art chores for this series,. Maybe the subject matter just fits his style and sensibilities because his work here is phenomenal. He has such a great grasp on Blade and Ghost Rider, turning in the best rendition of the latter since Juan Gedeon. He has such a clean line that I'm surprised he's so effective on a monster story, but there it is. The splash page with the transformed Ghost Rider is particularly affecting.
This is a superb start to what promises to be the best story in this series so far. Highly recommended.
I admit to some severe skepticism about Blade joining the Avengers, thinking to myself that he's one of a handful of characters that just wouldn't fit on the team. For one, Aaron proved me wrong by going the obvious route of putting the Avengers in a vampire story, and for two, I bet that's exactly how Avengers fans felt about Ghost Rider joining. As a Ghost Rider fan first, though, this issue is exactly what I was hoping to see in this series.
As with a lot of things about this series, however, a vampire story about Blade and Ghost Rider doesn't exactly scream "Earth's Mightiest Heroes". Aaron manages to see it through by focusing on characterization of those two misfit horror heroes and introducing an intriguing new villain. I can't say I'm all that invested in vampires or Blade, but the Shadow Colonel and his plan to kill Dracula and take control of the Ghost Rider is intriguing enough to get mw past that skepticism I mentioned before.
The best part, of course, is the renewed emphasis on Robbie Reyes after several issues of a background presence. Obviously he's not going to be the focus of every issue, so seeing him get extra attention in the ensemble is exciting. Aaron knows his Ghost Rider and he obviously has a fondness for Reyes. Sure, he continues to drag him closer to the median when it comes to being a Spirit of Vengeance, but at least this issues gives a naming reference to Eli Morrow. Aaron seems to have some concrete ideas about where he's taking the character and that's a reassuring idea.
I wasn't particularly thrilled by David Marquez the last time he was handling the art chores for this series,. Maybe the subject matter just fits his style and sensibilities because his work here is phenomenal. He has such a great grasp on Blade and Ghost Rider, turning in the best rendition of the latter since Juan Gedeon. He has such a clean line that I'm surprised he's so effective on a monster story, but there it is. The splash page with the transformed Ghost Rider is particularly affecting.
This is a superb start to what promises to be the best story in this series so far. Highly recommended.
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