Writer: Jason Aaron; Artist: David Marquez; Letterer: VC's Cory Petit; Colorist: Erick Arciniega; Editor: Tom Brevoort; Associate Editor: Alanna Smith; Editor-in-Chief: C.B. Cebulski; Cover Artist: David Marquez
The Shadow Colonel and his hellhound Sarge make their breakout attempt of Avengers Mountain, fighting their way through the Avengers. The Shadow Colonel is joined by the monstrous Ghost Rider, who is now under the vampire's control. They escape the Mountain in the Hell Charger and eventually lose the pursuing Avengers. Blade tells them that if they want to find the Shadow Colonel they first have to find Dracula.
In a Russian prison, Iron Man has done just that, breaking into the facility to speak to the captive Dracula. When Iron Man threatens to take Dracula back to the Avengers, the vampire lord uses his mental powers to start a riot in the prison. Iron Man joins the Winter Guard in stopping the riot and leaves the prison empty handed.
Meanwhile, in Madripoor, a group of vampires are slaughtered by the Legion of the Unliving. The Shadow Colonel leads Ghost Rider to a vault that contains a group of vampires children and orders the Rider to kill them. When Robbie attempts to exert control and defy the order, the Colonel recites a spell that causes him pain. The Avengers arrive and the Colonel uses another spell that forces Ghost Rider to attack them.
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| Hellfire halitosis! |
CHAIN REACTION
Aaron obviously has a fondness for Robbie Reyes that couples his past association with Ghost Rider as a broader concept. Its been fascinating to watch Aaron slowly pull Reyes closer to the Spirit of Vengeance median, seemingly severing his ties with that outlier "in name only" status that was bestowed upon him by his creator, Felipe Smith. Its not been as clumsy a process as it might have been, though certain details had to this point been glossed over. When the writing of the character is as good as it is here then it ultimately doesn't matter where Eli Morrow went or how Robbie used the Penance Stare. Those are details that do certainly need to be addressed, and I'm sure Aaron has a plan to do so.
The Robbie Reyes presented here is one that's been slowly falling into a hell of frustration, a fall now hastened by the magic of the Shadow Colonel. The narration from Reyes in the opening pages is chilling and serves as the anchor for this issue, the thing that grounds the more outrageous elements. In fact, its only when the comic steers away from that does it falter. The middle of the issue, taken up by the talk between Iron Man and Dracula, grinds the comic's momentum to a temporary halt. Dracula is the weakest part of the issue, being overly cryptic in an issue that's filled with nothing but characters talking cryptically.
The artwork by Marquez is another homerun for the series, making this one of the best looking titles in Marvel's roster. His rendition of the possessed Ghost Rider gives the character a terrifying presence that's far removed from how Reyes normally looks (yet is still appropriately reminiscent of Danilo Beyruth's work with the character). Marquez also gives things a sense of scale that helps to give a sense of reality to some rather outlandish story beats.
I'm still all in on this story arc, its featuring the best writing and art that the series has seen so far. They just need to watch their pacing and their Draculas a little closer.
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