Ghost Rider: Return of Vengeance # 1

Cover Date: February 2021
On Sale Date: December 2020

Writer: Howard Mackie
Artist: Javier Saltares
Inker: Javier Saltares & Marc Deering
Letterer: VC's Joe Sabino
Colorist: Arif Prianto
Editor: Mark Basso
Editor In Chief: C.B. Cebulski

Cover Artist: Javier Saltares

Michael Badilino is a prisoner in Hell, where a group of demons have him chained and muzzled for their amusement. Also captives of the demons are Anton Hellgate, Badilino's old nemesis, and Skinner, one of Lilith's demonic children who turned against his own kind. The demons put Badilino and Skinner into a death match against one another, but Skinner tells Badilino that he can help him escape. Hidden beneath Skinner's flesh is a piece of flaming bone from Ghost Rider and, upon touching it, Badilino transforms into Vengeance. He and Skinner destroy the demons and then free Hellgate, who Skinner says they need to make their escape back to Earth.

Vengeance fights his way through an army of demons to reach the spot in Hell that is a weak point in the dimensional walls. He and Skinner use Hellgate's body to open up the portal to Earth, which they use to navigate through the dimensional void. During the trip, Vengeance sees flashes of Skinner's life, including when he murdered his own wife and child. Once they reach Earth, Vengeance kills Skinner, sending him back to Hell to suffer for killing his family. Vengeance decides to ignore whatever is going on with Blaze and Ketch and goes his own way, riding off into the night.

90s villain roll-call!  Where are Death Ninja and Snowblind?

THE ROADMAP

Michael Badilino first appeared in Ghost Rider (1990) # 21 and became vengeance in Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance (1992) # 9. He was last seen in Hell as Vengeance in Ghost Rider (1990) # 94 but did show up alive on Earth, though de-powered, in Ghost Rider (2006) # 30. How he returned to Hell has not been revealed, though this issue seems to indicate that he has been there since the end of the 1990s series.

Hellgate first appeared in Ghost Rider (1990) # 48. He captured Badilino in Ghost Rider (1990) # 50 and spent time torturing him until he was rescued in Ghost Rider (1990) # 52. Vengeance destroyed himself and Hellgate in Ghost Rider (1990) # 76.

Skinner first appeared in Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance (1992) # 3 and was last seen alive in Over the Edge (1995) # 9. How he died and became trapped in Hell was not shown.

Johnny Blaze became the King of Hell in Damnation: Johnny Blaze - Ghost Rider # 1. This story takes place sometime before King in Black: Ghost Rider # 1, which has Mephisto regaining Hell's throne from Blaze.

The Orb is watching them in space!

CHAIN REACTION

Howard Mackie and Javier Saltares return to chronicle a new adventure for Vengeance, a character whose limelight faded decades ago.

Having the team of Mackie and Saltares doing new work on a Ghost Rider project is a dream come true for fans of the 1990s series, which was arguably the most popular era in the character's history. Originally, this comic had a much different purpose and was ultimately a victim of the COVID-19 pandemic placing a crushing blow on the comics industry. This particular one-shot was first solicited as an Annual for the 2019 Ghost Rider series and was to be co-written by Ed Brisson; alas, plans changed and that series was cancelled before this story could be published, but at least it suffered a better fate than other Ghost Rider comics slated for release in mid-2020. At least it got to exist, altered form or not, and for that I am grateful.

Unfortunately, the end result is a product that's ultimately a disappointment. A lot of that has to do with the fact that Vengeance just isn't all that interesting as a protagonist; he's a bit one-note, especially in comparison to his counterparts like Blaze and Ketch. He works as a recurring villain or foil, but my interest drops rapidly when he's the main focus. Similarly, the plot takes what could have been a fun escaped (escape from Hell!) and makes it about as dry as possible. I love seeing all the nods to history that Mackie places within this story, it makes the Ghost Rider continuity seem alive and happy to accept its backstory as a boon instead of a hinderance, but its just not engaging enough to make much of an impression. I do love the bit with Hellgate, though, being in disbelief that the others are taking his name so literally. That's the type of character work that I missed from Mackie's work on the series, and when it shines through here it makes the package better.

I've also got my issues with the artwork by Saltares, but much of that might again be due to the pandemic delays and the need for a back-up finisher halfway through the comic. Little things add up, like Badilino being so off-model (suddenly he's a blonde-haired, 8 foot tall juggernaut of a man), the distinctly bland redesign for Vengeance, and a Hell that offers nothing really special to look at. Saltares, like Mackie, does the best when reminding readers of the past, such as the flashbacks showing Blaze in his 90s shotgun & trenchcoat design. 

I don't want to give up on Mackie and Saltares doing more work with Ghost Rider or even with Vengeance in the future. This was hopefully a first step toward something much better. Taken on its own merits, though, "Return of Vengeance" didn't satisfy me in the way I was hoping.