Cover Date: June 1993; On Sale Date: April 1993
Writer: Howard Mackie; Artist: Mike Manley; Letterer: Janice Chiang; Colorist: Gregory Wright; Editor: Bobbie Chase; Editor In Chief: Tom DeFalco; Cover Artist: Mike Manley
A woman is chased into Cypress Hills Cemetery by two carjackers, where they run into the badly damaged Ghost Rider following his battle with the Firm. Ghost Rider gives the two men the Penance Stare and heals himself of his wounds at the grave of Barbara Ketch, asking why he is linked to her and the place of his rebirth. Meanwhile, the police and FBI investigate the destruction at the Firm’s hospital, which leads them to a sealed metal door. When they start to cut their way into the room with a blowtorch, the Scarecrow is revealed to be inside with a mysterious group of creatures held captive by the Firm.
Back at the cemetery, Stacy Dolan walks to Barbara’s grave to leave flowers and finds Ghost Rider. She draws her weapon and attempts to place him under arrest while Ghost Rider talks intimately about her and other people in Dan Ketch’s life. She receives a call on her radio about the Scarecrow at the hospital, which Ghost Rider overhears. He tells her to pull the trigger if she must, but it will not stop him from going after Scarecrow. Back at the hospital, the creatures released from the sealed room swarm over the police officers, led by Scarecrow. Ghost Rider arrives and confronts Scarecrow, leading to a brutal fight between them. Stacy arrives and shoots Scarecrow in the back; when he collapses, he is dragged into the shadows by the other creatures, who disappear with him. A few minutes later, Captain Dolan arrives with more officers, and Stacy tells him that Ghost Rider left through the back of the building. After the officers give chase, Ghost Rider emerges from a closet and thanks Stacy for hiding him. She tells him if he does turn out to be a bad guy then she will find a way to destroy him.
THE ROADMAP
The Scarecrow was taken by the Firm and given enhanced pheromone powers at the end of Ghost Rider (1990) # 7. He last appeared in Ghost Rider/Captain America: Fear, where he was once again taken by the Firm at the end of the story.
The Scarecrow appears next in Ghost Rider (1990) Annual # 2.
CHAIN REACTION
Ghost Rider returns to form with the strongest issue in months, aided by the Scarecrow’s return and some killer artwork by guest-artist Mike Manley.
It’s refreshing to see a lingering plot thread wrapped up in an appropriate amount of time after all the months of Death Ninja, Suicide, and Succubus leading to absolutely nothing. Scarecrow’s return was a dangling bit left over from the Fear one-shot, where the villain was taken captive by Stern and the Firm. So, if Mackie is going to wrap up the Firm plot with such finality, then addressing the Scarecrow is a fitting and natural progression. The Scarecrow generally brings out the best in Mackie’s writing and this one is no exception, particularly the villain’s speech about the similarities between vengeance and fear. It’s more philosophical than the villains in this series usually get, which makes it far more interesting than Michael Badilino getting hit in the face with a shovel again.
The best part of the issue is the long-coming confrontation between Ghost Rider and Stacy Dolan, finally addressing the missing supporting characters that had dropped out of the series after “Rise of the Midnight Sons”. Stacy is an intriguing character, and her story sees the first hints here of where her relationship with Ghost Rider is going to develop in the next few years. For a character who started out as the “token girlfriend”, her trajectory is fascinating from this point forward. That promise she makes at the end isn’t an idle threat.
Following Bret Blevins’ departure, veteran fill-in artist and Darkhawk co-creator Mike Manley steps in for an issue, providing a huge breath of fresh air. Manley is an interesting artist, he’s like a chameleon that apes the styles of other artists, usually providing a solid continuity to whatever title he steps into. Here he’s channeling Ron Wagner, whose earlier work on the series was very clear and action-oriented without sacrificing the deep shadows and level of detail the series had been known for in its earliest days, and especially Lee Weeks, the artist on the Fear bookshelf comic that featured the Scarecrow. His Ghost Rider looks magnificent in the opening pages after the firefight at the hospital, with the flames pouring out of his destroyed jacket to expose his skeletal body.
This issue may have essentially been nothing but a detour from the ongoing plotlines, but that’s actually what makes it so strong on its own merits. A very solid issue of Ghost Rider.
No comments:
Post a Comment