Ghost Rider (2022) # 5

"Hell's Backbone"

Cover Date: October 2022; On Sale Date: August 2022

Writer: Benjamin Percy; Artist: Cory Smith; Inkers: Oren Junior; Letterer: VC's Travis Lanham; Colorist: Bryan Valenza; Editor: Darren Shan; Editor in Chief: C.B. Cebulski; Cover Artist: Kael Ngu

Johnny Blaze, his connection with the Ghost Rider severed and out of control, arrives in Utah for the Hell's Backbone Motorcycle Rally, having been given the instruction to "ride or die" by the Spirit of Vengeance inside him. Meanwhile, Talia Warroad attempts to interrogate the magician Zeb, but both are knocked unconscious by FBI Agent Whilmer, who reveals himself to be a demon.

The race at Hell's Backbone begins at sundown, with an army of racers including such people as Blade, Dracula, Man-Thing, Black Widow, Moon Knight, and Wolverine. The rumor is that the winner of the race gets to hold council with the Devil and have a wish granted. Blaze, determined to win, wants nothing but answers. The racers destroy one another as the competition escalates, with Wolverine recognizing Blaze as he passes by. Demons begin to appear to pick off the bikers, but Blaze is able to avoid them until another racer shoots out his back tire, causing him to crash. While the demon inside Johnny's head begins to emerge and choke him, Wolverine rescues him and pulls him onto his bike. Johnny tells Wolverine that they have to stop the race, so using his bike as an explosive Wolverine seals the tunnel ahead of them. Wolverine then turns to see Blaze being assaulted by demonic forces emerging from his own body. At the end of the race, the "devil" is revealed to be Blackheart, the one responsible for the rise in demonic activity across the country.

THE ROADMAP

This is Legacy # 248 of the ongoing Ghost Rider series.

Blackheart was last seen in King in Black: Ghost Rider (2021) # 1 and the details of how he trapped Johnny Blaze in Hayden's Falls is revealed in Ghost Rider (2021) # 7.

CHAIN REACTION

Johnny Blaze enters a lethal motorcycle race in a comic that's a literal retread of another comic.

I can't say I liked this issue even before it was pointed out to me that Ben Percy did this exact same storyline during his run on Nightwing several years prior. In that series, Nightwing has to race against a gallery of familiar faces to reach the end of "Harm's Way", which promises the answer to any question the winner asks. There's even a giant loop that the racers ride through, just like in this issue. It's not a bad idea for a story, especially a Ghost Rider story, but it's not so good that it can be used twice so blatantly.

Even on its own merits, this comic is ludicrously silly, mainly because Percy takes the conceit too far. A motorcycle race with a few familiar Marvel Universe characters would work well; Blade, Wolverine, maybe even Black Widow and Moon Knight could make sense. But when you start showing Dr. Doom, Man-Thing, Dracula, and the Rhino on custom motorcycles all legitimacy this comic has a serious story goes right out the window. There's also the considerable lack of Ghost Rider himself in this comic, outside of a few panels on the opening pages, which makes this really nothing more than yet another meandering character study of Johnny Blaze.

At least the artwork continues to be good, with Cory Smith drawing the hell out of the motorcycle race. It can't be easy to draw a race sequence like this, with the constant motion requirements for the artwork to maintain momentum and intensity, but Smith does an admirable job. He also sells the last page reveal of Blackheart, who is probably the least surprising character that the overall big bad guy could have possibly been. Smith at least makes it seem like a dramatic reveal with his moody artwork.

This is a bad comic, which is a shame considering how great the first few issues of this series were. Here's hoping the next issue can redeem this one's flaws.