Ghost Rider (2022) # 9

"Slaughterhouse"

Cover Date: February 2023; On Sale Date: December 2022

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

In an alley in Chicago, Talia Warroad runs from the Ghost Rider, who grabs her with chains and tells her that Johnny Blaze is his, not hers. She makes a deal with the demon, telling him that she can provide him with sin to eat if he allows her to work with Blaze. The Rider throws her against the wall and when she recovers she finds Johnny transformed back into his own body, surprised that the Rider didn't kill her. Meanwhile, Exhaust rides into the city, the smoke from his motorcycle corrupting other drivers and transforming them into monsters.

Johnny and Talia find a church that Blaze senses is evil. When they go inside they find a congregation of parishioners dead, a sacrifice to the growing darkness in the city. A crow flies overhead, a signal from the Night Magician Zeb that they aren't alone in the fight. At Devil's Backbone in Utah, Zeb and his fellow Night Magicians prepare to attack Blackheart.

Johnny and Talia descend into the city's subway system, where they encounter a deranged homeless man and a speeding train full of screaming innocent victims. Johnny transforms into the Ghost Rider and follows the train, leaving Talia behind to be attacked by Exhaust. Ghost Rider is led by the train to a station filled with demons that are slaughtering humans, which he attacks with a hellfire flaming chainsaw, unaware that Talia is being strangled by Exhaust.

THE ROADMAP

This is Legacy # 252 of the ongoing Ghost Rider series.

Blackheart was revealed to be the source behind the Shadow Country in Ghost Rider (2022) # 5 and has been working out of Devil's Backbone since that issue.

Exhaust was the demon exorcised from Johnny Blaze by Wolverine in Ghost Rider (2022) # 6. He gained his current form in Ghost Rider (2022) # 7 and has been on Johnny and Talia's trail ever since.

CHAIN REACTION

Johnny Blaze and Talia investigate the horrors in Chicago while Exhaust closes in. The story is progressing!

I really enjoyed this one, folks. I've been unkind to elements of this series in past reviews, mainly because I see its potential being squandered with pacing and plotting decisions that I think are unnecessary and damaging to the series. The problems that I've flagged up before are thankfully absent in this issue, which features a welcome forward movement of the ongoing storyline and some really great character moments.

One of the things I really like about Percy's take on the characters is the antagonistic relationship between Ghost Rider and Johnny Blaze, which takes the time to highlight that these are two different beings sharing one body. Ghost Rider's almost jealous possessiveness over Blaze during his angry interaction with Talia is presented perfectly, as is the deal Talia makes with the demon in order to keep herself involved with Johnny. The friction between man and demon is what makes Ghost Rider unique and I'm glad to see that Percy's take isn't just Blaze with a fiery skull.

Similarly, the atmosphere of this issue continues what is the book's highlight and strongest element, the overwhelming sense of dread and despair that seems to emanate from the pages as you read. The tone of this series is overwhelmingly dark, something else I appreciate for what should be a horror series at its core. The tour of Chicago, the subway demon station, and Exhaust himself are all fascinating aspects that Percy and Smith take the time to explore.

Once again, Cory Smith is the MVP of the issue, whose artwork perfectly compliments Percy's bleak tone for the series. The over-the-top gore of Blaze's transformations are starting to get a little tiring, but it can't be denied that Smith draws a fantastic Ghost Rider. The end panels, with the demon swinging around a hellfire chainsaw, are exactly the type of thing this series should do more.

This issue was definitely an improvement over what's come before and it make me hopeful that Percy will continue to explore what makes this series works when its firing on all cylinders.