Cover Date: 1995; On Sale Date: November 1994
Writer: Howard Mackie; Artist: Ron Garney; Inker: Al Milgrom; Letterer: Richard Starkings; Colorist: Paul Mounts; Editor: Bobbie Chase; Editor in Chief: Tom DeFalco; Cover Artist: Ron Garney
Ghost Rider and a woman named Norma Jean run through the transformed town of Christ’s Crown while trying to protect the teenaged Lucy Crumm from Blackheart’s minions. The Corrupted attack and Ghost Rider is able to fight them off, but he is infected with Blackheart’s corruption at the end of the battle. He transforms back to Dan Ketch and Norma leads him and Lucy to safety in the tunnels under the town. Meanwhile, at the outskirts of the city, both Wolverine and the Punisher arrive, summoned by Lucy’s telepathic cries for help. In his tower at the center of Christ’s Crown, Blackheart teeters on the edge of sanity as he’s mocked by his father, Mephisto.
Wolverine and the Punisher make their way to the rebel camp in the tunnels, where they find Lucy and the slowly corrupting Dan Ketch. Lucy explains that the town changed overnight and they were overrun by Blackheart’s Corrupted. Since “coming of age” Lucy has developed psychic powers, which she used to call the three vigilantes to her aid. While attempting to move the survivors out of the city via the tunnels, the heroes are attacked by the Corrupted. Dan transforms into Ghost Rider, but both he and Lucy are carried away by the Corrupted.
The following morning at his tower, Blackheart has dressed Lucy in a wedding gown and plans on using her power to kill Mephisto. Punisher and Wolverine arrive and are shown the captive Ghost Rider, who has been tortured by Blackheart. All three vigilantes are imprisoned and shown their darkest nightmares, but they are able to see through them and fight their way out. They fight Blackheart and eventually defeat him, but his world begins to fall apart when Lucy rushes to his side and forgives him. As the heroes leave with Lucy and the other survivors, Mephisto appears to again taunt his son. Blackheart, however, has a dagger stained with Lucy’s innocent blood, which he uses to kill Mephisto and take over as the new ruler of Hell.
THE ROADMAP
This bookshelf special edition is a sequel to 1991's Ghost Rider/Wolverine/Punisher: Hearts of Darkness.
Ghost Rider last appeared in Ghost Rider (1990) # 55 and appears next in Ghost Rider (1990) # 56.
Blackheart first appeared in Daredevil # 270, created by decades of ceremonial human sacrifice atop the hill in Christ's Crown.
Ghost Rider first met Wolverine in Marvel Comics Presents (1988) # 65 and the Punisher in Ghost Rider (1990) # 5. Not surprisingly, he encountered them both as enemies before he came to regard them as allies. He shares appearances with the two vigilantes next in Ghost Rider (1990) # 57 and Ghost Rider (1990) # 61, respectively.
Blackheart appears next as the new ruler of Hell in Ghost Rider: Crossroads (1995) # 1.
CHAIN REACTION
Hearts of Darkness gets a belated sequel that doesn’t match up to the quality of the original.
To say that this was a massive disappointment would be, well, an equally massive understatement. The original bookshelf edition that teamed up Ghost Rider, Wolverine, and the Punisher hit at exactly the right time and nailed exactly the right beats with exactly the right kind of story. This one is the definition of “diminishing returns”, as by this point in publication history neither Punisher nor Ghost Rider were the sales juggernauts they once were (Punisher, in particular, was on the verge of having all of his titles canceled).
The original had such a beautiful concept, with the three preeminent vigilantes of Marvel being tempted with killing Mephisto by stepping over a metaphorical “edge”, and their response in kind to the offer. The Dark Design sees instead the town of Christ’s Crown falling to Blackheart’s corruption with the heroes fighting against the evil forces that are taking over. It’s not quite as engaging, especially when you take into account the particularly ill-advised character of Lucy Crumm. Lucy was a precocious little kid in the first book, yet here she’s been aged up to become a teenaged sexpot who even references her “coming of age” to three grown men. It’s really unfortunate, especially when she’s seen in an overly sexualized wedding gown complete with a cleavage window.
The artwork is a big step down from Hearts of Darkness as well. Ron Garney is a solid artist who got much better as he went on, but he’s no John Romita Jr. I do enjoy his rendition of Blackheart, who for no particular reason is wearing a full-on trench coat over his demon body. The Corrupted are the laziest of designs, swapping out characterization for fetish leather-wear, and I’ve already mentioned the sexualizing of young Lucy Crumm. Garney’s work here just makes me feel uncomfortable.
It’s a shame that I have to recommend giving this one a pass. It’s a concept that had passed its expiration date a year or two earlier and offers nothing more to say that the original didn’t handle in a much better way. Imminently disposal.
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