"Mother of Demons"
Cover Date: April 2020; On Sale Date: February 2020
Writer: Ed Brisson; Artist: Roland Boschi; Letterer: VC's Joe Caramagna; Colorist: Dan Brown; Editor: Chris Robinson; Senior Editor: Jordan D. White; Editor-in-Chief: C.B. Cebulski; Cover Artist: Phillip Tan
Lilith, coveting the throne of Hell, attempts to manipulate Johnny Blaze, the current ruler, but is cast aside with hellfire. She then travels to Limbo and visits Belasco, that realm's ruler, and makes a deal with him that will leave them both as the sole rules of a unified Hell. Back in the true Hell, Lilith frees the spirit of the Jack O' Lantern and sends him back to Earth. Her body failing from her expenditure of power, Lilith births herself a new body, one more befitting of a queen.
Johnny Blaze sits on the throne of Hell, contemplating how his time as ruler was supposed to be temporary. He quells an uprising of demons led by his enemy the Deacon, then spends time sending more former enemies such as Hellgate, Ripper, and the Jack O' Lantern deeper into the bowels of Hell. As he spends what he perceives to be centuries as Hell's ruler, he realizes that Dr. Strange and Wong won't be coming to rescue him, forcing him to accept his position as the king of Hell.
Danny Ketch returns from Limbo where he was bound with the Spirit of Corruption by Belasco. Sister Sara, the Caretaker, admits that she knew that was what would happen and that it was for the greater good. Danny leaves and goes to a nearby liquor store, where he's confronted by the resurrected Jack O' Lantern, who has been sent by Lilith to kill Danny. Pulling the sword of Necrosis from his body, Danny transforms into the Spirit of Corruption and forces Jack O' Lantern to tell him about Lilith's plan. Danny then kills Jack O' Lantern, sending the villain back to Hell, and goes off to find his brother, Johnny.
THE ROADMAP
This issue takes place between Ghost Rider (2019) # 4 and Ghost Rider (2019) # 5.
Blaze became the King of Hell in Damnation: Johnny Blaze - Ghost Rider (2018) # 1.
Lilith first appeared in Ghost Rider (1990) # 28 and was a recurring foe through the 1990s series. This issue explains her new character design from Ghost Rider (2019) # 1.
Jack O Lantern died during the "Civil War" crossover event and his body was used as a host for Lucifer in Ghost Rider (2006) # 8-11, where he encountered Johnny Blaze for the first time. He had no prior encounters with Danny Ketch before this issue.
The other villains shown in Hell were the Deacon, who first appeared in Ghost Rider (2006) # 24 and was seen in Hell during the Iron Fist chapters of the "Damnation" crossover; Hellgate, who died in Ghost Rider (1990) # 76 and appears next in Ghost Rider: Return of Vengeance (2020) # 1; and Ripper, who first appeared in Ghost Rider (1990) # 73 and died in Ghost Rider (1990) # 76.
CHAIN REACTION
Brisson and Boschi present a spotlight story on Lilith that also focuses on Johnny's time in Hell and the continuation of Danny's transformation into the new Spirit of Corruption.
As much as I enjoyed this comic, I'm failing to see the point of it. Serving to fill in gaps in the back story of Lilith and Johnny as the King of Hell, nothing really of note happens that readers couldn't have figured out by reading between the lines in the ongoing series. There is at least a master class of workmanship going on here, with the narrative split between three perspectives. That does make me wonder why Lilith got the title billing and this wasn't just presented as an Annual or something, because Lilith only gets a third of the comic to herself.
Brisson continues to show that he knows his Ghost Rider history, bringing back even more obscure villains like Ripper and the Deacon to bring weight to Johnny's time in Hell. It's not just random demons, it's people he's sent to Hell himself (or at least was an active participant in fighting against on Earth, like with Anton Hellgate). Johnny and Danny are really just puppets, though, despite the newfound power that both of them have acquired. They have no agency of their own, and the only character in the story with any sense of control is Lilith, whose behind the scenes manipulations play out in a smaller way than the grand battles Johnny faces in Hell.
Roland Boschi is always welcome as a Ghost Rider artist, having left his mark on the series a decade before during Jason Aaron's time on the series. His design work on Lilith is excellent, and shows just how much mileage her original design had left before being discarded for Aaron Kuder's surprisingly bland reinterpretation. All of the characters shine under his art, with my favorite page being the wonderfully expressive splash page of Jack O' Lantern waiting for Danny at the door to the liquor store. Dan Brown, also from the Aaron/Boschi era, provides a great color palate for the comic as well.
Readers of the ongoing series don't necessarily need to pick this one-shot up, though it does provide some extra characterization of the prime players in Brisson's run. I recommend it for sheer entertainment value.
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