Cover Date: June 2023; On Sale Date: April 2023
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
Six months ago: Danny Ketch is hustling pool in a roadside bar when he is approached by a female scientist named Dr. Diyu, who wishes to make a deal with him in regards to the Spirit of Vengeance inside of him.
Present day: In Myrtle Beach, Johnny Blaze and Talia Warroad investigate a crime scene at a local dance club that doubled as a demon-worshipping temple. A fire broke out, killing hundreds of people at the club, and Talia uses a spell to see a replay of the events. She shares the vision with Johnny, who sees a green-flamed individual as the cause of the deadly fire. Danny breaks the spell, in disbelief that it was his brother that was responsible.
Six months ago: Dr. Diyu leads Danny on a tour of Infernal Labs, where demons are being dissected and used in experimental study. Diyu locks Danny in a containment room and unleashes a giant demon for him to fight, telling him that she wishes to speak with "the spirit". Danny transforms, telling her that "the other guy" doesn't have much of a sense of humor about things.
Present day: Johnny and Talia track down the only survivor of the dance club fire at a local hospital, where she is currently in intensive care for massive burn injuries. Before she dies she provides a sketch of the man with the burning skull, who Talia deduces may have antennae on his head that transmit a signal.
Six months ago: Danny wakes up after the Spirit of Vengeance inside him has destroyed the demon released in the lab. In her office, Dr. Diyu shows Danny a file with reports on all the innocent people he has inadvertently harmed as the Ghost Rider, then tells him that she can help remove his curse if he agrees to help with her research. She tells him that her brother died after being possessed by a demon, and that is the motivation for her studies into Hell.
Present day: Johnny and Talia go to a data center to track down the signal being broadcast, but when they find it what they hear makes Talia sick and triggers Johnny's transformation into the Ghost Rider. After hearing the signal, the Ghost Rider uses hellfire to transmit a signal of his own back to the sender. At Infernal Labs, during an experiment with Danny, the equipment catches fire, warning Dr. Diyu that they will soon have visitors.
THE ROADMAP
This is Legacy # 256 of the ongoing Ghost Rider series.
Danny Ketch last appeared as the host for the Spirit of Corruption in King in Black: Ghost Rider (2021) # 1. He was shown as the subject of Infernal Labs' experimentation at the end of Ghost Rider (2022) # 10.
CHAIN REACTION
The story slows down to flashback to Danny Ketch and how he came to be involved in the current storyline, which starts to sort out some of the pacing problems of the previous issues.
I'm not a detractor of the comic using flashback sequences to fill in gaps in the narrative, especially when they're necessary to the plot. Hopping back and forth between time periods, like this issue does liberally, can be complicated and confusing for readers, but I think Percy pulls off the transitions relatively clean. It helps that the two storylines consist of different sets of characters, with Danny in the past and Johnny's investigation in the present. It also helps that the characterizations and plotting are pretty spot-on in both sequences as well.
I appreciate Percy's take on Danny as a character with more than just morose angst, which would be easy to do considering the approach the writer has taken with Johnny. Danny is funny, like Dr. Diyu points out, and talks incessantly in all of his scenes. The pool hustling bit at the beginning plays into Danny's strengths as a character, as someone who is confident and insecure at the same time when he's dealing with other people. There are, of course, the continuity problems with Danny's status quo (is he still the Spirit of Corruption or is a Ghost Rider again?), but the comic wisely sidesteps a lot of that by just referring to Danny's possession by "the spirit" instead of going into specifics.
I also appreciate the investigative procedural aspect to Johnny and Talia's scenes, all of which lead to a great moment with the Ghost Rider calling out to his "brother" by way of a signal of his own. Johnny and Talia as a duo is starting to warm on me, with the two settling into a balance that maybe wasn't there in earlier issues? It's not so much Talia leading Johnny by the nose anymore, it's more of a genuine partnership, which is more interesting to read about.
Cory Smith and Oren Junior may not get as much Ghost Rider action to draw in this issue, but their work still breathes life into each and every page they illustrate. I really like their laid back version of Danny, who looks like everything just slides off his back as just another day at the office, compared to their always restrained looking Johnny Blaze. I also like the teases of action that they and the script provide when it comes to just what Danny is being subjected to at Infernal Labs.
All in all, this is another solid issue after a string of disappointments in months prior. I'm still wary that he won't be able to stick the landing but so far things are going well with this storyline.
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