Ghost Rider (1990) # 54

"A Thirst for Celebrity"

Cover Date: October 1994; On Sale Date: August 1994

Writer: Howard Mackie; Artist: Salvador Larroca; Inker: Sergio Melia; Letterer: Janice Chiang; Colorist: Kevin Somers; Editor: Bobbie Chase; Editor in Chief: Tom DeFalco; Cover Artist: Salvador Larroca

Reporter Linda Wei is in her apartment sharing a drink with a friend when the lights unexpectedly go out. Blackout appears and murders the executive while declaring his love for the terrified Linda. Meanwhile, the Caretaker talks with both Ghost Rider and Dan Ketch about the importance of not fighting one another for control, then leaves Dan with the cryptic statement that he’s seen bad things happen to Ghost Riders before, which stuns Danny. Back at Linda’s apartment, Blackout forces himself on Linda and kisses her, then promises to return after he’s killed a local district attorney.

When Dan returns to his apartment he receives a phone call from Linda Wei, who tells him she knows all about his secret life as Ghost Rider and that she needs his help. He arrives at her apartment where she tells him about working for Deathwatch and Blackout’s obsessive love for her. She asks Dan to kill Blackout but he refuses, however when she points out the bloodstain on the rug Dan transforms into Ghost Rider.

At the Federal Building in Manhattan, Blackout attacks Randall Blair and his family but is interrupted from killing them by Ghost Rider’s arrival. Blackout takes Blair’s young child hostage and attempts to escape, wounding Ghost Rider in the process by stabbing him through the abdomen with a large pipe. Blackout escapes but the child is saved, returned to his parents by Ghost Rider. The next evening, Linda Wei uses her news broadcast to expose her crimes on live television and prepares to kill herself with a gun. She is stopped by Blackout, who rips out her throat while Danny watches and helplessly transforms into Ghost Rider.

THE ROADMAP

Linda Wei first appeared in Ghost Rider (1990) # 5 and it was revealed that she was working for Deathwatch in Ghost Rider (1990) # 13. She last appeared in Ghost Rider (1990) # 44.

Blackout appears next in Ghost Rider (1990) # 66.

CHAIN REACTION

The second Blackout story in a row turns out to be one of the most powerful endings in the series’ long history, putting Blackout back at the top of the villain pecking order.

This right here is what I’m looking for in a Ghost Rider comic, a disturbing adult-oriented story that is thoughtful and frightening. Harkening back to Blackout’s finest hour, namely the murder of Barbara Ketch in issue # 7, “A Thirst for Celebrity” is one of those unsung masterpieces of the 1990s series that hardly anyone ever talks about. Mackie did the unbelievable by rehabbing Blackout in the span of two issues, taking him from being the joke Lilith lackey back to the scariest antagonist the series has seen. Everything about Blackout is terrifying in this issue, from his “affection” toward Linda Wei to that absolutely blood-curdling ending. 

That ending is damn powerful. Linda Wei was one of those info-dump supporting characters, there to rehash plotlines during newscasts and occasionally drum up witch hunts for the main character, a la J. Jonah Jameson. That she was a subtle villain made to be unlikeable was a nice touch, and one that Mackie used to his advantage here. As a reader I didn’t really care about Linda until she was contrasted with the much nastier Blackout, whose treatment of her made me sit up and empathize. Don’t get me wrong, Linda is still thoroughly unlikeable, but the disproportionate response to her wrong-doing that results in her death is shocking, to say the least.

Salvador Larroca also seemed to reach a milestone with this issue, as he shrugs off the last of his Jim Lee influence and starts finding his own style, one reminiscent of contemporary artists like Gary Frank and Carlos Pacheco. The transformation splash page halfway through the issue is a game changing moment for the artwork on this series, elevating it from “decent enough” to “jaw dropping”. Larroca does nothing but improve on this series over the next year, and this issue is really where his evolution as an artist begins.

This is a forgotten masterpiece in storytelling and one of the best issues of the late 1990s run. If you’ve never read it you should immediately rectify that, you won’t be disappointed.