Ghost Rider (1990) # 57

"Where to Life?"

Cover Date: January 1995; On Sale Date: November 1994

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

Ghost Rider, badly injured by an explosion caused by the Next Wave, drags himself out of the river. All that remains of his motorcycle is the medallion gascap, the rest of the bike laying at the bottom of the river. Suddenly, Dan begins fighting for control and manages to force the transformation back into his own body, the transformation cycle now out of control. A few miles down the river, while Ski and Stacy are searching the water they are approached by Nick Fury, who offers to give their team SHIELD training when they’re done with their current mission. Under the destroyed pier, Dan Ketch is saved from police search lights by Wolverine, who was on his way through New York. Meanwhile, the Next Wave are again attacked by the Posse, who they learn via phone call have been hired by their former employer Penner. 

At a run-down bar, Dan and Wolverine compare notes about what’s happening with the Ghost Rider, and Dan again loses control and momentarily transforms. While the police are called to the scene and taken out by Wolverine, Ski’s Team are sent after the Next Wave. Dan again transforms into Ghost Rider, who tells Wolverine to take him back to the river to recover his motorcycle. Wolverine and Ghost Rider take out the Posse and the Next Wave, giving all three members of the Next Wave the Penance Stare. When Wolverine and Ghost Rider make their escape on their motorcycles, Stacy pulls her gun and fires on them. Ghost Rider transforms into Dan again and Wolverine tells him that eventually his demon will find a way to get out. Ski and Stacy, meanwhile, take Fury up on his offer of training.

THE ROADMAP

The Next Wave first appeared in Ghost Rider (1990) # 29.

The Special Task Force, or the the Team, were originally led by Michael Badilino and first appeared in Ghost Rider (1990) # 21. Lt. "Ski" Sokolowski first appeared in Ghost Rider (1990) # 47.

Stacy Dolan learned that Dan and Ghost Rider share a body in Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance (1992) # 18.

Ghost Rider and Wolverine last met in Ghost Rider/Wolverine/Punisher: The Dark Design. They meet next in Wolverine (1990) # 89, which takes place directly after this issue. 

CHAIN REACTION

A very subtle crossover with Wolverine (so subtle in fact that the Wolverine issue isn’t worth reading or reviewing here) wraps up the Next Wave plot and really starts to hammer home the conflict between Ghost Rider and Danny Ketch.

Easily the most fascinating aspect of the original Blaze/Ghost Rider stories was the battle between the two of them for control of a single body. The writers of that era were able to squeeze so much pathos and so many plots out of that struggle that it came to define what I think of when I think back to those comics. The 1990s incarnation, outside of some blips and bleeps along the way, had largely shied away from that dynamic until this point. I think that’s why it’s so engaging to read here, since Dan had previously been so understanding and accepting of the Spirit of Vengeance, even when it led to him DYING TWICE. 

It's also a suitable guest-appearance spot by Wolverine this time, following up both on the original Next Wave story but by spotlighting Logan’s own “battle with inner demons” motif that he’s carried around for years. Granted, Wolverine’s “berserker rage” isn’t an actual, literal demonic force threatening to emerge at any given time, but it's close enough for the merits of him being a mentor of sorts for Dan to pull himself together.

The Next Wave and the Posse are afterthoughts here and rightly so. It’s the personal dynamics and character conflicts between Dan, Ghost Rider, and Stacy that make this comic so compelling. Stacy continues down her own road to vengeance as she actually fires her weapon at Ghost Rider, realizing with tears in her eyes that she’s really shooting at Dan, the man she loves. It all works surprisingly well alongside pages of Wolverine beating up police officers and Ghost Rider ripping off a guy’s goggles to give him the Penance Stare.

And the artwork, good lord the ARTWORK. Salvador Larroca and Sergio Melia absolutely do boss work selling the agony that Dan and Ghost Rider are going through during their out-of-control transformation sequences. At one point you can see the back of Dan’s scalp splitting open to reveal the bone underneath, the scenes are that visceral without resorting to gore. There is a bit of a goofy moment halfway through when Ghost Rider wraps his leather jacket with bandages, but hey, artistic license, I guess?

All the dominos are set up to be knocked over when “Betrayals” starts next issue and the lead-up to that story has been perfect. Highly recommended!