Ghost Rider (1990) # 60

"Betrayals, Part 3: Friends"

Cover Date: April 1995; On Sale Date: February 1995

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

Shriker returns to his apartment with the unconscious Dan Ketch. Dan wakes up and grabs a sword off the wall, trying to defend himself against the Shriker, who he sees as Ghost Rider’s ally, not his. Shriker disarms him and then unmasks himself as Jack D’Auria, Dan’s best friend and martial arts master. Meanwhile, at the Team’s headquarters, Stacy is offered a ride home by her teammate Sean Tully. Elsewhere, Nick Fury is given orders he doesn’t like by the Spook, who threatens to find someone else to carry them out if Fury refuses.

On the rooftop of his apartment building, Jack explains to Dan how he became the Shriker but is interrupted by the Caretaker, who is the one that led Jack on his mission to help Ghost Rider. Dan reacts angrily at the Caretaker and leaves, determined to turn himself in to Stacy as she’s the only police officer he trusts. He arrives at Stacy’s apartment while she and Tully are watching television together, and she leads him into the kitchen to talk. Dan loses control and transforms into Ghost Rider, their fight for dominance endangering them both as Tully fires his weapon at them. Ghost Rider attempts to destroy the weapon but the explosion accidently kills Tully. Stacy makes her way into the room through Ghost Rider’s barricade, finds the dying Tully, and swears that both Dan and Ghost Rider are going to pay for what they’ve done.

THE ROADMAP

Stacy Dolan learned that Dan and Ghost Rider are the same person in Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance (1992) # 18. She was offered a position in the Ghost Rider Task Force (called "The Team" starting in this issue) in Ghost Rider (1990) # 56 and she accepted in Ghost Rider (1990) # 57.

The Ghost Rider Task Force first appeared under the leadership of Michael Badilino in Ghost Rider (1990) # 21. Badilino quit the police force in Ghost Rider (1990) # 49 and passed the Team over to his second in command, Jim "Ski" Sokolowski.

Jack D'Auria first appeared in Ghost Rider (1990) # 4 and he made his first appearance as the Shriker in Ghost Rider (1990) # 52.

The Caretaker last appeared in Ghost Rider (1990) # 53 and this is his last significant appearance until Ghost Rider (2006) # 26.

CHAIN REACTION

Things just keep getting worse for Dan and Ghost Rider as “Betrayals” crosses the halfway mark.

Ghost Rider’s stance as a hero that doesn’t kill his enemies was a defining trait for the character, especially when juxtaposed against the flaming skull, chain, and spikes design that would have naturally put him in the same lethal company as the Punisher or Wolverine. So having him become a murderer, by accident of course, is something that I’m surprised Mackie hadn’t attempted before this. The writer toes a fine line with Ghost Rider’s culpability in the death of Officer Tully; he’s guilty even if his motives were purely about survival for himself and Dan at the moment. I think Mackie sells the moment with the appropriate amount of ambiguity even though Ghost Rider comes across as particularly selfish and negligent in his actions.

Naturally, the events in this issue also further cement Stacy’s decision to hunt down Ghost Rider. She finally turns against Danny, believing him to be a liar for claiming Ghost Rider would never kill an innocent person (though Tully’s innocence is also played up as believably ambiguous). As with the previous few issues, Stacy is the real star of this arc, with her character going through an evolution that fascinates me. Her relationship with Danny has been one of the most believable aspects of the series, with her going from girlfriend to enemy in a natural way over the span of many, many issues.

Then there’s the reveal of the Shriker’s identity. I admit, back in the day it was a real mystery who this character was but in hindsight it’s blindingly obvious. Jack D’Auria had been missing from the series for quite a long time before his reintroduction in issue # 51, one issue before the Shriker debuted. At the time it seemed like it was just Mackie doubling down on all the things that were in the series back in the first year or two and Shriker was just yet another mystery character, like all those Blood members he’d introduced in the year before. I won’t lie, I thought Shriker was Suicide or Death Ninja, silly me!

Salvador Larroca, aided by Sergio Melia and Kevin Somers, really knocks this issue out of the park. Dan looks appropriately haggard and desperate while Ghost Rider looks frantic during his few pages near the end. It’s nice to see the characters look and act like human beings, especially now that Larroca has toned down some of the overacting that his art had in the beginning of his run. He’s not a Jim Lee clone anymore, his own style is developing more and more each month.

“Betrayals” is turning out to be the strongest story the series has seen since issue # 25 and I have a strong feeling that Mackie and Larroca are going to stick the landing.