Inhumans: Attilan Rising # 1

Cover Art: Dave Johnson

Published: March 2015
Original Price: $3.99

Title: "Attilan Rising, Part 1: The Voice Unheard"
Writer: Charles Soule
Artist: John Timms
Inker: Roberto Poggi
Letterer: VC's Clayton Cowles
Colorist: Frank D'Armata
Editor: Nick Lowe
Editor In Chief: Axel Alonso 

SYNOPSIS
In the Hulk-controlled dominion of Battleworld called Greenland, a quartet of freedom fighters called the Voice Unheard arrive, led by the Undead G-Man, a Ghost Rider from the 1950s.  They're attacked by a mindless Hulk, which they are able to give conscious thought back to with a spray mist developed by their benefactor.  Their actions are noticed by a squad of Thors, the police force of Battleworld, and the Undead G-Man tells his teammates to leave while he draws away the Thors' attention.  He leads them on a chase through the desert in his hellfire-powered car, but is eventually captured by the Thors.

Later, in New Attilan, the G-Man is brought before Medusa, ruler of the domain.  A vision of Doctor Doom appears and tells Medusa that she will interrogate the G-Man to find out information on the rebellion and them destroy him.  Elsewhere, the rest of the Voice Unheard meet with Karnak and discuss what's happened to the G-Man, and how eventually he'll tell Medusa everything he knows.  Back in New Attilan questions the bound G-Man, who spits hellfire at her feet.  She brings in a psychic Inhuman named Sterilon, whose telepathic interrogation kills the Undead G-Man.  Sterilon learned only one thing, the name "The Quiet Room".  Recognizing the name, Medusa sends an Inhuman named Auran to infiltrate the nightclub called The Quiet Room.  While there, Auran is met by Black Bolt, who recognizes that Medusa must have sent her to find him.  

ANNOTATIONS 
This mini-series was part of the 2015 Secret Wars event, which saw the Marvel multiverse destroyed with only a single world remaining under the rule of a godlike Doctor Doom.  The planet, Battleworld, was comprised of dozens of domains consisting of fragments of alternate realities.  This issues takes place in the Greenland and New York City domains of Battleworld.

On Battleworld all Ghost Riders are called "Spirits of Ignitions" and are forced to participate in the Ghost Races, held in the domain of Doomstadt's Killiseum, as shown in Ghost Racers (2015) # 1.  

The Undead G-Man first appeared in Ghost Rider (2006) # 33 alongside his partner Knuckles O'Shaugnessy.  Knuckles appears as one of the captive Spirits of Ignition in Ghost Racers (2015) # 2.  The Undead G-Man is an escapee of the Ghost Races and is working as an agent of Black Bolt until his death in this issue.

REVIEW
An unexpected Spirit of Vengeance makes a surprise appearance in this Inhumans tie-in to the Secret Wars event.

One of the more interesting things about the "Secret Wars" set-up is the ability for different iterations of characters to appear in locations and titles you would normally expect to find them.  Ghost Rider, in particular, really benefited from that idea with the Ghost Racers concept and how it allowed for every single version of the character to appear simultaneously.  Seeing as how that series had roles for all of the well-known Riders, such as Reyes and Blaze, alongside some of the less-familiar ones like Vengeance and Alejandra, there probably weren't many options left for any other writers wanting to utilize the "Spirit of Ignition" concept in their story.

Charles Soule must have dug deep to pull the Undead G-Man into this series, as he gets more screen time and characterization here than he did in the two panel appearance he made during Jason Aaron's Ghost Rider run.  Soule makes the G-Man into an immediately interesting take on the Ghost Rider (sorry, Racer), with his old Hollywood gangster dialogue and hellfire tommy gun.  I could honestly care less about the Inhumans or all the other characters floating around in this comic, but the G-Man was a welcome addition whose role in the story was more engaging and important than most people would have guessed.

The artwork by John Timms is perfectly serviceable, nothing flashy or outlandishly dynamic about it but it tells the story well.  He gets some good action moments out of the Undead G-Man and is able to make his distinct visual style work to the comic's benefit.  The rest of the characters all kind of meld into a generic haze of fiddly designs, but that could just be par for the course with an Inhumans series for all I know.

This certainly isn't a mandatory or necessary read, even if you're just following the Ghost Riders' path through Secret Wars, but it's certainly entertaining enough to not disappoint. 

Grade: B

Inner Demons Episode 38: "Old Man Dracula"

You've got a second chance, Inner Demons!  Back from a lengthy hiatus and now working as stuntmen in Hollywood, Brian and Chris are ready to tackle a full compliment of comic books both old and new for your listening pleasure!  Robbie Reyes talks to a ghost dog in Avengers (2018) # 14 & 15, Zero Cochrane lays around in a pile of wreckage in Ghost Rider 2099 # 13, and Johnny Blaze actually scares a supervillain in Ghost Rider (1973) # 13!  Now, if you'll excuse us, we need to be on set to jump this motorcycle over a burning schoolbus.  Action!

You can listen to the episode at the Vengeance Unbound page on blogspot, or you can download it from Stitcher, iTunes, or Google Podcasts.  You can also find us on Facebook, just search  for "Vengeance Unbound" and on Twitter under @InnerDemonsGR.  Thanks for listening!

Ghost Rider (1990) # 86

Cover Art: Pop Mhan

Published: June 1997
Original Price: $1.95

Title: "Faultlines"
Writer: Ivan Velez Jr.
Artist: Pop Mhan
Inkers: Jason Martin & Andrew Pepoy
Letterer: Richard Starkings
Colorist: Brian Buccellato
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Editor In Chief: Bob Harras

SYNOPSIS

Two months have passed since Dan Ketch has let the Ghost Rider out of the Void. The Rider, having been trapped for so long, begins to wonder if he'll ever see the outside world again.  In Hell, Blackheart questions the Scarecrow, who failed in his mission to possess Dan's body.  Scarecrow's torment is given over to Black Rose, who is quite enthusiastic to go about her duties.  Meanwhile in the real world, Dan and Stacy visit Mrs. Ketch, who has been institutionalized after seeing Dan transform into the Ghost Rider. When Dan enters the room, she begins to scream.

Meanwhile, two men from Damage Control, an organization that cleans up after superhuman battles, investigate the Ghost Rider beginning with the site of his battle with the Furies.  They interview Carlie Colon, who tells them that the Ghost Rider only shows up to save people.  Elsewhere, Jennifer Kale gives John Blaze a haircut as part of a magic ritual intended to help locate his missing children.  The Damage Control agents interview Luz and Candido, with Luz stating the Ghost Rider is a demon out for her "pure, virginal flesh".  The agents are led to a group of children, who all have stories about the Ghost Rider, and finally to a church to interview a man name Toother who has turned his life around after receiving the Ghost Rider's Penance Stare.

In the top floor of a building the group of kids set the room on fire with firecrackers. Dan exits the subway and hears the screams, finally letting the Ghost Rider out. The Damage Control agents watch as the Rider rescues the children and rides off into the night.

ANNOTATIONS 

Ghost Rider last appeared in Devil's Reign: Ghost Rider/Ballistic # 1.

It was revealed in Ghost Rider (1990) # 39 that Francis Ketch had always known about Dan being the host for the Ghost Rider.  However, her memories were erased by Jennifer Kale in Ghost Rider (1990) # 79.

The Ghost Rider's battle with the Furies happened in Ghost Rider (1990) # 80.  Carlie Colon was possessed by one of those Furies in Ghost Rider (1990) # 79.

The disappearance of Blaze's children, Craig and Emma, doesn't make a lot of sense.  He states they disappeared during the "Siege of Darkness", but it actually happened after that crossover, in Ghost Rider (1990) # 50.  Blaze did later see the children in the company of the Wendigo, and they did indeed disappear again while he was unconscious in Blaze (1994) # 6.  However, John was reunited with this children in Blaze (1994) # 12 and the Wendigo departed.  That was their last appearance and Blaze's inner thoughts in Ghost Rider (1990) # 74 revealed that they had disappeared once again.

John Blaze and Jennifer Kale appear next in Ghost Rider (1990) # 88, where they are on the road searching for the missing Blaze children.

Ghost Rider actually saved Luz's life twice, in Ghost Rider (1990) # 70 and in Ghost Rider (1990) # 73.  Toother received the Penance Stare in Ghost Rider (1990) # 70.

REVIEW

Ivan Velez finally slows down his run for a breather issue that features Pop Mhan's strongest (and last) work on the title.

By this point Velez has been on the series for 17 issues, and the first 16 of those were really all one storyline, or at least a series of stories that all dovetailed into one another with very little breathing room in between.  From what I can gather through multiple readings, that year and a half of comics actually all took place within maybe a week of story time.  So if there's one thing the series definitely needed right now, it's to stop and take stock of everything that's happened, to effectively slow the hell down.  The result of that is an issue that's probably the best of Velez's run so far, and he's had some quite good issues already up to this point.  That's due to him taking the time to address the repercussions of his run on the characters, from Danny and his immediate supporting cast to the new ones that Velez created in his first issue. 

This comic, in fact, is full of call backs to that first issue of Velez's run, referencing events and characters that had fallen to the side with all the Furies and Scarecrows running around.  That's not to say that Velez's supporting cast are all that endearing, Luz and Candido in particular are two of the more annoying characters this series has seen, but it's still nice to acknowledge the world that exits around the Ghost Rider.  Using the narrative trick of the interview process, through Damage Control's insurance adjusters no less, is certainly effective.  It shows that the Ghost Rider has been interpreted in many varied ways, most of which are wrong but all with a hint of truth.

The artwork really shines in this comic, too, though it's noted that Pop Mhan was not a favorable part of the creative team at the time.  He started off way too exaggerated and cartoonish in his first issue, but his work has slowly toned that down over his brief run.  This issue had some fantastic visuals, and had he started with this approach from the beginning perhaps he would be more fondly remembered as a part of Ghost Rider creative history.  His backdrops for the interviews, each with an increasingly demonic image of the Rider in the background, are quite good.  He's still stuck with the red and yellow eyesore of an outfit, but he does get to show what his version of the black leather Ghost Rider could have been on that opening page. 

While Ghost Rider's sales were dropping like a stone during 1997 that doesn't mean there weren't some gems being produced.  This was certainly one of them.

Grade: B+

Ghost Rider (1990) # 77

Cover Art: Salvador Larroca

Published: September 1996
Original Price: $1.50

Title: "Bitter Smoke"
Writer: Ivan Velez Jr.
Artist: Salvador Larroca
Inker: Sergio Melia
Letterer: Richard Starkings
Colorist: Brian Buccellato
Editor: James Felder
Editor In Chief: Bob Harras

SYNOPSIS

Francis Ketch has a nightmare about her daughter Barbara's grave being disturbed by images of crows.  Meanwhile, Ghost Rider sits atop the hospital that houses Capt. Dolan, his mind confused about the visions he's had since his fight with Vengeance. He transforms back into Dan, who breaks into a sweating seizure. Blaze picks him up, deciding to take him to a special kind of doctor.

The two arrive at the house of Dr. Strange, who tells Blaze that Dan is host to a Spirit of Vengeance that was once a mortal man that has had his memories erased. During the battle with Vengeance Ghost Rider received the Penance Stare, which has caused some of these memories to leak out.  Meanwhile, in Hell, Blackheart watches as his servants bring forth his bride - Black Rose.

Strange and Blaze take Dan to a young sorceress named Jennifer Kale, whose help is demanded by Strange. Jennifer releases the memories inside the Ghost Rider and he reveals his true name, Noble Kale. Simultaneously, Dan floats alone in the void until three beings called the Furies appear to kill him.

ANNOTATIONS 

The full story behind Noble Kale's origin is revealed in Ghost Rider (1990) # 78 and Ghost Rider (1990) # 92.

The spell keeping the Ghost Rider's memories hidden from him was broken when he received the Penance Stare, courtesy of Vengeance, in Ghost Rider (1990) # 76.  Gerald Dolan was injured during the same fight, victim of a heart attack.

Ghost Rider has caught fleeting glimpses of his past memories on two other occasions: when he was killed by Blade in Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance (1992) # 13 and when attempting to give the Penance Stare to Skinner in Ghost Rider (1990) # 64.

Francis Ketch's dream about Barbara's grave is actually a real event.  Barbara Ketch's reanimated body reappears at the end of Ghost Rider (1990) # 82 and it is revealed in Ghost Rider (1990) # 83 that the Scarecrow has taken possession of the corpse.

Blackheart killed his father Mephisto in Ghost Rider/Wolverine/Punisher: The Dark Design and was first seen as the new King of Hell in Ghost Riders: Crossroads # 1.

The true identity of Black Rose is revealed in Ghost Rider (1990) # 93.

REVIEW

Following the conclusion of the Vengeance arc, Ivan Velez dives into uncharted territory with his version of the Ghost Rider's origin.

I have a lot of fondness for this arc and for the Noble Kale origin story, even if at the time it seemed to fly completely in the face of everything that had come before during Howard Mackie's defining run.  At first glance it appears that Velez is trying to rewrite continuity, he's not been the best example of consistent characterization up to this point, but when everything is finally revealed it all does fit together with very little effort on the part of readers.  You have to kinda forgive some things, sure, but even Mackie had hinted at the Ghost Rider having an identity of his own before becoming a Spirit of Vengeance.  Velez takes that idea and runs with it, making this issue the start of what's really the writer's defining legacy on the series. 

I honestly can't really blame him for wanting to steer the series away from what Mackie had done, especially concerning Ghost Rider's origin and identity.  The whole Medallion of Power origin was such a huge misstep for the character that it actively hurt the ongoing mystery of the series, so quietly shoving it into the background for a much more personal take on the Ghost Rider's actual identity is honestly pretty refreshing.  There's a great hook to this issue, that Ghost Rider's memories are seeping out like poison that is affecting Danny in the real world, and it drags this series further into being a character-based drama in place of a superhero action series.

Unfortunately, those characters are absolutely all over the place, and its not to Velez's strength when he brings in guest-stars.  John Blaze is still wildly out of character, screaming and whining like a maniac at everyone.  I actually think that his use of Blaze is one of my least favorite aspects of Velez's run as a whole, it's so exaggerated and hostile that it's irritating to read.  Similarly, his use of Doctor Strange makes the character so inherently antagonistic to two heroes that had not long ago been pretty solid allies, though perhaps that's due to things that had gone on in Strange's own series at the time that I'm just not aware of.  Then there's Jennifer Kale, whose reappearance I appreciated even if it left me scratching my head about.  Why, I wonder, did Velez land on Kale as the linchpin character of this arc, tying her significantly to the Ghost Rider mythos in such a familial way?  Sure, it's nice to see her again, considering how much I enjoyed Steve Gerber's Man-Thing stories that introduced her, but she's essentially unrecognizable here.

I'm still appreciating Salvador Larroca's artwork, which has evolved in some pretty interesting ways during his extended tenure as the regular series artist.  The guy was consistent, with not a single fill-in issue during his run, and though he started as an obvious Jim Lee clone he grew as an artist very quickly.  His work at this point, which is nearing the end of his run, is more minimal than even a few issues ago.  He's not as interested in filling up the page with lines and allows the characters to get some definition, while also not scrimping on the details.  His rendition of Ghost Rider continues to be fantastic, and the splash page with him on the hospital roof is fantastic.

All in all, there's a lot to love about Velez's run on the series, despite its drawbacks and occasional characterization problems.  This issue in particular is one of the better ones of the run.

Grade: A-

The Ghost Rider (1950) # 2

Cover Art: Frank Frazetta

Published: October 1950
Original Price: $.10

Title: "Death's Stagecoach"

Title: "The Taming of Wild-Man Feeney!"
Title: "Death Wears a White Mask"
Title: "The Haunted Castle"
Writer: Unknown
Artist: Dick Ayers
Letterer: Dick Ayers
Colorist: Unknown

SYNOPSIS

"Death's Stagecoach"
Four ranchers control the Cactus Gap, and one night a cloaked man on a stagecoach places a skull with one of the rancher's names, Luke Mormon, on the rancher's fence post, stating that the man will die.  The next day, Mormon is murdered and another skull is delivered to the second rancher, Jeb Nolan, who becomes fearful for his life.  The next morning, Rex Fury is riding along the Gap and finds Nolan's dead body.  That night, Fury investigates as the Ghost Rider and confronts the masked stagecoach driver, but the villain is able to escape.  The third rancher, Roger Boofer, receives a skull and later almost dies from a dynamite explosion in front of the Ghost Rider.  His survival raises the Ghost Rider's suspicions and he realizes that Boofer is the stagecoach driver that is killing his rivals to gain their land.  Boofer goes out on the stagecoach to kill the final rancher but he is stopped and captured by the Ghost Rider, who states that Boofer will hang for his crimes.

"The Taming of Wild-Man Feeney!"
Notorious bandit Wild-Man Feeney has been called to town by a crook wanting to steal a herd of horses from a local rancher.  The conversation and plan is overheard by Sing-Song, who goes to tell Rex Fury.  Fury tells the local sheriff, but the lawman is too afraid of Feeney to intervene, so Fury decides to take action as the Ghost Rider.  He uses all of his ghostly tricks to fool the thieves, scaring Feeney half to death and causing the men to flee.  The next morning, Feeney and the men arrive at the bar and surrender themselves to the sheriff out of fear of the Ghost Rider.

"Death Wears a White Mask"
Settlers, or "nesters", are hated by the cattle ranchers for taking the land, and one of the ranchers has assembled a group of white-cloaked marauders called the Nightriders to kill the nesters.  Rex Fury infiltrates the group and is taken back to their cave headquarters for an initiation test of Russian Roulette with one silver bullet and five blanks.  Sing-Song sneaks in and replaces all of the Nightriders' bullets with the blanks, and when they go to kill a family of nesters Fury is able to save them.  Fury himself is caught and executed, but feigns death when shot by the blanks.  He turns into the Ghost Rider, who captures all of the Nightriders, the ineffectual blanks making it seem like he's an actual ghost. 

"The Haunted Castle"
Rex Fury and some locals ride by a purported "haunted castle" in the desert and Fury is told the story of the strange rich man who built the castle so he could be alone and was found dead outside its walls ten years later.  Fury makes a wager with the men that he and Sing-Song can spend the night inside the castle to prove there's no ghosts.  When they go into the castle, they are seen by bandits who killed the owner and have been using the castle as a hideout ever since.  The bandits "haunting" tricks are easily seen through by Fury, but then he and Sing-Song are dumped into a watery pit beneath the castle.  They escape the pit and leave the castle, but come back that night as the Ghost Rider, who scares the bandits into feeling the castle and admitting their crimes.

ANNOTATIONS 

Creator credits were not included in the comic other than the artist's signature.

The Rex Fury Ghost Rider is not part of Marvel continuity and is unrelated to the Carter Slade Ghost Rider, outside of inspiration of course.

REVIEW

It's four short stories of Golden Age goodies in this second issue of the original Western Ghost Rider.

It's difficult to review this series.  The comic and the stories within are such products of their times that it's hard to look at them with a modern critical eye.  So, for the most part I'm just going to gauge the series on how entertaining it is from issue to issue, and this one wins out for the most part.  The opening story, "Death's Stagecoach", is a pretty tight mystery that's also responsible for the awesome Frazetta cover.  It's a great gimmick for a villain, using the skulls with his victim's name painted on.  The second story about Wild-Man Feeney is hilarious and as over-the-top as you could probably go with one of these stories, especially with all the "cowboy" dialogue complete with misspellings.  "Let's get outta hyar" indeed, you spooked jasper, you. 

The other two stories aren't as solid as the first two, because both have some pretty fundamental problems with their concepts.  "The Haunted Castle" has the ludicrous premise of an Eastern European castle sitting in the middle of the desert, and even when it goes to great lengths to justify its existence it still can't get past the disbelief it took the creators to get Ghost Rider inside a haunted castle.  The biggest problem lies with "Death Wears a White Mask", as it deals with a group of white-garbed men on horses called the Nightriders that actively hate another group of people, yet doesn't address the elephant in the room.  The link to the Ku Klux Klan is obvious (Nightriders, people, Nightriders!) but slotting in the "nesters" in place of real life persecution of African Americans is about as tone deaf as you can get.  Perhaps this is all they could get away with in 1950?  I can't even hazard a guess.

The real star of this comic, the whole series even, is obviously the artwork of Dick Ayers.  Even in this rough Golden Age format, Ayers version of the Ghost Rider is wonderful.  He takes what could be just stock cowboy stories and gives them this ominous, sometimes claustrophobic atmosphere.  There's problems there, sure, such as Sing-Song's caricature and Rex Fury's jaw being so square it looks like a piece of bread, but every time the Ghost Rider is on panel the comic just flat out works.

It's the Golden Age, it's not for everybody, but at least two of the four stories in this one were pretty entertaining.

Grade: B-

Dead Man Logan # 3

Cover Art: Declan Shalvey

Published: February 2019
Original Price: $3.99

Title: "Sins of the Father, Part 3"
Writer: Ed Brisson
Artist: Mike Henderson
Letterer: VC's Cory Petit
Colorist: Nolan Woodard
Editor: Chris Robinson
Group Editor: Jordan D. White
Editor-in-Chief: C.B. Cebulski

SYNOPSIS

Logan has been hunting Mysterio, who he believes will lead to the dystopian future that Logan has time traveled from, and has been confronted by the Avengers.  Unfortunately, Mysterio has made Logan see and hear the Avengers as the Sinister Six.  Mysterio and other villains, including Sin and Miss Sinister, watch the heroes fight in Times Square from a nearby penthouse.  Logan tears through Iron Man's armor and cuts the tendon in She-Hulk's ankle before attempting to murder Hawkeye.  Ghost Rider hits Logan with the Hellcharger and attempts to drive him out of the city, but Logan sees Robbie as the villain Jack O' Lantern and cuts his way through the car to kill him.  Mysterio learns that the other villains plan on killing him, deeming him too dangerous, and releases his illusory hold on Logan as he leaves the penthouse.  Logan snaps out of the trance before he can kill Ghost Rider, then passes out on the street for the X-Men to come and collect.

ANNOTATIONS

Robbie Reyes made his last full appearance in Avengers (2018) # 10, made cameo appearances in Avengers (2018) # 11-12, and makes his next full appearance in Avengers (2018) # 14.

REVIEW
Robbie gets another guest appearance as a member of the Avengers, and at least this time he gets more action than just getting thrown through a house (looking at you, Immortal Hulk!).

It's certainly nice to see Ghost Rider getting more play as an active member of the Avengers, which means he's able to be trotted out in these random guest appearances alongside his teammates.  We've had a rash of Ghost Rider appearances of late that have gotten me all excited, only to be disappointed when it's just a glorified cameo where he doesn't even get a speaking role.  There was the aforementioned Immortal Hulk issue and the Danny Ketch appearance in Fantastic Four, both big goose-eggs for Ghost Rider fans.  So, when I saw this solicited, I actually didn't even bother to pick it up, thinking it would be another non-appearance.  Going back to check it out after the fact, Robbie does get a nice moment or two as part of the team, and even gets a solo interaction with Logan at the end that's pretty sweet.  Plus, having him portrayed as Jack O' Lantern in the illusory Sinister Six was a nice touch.

Mike Henderson does some pretty great artwork in this issue as well, he has a great handle on the action sequences and draws a mean Hellcharger.  His work reminds me of a cross between Howard Chaykin and Michael Golden, there's this angular grittiness that I really appreciate.  Unfortunately, the one part where he doesn't do so well is with Ghost Rider himself, who for some odd reason always has his jaw open as wide as possible.  It's a really weird design choice, and it makes the character look like he's screaming all the time.

I wouldn't say this is a necessary comic to pick up if you're just interested in Ghost Rider, especially since it's the third issue of a mini-series.  Not a bad appearance overall, though.

Grade: B

Thanos (2017) Annual # 1

Cover Art: Geoff Shaw

Published: June 2018
Original Price: $4.99

Title: untitled
Writer: Donny Cates, Chris Hastings, Kieron Gillen, Katie Cook, Ryan North, & Al Ewing
Artist: Geoff Shaw, Flaviano Armentaro, Andre Arujo, Katie Cook, Will Robson, & Frazer Irving
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Colorist: Antonio Fabela, Frederico Blee, Chris O'Halloran, Heather Breckle, Rochelle Rosenberg, & Frazer Irving
Editor: Jordan D. White
Editor-in-Chief: C.B. Cebulski

SYNOPSIS
Frank Castle, the Cosmic Ghost Rider, is sitting in a grassy field beneath a starry night sky, reminiscing out loud to an unseen individual about his death at the hands of the Silver Surfer.  He comments that Thanos used to make him see every vile deed the Mad Titan had ever done via the Penance Stare on a daily basis, and Castle's head is now filled with memories of Thanos' life.  He then goes on to tell stories about some of these memories, including ones about Gamora and Thanos' time wielding the Infinity Gauntlet.  Once finished, Castle's companion is revealed to be Odin, who is there to escort Frank into Valhalla.

ANNOTATIONS
Cosmic Ghost Rider was killed by the Silver Surfer in Thanos (2017) # 17 and appears next in Cosmic Ghost Rider (2018) # 1.

It was revealed that Thanos used Ghost Rider's Penance Stare as a way to relive all of his atrocities in Thanos (2017) # 15.

Podcast Review: Inner Demons Episode 26 - "Unreliable Narrator" (Click to Listen)

REVIEW
Cosmic Ghost Rider narrates an anthology of Thanos stories in an issue that is ultimately inconsequential.

Anthology comics are always a dicey concept, usually comprised of a very mix bag of creators and stories that can hop around in terms of tone and theme without much structure.  Cosmic Ghost Rider's narration is the connective tissue for each story, and he's the star of the framing sequence that takes him from his death at the end of "Thanos Wins" to the first issue of his own mini-series.  That's really all you need to know, honestly: Castle died and is taken to Valhalla by Odin.  If all you care about is Ghost Rider's journey, you can easily skip right past this comic.

There's not much to recommend here otherwise, I'm afraid.  Two of the stories are relatively decent: the Cates/Shaw Gamora story and Kieron Gillen's Infinity Gauntlet interlude are both readable if not terribly interesting.  Three of the stories are outright terrible, ranging from the ludicrous "Thanos Helps an Old Lady Across the Street" and "...Man Who Takes Everything" stories that turn Thanos' motivations into comedy situations that make no sense given the character to the absolutely horrendous "My Little Thanos" by Katie Cook, which made my eyes bleed.  Only Al Ewing and Frazer Irving turned out a truly excellent story, "The Comfort of the Good" was a fantastic exploration of goodness and religiosity with a truly haunting final panel of Castle asking if children were still in Heaven.

I think it's that drastic shift in tone from story to story that sinks this comic, because it can't make up its mind if Thanos is a deadly serious madman or someone who tortures a random Earth guy for no reason on his birthday.  If you're just coming for Cosmic Ghost Rider, I suggest giving this one a pass and saving your money.

Grade: C-

Cosmic Ghost Rider Chronology

For a character created as recently as 2018, Cosmic Ghost Rider has amassed an extremely convoluted timeline that features time travel to the far future and the distant past before the character finally settled in the present day Marvel Universe.

The character's origin was established via flashback in Thanos (2017) # 16, which told the story of how Frank Castle, the Punisher, became the host of the Spirit of Vengeance following Thanos' destruction of Earth in the near future (probably about 20 years from the present day, at a guess).  In the centuries that followed, Castle became the Herald of Galactus, which transformed him into the "Cosmic" Ghost Rider and gave him the abilities of the Power Cosmic along with those of the Spirit of Vengeance.  He later fell into a partnership with Thanos, becoming his "Black Right Hand", and that lasted for several more centuries.  Finally, on the eve of the final battle between Thanos and the last living being in the universe, the Silver Surfer, Castle used a shard of the Infinity Time Gem to travel back in time to the present day Marvel Universe with orders to retrieve that era's Thanos and bring him to the future.  Despite his vast power, during the battle at the end of time Cosmic Ghost Rider was killed by the Silver Surfer.

Thanos (2017) # 13 (1st appearance)
Thanos (2017) # 14
Thanos (2017) # 15 (identity revealed as Frank Castle)
Thanos (2017) # 16 (origin story told)
Thanos (2017) # 17 (death)

Castle found himself inhabiting a strange afterlife realm, where he was met by Odin, Allfather of the Asgardian Gods.  Seeing Castle as a valiant warrior, Odin rescued him from the dying timeline that was subsequently erased by the actions of Thanos and gave him a life in Valhalla free from the Ghost Rider curse.  However, due to his antisocial actions in Valhalla, Odin gave Castle back his powers and offered to send him anywhere in time to live again.  Castle chose the distant past, specifically shortly after the birth of Thanos on the moon of Titan.  At first intending to murder Thanos as a toddler, Castle instead chose to kidnap him, intending to raise him to be a better person.  This resulted in another bout of time travel, this time to an alternate reality ruled by the Thanos he raised.  Following a return to the past, where baby Thanos was returned to his home, Castle found himself with a new life sans a purpose.

Thanos (2017) Annual # 1 (rescued by Odin)
Cosmic Ghost Rider (2018) # 1 (sent to the past)
Cosmic Ghost Rider (2018) # 2
Cosmic Ghost Rider (2018) # 3
Cosmic Ghost Rider (2018) # 4
Cosmic Ghost Rider (2018) # 5

Cosmic Ghost Rider Destroys Marvel History (2019) # 1
Cosmic Ghost Rider Destroys Marvel History (2019) # 2
Cosmic Ghost Rider Destroys Marvel History (2019) # 3
Cosmic Ghost Rider Destroys Marvel History (2019) # 4
Cosmic Ghost Rider Destroys Marvel History (2019) # 5
Cosmic Ghost Rider Destroys Marvel History (2019) # 6

Recently, Cosmic Ghost Rider has been seen as an inhabitant of the current era of Marvel Universe history.  He made his presence known during the reading of Thanos' will following the Mad Titan's death and became embroiled in the hunt for Gamora.  Following the end of "The Final Gauntlet" he found himself the thrall of the Asgardian death god Hela and sent to Hell, where he was welcomed by Johnny Blaze.

Thanos Legacy # 1 (1st appearance in present day Marvel Universe)
Guardians of the Galaxy (2019) # 1
Guardians of the Galaxy (2019) # 2
Guardians of the Galaxy (2019) # 3
Guardians of the Galaxy (2019) # 4
Guardians of the Galaxy (2019) # 5
Guardians of the Galaxy (2019) # 6
Avengers (2018) # 23
Avengers (2018) # 24

Avengers (2018) # 25

Revenge of the Cosmic Ghost Rider (2019) # 1

Revenge of the Cosmic Ghost Rider (2019) # 2

Revenge of the Cosmic Ghost Rider (2019) # 3

Revenge of the Cosmic Ghost Rider (2019) # 4

Revenge of the Cosmic Ghost Rider (2019) # 5

Wolverine: Black, White & Blood (2021) # 3

Resurrection Day

As anyone who's followed the blog (or the website, back in the day) probably realized long ago, I like to take long as hell sabbaticals from posting.  I tend to get really into posting reviews and articles, where working on the blog fills me with a lot of obsessive joy, then I'll get severe Ghost Rider burnout (no pun intended) and step away.

For, like, MONTHS.

I last posted on the blog, podcast episode updates notwithstanding, back in August of 2018.  That's a long fucking time, and for that I apologize to all the Ghost Rider fans who come here looking for new material.  The good news is that I'm recharged and ready to resume rambling and ranting about comic books!  On the agenda are catching up on reviews (SOOOO many new comics have come out, people!), finishing the article series I began on the Top 20 Ghost Rider Stories of All Time and all the times the series has been cancelled over the years.  The podcast is, of course, on hiatus right now, so I can't in good conscience leave our fans without new Ghost Rider discussion on here.  It just wouldn't be right!

So, yeah, starting tomorrow: waking the hell up and getting on with writing! 

Oh, and just for posterity, here's a list of all the Ghost Rider comics that have come out since the last time I was actively posting, a checklist to follow along with at home:

Cosmic Ghost Rider # 1-5

What If Ghost Rider # 1

Infinity Warps: Ghost Panther # 1-2

Avengers (2018) # 2-15

Guardians of the Galaxy (2019) # 1-2

Thanos Legacy # 1

Any I missed? Let me know!

Inner Demons Episode 37: "Fly Like an Eagle"

Inner Demons returns with a new episode filled with three classic comic reviews, including Brian's choice for worst Ghost Rider comic of all time!  Which comic will it be, listeners: the return of the Phantom Eagle in Ghost Rider (1973) # 12, the final battle with the Hobgoblin in Ghost Rider (1990) # 17, or the conclusion to "Hell to Pay" in Ghost Rider (2007) # 7?

You can listen to the episode at the Vengeance Unbound page on blogspot, or you can download it from Stitcher, iTunes, or Google Podcasts.  You can also find us on Facebook, just search  for "Vengeance Unbound" and on Twitter under @InnerDemonsGR.  Thanks for listening!