Ghost Rider (2019) # 5

"Hearts of Darkness II, Part 1"

Cover Date: February 2020; On Sale Date: December 2019

Writer: Ed Brisson; Artist: Juan Frigeri; Letterer: VC's Joe Caramagna; Colorist: Jason Keith; Editor: Chris Robinson; Senior Editor: Jordan D. White; Editor-in-Chief: C.B. Cebulski; Cover Artist: Aaron Kuder

At the docked cruise ship in Manhattan, where Johnny Blaze killed a host of demons including one possessing a cop, the Punisher and Wolverine examine the crime scene. Realizing that Danny Ketch had been there they assume he was responsible for the deaths of who they believe were innocent people and go about tracking him down. Meanwhile, at a motel in Utah, Johnny Blaze interrogates the captive Mephisto about the escaped demons. Mephisto tells him that all of this has been orchestrated by Lilith, who is furious at both of them for Johnny's place on Hell's throne.

In Cypress Hills Cemetery, Danny Ketch drinks at his mother's grave and talks to her about the Spirit of Corruption inside of him. His drinking is interrupted by the Caretaker, who tells him to sober up and help her stop Johnny from going mad with power. While they talk, Danny's bar is invaded by Blackheart, who asks the bartender Emma about Danny's whereabouts. When Danny and the Caretaker leave the cemetery they're stopped by Punisher and Wolverine. Danny transforms into the Spirit of Corruption and fights the two vigilantes, neither of whom are able to hurt him. Caretaker stops the fight and Punisher states that a Ghost Rider killed the people on the cruise ship, and with Johnny in Hell that just leaves Danny, who replies that Johnny's not in Hell anymore.

Elsewhere, at a bar in Kentucky, Lilith and her Lilin torture the Orb, using his all-seeing eye to track the whereabouts of Blaze and Mephisto. Johnny, as the Ghost Rider, drags Mephisto behind his motorcycle as they race down the highway, but of both them unexpectedly enter a magic portal that sends them to a snowy mountain. There they are confronted by Dr. Strange, who wants to know why Johnny has taken Mephisto.

THE ROADMAP

Johnny Blaze took over the throne of Hell to save Dr. Strange and Las Vegas in Damnation: Johnny Blaze - Ghost Rider (2018) # 1.

Johnny killed a police officer possessed by a demon in Ghost Rider (2019) # 2 at the cruise ship crime scene investigated by the Punisher and Wolverine.

Danny Ketch teamed up with Punisher and Wolverine to defeat Blackheart in Ghost Rider/Wolverine/Punisher: Hearts of Darkness and again in Ghost Rider/Wolverine/Punisher: The Dark Design.

CHAIN REACTION

Wolverine and the Punisher guest-star in a really tenuous sequel to 1991's "Hearts of Darkness" story.

Considering how much mileage Marvel gets out of reuniting the "New Fantastic Four" from the early 90s, which also included Wolverine and Ghost Rider, I'm surprised that "Hearts of Darkness" and its trio of vigilantes doesn't get more in way of homages. I suppose it's an appropriate enough topic for this series, given Danny Ketch's first real shot at relevance again in decades, but something just feels lacking form this.

Perhaps its because Danny has been altered so much with this new Spirit of Corruption identity that it robs the reunion of these three heroes of what made their original team-up so memorable. Had Danny been Ghost Rider still I could imagine this working so much better, though it also would have skewed the narrative that Ed Brisson is weaving. Punisher and Wolverine are after a Ghost Rider and find that Danny isn't one anymore, leaving only Johnny as their likely suspect. It continues the journey that Brisson has set Danny on while continuing to acknowledge the character's past and his relationship with others, it all works really well. I'm just missing Danny as Ghost Rider still, which is what I had hoped this series would be about in the first place.

Juan Frigeri steps up as the second half of the artist team, giving Aaron Kuder more of an extended break, and his work fits the storyline perfectly. Kuder may have more of a distinct style, but Frigeri really seems to get these characters on a fundamental basis, from Danny in his new role to Johnny as the King of Hell. He sells the action scenes with dramatic flair while keeping things strictly in the Marvel house style, which is appreciated despite it not being particularly flashy.

Brisson continues to move things along, digging deep into Ghost Rider history more and more with each new issue, and I'm still on board as to where all of this is heading. Next issue's confrontation between Johnny and Dr. Strange is promising, I have high hopes that it will pick up the momentum after the last few issues of simmering subplots.

Blaze (1994) # 12

"A Blaze of Glory"

Cover Date: July 1995; On Sale Date: May 1995

Writer: Larry Hama; Artist: Gary Erskine; Letterer: Bill Oakley/NJQ; Colorist: John Kalisz; Editor: Marie Javins; Editor in Chief: Bobbie Chase; Cover Artist: Gary Erskine

John Blaze, Clara, and the Punisher arrive at the cemetery base of the Undead M.C., finding the vampires wrestling with a chained coffin. Thinking it to the be a source of their power, Blaze blows open the coffin with his hellfire shotgun, releasing the entity Uri-El, who immediately attacks. Blaze uses his shotgun against Uri-El, nearly destroying him, and the vampires rejoice. Blaze realizes that Uri-El was actually keeping the vampires in check and now that he's been defeated there is no one that can stand in their way.

The Wendigo arrives with Blaze's children, Craig and Emma, who use the magic nailfile against Charnel, the vampire leader. Carnel disarms Blaze and Punisher, allowing the vampires to nearly overwhelm them. Blaze reaches out and grabs Uri-El's flaming sword and uses it to kill the vampires, finally stabbing Charnel through the chest and ending the threat.

Blaze is reunited with his children, along with their orphaned companion Jesse Pinto, and returns the flaming sword to the recovered Uri-El. The rest of the Quentin Carnival arrive, having encountered and defeated a now shrunken down and imprisoned Shelob. Clara gives Blaze the jar containing the Eyes of the Kristall Starrer, stating she doesn't want to pay the price of using them anymore. Finally, the Punisher departs, telling Blaze to enjoy his happy ending because not everyone gets one of those.

THE ROADMAP

This is the final issue of the series. John Blaze appears next in Ghost Riders: Crossroads (1995) # 1.

John Blaze encountered the spider demon Shelob in Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance (1992) # 11.

Blaze's children, Craig and Emma, are finally reuniting with their father for the first time since their disappearance in Ghost Rider (1990) # 50.

It is unknown if the angelic entity Uri-El in this issue is the same as the angel Uriel that appears in Ghost Rider (1990) # 92, but it's certainly possible despite their differences in appearance.

CHAIN REACTION

The comic rushes to a conclusion as it ties up the vampire storyline while paying the briefest of lip service to the many, many subplots that had been building throughout the series' run.

Blaze was a series that started off so incredibly strong and maintained its quality for so long that it really pains me to see it end with such a whimper in this issue. It all comes down to those damn vampires and whether or not Larry Hama had advance notice of the series coming to an end prior to starting this arc. The vampire arc, if it had been taken on its own, would have just gone down as a misfired storyline, it happens in comics all the time where an idea just doesn't work. As it stands, though, this was the series finale and by the time the vampire plot is wrapped up Hama has only a couple of pages to give resolution to everything else. Blaze gets reunited with his children, yes, but there's no end to the Baal storyline that dominated the first half of the series. Clara gives up her mystical eyes, Shelob gets defeated off panel, and the Wendigo disappears halfway through the comic. I understand and appreciate that Hama was able to at least provide what little payoffs that he could, but it still makes the comic suffer.

Speaking of suffering, the vampires are insufferable, especially their leader Charnel. I get their plan, that they want to use Blaze's hellfire to destroy Uri-El, who can in turn destroy them, but it begs the question of how it all fits into standard Marvel Universe vampire lore. I guess it doesn't really matter in the long run, I'm just glad none of these characters are able to make return appearances. Charnel starts speaking like a ye olde English pirate halfway through for seemingly no reason. The vampires are awful on every level.

What's not awful is the artwork by Gary Erskine, who finally seems to find his groove on this series just in time for it to end. His John Blaze continues to be impressive and his work on the Punisher is top notch. He just can't seem to handle anatomy and dynamic posing very well, the characters all flail around the page like marionettes. I do love the design for Uri-El, and the ending pages with the cherry trees blooming and dropping leaves everything really makes for a satisfying artistic conclusion. It's like the series wakes up out of a dark stupor just in time to say farewell to the readers, it's a really nice touch.

I loved this series when it began and I would kill to know where Hama would have taken the Quentin Carnival if sales hadn't killed things. Unfortunately, Blaze rides off into the sunset with this issue, a forgotten curio of the 1990s.

Blaze (1994) # 11

"A Pale Fire Gleaming"

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

Writer: Larry Hama; Artist: Gary Erskine; Letterer: Bill Oakley/NJQ; Colorist: John Kalisz; Editor: Marie Javins; Editor in Chief: Bobbie Chase; Cover Artist: Gary Erskine

John Blaze is fighting the vampires of the Undead Motorcycle Club when the Punisher arrives, wanting to kill the lead vampire Charnel for dealing heroin. Despite being shot full of bullets and hellfire, the vampires escape and retreat. Outside, the members of the Quentin Carnival have fought off more of the vampires. Clara utilizes the eyes of the Kristall-Starrer to show where the vampires have escaped to and joins Blaze on the back of his motorcycle. John, Clara, and the Punisher ride off to find the vampires, leaving the other carnival members behind to follow later.
Meanwhile, in another dimension, Craig and Emma Blaze beg Jesse Pinto not to kill Baal and instead go with them and the Wendigo to save their dad. Jesse uses the magic nail file to brand the number 7 on Baal's forehead as a promise that he will return for revenge.

At their underpass base of operations, the Undead MC accidentally releases the vampire-killing angel Uriel from his sarcophagus. Uriel manages to kill one of the vampires before he is stopped by Shelob, who seals him back inside the sarcophagus. Blaze, Clara, and the Punisher arrive and resume their battle with the vampires while the Wendigo and the children make their way back to Earth.

THE ROADMAP

John Blaze encountered the spider demon Shelob in Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance (1992) # 11.

Blaze's children, Craig and Emma, joined Jesse Pinto and the Wendigo to track down and kill Baal in Blaze (1994) # 6.

CHAIN REACTION

The weirdness of this series takes a goofy turn with slapstick vampires and a straight-man figure in the guest-starring Punisher.

I seriously don’t get where Larry Hama was coming from with this arc. Did he know at this point that the series was going to be cancelled with issue # 12? If so, what made him decide to take such a bizarre tangent as this when the series had so many other (and arguably a lot more interesting) avenues he could have explored? Hama has stated that he isn’t much of a plotter and tends to write things on the fly as they come to him, and that’s definitely apparent here. Let’s dig in a little.

I don’t quite understand the rationale behind the Punisher’s guest-appearance in this issue. He clashes with the tone of the series while also being as one-dimensional as possible. He shows up, shoots the vampires with a machinegun, and doesn’t bat an eyelid at the fact that his bullets aren’t effective. It’s almost like he’s there to try and out macho John Blaze, who in this series is the manliest man in the room, and winds up looking like a parody of his character. That Hama carries him over into the next issue as well kind of boggles my mind.

Then there’s the Uriel reveal halfway through the comic, which goes back to Hama’s plotting dilemma. The mystery of what was inside the sarcophagus and why the vampires were so afraid of it was one of the few interesting hooks in the last issue, so blowing that reveal here was a mistake. Uriel appears only to be shoved back inside his coffin; keeping the character’s reveal for the next issue would have served the story much better than the page filler sequence we get here.

Gary Erskine steps up his game a little after his less than stellar debut in the last issue, possibly because he’s more comfortable drawing the Punisher than the rest of the characters. His design for Uriel, whose body is composed completely of chains and a giant lock with one human arm, is a blessing because it looks so weird and cool that it again deserved a bigger reveal moment than it gets here. Erskine still struggles with the Quentin Carnival members, but they get such little screen time that it doesn’t really matter.

I don’t like that this storyline sidelines the members of the Quentin Carnival, I don’t like the vampires and their storyline, and I don’t like that the series’ search for Blaze’s children gets shoehorned in as a side story. The Punisher brings some unintentional comedy but it’s still not enough to save this comic. Hard pass.

Blaze (1994) # 10

"Interview with a Biker"

Cover Date: May 1995; On Sale Date: March 1995

Writer: Larry Hama; Artist: Gary Erskine; Letterer: Bill Oakley/NJQ; Colorist: John Kalisz; Editor: Marie Javins; Editor in Chief: Bobbie Chase; Cover Artist: Gary Erskine

A vampire motorcycle gang, the Undead M.C., see a vision of John Blaze, who they plan to use to destroy a being they have chained inside a coffin. Leaving the coffin in the hands of the spider-woman, Shelob, the vampires head out to find Blaze. Meanwhile, while on the road with the Quentin Carnival, Clara uses the eyes of the Kristall-Starrer to show John a vision of his children traveling with the Wendigo in their hunt for Baal.

While they head toward Blaze, the leader of the vampire gang, Charnel, is run over by a passing motorist. He kills the motorist and leaves their body as a sign pointing toward Stark’s Pavilion. The carnival members stop when they see the body, with Blaze going inside the Pavilion alone. While he confronts Charnel inside the Pavilion, the carnival members are attacked by the other vampires. Meanwhile, the Punisher learns from a tortured informant that Charnel is a drug supplier and can be found at the Pavilion.

In another dimension, Wendigo and Blaze’s children prepare to kill Baal but stop when he tells them that their father is in danger. Back in New Jersey, Blaze blasts Charnel with hellfire and thinks he has defeated them, only for them to rise back up and attack him.

THE ROADMAP

John Blaze encountered the spider demon Shelob in Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance (1992) # 11.

Blaze's children, Craig and Emma, joined Jesse Pinto and the Wendigo to track down and kill Baal in Blaze (1994) # 6.

CHAIN REACTION

The series gains new artist Gary Erskine as it enters what will ultimately be the final story-arc.

I’ll be up front, I’m not a fan of this 3-part story. I feel like everything Hama and company had been working toward gets jettisoned in favor of vampires and angels, pushing to the background all that had been successful about the series to this point. I think a lot of that distaste comes from the vampires themselves, who come across as less than threatening and more like stooges. Charnel comes off as a solid villain, sure, but his crew of lackeys are more irritating than entertaining.

There’s also the fact that it’s a diversion from the book’s primary story engine, the search for Blaze’s children. I get that not every storyline can or should be centered around the kids, but this is too far a departure. Hama may have hung the series on weirdness and strange happenings, but without that narrative connecting tissue it just comes off as odd for odd’s sake.

The artwork unfortunately doesn’t help, as Gary Erskine struggles to adapt his style to the book’s tone. Judging by the art, Erskine thinks he’s retelling a version of the punk vampire film Near Dark, but Hama’s slapstick with the vampires plays at the opposite sense of style. Erskine doesn’t have much of a handle on the characters, established or otherwise, outside of Blaze himself. He seems to do well with the technical bits (the motorcycles, the shotgun, etc.), but his Quentin Carnival members are decidedly off-model.

For a series as compelling as this one has been over the last year, this issue can’t be held up as anything but a disappointing diversion. It’s too bad that this is what the series has to go out on in two issues’ time.

Danny Ketch: Ghost Rider (2023) # 3

"Fear the Dark"

Cover Date: September 2023; On Sale Date: July 2023

Writer: Howard Mackie; Artist: Daniel Picciotto; Letterer: VC's Travis Lanham; Colorist: Guru-eFX; Editor: Darren Shan; Editor in Chief: C.B. Cebulski; Cover Artist: Ben Harvey

Inside Cypress Hills Cemetery, the Ghost Rider threatens to kill a trio of ninjas that once worked with Blackout, demanding to know the villain's location. The Caretaker steps in and allows the ninjas to escape while Ghost Rider turns back into Dan Ketch, who is hysterical over the kidnapping of Stacy Dolan. Dan gets a phone call from John Blaze, who tells him that his wife and children have also been kidnapped. Assuming that Blackout is involved, Danny rides off to upstate New York with the Caretaker saying he will meet him there.

Elsewhere, the Broker meets with his master and informs him that their captives are safely hidden away. In a basement cell, Stacy Dolan and Roxanne Simpson, along with her sleeping children, talk about their abductions and attempt to find a way to escape. In Rhinebeck, New York, Blackout and the Scarecrow envelop the town in darkness and fear, terrorizing the citizens. Dan Ketch arrives at the town's border and finds a wall of pure darkness. The Caretaker appears and the two enter the darkness of the town, eventually coming across John Blaze. While Caretaker returns to the cemetery, Ketch and Blaze continue on until they find some of Blackout's victims, which triggers Dan's transformation into Ghost Rider

At a nearby comic book store, the Scarecrow terrorizes the inhabitants hiding inside. Ghost Rider and Blaze stop him but the two are attacked by Blackout, who Blaze shoots in the face with his hellfire shotgun, scarring him once again. Scarecrow is able to use his fear powers to tap into Dan Ketch inside Ghost Rider, causing both the collapse in terror. Caretaker arrives and Blaze saves Ghost Rider from Scarecrow. While they talk about whatever is happening to the connection between Ghost Rider and Dan, Scarecrow sneaks behind them and stabs the Caretaker with his pitchfork before escaping, seemingly killing him.

THE ROADMAP

This mini-series takes place during the 1990s Ghost Rider series, but where exactly it fits in continuity is unclear due to contradictory elements.

Due to the Quentin Carnival being active and John Blaze's wife and children still being with him this story likely takes place shortly after the "Rise of the Midnight Sons" crossover and before Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance (1992) # 4.

Blackout would have last appeared in Ghost Rider (1990) # 31 where he was killed in the Arctic along with the rest of the Lilin; he will be resurrected in Ghost Rider (1990) # 41. He received his facial scarring in Ghost Rider (1990) # 3 and learned that Dan and Ghost Rider were one and the same prior to Ghost Rider (1990) # 7.

Blackout worked with Deathwatch and his ninja assassins, three of whom appear here, in Ghost Rider (1990) # 3.

Scarecrow would have last appeared in Ghost Rider (1990) # 38 where he escaped from the Firm's hospital prison. He was given the ability to induce overwhelming fear in his victims via pheromones in Ghost Rider/Captain America; Fear.

CHAIN REACTION

Ghost Rider teams up with John Blaze for a Spirits of Vengeance reunion against Blackout and the Scarecrow as the mini-series continues to soldier on.

There's just something immediately engaging whenever Howard Mackie chooses to pair up Ghost Rider and Blaze, his versions of those two characters play off one another so well. That inherent charisma shines in this issue, as does almost all of the other characterization choices that Mackie makes. Danny Ketch and Ghost Rider also play off one another exceptionally well, a tricky thing to pull off considering the two can't necessarily occupy the same panels at the same time. The idea of their personalities bleeding into one another is something Mackie played with on and off during the original series, and it continues to be an intriguing concept to push the forward progress of their characterizations. Hell, even the Caretaker gets a good showing in this issue. He was always a character with a good presence on the page but too often was used as "mysterious information dumper" in the original series. Here he comes off as the reluctant mentor figure, a role he's much better suited for.

The villains also get a grand showing in this issue, particularly the Scarecrow. Mackie and Picciotto really sell the horrific nature of Blackout and Scarecrow, with the darkness manipulation and body contortions. The duo make for a very credible threat against Ghost Rider and Blaze, and it's good to see the classic villains getting such solid treatment after being used as canon fodder or jokes in other recent stories (looking at you, Heaven's On Fire).

Daniel Picciotto continues to really shine on this series and I really hope he gets another Ghost Rider gig at Marvel soon. His action scenes do seem a little stiff and posed at times, but I think he's an artist that is going to keep improving with each new project he works on. The panel of Scarecrow twisting his way into the comic book store is terrifying, and he really captures the dark edge that defined the 1990s series at its best.

This mini-series continues to hit all the right buttons for me and anyone who was a fan of the original Mackie run needs to pick this up.

Danny Ketch: Ghost Rider (2023) # 2

"A Darkening Heart"

Cover Date: August 2023; On Sale Date: June 2023

Writer: Howard Mackie; Artist: Daniel Picciotto; Letterer: VC's Travis Lanham; Colorist: Guru-eFX; Editor: Darren Shan; Editor in Chief: C.B. Cebulski; Cover Artist: Ben Harvey

Inside Cypress Hills Cemetery, the Broker finds Blackout and bestows upon him enhanced powers over darkness. Elsewhere in the cemetery, Ghost Rider punishes some criminals and is approached by the Caretaker. Ghost Rider transforms back into Dan Ketch and has a conversation with the Caretaker about the Ghost Rider's mental state and the feeling of something evil in the city. Meanwhile, at the Ravencroft Institute, the Broker frees the Scarecrow and gives him enhanced power as well. The Broker later meets with his master, who has ordered Blackout and Scarecrow to fetch individuals and return them to the master alive.

In Times Square, Dan meets Stacy Dolan for dinner and the two discuss their relationship. Suddenly all of the lights go out, plunging the area in total darkness, and screams are heard. Blackout attacks Dan but is stopped by Stacy's gunfire. Dan transforms into Ghost Rider and saves Stacy, engaging in a furious battle with Blackout, who uses his enhanced power to trap the Ghost Rider in a swirl of dark energy. When Ghost Rider frees himself the darkness in the area goes away, revealing all of Blackout's victims on the street. Ghost Rider transforms back to Dan, who realizes that Stacy has been kidnapped by Blackout.

Elsewhere, at the Quentin Carnival, John Blaze finishes up his stunt show while his wife, Roxanne, and their two children walk to their trailer. They start to experience an overwhelming sense of fear before Roxanne and the kids are attacked by the Scarecrow.

THE ROADMAP

This mini-series takes place during the 1990s Ghost Rider series, but where exactly it fits in continuity is unclear due to contradictory elements.

Due to the Quentin Carnival being active and John Blaze's wife and children still being with him this story likely takes place shortly after the "Rise of the Midnight Sons" crossover and before Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance (1992) # 4.

Stacy Dolan will learn that Dan and Ghost Rider are one and the same during the "Siege of Darkness" crossover, specifically in Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance (1992) # 18.

Blackout would have last appeared in Ghost Rider (1990) # 31 where he was killed in the Arctic along with the rest of the Lilin; he will be resurrected in Ghost Rider (1990) # 41. He received his facial scarring in Ghost Rider (1990) # 3 and learned that Dan and Ghost Rider were one and the same prior to Ghost Rider (1990) # 7.

Scarecrow would have last appeared in Ghost Rider (1990) # 38 where he escaped from the Firm's hospital prison.

CHAIN REACTION

The Danny Ketch mini-series brings back two of the most successful villains from the 1990s series, Blackout and the Scarecrow, while the mystery of the Broker and his master continues to simmer in the background.

I'm not going to lie, this series works for me on just about every level. The characters are instantly recognizable as the ones I read about in the original series from decades ago, letting me settle in comfortably with familiarity. Given everything that came after for these characters its so refreshing to see Danny, Stacy, and even John Blaze in this relatively simpler time and place. The relationship between Dan and Stacy, which was the anchor for the series when it was arguably at its best, creates that instant connection for long-time readers. This comic is like a big welcoming hug of nostalgia and I'm embracing that hug with all my heart.

The other relationship in this issue is the one between Dan/Ghost Rider and Blackout, who always had such an interesting dynamic in the original series. Blackout comes off as appropriately terrifying here, though the violence is considerably toned down in comparison to modern comics and even contemporary stories from the time this series is set. The more horrific parts of the story are more implied than explicit, such as the "master" and his tendency to remove the limbs from his servants, which is particularly chilling.

The artwork by Daniel Picciotto continues to shine, though it's rough around the edges. His Ghost Rider looks great and he handles the action sequences well. The colors are also a highlight, which is a plus considering how much the story hinges around the idea of "darkness" enveloping the panels.

Overall, this continues to be a worthwhile series for longtime fans. Mackie's dialogue might be a little dated and stilted, but he's got a really engaging story going that hits all the right characterization notes. Still recommended.

Danny Ketch: Ghost Rider (2023) # 1

"Blood and Vengeance"

Cover Date: July 2023; On Sale Date: May 2023

Writer: Howard Mackie; Artist: Daniel Picciotto; Letterer: VC's Travis Lanham; Colorist: Guru-eFX; Editor: Darren Shan; Editor in Chief: C.B. Cebulski; Cover Artist: Ben Harvey

Inside Cypress Hills Cemetery, the Ghost Rider fights a superpowered killer. When Ghost Rider uses his Penance Stare the killer loses his power and states that he made a deal with an unknown individual to gain the power to get revenge on people who laughed at him, but instead only caused him pain. The police, led by officer Stacy Dolan, interrupt and cause Ghost Rider to flee the scene. This is watched by the Broker, who gave the killer his power in service to an unknown "master", who is now interested in the Ghost Rider's power. On the other side of the cemetery, Ghost Rider transforms back into Danny Ketch, who reminisces about how he first became the Ghost Rider and the mystery of the Medallion of Power that is part of his motorcycle. For the first time he notices a scratch on the Medallion and sets off to find answers.

Elsewhere in Brooklyn, two thugs named the Bagman Brothers are taught a lesson by the gangster Jimmy-6, who works for Don Fortunato. After Jimmy-6 leaves the brothers beat up in an alley, they are approached by the Broker, who offers them power to get revenge. Danny returns to his mother's home to find John Blaze waiting for him and the two men go out for a motorcycle ride. Their visit is interrupted by police sirens, which they follow to discover the Bagman Brothers, now fused together into one superpowered creature that is laying waste to Jimmy-6's men on the street. The police, including Stacy, are unable to stop the Bagman Brothers, and only when Stacy is injured is Danny able to trigger the transformation into Ghost Rider, who joins the fight alongside Blaze. After a fierce battle, Ghost Rider is able to use the Penance Stare to disrupt the villains' power, separating them once again. The police move in to apprehend Ghost Rider and Blaze, but the two escape on their motorcycles. Then the Broker arrives and takes the Bagman Brothers back to his master, a former Morlock that is also a cannibal who feasts on the brothers.

Several years earlier, in Cypress Hills Cemetery, a fierce battle for the Medallion of Power has just been won by the Caretaker and the Blood. The Caretaker fuses the Medallion to the motorcycle and notices that a piece of it has broken off. The fragment of the medallion is found by a thin hand reaching out from a nearby crypt, a hand belonging to the Morlock that will become the Broker's master.

THE ROADMAP

This mini-series takes place during the 1990s Ghost Rider series, but where exactly it fits in continuity is unclear due to contradictory elements.

Due to the Quentin Carnival being active and John Blaze's wife and children still being with him this story likely takes place shortly after the "Rise of the Midnight Sons" crossover and before Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance (1992) # 4.

Stacy Dolan will learn that Dan and Ghost Rider are one and the same during the "Siege of Darkness" crossover, specifically in Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance (1992) # 18.

CHAIN REACTION

Howard Mackie returns to the series he created for a nostalgia-fueled exercise in solid storytelling.

Bringing back creators for nostalgia stories seems to be all the rage in Marvel around this time. Chris Claremont came back for X-Treme X-Men, Peter David returned to the Hulk in Joe Fixit, and even Daredevil's 1990s series received a revisit by writer Dan Chichester; so seeing Howard Mackie come back to Ghost Rider wasn't a huge surprise. What it was, though, was a gift to readers of a certain era of the character; arguably the most successful era, to boot.

Thankfully, Mackie doesn't disappoint with this debut issue, as it checks all the boxes for what made the 1990s series so compelling in the first place. It has Ghost Rider as a force for vengeance, it has Danny Ketch as the questioning human host, and it even has John Blaze as the mentor figure. Mackie immediately goes back to what was successful the first time around and this comic is all the better for it. Compare it with the slog that is Benjamin Percy's current series and it's like night and day, filled with recognizable characters and an interesting mystery at its core The Caretaker showing up at the end makes me a little wary that Mackie may be trying to cram too much in to what should be a hyper-focused plot, but we'll see where it goes from here.

What also works incredibly well is the artwork by Daniel Picciotto, an artist I admit to being unfamiliar with, There's some roughness to his character work, you can tell he's a somewhat new artist that struggles a bit with some of the emoting and facial expressions, but he really gets the essence of the 1990s Ghost Rider down to a tee. There's no question that this is the Mackie Ghost Rider swinging his chain around, hitting all the right marks of nostalgia while keeping things decidedly modern.

This may be an exercise in futile continuity mining (and don't get me started about where this fits on the timeline, because it doesn't at all), but it's highly entertaining. Recommended.

Ghost Rider (1990) # 32

"Fight for Life" 

Cover Date: December 1992; On Sale Date: October 1992 

Writer: Howard Mackie; Artist: Bret Blevins; Letterer: Janice Chiang; Colorist: Gregory Wright; Editor: Bobbie Chase; Editor in Chief: Tom DeFalco; Cover Artist: Bret Blevins 

At New York University’s Medical Center, Dr. Strange is in a trance while trying to locate the soul of Danny Ketch through Ghost Rider’s body. With them are John Blaze and Dr. Bruckner, a trauma surgeon and friend of Strange who is there to treat Danny’s physical wounds when he returns. When Blaze goes out to smoke a cigarette, he is spotted by an agent of the Firm. Dr. Strange locates Danny’s soul in the spirit realm but discovers that it is still tainted by Lilith’s influence. Meanwhile, the Firm send out a squadron of their soldiers to apprehend the Ghost Rider. 

Back in the spirit realm, Dr. Strange purges Danny of Lilith’s corruption, which causes a backlash in the physical realm that interrupts the spell, leaving both Strange and Ghost Rider unconscious. At that moment, Blaze and Bruckner are attacked by the Firm’s troops. In the spirit realm, Strange attempts to transport himself and Danny back to the physical world but finds the way blocked due to their bodies being moved by Blaze and Bruckner during the Firm’s attack. Elsewhere, at the Firm’s headquarters, former Firm agent Stern makes his way inside with help from some of his former colleagues. 

Ghost Rider awakens and fights off the Firm, despite Brucker saying it could doom both Strange and Danny for him to move. After the Firm’s men are defeated, Strange and Ghost Rider are placed back into position, which opens the barrier back up from the spirit realm. Strange enters his body and Ghost Rider transforms into Danny, who is dying from a massive wound to his throat. Bruckner steps in and performs emergency surgery, saving Danny’s life. Back at the Firm’s headquarters, all of the Firm board members have been executed, leaving Stern in charge with a plan to capture and kill Ghost Rider. 

Ah, brotherly love!

THE ROADMAP

Dan Ketch had his throat ripped out by Blackout in Ghost Rider (1990) # 25 and had his soul corrupted by Lilith in Ghost Rider (1990) # 31.

Ghost Rider appears next in Ghost Rider/Captain America: Fear and John Blaze appears next in Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance (1992) # 4.

Stern and the Firm appear next in Ghost Rider/Captain America: Fear and the identity of Stern's true master is revealed in Ghost Rider (1990) # 37.

CHAIN REACTION 

Bret Blevins makes his debut as the new series artist while Dan Ketch finally makes his way back to life, wrapping up the huge dangling thread from issue # 25. 

Blevins is an artist whose work lives and dies depending on the finisher he’s teamed with. He’d had a long stint on New Mutants that at this point in time had just finished work on Sleepwalker, which he’d co-created with Bob Budiansky. His work on Sleepwalker was aided by inker Michael Bair, and I can see where Bobbie Chase was coming from when she offered him the gig on Ghost Rider. In particular, Sleepwalker # 11 featured a guest appearance by Ghost Rider, and the artwork in that issue was phenomenal. The Ghost Rider that appeared there was perfectly in line, both in tone and style, with the most successful depictions of the character to date. So what happened when he transitioned over to the main Ghost Rider series to make his work so maligned by fans? Again, it all comes down to his artistic partners, and this issue is Blevins on both pencils and inks. It lacks the grittiness that Michael Bair brought to Sleepwalker, instead going for a more animated style with a distinct lack of shadows and thin lines. It doesn’t look terrible, there are some great panels in this comic and the storytelling is solid, much more so than in coming issues when he’s paired with the completely incompatible Fred Fredericks. 

Taking the artistic change out of the equation, this comic is still one that doesn’t completely satisfy. The return of Danny Ketch should be a big deal considering how major an event his death was in issue # 25 and it feels like what happens here makes the resolution too pat and easy. However, this is also a plot that has dragged along in the background through the better part of a year and across two crossovers. It certainly reads like it was a story idea that got derailed somewhere along the way in favor of those aforementioned crossovers, with marketability getting in the way of character driven plots. Danny’s death and Ghost Rider being forced to occupy the physical world 24/7 had the potential to be a really interesting exploration of both characters and their relationship. Unfortunately, it just percolated in the background for the majority of the time until coming to this issue’s disappointing conclusion. 

Another carryover from the 25th issue is the return of Stern and the Firm, who I’m not exactly excited to see again. In theory the idea should work, a corporation that’s looking to exploit Ghost Rider for their own ends, but Stern is less than interesting, and the Firm are just faceless cannon fodder for Ghost Rider and Blaze to fight for a few pages. Dr. Bruckner, who is introduced in this issue and never appears again, is far more fascinating and is a character I actively wanted to learn more about. Instead, the next few issues are all Firm, all the time. 

 Overall, this issue is not the best, though at least it does reset Ghost Rider and Danny back into their standard status quo.

Nope, doesn't look painful at all...

Ghost Rider (1990) # 31

"Rise of the Midnight Sons, Part 6"

Cover Date: November 1992; On Sale Date: September 1992 

Writer: Howard Mackie; Artist: Andy Kubert: Inker: Joe Kubert; Letterer: Janice Chiang; Colorist: Gregory Wright; Editor: Bobbie Chase; Editor in Chief: Tom DeFalco; Cover Artist: Andy Kubert 

While Dan Ketch navigates through the afterlife, Lilith and her Lilin mourn the death of Meatmarket, who was killed by the Nightstalkers. She tells Pilgrim to teleport them all to the land of the midnight sun, where she will bring all of her exiled children to Earth. While she prepares herself in the Arctic Circle, the various members of the “Nine” (Ghost Rider, John Blaze, Victoria Montesi, Louise Hastings, Sam Buchanan, Frank Drake, Hannibal King, Blade, and Morbius) are teleported away from their various locations by a mysterious individual. 

All nine of them appear together at the Arctic Circle, where they are confronted by Lilith and her Lilin. Pilgrim opens a teleportation rift in Lilith’s chest, which she will use to birth her newest child. Reaching into the void, she grabs hold of Dan Ketch’s soul and brings it to Earth in a monstrous new form as one of her Lilin. Dan tears his way through Ghost Rider, Blaze, and the Nightstalkers before turning on the Lilin. Ghost Rider is able to restrain Dan with his chain and toss him back through the rift while Lilin commands the rest of her Lilin to die in battle, granting her more power. While the others escape, Ghost Rider stays behind to defeat Lilith, seemingly destroying her by making her enter the rift. Ghost Rider collapses and all but Blaze and Morbius are teleported away by the arriving Dr. Strange, who promises to help return Dan to the world of the living. After they depart, only the young Lilin named Nakota is left alive and alone. Suddenly, Lilith emerges from the snow and kills Nakota, promising that her sacrifice will eventually allow Lilith to defeat the Midnight Sons. 

Assemble!

THE ROADMAP

"Rise of the Midnight Sons" concludes here, continued from Nightstalkers (1992) # 1.

Lilith returns and the Lilin are reborn in Ghost Rider (1990) # 41.

Dan Ketch had his throat ripped out by Blackout in Ghost Rider (1990) # 25, which is what sent his soul into the afterlife. He is brought back to life by Dr. Strange in Ghost Rider (1990) # 32.

CHAIN REACTION 

“Rise of the Midnight Sons” comes to a rather perfunctory conclusion that fails to live up to the chapters preceding it. 

If anything, I suppose this crossover did its business as assigned, it introduced four new titles each with their own distinct flavor and style. Having the overarching Lilith plot was almost an afterthought and that’s exactly how this sixth chapter reads. The Midnight Sons were never a unit that benefited from the “get the band back together” trope, because the characters don’t mesh well as a whole at all. Ghost Rider and Blaze were fine bridge characters, they were appropriate enough for the recruitment phase, but bringing them all together for a big fight scene in the Arctic Circle plays up the weakness of the characters when readers are reminded that they inhabit a superhero universe. 

The Darkhold Redeemers worked so effectively in their own title because they were normal people investigating and using their minds to solve a mystery; Morbius benefited from being the only otherworldly being in his narrative; and the Nightstalkers were only tolerable inside their own story engine, otherwise they come off as ridiculous fascists. Letting each group of characters find their way through the Lilith storyline was a treat, because it gave different perspectives on the threat. When they’re all brought together for a huge fight it results in scenes like Vicki Montesi beating a Lilin with a leg bone. 

 Even as a conclusion to Ghost Rider’s participation in the event this comic disappoints, as it plays with the audience expectation that Danny’s fate would be resolved. Instead its merely delayed yet again for a resolution in a future issue. Moving the fight to the Arctic Circle also divorces the comic from any immediate consequences; if the Midnight Sons fail, what are the stakes other than some more Lilin appearing? It’s the most boring way possible to end the storyline, there’s no nuance or subtlety to it, which is a shame considering how well-crafted the previous chapters were. Mackie can’t really be faulted too much, considering how much of this was dictated by editor Bobbie Chase and the marketing department, and it seemed to signal just how bored the writer was with the whole Midnight Sons idea. 

The artwork contributes to and suffers from the comic’s malaise as well, with Andy Kubert finishing up his brief stint before heading over to X-Men. The figure work is solid enough, enhanced by the elder Joe Kubert’s finishes, but the whole product looks rushed. Setting the story in the Arctic Circle translated into art without backgrounds, which places panels in an amorphous white space without physical relation to other objects. I don’t feel like Andy Kubert was as good a fit for Ghost Rider as his brother Adam Kubert was on the sister title, and I’m not sad to see him depart after this. 

Ultimately, “Rise of the Midnight Sons” ended with a whimper that failed to resolve much of anything, instead stalling for time and later crossovers. A disappointment.

Danny, you've seen better days, man.

Ghost Rider (1990) # 30

"Nightmares of Truth"

Cover Date: October 1992; On Sale Date: August 1992

Writer: Howard Mackie; Artist: Andy Kubert; Inker: Joe Kubert; Letterer: Janice Chiang; Colorist: Gregory Wright; Editor: Bobbie Chase; Editor In Chief: Tom DeFalco; Cover Artist: Andy Kubert

Danny Ketch finds himself in the realm of Nightmare alongside an unconscious Ghost Rider, surrounded by Lilith and her Lilin.  Nightmare appears and tell Danny that his wanderings through the afterlife have allowed him to be pulled into the dream realm, and through him Ghost Rider was brought as well.  Nightmare then transforms the images of the Lilin into Danny's friends and family, including his dead sister Barbara.  He screams, and in the realm world Mrs. Ketch, Stacy Dolan, her father Gerry Dolan, and Jack D'Auria all wake up from the same nightmare about Danny.  They all get up and start getting ready for their day, each of them thinking about Danny and his disappearance after Blackout kidnapped them all.

In Nightmare's realm, Ghost Rider awakens and attacks both Nightmare and Danny, who thinks is a demonic illusion.  He quickly realizes his mistake and talks with Danny about what happened with Blackout and the vision of Lilith.  Nightmare interrupts them and says that he's learned the Ghost Rider may not be Zarathos after all, and the fear generated by Lilith and her brood will cause Nightmare to grow even more powerful if left unchecked.  Therefore, he's decided that he has to kill Ghost Rider and Danny.  That night in Brooklyn, Mrs. Ketch has called together Jack, Stacy, and Captain Dolan to her house to talk about what happened to Danny.  Jack takes note that the night looks particularly dark tonight, but doesn't see that the darkness is beginning to ooze through the windows.  In the Nightmare realm, Ghost Rider and Danny flee on the Rider's motorcycle toward a floating house, pursued by Nightmare.  Back in the real world, Danny's friends are attacked by Lilith and the Lilin, including Blackout.

When they approach the floating house, Danny recognizes his mother's scream.  When they crash through the ceiling, they find his four loved ones encased in mystical bubbles.  Ghost Rider quickly finds that the Lilin are mere illusions, and when Lilith transforms into Nightmare he easily overpowers the Rider.  Nightmare explains that he has captured the souls of their friends and will not relinquish them unless Ghost Rider and Dan allow themselves to die at his hands.  He attacks them, claiming to know the Ghost Rider's origin, telling him that he should have searched out the Soul Crystal.  He also notes that Danny knows nothing about his father or his sibling. Danny and Ghost Rider are able to merge once more to defeat Nightmare, but the two quickly separate and tell the defeated demon that he will no longer hold dominion over them.  Danny frees the souls of his loved ones, who will wake up on Earth with  no memory of what's happened.  Dan and Ghost Rider leave the Nightmare realm and come to a crossroads, and while Dan continues to search for a way back to life Ghost Rider will continue his fight against Lilith.

Meeting, quite literally, FACE TO FACE!

THE ROADMAP

This issue falls between chapters two and three of the "Rise of the Midnight Sons" crossover, Morbius the Living Vampire (1992) # 1 and Darkhold: Pages From the Book of Sins (1992) # 1.

This story happens concurrently with Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance (1992) # 2.  In that issue, Ghost Rider loses consciousness for several pages to travel to Nightmare's realm and awakens after this issue's end.

Blackout kidnapped Danny's friends and family, then ripped out his throat, in Ghost Rider (1990) # 25.

Ghost Rider and Dan first encountered Nightmare in Ghost Rider (1990) # 11.  Ghost Rider has had subsequent encounters with Nightmare in Marvel Comics Presents (1988) # 100 and Deathlok (1991) # 9-10.

Nightmare mentions the Soul Crystal, which was last seen in Mephisto's possession in The Mighty Thor (1966) # 430.  He also mentions Danny's father and "sibling"; while the father is a red herring that Mackie never followed up on, the "sibling" comment could refer to one of two things: a) that Barbara Ketch was meant to be the host of the Ghost Rider instead of Danny or b) that Johnny Blaze is actually Danny's long lost brother.

Nightmare, you have no clue, do you?

CHAIN REACTION

Ghost Rider has another interlude story falling between crossover chapters, yet while the last issue was entertaining this one is ultimately pointless.

I think we've turned a corner with this series, because while I really hate to admit it I think this is the first truly bad issue of Howard Mackie's Ghost Rider series.  It's one that lots of fans remember fondly, mainly due to that awesome cover and the fact that the series was at its sales pinnacle during the "Rise of the Midnight Sons" crossover, but this is not a very good comic.  That may be judging it too harshly, though, because it's not so much "bad" as it is an issue of the creative team spinning its wheels and going nowhere.  I also really hate Nightmare as a villain under Mackie's pen, who comes off as a one-note fiend that dishes out vague hints and comments in place of having a personality.  He's the "master manipulator" cliché that Mackie trots out from time to time, though his other ones like Mephisto and Deathwatch at least have something else that makes them stand apart.  Nightmare is generic evil for evil's sake, and that's a motivation I really despise in a villain.

The most frustrating thing about this issue, though, is that it does nothing to move the series' plots forward.  We're treated to the aforementioned hints and teases about the character's origin, though even those are going to be ultimately meaningless once Mackie drops the Soul Crystal angle in favor of the Medallion of Power nonsense.  There's also the stock solution to every story where Ghost Rider and Danny are separated in the dream realm, they combine their powers to make themselves whole again and easily trounce the villain (usually Nightmare, come to think of it).  It happened in the dream realm in issue # 8 and again when they fought Nightmare for the first time in issue # 11.  It's a forced resolution that has no originality anymore, and when Danny tells Nightmare that he "no longer holds dominion over them" and he "caused his own defeat", I can't for the life of me figure out that cognitive leap.

Now, that's not to say this issue is devoid of good stuff, because I'm a fan of any inclusion of Dan's supporting cast.  Sure, characters like Mrs. Ketch and Captain Dolan change first names every time they appear, but they (and Jack and Stacy) are what grounded the series in the first two years.  They remind the reader that Dan has a real life divorced from all this supernatural mumbo jumbo that's flooded the title in recent issues, and it's a shame that most of them are making their last appearance for quite a while after this, at least until the Midnight Sons era is over.  I like the attempt at following up on Blackout's attack in issue # 25, too, because for all anyone knows Blackout just disappeared and took Danny with him.

This issue treats us to more artwork from the Kubert family, specifically Andy Kubert and his legendary father Joe.  I'm not a big fan of Andy's work, but coupled with Joe's finishes the end product looks perfectly decent.  The storytelling gets a bit wonky near the end, particularly with how exactly Nightmare gets defeated (it's just "explosion, then on his back in defeat").  The anatomy can be a bit off in places, too, with Danny suddenly looking like a body builder in the last few pages.  It's certainly not as good as Adam Kubert over on Spirits of Vengeance, but it's serviceable.

This, I think, is the where the bloom finally came off the rose for this series, at least for the next year or so.  If you really want to read it, go read issue # 11 instead, because it's much better and essentially the exact same story.