Marvel Comics Presents (1988) # 142

Cover Art: Fred Harper

Published: Nov. 1993
Original Price: $1.50

Title: Fellow Travelers, Part 6: "Red Dawn"
Writer: Len Kaminski
Artist: Reggie Jones
Inker: Fred Harper
Letterer: Ul Higgins
Colorist: John Kalisz
Editor: Richard Ashford
Editor in Chief: Tom DeFalco

SYNOPSIS

Tsin Hark, transformed into a demonic juggernaut, slams the Ghost Rider against the nearest wall, declaring that he should despair as he witnesses the dawn of a new millennium. The Masters of Silence continue their battle against the Army of Darkness, commenting to one another that their sole hope for victory lies with the Spirit of Vengeance - but whatever he's going to do, he'd better do it soon.

Ghost Rider fights with Hark, but his first punch only serves to make the sorcerer angry. Hark tackles the Rider to the ground, telling him that the evils of the world demand purification at his hands. Ghost Rider strikes Hark in the mouth with his chain, declaring that the evil he sees stands before him. A single drop of Hark's blood flies from his mouth, landing in the blood pool beside them. Hark's power depends upon the blood of innocent people he'd put to death, but this has now been tainted by the sorcerer's own evil blood. The pool begins to bubble and boil, and as he approaches victory of the Rider Hark finds himself weakening and losing strength. He reverts back to his elderly body in time to see the blood pool burning out of control, destroying his spells. Ghost Rider grabs Hark by the hair - "You wanted to cleanse the world of evil -- let it begin with you, demon!" the Spirit of Vengeance says as he throws Hark into the flaming blood pool. Tsin Hark's body burns with mystical flame immediately upon landing, killing him. The Army of Darkness, the warriors summoned by Hark's power, are bound to their master - and where he leads they must follow, even if that destination is the oblivion from which they came. As the warriors depart, the building begins to shake around them. As the Ghost Rider and Masters flee the building, the mystical backlash from Hark's death destroys the warehouse in which they'd been fighting.

Shortly, the four heroes stand outside the destroyed building. The Masters of Silence tell the Ghost Rider that should their paths cross again, they will consider it their honor. Ghost Rider rides away from the scene of their battle, contemplating that while the road to vengeance is a road that must be followed alone it is good to know that there exist fellow travelers.

ANNOTATIONS 

Ghost Rider appears next in Morbius the Living Vampire (1992) # 15.

This issue of MCP also contained stories featuring the Foreigner, Wolverine, and Spellbound.

REVIEW

"Fellow Travelers" finds its way to a conclusion that proves just as explosive and satisfying as the previous five chapters.

I've commented all along that this story had pretty much no plot to speak of, squeaking by with the bare essentials to provide action scene after action scene. Normally, this wouldn't work well at all, because while comics such as these are based around action sequences there at least has to be a credible story behind the fight scenes. This series didn't anything but the weakest "plot" to speak of - an elderly sorcerer that wants to eradicate science and go back to the old days of tradition - and it actually all takes place within about a few hours.

But still, it works.

As I've said, Kaminski was able to put just enough variables and changing details into each chapter to keep the multiple fight scenes from becoming repetitive or monotonous. That's held here in the conclusion as Tsin Hark goes mano-a-mano with the Ghost Rider before getting his ass handed to him, and it's a nice exercise in simplicity. Some stories in Marvel Comics Presents tried too hard to be complex and complicated (see the Ghost Rider/Cage team-up), resulting in some huge jumps in the narrative to recoup the tiny page count each chapter was allowed. "Fellow Travelers" didn't bother with that, and instead turned in a rousing action story that honestly reminded me a bit of the classic movie Big Trouble in Little China.

If there was a problem to be found with this story, it's that the Ghost Rider's co-stars - the Masters of Silence - really didn't serve much of a function other than to fulfill the "team-up" mandate. This is really odd, considering Kaminski was the Masters' creator, but they really do get sidelined in favor of their more popular co-star, Ghost Rider. Like I said in an earlier review of this story, I don't even know which Master was which out of the three - not exactly a good sign.

But still, the action is what sells this story, and Fred Harper and Reggie Jones do their usual splendid job. Their version of the Ghost Rider grew to be better and better with each chapter, and based on the strength of their work here I was happy to see them become the ongoing artistic team for the Ghost Rider side of MCP. Unfortunately, their work later never really hits the highs that it does on this story, but that's for another review to detail.

So overall, "Fellow Travelers" was a success. It was a dumb action movie in comic book form, and sometimes that's all you need to get some enjoyment.

Grade: B