Inner Demons Episode 23: "Fresh Prince of Hell-Air"



Inner Demons returns with our second tie-in episode to the comic AND podcast crossover event, "Damnation"!  Join Chris, Brian, and special guest Rey from Into the Knight - A Moon Knight Podcast for our thoughts on Damnation: Johnny Blaze - Ghost Rider # 1 and our opinions about the event as a whole so far!  Also, in a special classic review segment, we look back at Ghost Rider's guest- appearance in Marc Spector: Moon Knight # 25 from 1991!

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

Marvel Holiday Special 1993

Cover Artist: Mike Kaluta
Published: Jan. 1994
Original Price: $2.95

Title: "Harvey Teabiscuit's Yule Log"
Writer: Ann Nocenti
Artist: Tom Grindberg
Inker: Bob Almond
Letterer: Brad Joyce
Colorist: Joe Rosas
Editor: Renee Witterstaetter
Editor In Chief: Tom DeFalco

SYNOPSIS
On Christmas Eve, sadsack Harvey Teabiscuit wakes up to his alarm screaming at him, followed immediately by his mother screaming as well.  At breakfast she berates and belittles him for having no friends, stating that she wishes he had just one to invite over for Christmas dinner.  Harvey fantasizes about killing her, but departs without a word.  On his way to work, he sees the Ghost Rider chasing a criminal down the street on his motorcycle.  When he passes by, the Ghost Rider turns his head and stares directly at Harvey, who is standing on the sidewalk.  At his office, a daydreaming Harvey is told by his boss that there will be no Christmas bonus this year, and that Harvey will have to work on Christmas morning.

Harvey leaves the office that evening, consumed by the word "vengeance".  Outside the building, the waiting Ghost Rider approaches Harvey and starts conversing with him.  While Harvey can only stand in shock, the Rider apologizes for scaring him earlier and wishes to do something to make it up to him.  Ghost Rider walks into the office building and confronts Harvey's boss, who confesses to mistreating his employees.  Ghost Rider tells the boss to change his evil ways, then departs, bidding Harvey farewell.  Harvey interrupts and hands Ghost Rider his business card, asking if he will be his friend and come by his house later for a drink.  Ghost Rider takes the card and leaves, and moments later Harvey's boss runs outside and tells Harvey that he is getting a bonus and a raise and a paid vacation.  That night, while Harvey and his mother watch television, there's a knock on their door.  Harvey tells his mother that he invited a friend over for a drink, and when she excitedly runs to the door to open it, finds the Ghost Rider on the other side.

ANNOTATIONS 
This Christmas special also included stories featuring Spider-Man, Nick Fury, the Marvel Bullpen, Captain Ultra, and the Hulk.

Ghost Rider last appeared in Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance (1992) # 11 and he appears next in Fantastic Four (1961) # 374.

Podcast Review: Inner Demons Episode 18 - "Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Hellfire" (Click to Listen)

REVIEW
A poor milquetoast named Harvey Teabiscuit gets a dose of the Spirit of Christmas in this charming holiday tale.

Ghost Rider has a history of starring in some really fucking weird Christmas stories, but amazingly all of them have this endearing charm to them.  The character really shouldn't work all that well, given the demonic violent nature of the stories he usually appears in, but for some reason creators are always able to tap into something unexpected for the Spirit of Vengeance's yuletide shenanigans.  The 1993 Holiday Special allowed Ann Nocenti and Tom Grindberg to do an extremely off the wall story starring Ghost Rider...or, well, starring Harvey Teabiscuit with special guest star Ghost Rider, to be more accurate.

The image of the beat-down introvert dominated by a controlling woman, be it his wife or his mother as in this example, is pretty cliched.  Nocenti seems to understand this, as she makes the story as surreal as possible, what with all of the flights of fancy that Harvey has about murdering his awful mother as she berates him for not having any friends.  He's a schlub at his office, forced to work on Christmas, and it looks like his life will continue to be utter shit for the rest of his life.  However, the chance encounter he has with a very affable and loquacious Ghost Rider changes his fortune and gives him that good ol' fashioned Christmas miracle that he needed.  It's a simple and, yes, downright goofy story that is saved by two things.  The sense of humor this story has, because at heart it's a comedy, is pretty funny (see Harvey's slack-jawed, multi-panel reaction to Ghost Rider speaking to him).  The Ghost Rider's personality, itself, is the other positive because it's just so jarring and unexpected that you can't help but enjoy it.  This isn't a growling, vengeance fueled monster, this Ghost Rider is a guy that gets too much into his work and feels the need later to apologize for scaring some poor guy on the sidewalk.  Seriously, Ghost Rider's soliloquy when he introduces himself to Harvey is priceless, and Nocenti's ear for dialogue that would sound ridiculous coming from anyone else makes the scene.

What also elevates this story is the artwork by Tom Grindberg, who had been a low-level Marvel artist for several years by this point, working steadily on stuff for Marvel Comics Presents and other anthologies.  When Grindberg started he had a real Neal Adams aesthetic to his work, but in the mid-90s he changed to this much blockier style that really works to his favor.  The characters look carved out of wood in some panels, and his Ghost Rider has a real physical, imposing presence.  That splash page of GR on his motorcycle is particularly nice.

So, yeah, Ghost Rider has Christmas dinner with Harvey Teabiscuit, and a story that should frankly be dumb as hell turns into something that I found myself enjoying quite a bit.  Not a must read, but recommended if you can track it down.

Grade: A

Inner Demons Episode 22: "Stationary Demon"



Inner Demons has returned once again, per the details of our infernal bargaining, bask in the glory of our reviews, to which we hope you will peruse!  We begin with Thanos # 16-17, with a Cosmic Ghost Rider guillotine, then on to Spirits of Vengeance # 5, with an ending that coffee did contrive!  Then, the reason for all this rhyming, a review that left us smiling, the Amalgam Comics' bastard son, the dreadful Speed Demon # 1!  Apologies for the awful rhymes, we're not the poets for our times, but forgive us for this bit of fun, and tune in to our...podcast.

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

Thanos (2017) # 13

Cover Artist: Geoff Shaw
Published: January 2018
Original Price: $3.99

Title: "Thanos Wins, Part 1"
Writer: Donny Cates
Artist: Geoff Shaw
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Colorist: Antonio Fabela
Editor: Jordan D. White
Editor-in-Chief: Axel Alonso

SYNOPSIS
On the planet Chitauri Prime, the alien race of Chitauri have been completely dominated and overthrown by Thanos, who waged brutal war upon them in just five hours time.  He kills the king and takes his throne, new ruler of the Chitauri, and is soon approached by a servant who tells him of a being approaching the planet's orbit that has slaughtered its way through their spaceship armada.  The Ghost Rider arrives planetside and blows through the alien army on his way to Thanos, this Spirit of Vengeance that also possesses the Power Cosmic of Galactus as one of his former heralds.  He gets off of his space bike and approaches Thanos, telling him that he's there to bring him back to his master.  Thanos knocks hims aside, but Ghost Rider recovers and binds him in chains forged from the bones of Cyttorak.  Using a shard of the Time Stone, Ghost Rider drags Thanos into space and teleports them to Earth, millions of years in the future.  There, Thanos is brought before the Rider's master, an older version of Thanos himself who tells his younger counterpart that he's "already won".

ANNOTATIONS
The identity of the Cosmic Ghost Rider is revealed in Thanos (2017) # 15 and his origin told in Thanos (2017) # 16.

Podcast Review: Inner Demons Episode 17 - "Hanging Out in a Bookstore With Blade" (Click to Listen)

Reprint Cover
REVIEW
The new creative team on Thanos, Donny Cates and Geoff Shaw, introduce a major new element to the Ghost Rider mythos in the most unlikeliest of places.

It's pretty safe to say that Cosmic Ghost Rider, and this entire run on Thanos in general, has become a pretty big deal since this comic was released.  It's rare that a series catches on like wildfire, which is sure what Thanos has done since Cates and Shaw took over, but its even rarer for a character to become so popular so fast.  Cosmic Ghost Rider, you wild and crazy bastard, you've captured the hearts and minds of readers everywhere!

I joke about it, but it's really a testament to how great this comic is that it was so quickly the talk of everyone in the online comics community.  I'd never read anything by Cates before, but his narration here is immediately gripping and commands you to pay attention to it.  The description of the Chitauri's culture, with the "blood snow" and all, paints a picture that draws the readers into a world that, with a page turn, has just been destroyed by Thanos.  That character, the titular Thanos, is imagined here as a force of supernature that is unflagging and unstoppable, with it said outright that eventually "Thanos Wins" in the end.  That's the hook, the ultimate conceit even, of this storyarc, and it's approached in this way that makes it an inevitable fact.  For the first time since probably Jim Starlin's "Infinity Gauntlet", Thanos is actually terrifying.

The Cosmic Ghost Rider is where it's at, though, and at the heart of the character is the mystery of who exactly he truly is, what with the hint that he's someone we've seen before.  By this point everyone knows WHO he really is, since the big reveal a few issues down the line, but with just this issue there was a lot of speculation.  I went on record on the podcast that I thought it was (the very predictable) Deadpool, given the dialogue and attitude of the character.  I was glad to be proven wrong, because I don't really like Deadpool and I really really like Cosmic Ghost Rider.

Geoff Shaw's artwork is paired perfectly with Cates' story, and it's a wonder I've not seen this guy's work before, because it's awesome.  His approach to draw Thanos as this towering force under which everyone cowers is brilliant, and is only aided when Ghost Rider is the one character who easily steps in and demolishes Thanos' bravado.  The Ghost Rider's design is appropriately unique for a character who is both a Spirit of Vengeance AND a Herald of Galactus, it just screams "Space Biker" in a very cool way.  The action is handled well, and everything just syncs up just right between the script and the artwork.  Very nicely done.

Thanos is a series that was a real revelation to me, because I in no way expected it to be THIS fucking good.  Come here for Cosmic Ghost Rider, stay for the fantastic story being told by Cates and Shaw.

Grade: A+

Agents of SHIELD Episode 4.05: "Lockup"


SYNOPSIS
Over five years ago, scientists Jacob and Lucy Bauer break into the basement of an abandoned home, which features posters from the Quentin Carnival and other miscellaneous items.  Jacob comments that this is the home of the person who killed the previous owner of the Darkhold, so the book must be there.  They locate the book and discover that the pages are blank...until words magically appear in the first language of the reader. 

In the present day, Coulson and Mack visit the formerly comatose Jacob, who tells them that Lucy has the book before he dies.  However, when Lucy attempts to read the book, she finds that her ghostly state keeps her from being able to read it.  Coulson decides that they need to extract Eli Marrow from prison, believing that he may be Lucy's next target, but orders Robbie Reyes to stay aboard the Zephyr.  When Coulson and May enter the warden's office, they discover that he and all of his staff have been infected by Lucy; seeing the SHIELD agents as demons, the security guards attempt to kill them.  Mack leads a strike team that includes Daisy Johnson and Robbie into the prison to rescue the other agents; while Daisy convenes with Coulson and May, Robbie and Mack go to find Eli.  Lucy opens the prison cell doors, allowing a large number of prisoners to chase the agents, forcing Daisy to have a suicidal showdown that nearly costs her her life.  May and Coulson are able to locate and save her.

Meanwhile, as they make their way through the prison, Robbie finds the last remaining member of the Fifth Street Locos gang, Santino Noguera, in his cell.  Mack is able to keep him on mission, and they quickly encounter the other two members of Lucy's ghostly scientist team.  Robbie kills the two ghosts with a fiery chain, but not before Mack is infected and forced to inject himself with the antidote.  They locate Eli and break him out, but Mack has to stop and assist with rescuing some guards, telling Robbie to escort his uncle out of the prison.  On the way, however, Robbie again passes Noguera's cell and is unable to resist the need for vengeance.  He tells Eli to keep going through the prison to meet up with SHIELD outside, then enters the prisoner's cell.  Robbie asks about the drive-by shooting that left his brother Gabe in a wheelchair, and Noguera tells him that he was hired by someone else to do that job, but he doesn't know their name.  Robbie transforms into the Ghost Rider and burns the man alive, then walks out of the cell block.  Outside, he meets up with the assembled SHIELD agents, but his uncle is nowhere to be seen...he has, in fact, been caught by Lucy and is forced to drive them out via an ambulance as her prisoner. 

Later, SHIELD Director Jeffrey Mace meets with Senator Nadeer, who he had just had a television debate against regarding the Inhuman population.  She shows him security camera footage of the Ghost Rider, asking why SHIELD is working with a murderer, and blackmails Mace into doing her an unrevealed favor.

REVIEW
Thank Hell for Netflix, because it's been over a year since I stopped work on the Agents of SHIELD episode reviews!

It's actually a boon, though, to be able to go back and rewatch the Ghost Rider arc on the show, at least for review purposes.  It was thrilling to watch each episode as it first aired, but that also made some of the story elements harder to follow and made the ongoing Darkhold/Momentum Labs plot kind of convoluted (okay, ridiculously nonsensical) on a week to week basis.  Being able to binge, or even just watch an episode a night like I've been doing recently, has made things click together a lot better than I thought they did after those initial first viewings.

While the last couple of episodes took some side tangents into Inhumans related plots involving the Watchdogs, they did at least serve to bring Quake and Ghost Rider onto SHIELD's team in an official capacity, instead of being outliers doing their own thing in the periphery. This episode brings the Momentum Labs mystery to the forefront by finally revealing the Darkhold, which also had that wonderful flashback scene full of Ghost Rider Easter Eggs.  There was the Quentin Carnival posters modeled after the cover of Ghost Rider (1973) # 67, the leather jacket, and the chains...that was Johnny Blaze's house, right?  I mean, it HAD to be his house, especially given Bauer's comments about the home being owned by the killer of the Darkhold's last owner.

The Momentum Labs stuff continues to be a bit murky, but again the rewatch helps to clarify a lot of things I had lingering questions about, such as what exactly happened to the scientists and why Morrow was in jail instead of being a ghost himself.  The real star and rightful focus of the episode is Gabriel Luna, who continues to turn in a fascinating performance as Robbie Reyes.  He's what really holds this whole storyline together, and he's enough to make the convoluted Darkhold plot tolerable.  The other actors get some moments as well, with the Daisy vs. prisoners action sequence particularly notable as being high-quality entertainment. 

The Ghost Rider, naturally, only gets a few minutes of screen time, starting with that always impressive transformation sequence.  The special effects required to bring the character to the screen are obviously expensive, so I can forgive the show for not showcasing him as much as I'd like.  This time, though, it seems like it's TOO brief even with that caveat.  The next episode makes up for it with some great Ghost Rider moments, but this one still leaves me feeling unsatisfied. 

The show's Ghost Rider/Darkhold storyline still has a few episodes to go, and even on the rewatch is holding my interest and making me want to continue watching.  I think that's a pretty good sign of quality.