On Sale Date: November 1991
Writer: Howard Mackie
Artist: Ron Wagner
Inker: Michael Bair, Vince Evans, Ariane Lenshoek, Jimmy Palmiotti, & Mark Texeira
Letterer: Janice Chiang
Colorist: Gregory Wright
Editor: Bobbie Chase
Editor In Chief: Tom DeFalco
Cover Artist: Joe Quesada
Later, Snowblind has a phone call with his boss, Deathwatch. He asks Deathwatch for help with the task force, but after the call ends Deathwatch tells reporter Linda Wei to assist him in eliminating Snowblind. That evening, while Danny is watching Wei's news report, a photo of Snowblind in his warehouse is "accidentally" added to the broadcast. Danny recognizes the warehouse and leaves to confront the villain. Badilino and his men also see the broadcast and decide to investigate themselves. At the warehouse, Ghost Rider arrives and is enveloped in Snowblind's white field, which now not even Ghost Rider can see through. Snowblind attempts to talk his way out of the fight, realizing that Deathwatch set him up, then uses his secretary as a hostage to try and escape. Ghost Rider hits Snowblind with his chain, dispersing the white field, and Ghost Rider then beats Snowblind viciously. Badilino arrives and attempts to arrest Ghost Rider, but is easily swatted away before Ghost Rider leaves. Snowblind requests medical attention, but Badilino just smiles and shoots him several times.
Snowblind first appeared in Ghost Rider (1990) # 13. Despite the ending to this issue, Snowblind survives the gunshots and reappeared in a hospital bed at the end of Ghost Rider (1990) # 23.
Michael Badilino makes his first appearance in this issue and will continue to be a part of the supporting cast for the next several years. He becomes Ghost Rider's antithesis, Vengeance, in Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance (1992) # 9.
CHAIN REACTION
While Ghost Rider takes out a gang of criminals, a similar scenario is being played out by police lieutenant Michael Badilino, who takes down a biker gang on his own with excessive force and violence. Later that night, at the police shooting range, Captain Gerry Dolan takes Badilino to task for his actions. Badilino explains that the mayor has assigned Badilino's strike force team to apprehend Ghost Rider, and if Dolan had a problem with his methods he can take it up with City Hall. Meanwhile, Ghost Rider transforms back into Danny Ketch, who thinks about his mission to bring down Snowblind and Deathwatch. He drives to the police station to pick up his girlfriend, Stacy Dolan, and two crooks attempts to mug him. The muggers are stopped by Badilino, who breaks one of the men's arm as he introduces himself to Dan and Stacy. When the couple leaves, Badilino and his men begin their hunt for the Ghost Rider. Their strongarm investigations gives them leads on Snowblind, who they know Ghost Rider is also searching for.
Later, Snowblind has a phone call with his boss, Deathwatch. He asks Deathwatch for help with the task force, but after the call ends Deathwatch tells reporter Linda Wei to assist him in eliminating Snowblind. That evening, while Danny is watching Wei's news report, a photo of Snowblind in his warehouse is "accidentally" added to the broadcast. Danny recognizes the warehouse and leaves to confront the villain. Badilino and his men also see the broadcast and decide to investigate themselves. At the warehouse, Ghost Rider arrives and is enveloped in Snowblind's white field, which now not even Ghost Rider can see through. Snowblind attempts to talk his way out of the fight, realizing that Deathwatch set him up, then uses his secretary as a hostage to try and escape. Ghost Rider hits Snowblind with his chain, dispersing the white field, and Ghost Rider then beats Snowblind viciously. Badilino arrives and attempts to arrest Ghost Rider, but is easily swatted away before Ghost Rider leaves. Snowblind requests medical attention, but Badilino just smiles and shoots him several times.
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| "Both are Out For Vengeance!" |
THE ROADMAP
Ghost Rider last appeared in Deathlok (1991) # 9-10.
Snowblind first appeared in Ghost Rider (1990) # 13. Despite the ending to this issue, Snowblind survives the gunshots and reappeared in a hospital bed at the end of Ghost Rider (1990) # 23.
Michael Badilino makes his first appearance in this issue and will continue to be a part of the supporting cast for the next several years. He becomes Ghost Rider's antithesis, Vengeance, in Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance (1992) # 9.
CHAIN REACTION
Mackie continues to take the villains off the board while also introducing a major supporting cast member.
While he does go on to become a substantial part of the series, Michael Badilino's introduction here is not a great one. Maybe it's his attitude or his character design, but I remember at the time thinking that he was nothing more than the Punisher with a badge. Even though he's given the majority of the screen time in this issue, pushing him as a big deal, he's just so bland and uninteresting that he reaches the zenith of cliches. He's the no-nonsense cop that's living on the edge and clashing with his superiors over his violent methods, he's the ex-special forces hardass that...wait a second, I just realized something. Michael Badilino is Steven Seagal! How could I not have recognized that until now, I literally just realized it while typing up this review. He's Out for a Kill and On Deadly Ground and Has a Hard-On for Justice, all of those vague Seagal movie titles wrapped into one character.
Huh, Michael Badilino now makes perfect sense to me, nearly thirty years after his creation. You learn something new every day, I suppose. Anyway, the opening sequence has a nice parallel storytelling technique, showing Ghost Rider and Badilino in synchronous action scenes, and the last page really attempts to sell the reader on their similarities as protagonists. They're really not similar at all, though, from their attitude toward the law and their willingness to kill their targets. I see where Mackie is going with it, but I don't think it really works without Badilino needing to be toned way the hell down.
The far more interesting part of this issue is Mackie and company systematically eliminating all of the villains created in the title's first year. Blackout and Zodiak had already met their end (though Blackout will return) and this issue does the same for Snowblind. It's really giving the series this ominous feeling of impending closure, like we're heading toward some sort of finale. The next arc, which deals with Deathwatch, really hammers that feeling into place. This issue, following up from the Zodiak story in the previous issue, is taking the book into some really unexpected places. Snowblind was never the most interesting of the new villains, he was a bit bland in comparison to Deathwatch and Blackout, so taking him out in the span of one issue is appropriate.
Ron Wagner is the fill-in artist for his second issue in a row, though Texeira still appears as one of the cadre of inkers flown in to save this issue from what I can only assume were deadline problems. Wagner is a really good fit for the series, his style is cleaner and less rough around the edges than Texeira or Saltares but he still has that gritty edge that the series demands. He handles the parallel action scenes in the first few pages very well, giving the similar panels enough variations that they don't look copy and pasted. He also does a great job with Snowblind's white field, a great visual gimmick for artists. I love the bit with the steel rod being jammed into Ghost Rider's mouth, knocking teeth out that are still missing when he removes the rod.
Even though this issue eliminates a lame duck villain and introduces a lackluster new character, it's still stronger than the sum of its parts and is a great continuation of that finale scenario that Mackie has been building. Good stuff when taken as a package.
While he does go on to become a substantial part of the series, Michael Badilino's introduction here is not a great one. Maybe it's his attitude or his character design, but I remember at the time thinking that he was nothing more than the Punisher with a badge. Even though he's given the majority of the screen time in this issue, pushing him as a big deal, he's just so bland and uninteresting that he reaches the zenith of cliches. He's the no-nonsense cop that's living on the edge and clashing with his superiors over his violent methods, he's the ex-special forces hardass that...wait a second, I just realized something. Michael Badilino is Steven Seagal! How could I not have recognized that until now, I literally just realized it while typing up this review. He's Out for a Kill and On Deadly Ground and Has a Hard-On for Justice, all of those vague Seagal movie titles wrapped into one character.
Huh, Michael Badilino now makes perfect sense to me, nearly thirty years after his creation. You learn something new every day, I suppose. Anyway, the opening sequence has a nice parallel storytelling technique, showing Ghost Rider and Badilino in synchronous action scenes, and the last page really attempts to sell the reader on their similarities as protagonists. They're really not similar at all, though, from their attitude toward the law and their willingness to kill their targets. I see where Mackie is going with it, but I don't think it really works without Badilino needing to be toned way the hell down.
The far more interesting part of this issue is Mackie and company systematically eliminating all of the villains created in the title's first year. Blackout and Zodiak had already met their end (though Blackout will return) and this issue does the same for Snowblind. It's really giving the series this ominous feeling of impending closure, like we're heading toward some sort of finale. The next arc, which deals with Deathwatch, really hammers that feeling into place. This issue, following up from the Zodiak story in the previous issue, is taking the book into some really unexpected places. Snowblind was never the most interesting of the new villains, he was a bit bland in comparison to Deathwatch and Blackout, so taking him out in the span of one issue is appropriate.
Ron Wagner is the fill-in artist for his second issue in a row, though Texeira still appears as one of the cadre of inkers flown in to save this issue from what I can only assume were deadline problems. Wagner is a really good fit for the series, his style is cleaner and less rough around the edges than Texeira or Saltares but he still has that gritty edge that the series demands. He handles the parallel action scenes in the first few pages very well, giving the similar panels enough variations that they don't look copy and pasted. He also does a great job with Snowblind's white field, a great visual gimmick for artists. I love the bit with the steel rod being jammed into Ghost Rider's mouth, knocking teeth out that are still missing when he removes the rod.
Even though this issue eliminates a lame duck villain and introduces a lackluster new character, it's still stronger than the sum of its parts and is a great continuation of that finale scenario that Mackie has been building. Good stuff when taken as a package.
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| "Snowblind, come out and plaaa-yaaay!" |
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