On Sale Date: April 2018
Writer: Donny Cates
Artist: Dylan Burnett
Letterer: VC's Clayton Cowles
Colorist: Antonio Fabela
Editor: Jordan D. White
Assistant Editor: Annalise Bissa
Editor-in-Chief: C.B. Cebulski
Cover Artist: Geoff Shaw
In Valhalla, the Asgardian ream of fallen warriors, Frank Castle gets into a bar fight with a braggart of a god. Later, overlooking the Rainbow Bridge, Odin confronts Castle about his actions. Odin plucked Castle from a dying timeline that was erased in order to give him a warrior's reward of eternal life in Valhalla and does not understand why he continues to cause trouble. Frank replies that he deserved damnation for riding with Thanos and making a deal with the Devil, he never asked for the reward. Odin takes him to a room that contains his motorcycle, armor, and weaponry and tells him he will send him to any point in space and time he wishes. Castle turns him down, unwilling to become the Ghost Rider gain, but Odin transforms him anyway. Having lost some of his sanity again due to the power inside him, Castle agrees to Odin terms and asks to be sent into the past of Saturn's moon, Titan.
On Titan, Ghost Rider sneaks into the bedroom of a sleeping Thanos, who is only a toddler, with the intention of killing him. Thanos wakes up and attacks him, prompting Frank to give the child the Penance Stare. This reveals that Thanos is still an innocent and Frank finds himself unable to kill him. Instead, he chains baby Thanos to his chest and escapes Titan on his motorcycle, kidnapping the child.
In Valhalla, the Asgardian ream of fallen warriors, Frank Castle gets into a bar fight with a braggart of a god. Later, overlooking the Rainbow Bridge, Odin confronts Castle about his actions. Odin plucked Castle from a dying timeline that was erased in order to give him a warrior's reward of eternal life in Valhalla and does not understand why he continues to cause trouble. Frank replies that he deserved damnation for riding with Thanos and making a deal with the Devil, he never asked for the reward. Odin takes him to a room that contains his motorcycle, armor, and weaponry and tells him he will send him to any point in space and time he wishes. Castle turns him down, unwilling to become the Ghost Rider gain, but Odin transforms him anyway. Having lost some of his sanity again due to the power inside him, Castle agrees to Odin terms and asks to be sent into the past of Saturn's moon, Titan.
On Titan, Ghost Rider sneaks into the bedroom of a sleeping Thanos, who is only a toddler, with the intention of killing him. Thanos wakes up and attacks him, prompting Frank to give the child the Penance Stare. This reveals that Thanos is still an innocent and Frank finds himself unable to kill him. Instead, he chains baby Thanos to his chest and escapes Titan on his motorcycle, kidnapping the child.
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| Pretty impressive pedigree there, Frank. |
THE ROADMAP
Cosmic Ghost Rider was killed by the Silver Surfer in Thanos (2017) # 17. He was rescued by Odin and brought to Valhalla in Thanos (2017) Annual # 1.
The origin of how Frank Castle became the Cosmic Ghost Rider was told in Thanos (2017) # 16.
CHAIN REACTION
The origin of how Frank Castle became the Cosmic Ghost Rider was told in Thanos (2017) # 16.
CHAIN REACTION
The unexpected hit character Cosmic Ghost Rider quickly graduates into his own mini-series by creator Donny Cates and artist Dylan Burnett.
I think I've mentioned before than no one could have predicted just how popular Cosmic Ghost Rider became and how quickly it happened. It's fair to say that he's not particularly original, given that he's a mash-up of the Punisher and Ghost Rider with cosmic flair sprinkled on top. In fact, he's everything I've come to loathe about Marvel's treatment of Ghost Rider, the idea that a flaming skull can be slapped onto any character just for the cool aesthetic. It was terribly derivative when they belched out Host Rider and Ghost Panther, so what made Cosmic Ghost Rider different? He luckily had Donny Cates in his corner guiding his evolution, which imbued him with two things separating him from the pack: black humor and a load of heartbreaking pathos.
My only real criticism of the character in the previous Thanos storyline was that the revelation of the Frank Castle identity wasn't quite playing fair with the readers, since he speaks nor acts anything like the Punisher. There were in-story rationalizations for this, sure, but it still felt like a cheap "gotcha" moment that hadn't been earned. This issue goes a long way toward resolving that discrepancy during Frank's lengthy stay in Valhalla for the first two thirds of the page count. Cates wisely allows us to see Castle as he was, reminding us all that this is indeed the Punisher. We get the contrast with his characterization after he becomes Ghost Rider again, which makes his decision to go back in time to kill baby Thanos a little more palatable. That's the thing that I think other writers who may tackle this character in the future are going to forget, that for all the dark comedy this is a severely broken individual that works best when thrown into a moral quandary.
It's a great hook for a mini-series, though, with Castle kidnapping baby Thanos in lieu of killing him, setting up what looks to be an epic road trip through space. Dylan Burnett assists ably throughout, but I can't help comparing him to the work Geoff Shaw did in the Thanos story that introduced Cosmic Ghost Rider. The characters look too exaggerated, too manic to work for what is actually a pretty chill first issue. Burnett is going to grow a lot on this series, I just don't think this one played to his strength as much as later installments. Still, that look on Castle's face when he goes after the minor god with the broken mead bottle is priceless.
Cosmic Ghost Rider, like most of the recent additions to Ghost Rider canon of late, is one that's fairly decisive for fans. I think he's one that deserves a second look, especially in regards to this comic, as one that stands above the rest of his pack. He may be a mishmash of concepts but he's developing into a surprisingly nuanced creation.
I think I've mentioned before than no one could have predicted just how popular Cosmic Ghost Rider became and how quickly it happened. It's fair to say that he's not particularly original, given that he's a mash-up of the Punisher and Ghost Rider with cosmic flair sprinkled on top. In fact, he's everything I've come to loathe about Marvel's treatment of Ghost Rider, the idea that a flaming skull can be slapped onto any character just for the cool aesthetic. It was terribly derivative when they belched out Host Rider and Ghost Panther, so what made Cosmic Ghost Rider different? He luckily had Donny Cates in his corner guiding his evolution, which imbued him with two things separating him from the pack: black humor and a load of heartbreaking pathos.
My only real criticism of the character in the previous Thanos storyline was that the revelation of the Frank Castle identity wasn't quite playing fair with the readers, since he speaks nor acts anything like the Punisher. There were in-story rationalizations for this, sure, but it still felt like a cheap "gotcha" moment that hadn't been earned. This issue goes a long way toward resolving that discrepancy during Frank's lengthy stay in Valhalla for the first two thirds of the page count. Cates wisely allows us to see Castle as he was, reminding us all that this is indeed the Punisher. We get the contrast with his characterization after he becomes Ghost Rider again, which makes his decision to go back in time to kill baby Thanos a little more palatable. That's the thing that I think other writers who may tackle this character in the future are going to forget, that for all the dark comedy this is a severely broken individual that works best when thrown into a moral quandary.
It's a great hook for a mini-series, though, with Castle kidnapping baby Thanos in lieu of killing him, setting up what looks to be an epic road trip through space. Dylan Burnett assists ably throughout, but I can't help comparing him to the work Geoff Shaw did in the Thanos story that introduced Cosmic Ghost Rider. The characters look too exaggerated, too manic to work for what is actually a pretty chill first issue. Burnett is going to grow a lot on this series, I just don't think this one played to his strength as much as later installments. Still, that look on Castle's face when he goes after the minor god with the broken mead bottle is priceless.
Cosmic Ghost Rider, like most of the recent additions to Ghost Rider canon of late, is one that's fairly decisive for fans. I think he's one that deserves a second look, especially in regards to this comic, as one that stands above the rest of his pack. He may be a mishmash of concepts but he's developing into a surprisingly nuanced creation.
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| Punch that baby right in the face! |
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