Thanos Legacy # 1

Cover Art: Geoff Shaw

Published: November 2018
Original Price: $4.99

Title: untitled
Writer: Donny Cates
Artist: Brian Level
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Colorist: Jordan Boyd
Editor: Jordan D. White
Editor-in-Chief: C.B. Cebulski

SYNOPSIS
Thanos, having returned from the future desperate to change the events that led to the end of time, waits for his daughter Gamora to kill him.  He thinks back about his return from the future and his confrontation with Mephisto in Las Vegas, where he threatened the devil to "leave Frank Castle alone", which only served to confuse Mephisto.  Gamora sneaks behind Thanos and decapitates him, which was exactly what Thanos wanted to happen in order to kill the future he witnessed.  Gamora takes Thanos' head and leaves his body for the animals to eat.  Later, Cosmic Ghost Rider arrives and pisses fire on Thanos' body.  When the animals come to eat the remains, a booby trap destroys them.  Thanos' brother Starfox arrives and cuts open the body, pulling out a device that could send the universe into war: the last will of Thanos.

ANNOTATIONS
Cosmic Ghost Rider and Starfox appear next in Guardians of the Galaxy (2019) # 1, which reveals that the device hidden inside Thanos' body is the Mad Titan's last will and testament.

Thanos returned from the end of time in Thanos (2017) # 18.  He was killed by Gamora in Infinity Wars (2018) # 1.  The whereabouts of his missing head is revealed in Guardians of the Galaxy (2019) # 3.

Mephisto was imprisoned in the top of a Las Vegas penthouse in Doctor Strange: Damnation # 4.  The deal he makes in the future with Frank Castle that transforms him into the Ghost Rider was shown in Thanos (2017) # 16.

This issue was reprinted in the Cosmic Ghost Rider: Baby Thanos Must Die trade paperback.

Podcast Review: Inner Demons Episode 33 - "Satanic Fanboys" (Click to Listen)

REVIEW
Donny Cates places Cosmic Ghost Rider into the modern day Marvel Universe while proving once again that no one since Jim Starlin can write a Thanos story like him.

This is a really curious one-shot comic, the type that I really didn't think Marvel bothered to do anymore.  It's a continuity patch that also serves as a prelude to a later story, a bridging episode between two stories that works to fit together a timeline of events.  You used to see this kind of story all the time back in the day, when Marvel were more concerned about continuity and maintaining the illusion that all of their comics happened along a realistic linear timeline.  That concept went out the window around ten years ago when Wolverine started making dozens of appearances each month, so having it crop up here is a really interesting throwback.  The events that this issue bridges are, of course, the end of "Thanos Wins" and the start of the Infinity Wars crossover, both of which heavily involved Thanos.

Cates obviously knows how to write a highly interesting Thanos, picking up seamlessly from where the "Thanos Wins" story left off.  This certainly wasn't necessary, to show how he got from point A to point B, but it's an excuse for more masterful narration about Thanos from Cates, so it's certainly welcome.  That it touches on other bits of current Marvel continuity, such as Damnation and Hela's wedding in Thor, are nice as well.  The most important detail, though, is the inclusion of Cosmic Ghost Rider, confirming that the character does indeed make his way to the current timeline of the Marvel Universe.  This is the first time we've seen Castle interact with anyone outside of Thanos from current continuity, and it provides a lot of promise for his inclusion in Guardians of the Galaxy.

Brian Level, stepping in as another Cates collaborator following Geoff Shaw and Dylan Burnett, does a pretty good job that's aided by the fantastic Jordan Boyd colors.  There's something a lot cleaner and less fluid to Level's work compared to those other two artists, and it almost dips into being too animated in style to work for the grim tone, but he hits all the important beats as the story progresses.  He does a nice Cosmic Ghost Rider, and the fire pissing bit is a nice callback to the Ghost Rider films.

This isn't a necessary story, though it serves as both an excellent epilogue to "Thanos Wins" and a stepping stone to Guardians of the Galaxy.  I recommend it if you're a fan of either.

Grade: B+

Inner Demons Episode 40: "Bladestreet Boys"

Inner Demons channels its inner vampire hunter in this new episode!  Chris and Brian take a look at Avengers (2018) # 16 and 17, featuring Grandpappy Dracula and the King of All Dogs, War of the Realms Strikeforce: The Dark Elf Realm # 1, featuring the Punisher and Thor's mom coming this close to making out, and Ghost Rider (2006) # 8, featuring a grizzled old sheriff.  Maybe, just maybe, we might even talk about Ghost Rider at some point!

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

Ghost Rider 2099 (1994) # 11

Cover Art: Kyle Hotz

Published: March 1995
Original Price: $1.50

Title: "Wild in the Streets"
Writer: Len Kaminski
Artist: Kyle Hotz
Letterer: Richard Starkings w/ Comicraft
Colorist: Christie Scheele w/ Heroic Age
Editor: Evan Skolnick
Editor-in-Chief: Bobbie Chase

SYNOPSIS
Ghost Rider begins his battle with the monstrous predator drones of the Pioneer Society.  One of the drones, piloted by Ms. Matlin, is severely injured by Ghost Rider's electro-saw and the feedback gives Matlin brain trauma that causes her to go into a psychotic state when she removes her helmet at the Society's headquarters.  Meanwhile, D/Monix broadcasts their edited version of Ghost Rider's interview with reporter Willis Adams, which elicits shock and disbelief from the residents of Transverse City.  When Anesthesia Jones sees the broadcast she recognizes it as spin control and calls for a meeting of the Undernet.  Adams, enraged by the manipulation of his interview, gets word from his producer that the Ghost Rider is currently engaged in a public battle, and he goes off to cover the story.  Finally, the director of Central Security Services watches the broadcast with Coda and sends the mercenary off to destroy the Ghost Rider.

Ghost Rider continues his battle with the Pioneer Society, but is surprised when they start dropping dead in the middle of the fight.  He is unaware that Matlin, in her psychotic rage, is murdering the Society in their uplink chairs.  As she murders the last member, he tells the Ghost Rider where Matlin is located and that she was the one responsible for the deaths in Little Calcutta.  Ghost Rider rides off to find Matlin, unaware that he's being followed by Willis Adams and, in turn, Coda.

ANNOTATIONS
Anesthesia Jones' meeting with the Undernet will occur in Ghost Rider 2099 (1994) # 13.

The interview that Willis Adams conducted with Ghost Rider occurred in Ghost Rider 2099 (1994) # 5.  Dyson Kellerman, the director of D/Monix, introduced his edited version in Ghost Rider 2099 (1994) # 8.

Podcast Review: Inner Demons Episode 30 - "Magical Snapbracelet" (Click to Listen)

REVIEW
Kaminski and Hotz produce an issue-long battle that revels in its brutality while D/Monix makes its opening move against the Ghost Rider and Transverse City.

For a comic that's 80% fight scene this issue packs in a lot of nuanced material that has been the series' hallmark throughout its run.  Kaminski never fails to include the world building elements of Transverse City, and this issue in particular takes the necessary time to check in on all of the disparate elements of the city by way of D/Monix's edited Ghost Rider broadcast.  It's a pretty great way to show not only how each faction in the city reacts to the Ghost Rider but also the divide on who believes the "spin control" and who doesn't.  That it's all done in the midst of Zero's fight with an unrelated threat, making him oblivious to what's happening ostensibly in his name, makes for a striking contrast.  While Ghost Rider is all fury and violence he's up against a corporate entity that attacks through manipulation, setting up a conflict that can't be defeated by punching it away. 

The Pioneer Society make for an intriguing set of villains that also serve as action cannon fodder for Zero to essentially carve his way through like a knife through butter.  They're just enough of a physical threat to make for some dynamic fight sequences, and the designs for their predator drones are duly horrific.  That they're ultimately killed by one of their own while engaged in a pointless fight with Ghost Rider is a nice touch and sets up a resolution in the next issue that promises to be more than just monster fights.  Ultimately, the Society are pathetically irredeemable villains and seeing them get their just end on dual levels is particularly satisfying.

What's also satisfying is the artwork by Kyle Hotz, who certainly wears his influences on his sleeve in this issue.  The designs for the predators allow him to cut loose with some inspired homages to Giger's Alien and the Predator film creatures among others, and his attention to cybernetic details gives the eye lots of stuff to take in as it goes across each page.  It could be said that there's too much fiddling with details, to the point where some things look cluttered or messy, but I think it works well with the chaotic tone of the comic.

This is still such a great series that is working on so many different levels, I highly recommend it as always.

Grade: A+