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| Cover Art: Paris Karounos |
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Title: "The Walking Wounded, Part 2: Stir the Soup"
Writer: Ann Nocenti
Artist: Steve Lightle
Inker: Jimmy Palmiotti
Letterer: Michael Higgins
Colorist: Mike Thomas
Editor: Terry Kavanagh
Editor in Chief: Tom DeFalco
SYNOPSIS
Mary Walker is visited by Dusk, who comes from the Realm of Insanity and offers to take the Typhoid Mary personality away from her if she brings him the Ghost Rider. Her vision is interrupted by her friend, Eve, who comes into the bathroom and tells Mary that Danny Ketch is hanging around waiting for her. When they leave the bathroom they see the shopping mall is closing and the lights have already been turned off. Mary is sent to get the van for the Women's Action Movement, passing by the people leaving the last movie showing as she goes toward the back doors. When she finds the doors are locked, she's approached by two security guards who begin sexually assaulting her. Sensing danger, Dan excuses himself to transform into the Ghost Rider, and finds Mary in her Typhoid identity defending herself against the security guards. Ghost Rider recognizes Typhoid Mary from his dreams and gives her the Penance Stare, but is then interrupted by a passing priest from the movie theater. The priest tells the Ghost Rider that only God can decide guilt and exact penance, prompting Ghost Rider to respond "Father, do you know who you are talking to?"
ANNOTATIONS
This issue of Marvel Comics Presents also contained stories featuring Wolverine, She-Hulk, and Solo.
REVIEW
After a really stellar opening chapter, "Walking Wounded" starts to slip into some confusing plot points and mediocre artwork.
If any Ghost Rider comic should come with a trigger warning, it's definitely this one. Gender politics are a big part of Nocenti's Typhoid Mary stories, but I think this one is the first to depict an attempted sexual assault in such a blatant manner. Nocenti could easily be called put for the way she portrays the security guards as particularly ravenous men, but she at least balances them out with her positive portrayals of Dan Ketch and Father Martin. It doesn't make up for the disgusting attempted rape, nor does it paint Ghost Rider in a particularly flattering light at the end. Typhoid defends herself and gets the Penance Stare in return, which of course punishes her for taking a stand.
The most obvious explanation for the lecherous behavior of the guards and for Ghost Rider's assumptions is that Dusk, whoever that may be, is manipulating things. The first page has a great monologue from Dusk about his deal with Typhoid and his Realm of Insanity, but it doesnt explain what's happening at all. It took multiple readings of the story in total to figure things out, that the Typhoid that confronts Mary in the bathroom is not her other personality but actually Dusk assuming her form. It's frustratingly obtuse here because you can't really figure that out from the context of the first two chapters.
The artwork doesn't help things either, with the beautiful work Lightle did in the previous chapter making the work here look really bad in comparison. Lightle is not an artist whose work benefits from others laying hands on it, even when expediency necessitates it. Palmiotti amd Thomas drain all life from the pages, making dream like visual ques coming across as mundane and grounded with harsh inks and a garish color palate.
This is still a great arc with an intriguing premise, but the creative team needs to work on clarity above everything else.
Grade: B-
ANNOTATIONS
This issue of Marvel Comics Presents also contained stories featuring Wolverine, She-Hulk, and Solo.
REVIEW
After a really stellar opening chapter, "Walking Wounded" starts to slip into some confusing plot points and mediocre artwork.
If any Ghost Rider comic should come with a trigger warning, it's definitely this one. Gender politics are a big part of Nocenti's Typhoid Mary stories, but I think this one is the first to depict an attempted sexual assault in such a blatant manner. Nocenti could easily be called put for the way she portrays the security guards as particularly ravenous men, but she at least balances them out with her positive portrayals of Dan Ketch and Father Martin. It doesn't make up for the disgusting attempted rape, nor does it paint Ghost Rider in a particularly flattering light at the end. Typhoid defends herself and gets the Penance Stare in return, which of course punishes her for taking a stand.
The most obvious explanation for the lecherous behavior of the guards and for Ghost Rider's assumptions is that Dusk, whoever that may be, is manipulating things. The first page has a great monologue from Dusk about his deal with Typhoid and his Realm of Insanity, but it doesnt explain what's happening at all. It took multiple readings of the story in total to figure things out, that the Typhoid that confronts Mary in the bathroom is not her other personality but actually Dusk assuming her form. It's frustratingly obtuse here because you can't really figure that out from the context of the first two chapters.
The artwork doesn't help things either, with the beautiful work Lightle did in the previous chapter making the work here look really bad in comparison. Lightle is not an artist whose work benefits from others laying hands on it, even when expediency necessitates it. Palmiotti amd Thomas drain all life from the pages, making dream like visual ques coming across as mundane and grounded with harsh inks and a garish color palate.
This is still a great arc with an intriguing premise, but the creative team needs to work on clarity above everything else.
Grade: B-
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