X-Men (1991) # 9

"The Not So Big Easy" 

Cover Date: June 1992; On Sale Date: April 1992 

 Writers: Jim Lee & Scott Lobdell; Artist: Jim Lee; Inkers: Jim Lee & Art Thibert; Letterers: Tom Orzechowski & Lois Buhalis; Colorist: Joe Rosas; Editor: Bob Harras; Editor in Chief: Tom DeFalco; Cover Artist: Jim Lee 

In caverns beneath New Orleans, the X-Men are confronted by the Brood and their queen, who has infected Ghost Rider with a Brood embryo. The X-Men go on the defensive against the alien insects, but when Wolverine attempts to kill the queen, the floor gives out beneath them, sending all parties even deeper into the tunnels. Wolverine and Beast are confronted by the possessed Ghost Rider, and the alien presence within him fights with the spirit of Dan Ketch for control. Ghost Rider flees into the tunnels before Wolverine can decapitate him. 

Rogue and Jubilee discover the missing members of the Thieves Guild, held captive by the Brood. While attempting to free them, the two mutants are attacked by Ghost Rider, and the ensuing battle draws the other X-Men to them. Psylocke senses Dan’s presence and goes into Ghost Rider’s mind, where she finds Dan’s soul being attacked by the consciousness of the Brood. Belladonna, Gambit’s psychically powered wife, assists Psylocke in destroying the Brood, freeing Ghost Rider. The cost is high, as the fight costs Belladonna her life. The X-Men are told about the children of the Thieves Guild being held deeper in the tunnels, and Ghost Rider recovers enough to join the X Men in searching for them.

Cyclops has a stare of his own

THE ROADMAP 

The Ghost Rider/X-Men crossover continues from Ghost Rider (1990) # 26 and concludes in Ghost Rider (1990) # 27.
   

CHAIN REACTION

The Ghost Rider/X-Men crossover continues to put me to sleep. I’m sorry, I just really dislike this story, and in particular I dislike this chapter of it. 

So, if you’re going to cross the X-Men with a supernatural character like Ghost Rider, the Brood are thematically appropriate. They are scary looking aliens, after all, but the X-Men also have their fair share of Demon Bears and Goblin Queens to pull from for a horror story. I also get the idea behind having Ghost Rider fight the X-Men, especially for that sweet Wolverine fight that the cover promises. I just don’t buy into the mechanics of it all because Ghost Rider’s role in this comic is reduced to mind controlled pawn. 

The X-Men may have had the highest selling comics during this time, but creatively the titles were barely treading water. Chris Claremont, the architect writer that made the X Men into the sales juggernaut that it was, had been kicked to the curb in favor of the artists du jour, in this case wunderkind Jim Lee. The result is a lot of scripters, here it’s Scott Lobdell, doing their level best to imitate Claremont without the ability to breathe life into the characters in the same way. Essentially, it’s like an X-Men cover band trying to play the hits and it comes off as a bit soulless. Ghost Rider doesn’t come off much better, as he doesn’t actually get any genuine characterization until the final pages, replaced instead by a quipping alien wearing his body. I do appreciate the attempt to tie Danny’s fate into the mix, as it’s the big hanging subplot on the Ghost Rider side of the street. 

As for the artwork, look, Jim Lee’s X-Men is one of the most definitive takes on the characters ever, especially when you think about the 1990s and how dominatingly popular the franchise had become. Where Lee stumbles is his approach to Ghost Rider, who loses all sense of uniqueness. The leather jacket and jeans are gone, replaced by spandex that shows off all his hellfire muscles, a look that I really dislike (and one that, going forward, becomes much more ubiquitous for artists, much to my chagrin). The Brood/Ghost Rider hybrid also comes off as silly instead of menacing, with the aliens losing all of their horrific traits as everything gets homogenized into Lee’s superhero aesthetic.

This crossover naturally continues to be a big deal for the X-Men, particularly Gambit, and it utilizes a group of X-Men villains that hadn’t been seen in a few years. Ghost Rider, unfortunately, is just kinda hanging out with little reason for being there, and not even artwork by the hottest artist of the decade could change how superfluous it all is. 

Strike a pose!