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October 31, 2006
Ghost Rider Part 6: Escape From Hell
Marvel has tried several times to revive Ghost Rider during the past five years. There were two mini-series, one written by Devin Grayson (Hammer Lane) and the other by Garth Ennis (Road to Damnation). Both mini-series used Johnny Blaze as the Ghost Rider. Grayson tried to portray Johnny as a family man getting overtaken by the Ghost Rider curse once again, while Ennis simply put Blaze in Hell, with no explanation to past continuity. Ennis' mini-series had fantastic painted artwork by Clayton Crain, but the story was utterly incomprehensible to me.
In the new Ghost Rider series, written by Daniel Way, Johnny Blaze escapes from Hell and into a whole new series of adventures. Comic Book Resources just put out this nifty interview with Way which summarizes Ghost Rider #1-4 and gives you an idea of what will happen in Ghost Rider #5-8. How Johnny Blaze made it into Hell in the first place will be explained later, and Way will put his own spin on why Blaze is the Ghost Rider. Blaze's new raison d'etre is to capture the 666 pieces of Lucifer that have shattered over the Earth and destroy them. The problem is that everytime Blaze kills one of them (hosted in a human body), the other remaining pieces get stronger. Is it just me or does this sound a lot like Highlander? And like the 70s series, there will be a dual nature aspect to the Ghost Rider--Johnny Blaze will once again fight for control over the Spirit of Vengeance.
Way's dialogue is actually very funny in many scenes dealing with Satan. Dr. Strange makes an attempt to stop Ghost Rider, just like he did in the 80s comic, but this time he should be "cursed for a novice" because he acts like a buffoon. Having the 80s Ghost Rider art team (Javier Saltares and Mark Texeira) return to the character was a very good idea, as they are better than ever. While this series is about Johnny Blaze, Ghost Rider is visually styled after the Ketch version, with the spiked jacket and chain. Blaze can also utilize Ketch's powers, like the Penance Stare. There's a lot to quibble about, but it's still a fun book to read for mindless entertainment. I suspect I'll stay with it for a while. One of my favorite horror artists from Warren magazines, Richard Corben, is slated for a two-parter in issues 6-7. Nuff said.
