Advance Review: Ghost Rider #1

Possibly one of the throwaway of books of the 70’s and probably one of the most loved of the 90’s makes a return to the highway of hell that is the comic book rack; yes, Johnny Blaze returns as the Spirit of Vengeance Ghost Rider!

Johnny Blaze is living a life of some type of happiness. Following his recovery from a motorcycle accident, he lives with his dream girl and kids, though things aren’t all smiles and white picket fences. Night time brings nightmares and demons. Is Johnny losing his mind or is there something hidden in the darkness that is trying to control him!

I have been a fan of Benjamin Percy’s writing since Green Arrow Rebirth. Used to writing outcasts that challenge their surroundings, Percy quickly builds Blaze’s new world, even if he just as quickly destroys it. In some ways, this issue reminds me of the beginning of the recent Black Widow book; the idea of a perfect life turning into a perfect lie. Whilst Percy doesn’t mess around with moving forward from the starting point, he does allow time for aspects of mental health to be brought into the fold. This allows for an interesting pause between the action scenes, with mental health being treated with seriousness mixed in with hints of teases of future sub-plots. Of course this is a comic book, so sooner of later the big reveal will occur, with Percy building to that climax, though not letting the book stop there.

When you think Ghost Rider, and you are of a certain age,, you think Mark Texeira. Now Cory Smith is stepping into the proverbial hot seat, and boy does he deliver. Having worked with Percy on X-Force, Smith works with heavy lines that works well against the perpetual darkness. Smith delivers distinctive styles, the Johnny Blaze elements do carry a kind of 70’s style, with the Ghost Rider elements being more dramatic. Part of the creation of the vibe and drama of the book has to go to colourist Bryan Valenza who delivers a scheme that is darker than night itself, though to be fair, at this rate Marvel may run out of black and yellow! VC’s Travis Lanham produces a well spaces font, at least early doors, before utilising inverted text boxes to help demonstrate the various voices and aspects that make up Johnny Blaze! There are a raft of cover available, including. Gwen White Queen cover, but the main cover from Kael Ngu fits the bill for me.

A restart or rebirth of sorts, this book takes back the Ghost Rider horror element after having Robbie Reyes in the Avengers. I like Robbie’s Rider fine, but to me Johnny Blaze is always Ghost Rider, the same way that Bruce Wayne will always be Batman, and before anyone asks, no it has nothing to do with sharing names! A great start and a welcome return to a character that has been on the sidelines for way too long!

Writing – 5 Stars

Art – 4.5 Stars

Colors – 5 Stars

Overall – 4.5 Stars

Written by; Benjamin Percy
Art by; Cory Smith
Colors by; Bryan Valenza
Letters by; VC’s Travis Lanham
Main Cover by; Kael Ngu
Published by; Marvel Worldwide Inc.

Author Profile

Johnny "The Machine" Hughes

I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow

Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network