Advance Review: Spirits of Vengeance - Spirit Rider #1

Marvel seem to be clearing their magical house. No sooner have we had a Ghost Rider book from the pages of King in Black, Captain Marvel is trying to get some magical know-how and of course, the Death of Doctor Strange is just around the corner. So now is the best time to redress the magical balance.

Having served as a Sorcerer Supreme for her era, Kushala, the last surviving member of a massacred Apache tribe, is stuck in modern day. Good thing as well as it seems that the demon inhabiting Johnny Blaze is having something of an identity crisis. With the current Sorcerer Supreme in tow, its’ up to Kushala to lead Johnny through his past to resolve the issue.

Written by Taboo, of Black Eyed Peas fame and B. Earl, this book gleams a little bit more from the history of Johnny Blaze and long with it , more information about Kushala. After reading this issue, I have one question; did this book matter at all? Sure there is a resolution for one of the characters. But, I am left with a sense of why did I bother? The writing is simplistic in style with dialogue that made me cringe. It is this sort of book that detractors of comic book will cite. It is cliched and offers nothing new to any of the characters involved.

The art from Paul Davison is equally forgettable. Faces change readily as characters sometime don’t have eyes! Body lines also appear out of perspective. There is a bit of a Dustin Nguyen feel tot he art, but without the fun characteristics. the panel design works well as chaos takes hold. Colors are supplied byDan Brown who is hindered by the various environment yet doesn’t seem to change the overall style. The hardest working member of the team has to be VC’s Joe Caramagna who has to deal with a ton of lettering, which he manages with his usual style.

I assume that this book is going to lead somewhere later in the year, which could be a saving grace for a book that feels as throwaway as it is pretty much created by the numbers with very little flair.

Writing- 2.5 Stars
Art – 3 Stars
Colors – 3 Stars

Overall – 2.5 Stars

Written by; Taboo & B. Earl
Art by; Paul Davidson & Jeffrey Veregge
Colors by; Dan Brown
Letters by; VC’s Joe Caramagna
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