Review: Cosmic Ghost Rider #4

Up to this point, Cosmic Ghost Rider has been a welcomed farce full of unabashed insanity. What it has lacked in depth it has made up for in sheer silliness. Say what you will about this series but it brought us Juggerduck so there is no denying it has given the world at least one major gift. This issue marks a sharp tonal shift as the stakes for this story are made real. Frank a.k.a. Cosmic Ghost Rider finally sees first hand the future his actions are building towards.

It is this hole that he just cannot dig himself out of, like a true Sisyphus“s challenge no matter how close he gets to success there is this overwhelming eventuality that failure is ensured. His hope to raise Thanos to understand the importance of protecting the innocent has worked, but the results have been less than ideal. For those wondering why the Cosmic Ghost Rider turned out to be Frank Castle this issue looks to answer that question by constructing a world that amplifies the moral code he has lived by since becoming The Punisher.

For all its fun this series has had this underlying theme of redemption peppered throughout. Now, much of that subtext has been buried underneath a massive layer of storytelling craziness that favored being entertaining over everything else. That made this issue such a surprise. It is as if Donny Cates pulled off some sort of Mister Miyagi type of trick that makes you retroactively look back and add depth to a lesson you were not even aware you were being taught.

There is this critical look at what would occur if the ideals of The Punisher were enacted through the lens of a character like Thanos. Taking the classic idea of the dangers of actually getting what you wished for and the massive baggage that goes along with it. Cates has written Frank into such a corner one could only wonder how he will ever get him out of it. The Punisher has been a character defined by tragedy and that definition has only grown with this series.

Even Dylan Burnett“s art has seemingly adjusted with this issue. Overall it still has a more cartoony look, especially when you compare it to Geoff Shaw who first drew the character. However, when the more somber moments occur his line has a harder edge to it to better display the emotion on Frank“s face. Â With this being Burnett“s first big book for Marvel he is showing a lot of versatility. Donny Cates must trust him a great deal as he has thrown a lot at him in only a few issues. No wonder Burnett will be the lead artist on the upcoming relaunch of X-Force in a few months. He had a trial by cosmic fire and passed with flying colors.Â

Final Thoughts:

It is rare but sometimes one issue can make an already solid series even better. Cosmic Ghost Rider #4 accomplished just that by adding context to what has been a fun but rather thin story. Donny Cates continues to prove there is always a method to his madness.

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Credits:

Writer: Donny Cates

Artist: Dylan Burnett

Colorist:Â Antonio Fabela

Letterer:Â Clayton Cowles

Designer:Â Â Carlos Lao

Cover Artist:Â Geoff Shaw

Author Profile

Daniel Clark

A fan of all things comics. Growing up on a healthy diet of 90's Batman and X-Men cartoon series ignited a love for the medium that remains strong today.