A year and some change ago, Benjamin Percy and Cory Smith launched their own Ghost Rider series, a surprisingly dark take on the Spirit of Vengeance – even by Johnny Blaze’s standards. The story laid out through 14 blood-pumping issues comes to a head in Ghost Rider #15 and while the stage was set for a grand finale of sorts, the plot is quick to fizzle out.
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Stories featuring Ghost Rider typically go one of two ways: dark, gritty street-level tales or full-on, King of Hell supernatural stories. The arc so far has been a nice blend of both of those ideas, even introducing a technological aspect over the past several issues. It’s been a breath of fresh air, and an artist like Smith and his metal-influenced line art have flourished throughout the entire run.
Only here, Ghost Rider #15 doesn’t bother pumping the brakes. Instead, Percy’s script slams the brake to the pavement, knocking the winds out of readers’ lungs by drawing things to a close far too quickly. Though he took his time introducing the story’s big bad in Infernal Labs and Dr. Diyu, both were easily defeated without even the slightest interaction from the eponymous anti-hero. Infernal Labs goes up in flames while Diyu walks to Hell only to seemingly get murdered by the brother she was there to save.
So much happens so fast, it all feels incredibly hollow when it would have benefited from time to breathe. No characters moments were had between Blaze and Danny Ketch, and the protagonists didn’t even cross paths with their primary antagonists. Instead, it was as if Percy was instructed to get from Point A to Point B as quickly as possible so as to avoid any further paper usage on this otherwise spectacular story.
All in all, Ghost Rider from Percy and Smith has been solid through and through; so much so, many would probably consider it one of the best stories featuring Ghost Rider told in years. Percy managed to lay down an incredible story through 14 issues before all punches were pulled for the title’s biggest finale yet, and the end result is a disappointingly stale endcap to the Spirit of Vengeance’s latest arc.
Published by Marvel Comics
On June 28, 2023
Written by Benjamin Percy
Art by Cory Smith and Oren Junior
Colors by Bryan Valenza
Letters by Travis Lanham
Cover by Björn Barends
