For comic book fans that might not know, Ghost Rider has, at times, been one of the biggest characters in Marvel’s arsenal. In the 1990s for example, the Spirit of Vengeance led a team of supernatural anti-heroes dubbed the “Midnight Sons” who rode high on the comic book sales charts, often giving the X-Men a run for their money. Writer Benjamin Percy has been riding alongside Johnny Blaze for quite some time now, but is taking the opportunity to team up with artist Danny Kim to usher in a new dark era for the Ghost Rider with a darker host to match.
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Our issue begins with Johnny Blaze unleashing the power of the Spirit of Vengeance like any other day but finds himself being left behind by Zarathos at the worst time possible as a supernatural spider bears down on him. What ensues is Percy and Kim taking the opportunity to show what the power of the Ghost Rider does when it’s in the hands of civilians, superheroes, supervillains, and more. Taking on something of an anthology style, Zarathos eventually lands inside Parker Robbins, the supervillain known as “The Hood.” With the stage set, things aren’t looking too hot for Blaze and the Marvel Universe alike as Robbins has been a serious threat in the past, even without the benefit of a flaming skull.
The format of this premiere issue darts around the Marvel Universe quite a bit, which works as both a strength and a weakness here. On the positive side, there are certain stories that work exceptionally well such as when a single struggling mother gets the Spirit of Vengeance inside of her or when the X-Men’s Danger utilizes hellfire in a way that readers have never seen before. On the negative side, said stories often feel like they are gone too soon, losing any substantial impact that they could have had were they given room to breathe. It feels as though this series could have benefitted more from each of these scenarios being given their own issue rather than only receiving a few pages here.
The Spirit of Vengeance is Unbound
As a big Ghost Rider fan myself, I was a bit confused as to why the Spirit of Vengeance would ditch Blaze at the behest of Mephisto. The Spirit of Vengeance and the Marvel Universe’s devil have never quite seen eye-to-eye, so Zarathos giving Blaze the boot on the underworld king’s behalf raised an eyebrow. This might be a question that is answered later in the series, but it would have benefited from further exploration here.
Percy has a very good understanding of how the Spirit of Vengeance works outside of its relationship to Blaze, while also creating some spectacular panels that feel cinematic in the best way possible. The first page does an amazing job of capturing the horror of Zarathos in plain fashion, and while monologuing can often be difficult to pull off, it works here. Percy conveys Ghost Rider’s thoughts well throughout, capturing its inhumanity, the terror it brings to the world, and its frustration in being unable to find a suitable host. I do wish we received more space with Parker Robbins as the Ghost Rider in this opening issue, but it’s ultimately a minor complaint.
Danny Kim does some great work here, especially when it comes to harnessing the darkness and terror that should be linked with Ghost Rider to hammer home the horror of the concept. While the Spirit of Vengeance has had several different aesthetics in its history, Kim’s new design for the “Ghost Hood” (“Hood Rider”?) is one for the record books. It takes the elements from both the hero and villain, fusing them together seamlessly to make one of the best designs for Zarathos to date.
Ghost Rider: Final Vengeance #1 is a strong enough start for this new era of the Spirit of Vengeance. There are a few dents in the cycle that stop it from being a timeless classic in Ghost Rider’s arsenal but there’s enough from Percy and Kim to have readers on board for Parker Robbins’ time as the Ghost Rider.
Published by Marvel Comics
On March 13, 2024
Written by Benjamin Percy
Art by Danny Kim
Colors by Bryan Valenza
Letters by Travis Lanham
Cover by Juan Ferreyra
