When it comes to Marvel’s current ongoing line-up, no two characters have darker backstories than Ghost Rider and Wolverine. Coincidentally enough, both solo titles featuring those characters have been written by Benjamin Percy for more than a year, affording him the opportunity to craft his own mini-event between the pair. That all wraps up in this week’s Ghost Rider/Wolverin: Weapons of Vengeance – Omega #1, which features the characters tracking the demonic Bram down one last time and exorcising his demon to Hell.
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On paper, it’s a plot longtime Ghost Riders have seen time and time again – only this time it’s freshened up by the addition of Wolverine to the mix, adding a mutant element to the story that is unique and refreshing to see. At the heart of the story is Bram, a character who didn’t really have any chance at a normal life. As we find out here, his parents were part of a demonic cult and quite literally conceived him to be the physical form of a demon named Bagra-ghul, considered one of Mephisto’s “most artistic” pieces.
Percy sacrifices an examination of Bram in exchange for exploration on the titular anti-heroes, and it’s an understandable trade-off. Though that results in this event’s primary antagonist ultimately feeling one dimensional and hollow, both Johny Blaze and Logan get an epic arc that expands their recent developments in leaps and bounds, even though they’ve been mainstay’s in the Marvel stable for decades now. Furthermore, few artists could have drawn the work Geoff Shaw pulls off in Omega, giving this story a hauntingly beautiful tone with his rigid lines and grotesque demonic abominations.
Weapons of Vengeance is a Marvel event done right. No world-ending plot is needed, just a demonic invasion that is at as small of a scale as that can be. Faithful to both of its eponymous heroes, Ghost Rider/Wolverine: Weapons of Vengeance – Omega #1 is a suitable ending for this event that also sets the stage for what’s next in both Ghost Rider and Wolverine. And as it does all that, nothing is lost as a result of Percy’s balancing act between the two series. At the end of this event, its story is wrapped up as tightly as can be and each of the characters Involved have an exciting new arc set for the future. It doesn’t get much better than this in superhero comics.
Published by Marvel Comics
On September 6, 2023
Written by Benjamin Percy
Art by Geoff Shaw
Colors by Rain Beredo
Letters by Travis Lanham
Cover by Ryan Stegman, JP Mayer, and Marte Gracia
