Johnny Blaze has it all. A solid job. Money tucked away. A beautiful wife and two kids. And living in a nice town. Wait… what!? Yeah, Blaze is living the idyllic life. Let’s just ignore the demons he’s seeing. The heavy drinking. The bike accident. Something’s not right in Johnny Blaze’s world and we quickly find out what, though not the why, in Ghost Rider #1.
It feels like there’s been a lot of starts and stops when it comes to Blaze and Ghost Rider in recent years. Overall, they’re characters that had had decent runs but generally have their spotlight then things fade away for a while. There’s some bumpy attempts to bring the character back but they’re followed with another decent run. It’s a character that has had his struggles sticking around front and center. In recent years, Blaze had taken over Hell and that’s about as much as I know. I haven’t read everything with the character.
With a new first issue and the impressive Benjamin Percy writing, I thought it’d be a good opportunity to dive back in and see what Ghost Rider #1 was about. And I’m glad I did. While the comic goes in the direction I expected, it’s slow reveal nails the creepy factor and feels like a solid starting point for new and old fans alike.
While part of me wished the first issue’s concept played out a little longer, there’s something refreshing in Percy willing to pull back the curtain by the end of the first issue. With decompression such a prominent thing in comics, it feels almost refreshing to get a debut issue that doesn’t drag things out and instead drops a good chunk of what’s up in your lap. While we don’t know the “who” or the “why” of what’s going on, Ghost Rider #1 delivers a solid opening that sets Blaze along the road of his next journey.
Cory Smith‘s art is solid. Along with colors by Bryan Valenza and lettering by Travis Lanham, the trio create a comic that feels both pollyannaish but also foreboding. There’s something not quite right with everything but at the same time you want the picket fence life to be real. The art delivers that dark cloud looming over. It’s an interesting mix to be able to do both and pull it off so well. There’s also a look that feels “classic” to me remind me of the Ghost Rider comics I read in the 90s. It’s a solid build up with imagery as the comic progresses and Johnny’s visions become more and more disturbing.
Ghost Rider #1 is a solid start that has me diving back into a character I haven’t really been interesting in for about 30 years. There’s something about this start that reminds me of that 90s run that I grew up with and remember devouring when it hit the shelves. There’s a lot of promise here and a debut that might put this classic character back in the spotlight where he belongs.
Story: Benjamin Percy Art: Cory Smith
Color: Bryan Valenza Letterer: Travis Lanham
Story: 8.4 Art: 8.4 Overall: 8.4 Recommendation: Buy
Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Purchase: comiXology/Kindle – Zeus Comics – TFAW
Source: Graphic Policy
