https://comic-watch.com/news/exclusi...oogle_vignette
new week first issue of the new Ghost Rider series with the Hood taking over.
Ghost Rider: Final Vengeance #1
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This issue did two things for me overall. I initially felt like passing on this but damn the art won me over.
1-Zarathos is mentioned as being the force behind the SoV. I feel at times, and at least the prior few series, that specificity of the power behind a/the SoV has been left unsaid. The power behind the SoV has grown and gotten tangled from Zarathos to Mephisto to Satan to the Heavenly Angel host of Zadkiel.
2- That the human host ISN'T in control of the SoV but the bequeathed of the power is and has "veto power". This explains why in the issue we see the SoV power surfing around searching for a suitable host.
This issue ends with The Hood landing the SoV power and the next chapter in the Zarathos bound SoV beginning.
"Freedom is the right of all sentient beings" - Optimus Prime
I was going to pass on this too and then when I was at my LCS, I last minute decided to just give it a chance. I read this tonight and the whole deal with the SoV power going around looking for a new host actually worked for me with how they explained it. My only complaint is that we have had so many Ghost Riders at this point, they should of just focused on one of them. The Hood does look really cool at the end of the issue and they did a nice job with the art, so we will see how this goes. I've read that this is a 3 issue mini-series and then on another site it said that it was 8 issues.
I guess I wish they would have just continued this story from Percy's run, just sick of this Marvel motto of lets keep restarting stuff from #1 yet again. Imagine if these clowns got to issue #25 of the last series and built it up as a new Ghost Rider is coming which is The Hood, it would have worked.
^^^^^
Agreed. Make it a 4 issue arc and reveal The Hood as the new GR in a "groundbreaking issue #25" moment. That was literally the industry model for decades....DECADES. Same creative team or not.
"Freedom is the right of all sentient beings" - Optimus Prime
I still do not understand the philosophy here as they were nearing issues #25. They could of even taken a month or two break, then started this issue arc culminating in #25 with the reveal of a new Ghost Rider. They could have had the SoV leave Johnny like they are doing here and build up to it looking for its new host. We rarely have any series these days go past 40-50 issues, let alone 15-20.
Look at Spawn for instance, we just had anniversary issue #350 and while this one wasn't treated as a huge deal, they did do a few things between the Thank You variant and the story to make it feel special. Plus while it finished one story that has been running what seems like for ages, it was a good jumping on point for new readers. That is how you do things.
Saying as someone who worked in a comic shop in the past, these constant relaunches make filing back issues a HUGE pain. As someone who doesn't read Guardians of the Galaxy or Silk or some of the X-books, it's really annoying trying to figure out what order they go in.
This was a cool issue, though, and the Hood as GR looks cool as hell. I don't know how interested I am in Parker Robbins as a character, but I imagine Johnny will still be around and I'm glad to see Zarathos acknowledged.
But I have no idea what the backstory of the spirits of vengeance even is anymore and I'm not sure Marvel does either.
Honestly i miss the days when Zarathos was a demonic spirit and the Spirits of Vengeance were separate much like Johnny Blaze was one thing and Danny Ketch was another. Now it seems like Marvel doesn't know what the hell they are even doing with the character anymore. It's like the name Spirit of Vengeance means nothing anymore, Zarathos was never one and not even Robbie Reyes was one either, just possessed by the spirit of his psycho uncle.
The Hood? I mean as far as looks goes it was a good design but The Hood? really? That is who you are going for as a ANOTHER Ghost Rider? I mean i would have been more invested in the single mom being the new GR! Why can't they bring back Dan as the one to take over like in the 90's? Or maybe go with Vengeance, where has that character been?
Also, i can't speak for anyone else but i am never a fan when Marvel puts children in harms way, in no circumstance do i find it should be a go to...i didn't when Sabertooth massacred them and i am not a fan of it here where that baby and that little girl are exposed to Zarathos even if they did the mom the favor of wasting that evil bag of bones.
I never liked that Zarathos, the Spirits of Vengeance, and Robbie's spirit were all largely unrelated despite all manifesting in very similar ways in people that knew each other. All the 90s stuff got so convoluted with all the overlapping, confusing backstories and various crossovers and such.
You can blame Howard Mackie for turning the whole concept of the Spirit of Vengeance into a convoluted web of barely comprehensible nonsense that no other writer wants to bother with. Before the 90s, the term Spirit of Vengeance was simple how Zarathos referred to himself, and that seems to be what Percy is going for now. I'd rather have this than another misguided endeavor to try making Mackie's nonsense somewhat workable.
Ghost Rider Final Vengeance #2 - this is essentially still the right thread since this story is continued by Percy from issue #21 of his prior GR series.
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While the first issue was a lot of exposition and narrative about how the Spirit of Vengeance has a boss and can be relocated this issue is about the Hosts adaption of said Spirit inhabiting them. The issue largely sees Parker Robbins adjusting to the SoV, recounting how he got to this point and some bullet points about PR for anyone just picking this up. Parker plans to take over the criminal world of Chicago and makes his first Alliance push on that front. The issue ends with his finding out what the situation is on Johnny. Zeb shows up ever so briefly, I assume he's going to be more involved later, like Johnny. No one believes Johnny is going to die and/or PR be the SoV/GR long term.
All in all it was an enjoyable read.
"Freedom is the right of all sentient beings" - Optimus Prime
Ghost Rider: Final Vengeance #3
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This is evolving into an interesting story and I have to believe this arc was turned into a mini cause sells on the monthly were unstable but Marvel wanted to let Percy finish his story. They've pulled this before with other characters. This issue is the clearest indicator of that with how Zeb is back with a larger role after a bit role last issue. We haven't seen Zeb since the early issues of Percy's GR launch, the narrative thread just feels there. Johnny has also lost/abdicated the SoV in the past so the revelations here of a remnant of the SoV power isn't groundbreaking, more expected. The teaser image for issue #4 just screams call back (and I dig it).
I've never known much about Parker Robbins so seeing his Baby Momma, Sara, show up with their child wasn't an angle I was ready for in this crime caper. The rest of this issue sees Parker taking down 2 of the 6 Chicago bosses. His plan is in motion.
"Freedom is the right of all sentient beings" - Optimus Prime
This has been a very good story arc so far. I just finished reading issue #3 today and the crazy part is that I had forgotten to pick this up at my LCS this past week. I hit up another LCS on Friday and got it from there. Marvel should have left the Percy ongoing series wrap up with this last arc. Just another stupid Marvel, lets start a whole another #1 even though its a mini series. It will be interesting to see if Parker ends up being the lone Chicago boss by the last issue. I feel that this could have reinvigorated the last run since a lot of people just didn't even bother with this, but some would have stuck around leaving this on their pull list knowing it was issues #22-25 with a new Ghost Rider in tow. I don't know much about Parker Robbins either, but he has been a quite cool character so far.