Ghost Rider new series

[Rzerox21xx]

That one shot today of celebrating the 50 years of Ghost Rider that Ben Percy written was so fun to read, art was great. going through the different time periods and seeing old GR foes. a classic Danny Ketch vs Blackout era, then the Midnight sons era with Vengance, Blade, and Morbius taking on Dracula(I noticed its his 1994 Blade series design(it was hinted as a fusion of Frank Drake and Hannibal King), I remember that Blade series ending on a cliffhanger that never got resolved, I think Percy resolved it after 28 years.) and then Robbie Reyes taking on Marvel's Scarecrow.

[Tracks]

That one shot today of celebrating the 50 years of Ghost Rider that Ben Percy written was so fun to read, art was great. going through the different time periods and seeing old GR foes. a classic Danny Ketch vs Blackout era, then the Midnight sons era with Vengance, Blade, and Morbius taking on Dracula(I noticed its his 1994 Blade series design(it was hinted as a fusion of Frank Drake and Hannibal King), I remember that Blade series ending on a cliffhanger that never got resolved, I think Percy resolved it after 28 years.) and then Robbie Reyes taking on Marvel's Scarecrow.

great point about him resolving that series! I completely missed that

[Rzerox21xx]

great point about him resolving that series! I completely missed that

Its was kinda weird to see Morbius riding a motorcycle though alongside Blade and Vengeance.

[The BaRoN]

Not a fan of the art and the weird bikers stuff but overall it’s been quite enjoyable.

Still find blaze boring and prefer Ketch but it’s decent from Percy for once.

[Toxin45]

Ketch is now death rider these days and just checked out the new run blackheart is back

[scribbleMind]

Still find blaze boring and prefer Ketch but it’s decent from Percy for once.

You know what's interesting about this comment? They're the same character. Not that they've always been the same character, but as of recent they're personalities have been exactly the same. The only difference is that when one is up the other is down. If Johnny isn't absolutely distraught over being Ghost Rider, Ketch is, and if Ketch is fine with it then Johnny is the one that's messed up. They flip flop between the slightly unstable one and the more unstable one pretty much whenever they're paired together. Otherwise, however, they really aren't written any differently from one another the majority of the time since Johnny's return to being the primary Ghost Rider.

[K7P5V]

You know what's interesting about this comment? They're the same character. Not that they've always been the same character, but as of recent they're personalities have been exactly the same. The only difference is that when one is up the other is down. If Johnny isn't absolutely distraught over being Ghost Rider, Ketch is, and if Ketch is fine with it then Johnny is the one that's messed up. They flip flop between the slightly unstable one and the more unstable one pretty much whenever they're paired together. Otherwise, however, they really aren't written any differently from one another the majority of the time since Johnny's return to being the primary Ghost Rider.

Completely understandable. For what it's worth, my preference will always be the set-up they had back in the '90s: young Ketch as the Ghost Rider trying to unlock the mysteries of his alter-ego, while the experienced Blaze provides sage advice & keeps a watchful eye with his supernatural shotgun of hellfire

[Chain and Pain]

Frankly, I'm one of those long term GR fans who never felt any deep connection with either Blaze, Ketch, or Reyes at any point in prior volumes. Reyes was as banal as they come, and Blaze and Ketch throughout their respective runs spent way too many times whining and complaining about being GR to the point I just never cared for them as heroes and Zarathos was too much of a one-note villain hero-in-name only. Only the dynamic between the mysterious 90s GR (later named Noble Kale) and the hardened and wised up Blaze from the 90s felt worth getting invested in, but even then, 90s Blaze often leered a little too close to "edgy 90s tryhard" while Kale and his bizarre way of talking and lack of anything going for him beyond "mysterious badass" both got too grating and boring after a while. The 90s series had its charm back in the day, but I don't hold it on a pedestal unlike many vocal GR fans seem to. It ultimately hasn't aged well for me, just like the 70s run didn't. In the back of my mind... I always felt a truly good and awesome GR character, and an evergreen book run, are yet to be established. Can't say for sure if Percy's current run might finally convince me to say "This is it! Finally!" But I enjoy how he portrays Johnny Blaze so far as an introspective, flawed but heroic man, especially in the Vengeance Forever oneshot where he almost feels like what 90s Blaze could've been if he had undergone further character development in the hypothetical event that Noble Kale ultimately transferred to him over Danny. No more whining and self-pitying, but a truly hardened badass who has resigned fully into his role as a GR and vows to make the best of what he's got till the end of time. That's what got me hooked.

And those who keep saying Blaze can "never be a good character when he's GR" seem to miss the point that it's rooted on the fact that Marvel, up until the Damnation 2018 event, kept saddling him with poorly-suited writers who never knew how to give him a likable and admirable characterization, instead constantly regressing into that same, "Wah, wah, my life sucks! I hate being GR! Save meeeeee!!!" cringefest. Y'know... just like Ketch in his worst days. It's just the way it is. Even if they had gotten Danny back in Hammerlane, Road to Damnation, the Alejandra series, and such while still handing the writing duties to Devin Grayson, Garth Ennis, Daniel Way, Jason Aaron, and Rob Williams, I highly doubt Ketch would've fared any better.

[Chain and Pain]

I liked this latest issue. At first, the premise was confusing. Really, all of these figures from across the Marvel Universe are here for some bike race? But reading it more, the story made sense. For me the strongest part was seeing Johnny Blaze (not Ghost Rider mind you, just Johnny Blaze) ride this race. It reminded me that at the end of the day Johnny is a very good motorcyclist. Good enough to do loop-de-loop's on demonic roads.

I enjoyed the fact that the issue didn't end up going full Wacky Races despite initial impressions. Percy continues to build up on the Call of Cthulhu-like situation that Blaze finds himself in through his ominous observations and how he slowly comes to realize that the forces of Hell are trying to establish a new world order through luring both heroes and villains alike into their causes. Percy continues to have a strong grasp on Blaze as a character by reminding readers of his incredible riding skills as well as portraying him as a savvy, experienced and defiant hero even as it becomes more and more clear that he is being corrupted from within. But the other highlight of this issue for me is how Percy seems intent on re-establishing Blackheart as a credible and fearsome threat again after one too many guest appearances in recent years seem to have reduced him to a third-rate joke. Fingers crossed the buildup keeps leading to greater things.

[Zero Hunter]

Frankly, I'm one of those long term GR fans who never felt any deep connection with either Blaze, Ketch, or Reyes at any point in prior volumes. Reyes was as banal as they come, and Blaze and Ketch throughout their respective runs spent way too many times whining and complaining about being GR to the point I just never cared for them as heroes and Zarathos was too much of a one-note villain hero-in-name only. Only the dynamic between the mysterious 90s GR (later named Noble Kale) and the hardened and wised up Blaze from the 90s felt worth getting invested in, but even then, 90s Blaze often leered a little too close to "edgy 90s tryhard" while Kale and his bizarre way of talking and lack of anything going for him beyond "mysterious badass" both got too grating and boring after a while. The 90s series had its charm back in the day, but I don't hold it on a pedestal unlike many vocal GR fans seem to. It ultimately hasn't aged well for me, just like the 70s run didn't. In the back of my mind... I always felt a truly good and awesome GR character, and an evergreen book run, are yet to be established. Can't say for sure if Percy's current run might finally convince me to say "This is it! Finally!" But I enjoy how he portrays Johnny Blaze so far as an introspective, flawed but heroic man, especially in the Vengeance Forever oneshot where he almost feels like what 90s Blaze could've been if he had undergone further character development in the hypothetical event that Noble Kale ultimately transferred to him over Danny. No more whining and self-pitying, but a truly hardened badass who has resigned fully into his role as a GR and vows to make the best of what he's got till the end of time. That's what got me hooked.

And those who keep saying Blaze can "never be a good character when he's GR" seem to miss the point that it's rooted on the fact that Marvel, up until the Shadow Lands event, kept saddling him with poorly-suited writers who never knew how to give him a likable and admirable characterization, instead constantly regressing into that same, "Wah, wah, my life sucks! I hate being GR! Save meeeeee!!!" cringefest. Y'know... just like Ketch in his worst days. It's just the way it is. Even if they had gotten Danny back in Hammerlane, Road to Damnation, the Alejandra series, and such while still handing the writing duties to Devin Grayson, Garth Ennis, Daniel Way, Jason Aaron, and Rob Williams, I highly doubt Ketch would've fared any better.

The whole point of Ghost Rider is it is not a good thing to be one. It is a curse. Of course anyone who is saddled with it is going to hate their life and complain about it.

[Chain and Pain]

The whole point of Ghost Rider is it is not a good thing to be one. It is a curse. Of course anyone who is saddled with it is going to hate their life and complain about it.

And? If complaining and constantly whining about it to the point of making one idiotic mistake after another becomes the character's main and only significant trait per story at the expense of good writing and dignity, then it loses the appeal and simply becomes a droning cringefest of pathetic actions, just like what Daniel Way, Rob Williams and Jason Aaron did to Blaze and Ketch. There are much more creative and narratively interesting ways to portray a character who suffers from a great burden/curse without the need to repeatedly fall back to the same, banal premise that previous GR writers have done to death already. Percy seems to have done his research and understands where past GR writers failed, so despite the fact that his version of Johnny Blaze continues to be a downthrodden guy saddled with a curse and a great burden, he takes his suffering like a man and is willing to go the extra mile for the greater good instead of repeatedly lashing out and blaming everything else for what went wrong with his life. That's my point.

A lot of fans seem to hold the 90s book on a pedestal yet it was that run which undermined the "curse" aspect of being Ghost Rider more than any other run that came before and after it. For all of Dan's complaining and all of Blaze's accusations, the 90s SoV/Noble Kale ultimately proved to be a truly heroic figure who served more like a guardian to Danny than anything else. Dan himself never really had it worse than any other typical spandex wearer like Spider-Man, Daredevil, and Wolverine in terms of suffering, tragedy, and loss. Really, the most authentic portrayal GR ever had as a curse put upon the host was in the last stretch of the original Blaze run with the introduction of the very unlikable and one-dimensional Zarathos... and that didn't exactly click with readers, did it? Point being, GR as a power and as a character works best when it is treated like a double-edged sword, putting great burden upon the host/wielder yet also capable of bringing out the best in them, making them do terrifying yet great things, something that Percy seems to have a good grasp on.

I mean, cripes, Ketch fans keep insisting that he be brought back as the main GR when the fact is Ketch as of the new 20s, more than any other host, has made it loud and clear that he HATES the role and simply wants to get rid of it. Period. And he did after Marvel finally published the last issue of his series which saw him return to civilian life, seemingly for good, and Noble Kale assuming the full mantle of GR with a corporeal body of his own. Honestly, I would've been interested in following that new status quo... because let's face it: Noble Kale was the REAL star of 90s Ghost Rider, not the bland, tag-along host. But alas, it was not to be. Now we got Ketch behaving like a schizophrenic fool who can't seem to make up his mind whether he wants to be a GR or not under Aaron's pen, or just another reluctant pawn who gets dragged into another mess he wants no part in, complete with an ugly makeover as Death Rider. My gosh... At least Christopher Sebela did something refreshing with Johnny Blaze when he got hold of him for the "Damnation: Johnny Blaze" one-shot, finally introducing a new direction for the character with some semblance of dignity instead of once again regressing to the same, tired formula of old.

[SJNeal]

I've never been a huge GR fan, but I have sampled his book off and on - whenever there was one on the stands - since the 90's series everyone loves. A lot of that material doesn't hold up for me anymore, although I do love the Midnight Sons era (due to a healthy dose of nostalgia and liking the other titles in the line).

That said, I thought the Brisson series was off to a great start, and had the rug pulled out from under it too soon. However I've forgiven Marvel for that because Percy's run has been so compelling. I fully expected to drop this book after 1-2 issues, but instead I only want more!

[Chain and Pain]

I've never been a huge GR fan, but I have sampled his book off and on - whenever there was one on the stands - since the 90's series everyone loves. A lot of that material doesn't hold up for me anymore, although I do love the Midnight Sons era (due to a healthy dose of nostalgia and liking the other titles in the line).

That said, I thought the Brisson series was off to a great start, and had the rug pulled out from under it too soon. However I've forgiven Marvel for that because Percy's run has been so compelling. I fully expected to drop this book after 1-2 issues, but instead I only want more!

It's more or less the same for me. I kept up with the 90s series just because I was a big comic collector back then, but I never had any fanboy illusions about it. The book never really contained truly strong character depth or storytelling, only serviceable ones at best (typical with Mackie stories) and soon became formulaic as sin due to never really delving beyond its premise of "regular, down on his luck teenager helping a mysterious, demonic badass uncover his identity". That book's claim to fame was always the admittedly cool and gritty, eye-catching art, never the stories. And because of the 90s comic boom, of course. But the Midnight Sons group still appeals to me from a nostalgic and aesthetic perspective, and imagining all the great stories that could be done with that group if only they'd one day be written by a truly talented and skilled writer.

Yeah, agreed with Brisson's run. I thought it had great potential. I still groaned and cringed from Danny's pathetic, whiny portrayal and his godawful Death Rider design, but I was hoping this new direction would've finally given him much needed character development and some refreshing new stories down the road, same for Johnny and his newfound struggle as the King of Hell. Alas... COVID...

I'm not expecting much, but I hope Percy's book will at least reference a few plot elements from Brisson's run and incorporate them into his own story. One thing I'm definitely, 100% enjoying from this book is Percy's skillful wordplay and careful attention to character portrayal... far better than all past GR writers, dare I say. The way he characterizes Johnny Blaze as a suffering but determined and dignified man of principles is miles and miles better than that pathetic, whiny loser who kept screwing himself and others around him because of how dumb he was. I am, of course, talking about Johnny's cringefest portrayal when he was first brought back as GR beginning Hammer Lane, lasting all the way up to Shadowlands where his last screw up ended up introducing the even more unlikable and two-dimensional Alejandra. It would take 2018's Damnation crossover arc for Blaze to finally be given back his dignity through Christopher Sebela reintroducing him as a jaded but determined Ghost Rider who more-or-less has come to finally embrace his role and take it to the next level, leading to a new and refreshing inner conflict with himself as he slowly discovers that there's a darker, more sinister side to him that's being exacerbated the more time he spends on the throne. Percy seems to have taken some inspiration from this because his portrayal of Blaze also contains elements of self-doubt over his own morality and coming to grips with a more dangerous, violent side to him that's not necessarily caused by the Spirit of Vengeance, or perhaps even that demonic parasite that's currently lodged in his head. One thing's for sure, Percy knows how to write struggling, long-suffering characters and making them compelling instead of obnoxious and cringeworthy, that's why I'm currently enjoying his book a lot and hoping that it'll lead to greater things.

[Rzerox21xx]

https://www.cbr.com/ghost-rider-shad...rcy-interview/

[SJNeal]

https://www.cbr.com/ghost-rider-shad...rcy-interview/

Sounds good to me!

Here's hoping sales are enough to allow Percy to see all his plans come to fruition.