Trying too hard!
I never really bought into the whole concept of Ghost Rider. Maybe it's because I'm not into motorcycles, or flaming skulls (insert homosexuality joke here), or maybe it's because I'm not male; either way, I'm admittedly unfamiliar with the series. But I figured I'd read this comic, as it's a tie-in to Fear Itself, just so I know what's going on in the Marvel universe, and this seemed like as good a comic as any to start my way into the world of Ghost Rider.
I was wrong.
This comic was, in my opinion, mediocre at best. It was trying far too hard to fall into the 'badass' category and ended up overshooting it's mark and became just cheesy. Again, you could chalk this up to my gender, but the writer and/or artist was laying it on far too thick. Is it really too much to ask that a comic about a leather-clad man with a flaming skull for a head wielding a chain whip riding a motorcycle that's forged in the very depths of hell be a little more subtle? If so, then I'm clearly expecting far too much from the world of comics these days.
The issue starts off with the typical cliche 'badass' line, followed by stating that the speaker thinks that their peers are (and I quote) "annoying", the speaker further asserts their badassitude, then it goes for the gold and references a metal band. This is page one. The rest of it is fairly cliche and confusing, as little to no attempt is made to explain who many of the characters are, or why they're important enough to be featured. Need I remind you all this is a tie-in? I'm pretty sure tie-ins are made at least in part to try and lure new readers into reading the series, ergo they're supposed to try and clue us in somewhat about some of the more esoteric elements utilized.
The most enjoyable parts of the comic were bits of dialogue exchanged between what seemed to be two minor villains, Blackout (isn't being a light-absorbing vampire kind of detrimental to the whole vampire bit?) and Deathwatch (like Baywatch, but with fewer bathing suits?), pictured below:
I particularly liked the fact that they commented on her running at them with just a motorcycle handle. What the hell is up with that? It looks stupid.
The rest of the comic ended up being irritating cliches with a few weak attempts made to explain what the heck was going on. We're not told why the new Ghost Rider is female, but we are told HOW (not like it helps much...). There's some expository dialogue from some man in a hat that I assume I'm supposed to recognize. Instead of going into that, I'll just include the rest of the pictures I felt summed up the essence of this comic:
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