Comic Vine Review

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Ghost Rider #1 - Give Up The Ghost

4

There's a new Ghost Rider in town, and it's a lady! Can she stand up to Sin in this Fear Itself tie-in, or will she be "smote'd" by a hammer? Back-up story included that shows the origin of this new Rider.

Now that Johnny Blaze has rid himself of the curse of Ghost Rider, a new Rider has appeared around town and plans on taking on Sin in this Fear Itself tie-in. There is a back-up story included that shows the origin of this new Rider.

The Good

I'm loving the fact that Johnny Blaze is still a part of this book. Without revealing any of the spoilers from this issue, Johnny is going to be a big part of this book, whether the new Ghost Rider likes it or not. Johnny will be teaming up with one of my favorite under-rated Marvel characters, and it seems like we may eventually be getting an all-out Rider v Rider battle.

The last Ghost Rider event tie-in I read was during World War Hulk, the worst and most worthless tie-in of all time. Now, I may not understand why Ghost Rider is in a Fear Itself tie-in, but it does add to the overall arc, and I think it's pretty darn nifty.

You want to know what was even more nifty? The back-up story. That's right. For once, I actually enjoyed a back-up story. Instead of bogging down the main story with the origin of the new Ghost Rider, the story was tossed at the end as a backup. This formula works great as it breaks from the tradition of explaining everything first, then jumping right into the action. We get to see the new Ghost Rider kick some butt, and then later learn why she is the new Rider.

The Bad

The Ghost Rider is just bones and a costume, right? If so, when does female Ghost Rider have breasts? There's no bones in breasts, just fatty tissue, so wouldn't she just be a ribcage? You get the feeling it's a woman because of her hips, but we don't need a sexy Ghost Rider. Just let her kick some butt.

What's going on with the new Ghost Rider costume? What's with the metal arm stuff and the red gloves? Maybe I'm just being a bit picky. Ghost Rider's skull also looks WAY too big for her body.

The Verdict

Solid start to a new book! While I'm a little bummed it's a Fear Itself tie-in, this issue actually works pretty well in that story, even if I don't know why Ghost Rider is there. I'm excited to see that Johnny Blaze is still a part of the book and who he will be teaming up with, and for once, I actually loved the back-up story explaining the origin of the new rider. However, the costume was something I was truly not digging and I have no clue why a skeleton body has breasts. Minor complaints aside, this is a great start to a new series. It's the perfect place to jump on and I highly recommend the issue.