J-Max was challenged to review 30 issues of Ghost Rider in (roughly) 30
days. Should J-Max succeed he shall earn his freedom (probably not). However
should he fail in this task then he shall be subjected to an attack by
Bees...DEADLY BEES.
So let's join him for his review of Ghost Rider #21
Credits: Howard Mackie (writer), Ron Wagner (artist), Gregory
Wright (colourist), Mark Texeira (inker), Vince Evans (inker), Jimmi Palmiotti (inker), Michael Bair (inker), Ariane Lenshoek (inker).
Overview: Ghost Rider continues the systematic wiping out of his rouge gallery whilst being stalked by a crack squad formed to bring him down.
Cultural References: A special tasks force jest about Ghostbusters.
3 DAYS UNTIL IT
GETS BURNT!
Review: Techincally, had this
actually been a 30 day streak, I would have failed. This is now day 30 and only
my 24th review. It’s been a stressful learning experience, but thankfully the
grace period I had been offered was an entire month meaning I had six more
reviews following this one to be finalised before the 3rd of June or some other
contrived plot device to get me out of my writer’s hell.
Since last issue Ghost Rider
has made it his mission to hunt down and kill off his entire rouge gallery - a particularly
hard task to accomplish when you have been retconned to never kill - and Mackie
is gradually building towards the final confrontation with Deathwatch.
We are introduced to the new
character of Michael Buldino a take no prisoners Dirty Harry type who has
been assigned with a crack squad by the mayor to clean up the streets of New
York and remove Ghost Rider. The narration tells us how similar both characters
are both dangerous, both driven, both willing to viciously beat small time
hoodlums with the aim of tracking down the bigger fish.
Dan meets the officer when he
interrupts a street fight and compliments Dan on his moves in defending himself
from the hoodlums with both characters immediately having a sense of affinity
for the others style.
I like how the smaller
characters are being brought back into the fold Captain Dolan ha grown to like
Dan and is thankful that his daughter has a normal blue collar worker to
ground her amidst a gradually unravelling violent city, all the while not
knowing that the very thing he and his daughter are tirelessly hunting is that
very person or that Stacy is growing tired of Dan's brushing her off to spend
time alone and their relationship is practically at an end.
The issue cultivates in a
final battle between Snowblind and Ghost Rider as Snowblind cracks under pressure
due to the police investigation resulting in Deathwatch betraying him by having
Linda Wei subliminally reveal his location in a news footage error during her
more recent reports.
Deathwatch has absolute
control over the city and the villains beneath him mean little more than pawns
that he can manoeuvre in order to sow corruption. I'm sure the money is good
but given the villain works in the World Trade Centre it seems that the money
is of very small consequence to him which is why he can seemingly hand out the
drug barren or break the necks of his warriors with little worry.
The ultimate goal of Deathwatch
as has been identified in his earliest appearance is the cause of mass
suffering, death and agony because a mutant with a sensitivity to death the
thrill of causing carnage or allowing it to happen on a larger scale feeds and
fuels him.
Ghost Rider and the task
force storming the premise and an all empty white fogged showdown with the
blind mercenary ensures as he engulfing every panel in a blank void of white
and disappears. The inking in the Snowblind issues really show off what a great
job the team are doing on this book and it’s great to see the contrast between
all the black and whites and how sharp and bold everything looks.
Ghost Rider has begun to show
a concern for the loss of innocent life toward the end of the first year though
recently he has begun to revert back to his single minded and ruthless self
again. Perhaps showing that the demon is gaining more control over Dan as time
moves forward. As in last issue, he is uninterested in bartering for hostages
and will exact his bloody retribution on Snowblind and end his operation at any
cost.
As he cannot penance stare Snowblind
he instead beats his body to a mangled bloody pulp and attacks Buldino when he
tries to interfere shouting out that he is now after Deathwatch. I'm interest
to find out if he will continue to negate using the penance stare due to it
feeding Nightmare. Since issue 11 he has been consistent in not using it but
that's only been due to him fighting villains who were in some ways immune to
it anyway and he's never actually considered nightmare again since.
Snowblind begs for assistance
from Buldino to go for an ambulance only for the police officer to refuse and
unload a six rounds into him as he lies bleeding on the floor as he has
"had a bad day." We are left with the knowledge that this police
officer may one day be another of the major villains in Dan Ketch's rouge
gallery.
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