Hell Never Looked This Good

By -
GHOST RIDER: THE ROAD TO DAMNATION
Writer: Garth Ennis
Artist: Clayton Crain
Marvel Comics | TPB | $19.99
Once I saw Ghost Rider: The Road to Damnation, I knew I had to pick it up, it had my dream team of writer and artist. Garth Ennis is best known for Preacher but has worked on books such as Punisher Max and is currently closing out his series, The Boys. His upcoming project is Red Team. Clayton Crain first got my attention when he illustrated Carnage USA, he has also worked on various Spider-Man titles.
Ghost Rider is a character that should be awesome. A flaming skull and a bad-ass bike all against the backdrop of the greatest story ever told, absolute good vs. absolute evil. Instead often times, we get a ripoff Ghost Rider penance-staring into the Hubble telescope like the last volume. Or we get flashbacks to Chicago style gangster Ghost Riders and British flying ace Ghost Riders like the volume before that. Let’s face it, more often than not, Ghost Rider sucks. If anyone could make him cool again, it had to be Ennis.
In this six issue mini, the Ghost Rider is sprung from his eternal torment in Hell by an angel with his own agenda. Hunting down an escaped demon who is seeking to bring on the Apocalypse all while racing against both Heaven and Hell’s agents, the Rider must be the first to bag his prey or he will be cast back down into the pits.
The writing in this book is classic Ennis. The story has asides of brutal things happening to minor characters. The person responsible for summoning the demon is a truly despicable oil executive who is so disgustingly evil, he actually somehow breaks the mold for evil executives. The bounty hunter for Hell, in particular, is hilarious.
The art in the book is absolutely amazing. Although some people criticize Crain’s digital style, he is my favorite artist. The book has clean lines and is totally saturated in color very similar to Carnage USA. The depictions of Hell are terrifying and not in the least bit hackneyed. If you like his work as much as I did, be sure to pick up Rai #1 from Valiant (now in its third printing, likely due in part to Crain's art). 
Easily the best Ghost Rider series out there, The Road to Damnation is everything you want in a GR book and nothing you don’t. For example, The Rider never reverts to Johnny Blaze even though Blaze is the host.  Sadly, Blaze has never resonated as a leading man and Ennis’ bold decision to not focus on him at all pays off. The religious overtones here are played to great effect, reminding me of Ennis’ other masterpiece, Preacher.  My only complaint is that Ennis didn’t do more than six issues.  Like Punisher, Ghost Rider seems like a book that Ennis could become the iconic writer for and save the character from obscurity. Here’s hoping their paths cross again.
Final rating (out of 5): 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Robert Kirkman: Invincible, Walking Dead, Wolf-Man

By -
Image
I wasn't actually a huge fan of Robert Kirkman when I first started reading his books.  He was competent, sure, but I didn't see the appeal-- The Irredeemable Ant-Man was a boring side story in the middle of  Civil War and  The Initiative (although I've since changed my mind about this), and his  Ultimate X-Men run was, in many places, a mixed bag (although I did very much enjoy his "Phoenix?" storyline).  And  Marvel Zombies  just seemed like a ridiculous idea--not that I bothered to try it at the time. Now, though?  I've completely reevaluated my opinion on his work, and when his name is attached to a project, I'm far more likely to give it a look.  I don't know if I'd classify him as a master storyteller or a comics icon--but he's very skilled, he has an incredible knack for dialog, and he writes stories that, no matter how ridiculous, seem real .  In a medium where characters frequently violate the rules of physics, that's not alway
Read more

more random readings from May 2009

By pghhead -
Image
What else did I finish reading last month?  Here’s a cross-section of various titles . . . . . . . . . WITCHBLADE #126 “War Of The Witchblade Part 2” by Ron Marz and Stejepan Sejic  (Top Cow/Image) Preface:  Now here’s an interesting concept! = In order to attract new readers to its’ titles Top Cow is giving out free books each month as part of it’s Let Us Win You Over project.  ( www.topcow.com/freecomics )  Every month it’s a different title. And they work through different comics shops each month as well.  In April the title was Witchblade #126 and one of the participating dealers was Captain Blue Hen Comics in Newark, DE (my preferred supplier) so voila! - - - I find a copy in my hands. Since the last time I explored the Witchblade series the mythology has expanded to a battle between the forces of light and dark with each side choosing its agents on Earth, hence the Darkness vs. the Witchblade.  I’m still not overly interested in this type of fare on a regular basis, but
Read more

Best descriptive 2013 title: Vampire Vixens of the Wehrmacht

By pghhead -
Image
VAMPIRE VIXENS OF THE WEHRMACHT “If You Want Blood” one-shot (Bump and Grind Comics, August 2013, second printing with foreword by film maker Paul Campion) Writers: The Emperor + Alex Ronald.  Artist: Alex Ronald.  Letterer: Jim Campbell. Original Concept: Alex Ronald.  (Parental Advisory, Adult Content)  Limited print run, but digital copies are available from http://www.vampirevixens.co.uk/           If you can’t figure out what this comic is about from that title, then I’m guessing you’ve been living for decades in a cave without a DVD player and no access to cable television.   VAMPIRE VIXENS OF THE WEHRMACHT is a fast-paced horror comic driven by action, rooted in World War II history, and dripping with blood, gore and tantalizing sexual imagery.  What makes it work is a light-hearted approach to the subject matter, all in fun but never silly or stupid.  You may find yourself laughing at several of the scenarios or chuckling at the devilish dialogue.           VAMPIRE VIXENS O
Read more