Ghost Rider: Vengeance Unbound

GHOST RIDER # 9 (volume 1)

SYNOPSIS
Stuck between Satan's servant Inferno and the fear-controlled populace of San Francisco, the Ghost Rider faces the greatest crisis of his short existence. As he valiantly attempts to escape the panicked horde of innocent bystanders caught in Inferno's power, Blaze is unaware of Roxanne Simpson's situation. Brought to Hell by Satan, Roxanne is shown images of her father, Crash Simpson, trapped in the endless torments of Hell. Satan tells her that if she does not renounce her protection of Blaze, then her father will continue to suffer at his hands. Torn between her father and the man she loves, Roxanne breaks into tears and agrees to the demon's demand, renouncing her protection over the Ghost Rider. Immediately after, Satan reveals that he has tricked the young woman - he has never had a claim on Crash Simpson's soul, the man they have beheld since was nothing more than an illusion - and that her foolishness has delivered Blaze to him on a silver platter.

At that exact moment, back on Earth, Johnny suddenly finds that his Ghost Rider powers are gone, including his hellfire bike. At the mercy of Inferno, Johnny attempts to run, but is cut-off by the giant form of Satan himself, clutching Roxanne in his hand. Inferno approaches from behind, grabbing Blaze in a bear-hug. Johnny manages to free himself, immediately taking the initiative and beating Inferno into unconsciousness. Weakened from the fight, Satan strikes, leaving Blaze powerless before him. Before he can apply the deathblow, however, Satan is stopped by a bearded man that emerges from the crowd. The man's presence forces Satan to back away, as the stranger states that Johnny has earned the right to retain his soul. Satan vanishes, enraged that he no longer has claim to Blaze's soul. Johnny questions the man on his identity, to which the stranger replies "I am..a friend.", before disappearing as well.

Several days later, Johnny and Roxanne exchange words on what has happened between them. Upset that her naivete almost allowed Satan to claim her lover's soul, Roxanne leaves Johnny in order to grow up a little. Meanwhile, in Hell, Satan forms a new plan to get revenge on the Ghost Rider. He transforms Inferno into a human, telling him that he is to tempt Blaze into committing evil and then kill him immediately. If Johnny dies with evil in his soul, then he shall be owned by Satan forever.

The mysterious "friend" that saves Johnny reappears in Ghost Rider # 15 (vol. 1).

This issue retcons the Crash Simpson that appeared in Marvel Spotlight # 6 through Marvel Spotlight # 8, stating that he was simply an illusion created by Satan.

REVIEW
And here we are, one of the most infamous stories from the first run of Ghost Rider - and it all comes down to one of the most hotly debated endings of a comic series, at least as far as I can remember.

Surprisingly, fan reaction to the supernatural exploits of Johnny Blaze weren't that great during the first few years of the series. A demand had arisen for the book to be turned into a superhero title and that the series' main antagonist, Satan, be written out of the series completely. So, with readers abandoning the book, Tony Isabella took it upon himself to write a definite ending to the book's present status quo by presenting the "final" battle with the Devil and the last word on Johnny's curse and possibly lost soul. How did he do it? By taking the advice of fellow writer Steve Gerber, who suggested that Blaze's redemption should come from Satan's opposite number. What the readers received was the mysterious "friend" - never called by name in any of his appearances, but quite obviously intended to be Jesus Christ.

Reader reaction was split right down the middle for the climax to this issue, understandably so. While some felt the inclusion of the heavenly savior was appropriate given the heavy dealings with Hell and Satan, others argued that the "friend" was a lazy deus ex machina that allowed the writer to get himself out of the corner he'd written himself into. Regardless of which opinion you subscribe to, the wrap-up of the supernatural status quo did help to usher in a new era for Ghost Rider, focusing more on superheroics (helped also by Blaze's inclusion in The Champions, which started up not shortly after this).

In my own opinion, the inclusion of the "friend" was certainly a brave thing for Isabella to do. The book was already skirting around with religiously offensive material by including Satan (though not so much as Son of Satan, which could be perceived as outright blasphemous), and the inclusion of the Christ figure could easily have enraged Christian Conservatives to the point of a public outcry. Just look at the recent chaos caused by the Danish cartoon strip picturing Mohammed. Religion is a hot topic to be sure, and despite my own atheist beliefs I applaud Isabella for writing a story that could easily have been misconstrued as an insult to Christians. It's just a shame that incoming Editor-In-Chief Jim Shooter got cold feet about the story, resulting in a major retcon and rewrite of this story a good 10 issues later.

Besides the Jesus scenario, this issue also has a number of well-done scenes. The part with Satan's temptation of Roxanne into renouncing her protection over Johnny is excellent, especially when Satan reveals that he's just played the girl for an idiot. Isabella cleans up the unlikely Marvel Spotlight stories about Crash, answering the question of just why in the world Simpson would be in Hell to begin with. Roxanne's attitude in the epilogue is well-written also, as she states her "purity" as actually being simple naivete (something readers had been saying since the series started).

Jim Mooney continues his stint as artist, and for the most part does a nice job. I enjoy his rendition of the Ghost Rider, minus the annoying tendency to give the skull eyeballs. The one part of Mooney's art I don't like is his design for Satan, possibly the most boring and stereotypical look the character has had in this series. A cape, booties, and underwear - with every bit of him colored a bright red. It's goofy and really detracts from the absolute menace that Satan's character demands.

So whether you agree or not with the appearance of the "friend", it's nice to see a bit of closure to the early era of Ghost Rider. Hopefully the new status quo will hold up in comparison.