Post by RikerDonegal on Sept 15, 2016 16:21:14 GMT -5
Ghost Rider
Gary Friedrich
12 stories in MARVEL SPOTLIGHT 5-11 and GHOST RIDER 1-5 (1972-1973).
Writers: Gary Friedrich (11), Roy Thomas, Marv Wolfman, Doug Moench.
Pencillers: Mike Ploog (4), Tom Sutton (4), Jim Mooney (4).
Inkers: Frank Chiaramonte, Chic Stone, Syd Shores, John Tartaglione, Vince Coletta, Sal Trapani.
Editor: Roy Thomas.
Average: 2.6/10
Ghost Rider (#5)
Strange origin issue. A hero who (in flashback) makes a lot of bad choices and appears to have no powers, just a very odd appearance.
Roy Thomas & Gary Friedrich deliver a character with a great look, and a tragic past. So much death has dogged the life of Johnny Blaze that it is tempting to laugh. And when he turns to Satan in his hours of need I think I did give a little chuckle.
Because of decisions like this, and other ones (like keeping the secret of the deathbed promise), Johnny comes across as kinda stupid. His supporting cast, however, appear to be both dumb and mean (as they give the poor guy grief of the strangest of things, and his girlfriend seems to somewhat of a stalker type: always watching him in silence and borrowing/reading his books on Satan without ever mentioning it, etc.).
In general all this odd behaviour lessens the (intended) power of the origin. Instead of feeling sympathy for Mr. Blaze you are inclined to keep thinking to yourself how unlikely all of this is, and what a strange/unfortunate bunch they all are. It’s doesn’t help that, at this point, Johnny’s alter-ego appears to have no discernible powers/purpose.
Thanks to Mike Ploog, however, all of this looks kinda cool. This is the first of 4 credits for Ploog as penciller on the series. And this is the first of 11 credits for Gary Friedrich as writer on the series.
4/10
Angels From Hell! (#6)
Very stupid.
At this stage in his evolution Ghost Rider is still a pretty lame super-hero. He appears to have no real super-powers, and no real purpose in life. Both his stories so far have shown that, depressed by his strange appearance, he basically just wants to ride around on his motorbike at night, all night, and hope that nobody sees him.
In New York.
That’s pretty lame. And weird. And useless.
Even worse… for the second time in a row he is seen by bad guys who (of course) give chase. Later on these same bad guys will hatch a plan to abduct his girlfriend from in front of a crowd of thousands. Because, you know, that’s what biker gangs do. This forces Johnny to come to her rescue. And he does. Without using any real super-powers. Just his skills as a biker.
But that’s not the lamest/weirdest/saddest part of this whole mess. That honour is reserved for the identity of the main villain.
Who is it?
Why, the very man that died in the first story: Crash Simpson. The guy that Johnny made his deal with Satan to try and save.
Twists and turns I like… but this is nonsense.
2/10
Die, Die, My Daughter! (#7)
This is dumb.
We get more of the same nonsense as before: with Johnny riding around in plain sight hoping that nobody will notice him! He’s also seen to bitch and moan about his lot in life, being shunned by society and all. Except… this really doesn’t hold true for him. But it does read like a standard moan for a Marvel hero. Sigh.
Then there’s the whole business of this issue’s bad guy: a former good guy (father to Johnny) who is now trying to sacrifice his own daughter.
Crazy, crazy stuff. And not much fun to read, to be honest.
2/10
The Hordes of Hell! (#8)
Awful.
It’s an odd, disjointed affair that goes on and on for far two long.
In many ways, it feels like two separate issues, two separate stories.
The first half deals with the Crash Simpson storyline. Johnny, Roxanne, Crash and Satan are all involved. None of the characters are behaving in a way that is consistent with what was established about them (and their motives) previous to this. None of this makes much sense. What exactly were Crash’s goals? To kill his daughter? Or save her life and life with her? It all depends upon what section you are reading.
The battle in hell is awful and comes to a crazy conclusion when Johnny trusts some random stranger.
Then, back on Earth, Roxanne conveniently forgets everything that has just happened. I wish I could.
But, within a page, Johnny is in Arizona and fully ensconced in a completely different storyline. About some crazy jump on some Indian territory. This, too, is full of characters whose goals make no great sense.
Idiotic.
2/10
The Snakes Crawl at Night (#9)
Not quite as bad as previous episodes, but still pretty dire.
We’re only a few issues into the series and we can already see major flaws in the concept: Roxanne is constantly being kidnapped and menaced, it’s not really clear what Ghost Rider does when he appears and Johnny’s desire to maintain a low profile (as GR) seems at odds with his being billed as the Ghost Rider in his motorcycle show.
It’s all a bit badly thought-out.
Then there’s this issues villains. The desire to stop the cycle show because it will make the land famous doesn’t exactly make a whole lot of sense.
I was hoping this saga would end in this issue, but no… there’s a cliffhanger and a further chapter.
F**k!
This is the first of 4 credits for Tom Sutton as penciller on the series.
3/10
The Coming Of… Witch-Woman! (#10)
Full of contradictions. That’s one of the major problems with these early Ghost Rider comics: events/characters contradict earlier ones. All the time. Bad guys change plans/motivations and Johnny seems to want different things on different pages.
It’s all very frustrating.
Even aside from that, this episode is weak because some of it is hilariously bad. Johnny takes Roxanne to the hospital in this one, to try and save her life, and pretty much everything he and the doctor says to one another is… awful. And, in the right frame of mind, it will make you smile.
Linda Littletrees appears here for the first time. She’s hot. Seriously sexy. It’s not much, but it means there’s something to enjoy…
3/10
Season of the Witch-Woman (#11)
Awful. Once again.
Half the issue is a flashback/origin story all about Witch-Woman, who promptly dies… So you gotta wonder ‘Why?’. At least she’s hot, and her origin story is full of other scantily-clad hot ladies. The other plus is that it’s hilariously bad. Linda and her college roommate come across as idiots, and the story progression is clunky.
The other half of the issue involves the escape of Ghost Rider from the clutches of Witch-Woman (isn’t that an awful name?). His desire to escape highlights another central flaw in the character (at this stage in his development): he has no discernible powers/abilities. He just rides his bike around and he pretty much helps nobody. He just rides around being chased and attacked. For the oddest of reasons, as this tale attests. And when he does get free from his shackles he only recourse is to: flee.
Yawnsville. Again.
2/10
A Woman Possessed! (#1)
Bad.
Once again, I’m mesmerised by how stupid these people are.
Johnny starts off the issues by - inexplicably - trying to bust through a police roadblock and getting himself badly injured in the process. It makes no great amount of sense. Neither does the fact that, later on, he leaves the hospital (as Ghost Rider) when it’s been clearly established that he’s going to be left alone there all night.
Johnny is not the only one cursed by odd behaviour. All the characters are crazy/dumb in the exact same fashion. And one of them apparently gets himself killed in the process.
Who cares?
When does this series get good? I know it gets good (really good) because I’ve read later issues, but this early stuff is total crap.
2/10
Shake Hands With Satan! (#2)
Crazy bad. I look forward to each issue with curiosity, wondering what crazy twists the story will take. And it never disappoints.
Witch-Woman returns. Boy, does she ever look hot. But, thing is, it’s not really her. It’s really Satan. For some reason that’s not adequately explained. I mean, sure, they do explain it, but it’s not much of an explanation.
Anyway, GR is face to face with Witch-Woman (such an awful name) and a bunch of so-bad-they-are-funny bikers show up to cause trouble. Once again, the series shows inconsistencies with regard to how famous Ghost Rider is, and how much the general public knows about him and his powers and such.
This bunch immediately recognise GR and want to fight him. And he… won’t fight back. For odd, badly explained, reasons. So, he gets thrown around and eventually dragged off to Hell by WW/Satan.
Damon Hellstrom gets a couple of long scenes in the issue. The first is good, as it builds mystery and character, but the second is dumb as the two guest stars promptly do exactly what they were told not to do.
Crazy stuff. Bad, but crazy.
This is the first of 4 credits for Jim Mooney as penciller on the series.
2/10
Wheels on Fire (#3)
More frustrating storytelling.
Johnny stumbles into traffic and causes a horrific accident. So… Johnny’s a bit of moron, really. Then he finds himself back in hospital. Again. Just like before. And eventually he transforms into GR. Again. Just like before. Once gets the feeling that the series is careering along, without much sense of direction or purpose.
There are some good elements here. The introduction of the fire cycle is cool, and Witch-Woman continues to be a total babe, but the frustrating stuff is really frustrating. For instance: GR ends the issue fighting a truly lame villain instead of rushing off to rescue Witch-Woman. And it really does read like an oversight.
3/10
Death Stalks the Demolition Derby (#4)
I love the first Ghost Rider series, but the early issues are rubbish.
The series has no concept/status quo yet, (dumb) random coincidences drive the stories and the way Johnny is able to get away with being GR in public is really, really stupid. And his girlfriend is annoying, too.
This is the last of 11 credits for creator Gary Friedrich as a writer on the series.
3/10
And Vegas Writhes in Flame! (#5)
The series continues with Doug Moench taking over as writer (for this one issue) and Marv Wolfman providing the plot.
I had hoped that this would improve on what went before - with new writers - but it’s still dumb.
Nonsense. Aimless mess. Sigh.
I know the series gets great. Eventually. But I’ve never read the first 30 issues.
I sure hope they’re not all like this.
3/10
Black Widow - Friedrich/Thomas/Colan/Heck (70-1) 4.3/10
Captain Marvel - Thomas/Colan (67-8) 5.5/10 - Drake/Heck (68) 4.8/10 - Friedrich/Thomas/Kane (69-70) 4.1/10 -
Daredevil - Conway/Colan (71-2) 6.7/10 - Gerber (73-4) 6.5/10 -
Deathlok - Moench/Mantlo/Buckler (74-6) 8.8/10
Doctor Strange - Fox (71-2) 9.3/10 - Englehart/Brunner (73-4) 8.9/10 - Englehart/Colan (75-76) 8/10 -
Ghost Rider - Friedrich (72-3) 2.6/10 - Isabella (74-6) 5.4/10 - Shooter/Heck (77) 6.7/10 - McKenzie/Perlin (78) 8.9/10 -
Iron Man - Brodsky/Heck (70) 7/10 -
Living Mummy - Isabella/Mayerik (73-5) 7.6/10
Luke Cage - Goodwin/Englehart/Tuska/Graham (72-3) 7.1/10 -
Night Nurse - Thomas/Mortimer (72) 6.3/10
Tales of the Zombie - Gerber/Marcos (73-4) 6.5/10
Gary Friedrich
12 stories in MARVEL SPOTLIGHT 5-11 and GHOST RIDER 1-5 (1972-1973).
Writers: Gary Friedrich (11), Roy Thomas, Marv Wolfman, Doug Moench.
Pencillers: Mike Ploog (4), Tom Sutton (4), Jim Mooney (4).
Inkers: Frank Chiaramonte, Chic Stone, Syd Shores, John Tartaglione, Vince Coletta, Sal Trapani.
Editor: Roy Thomas.
- Ghost Rider - GF/RT/MP - 4/10
- Angels From Hell! - GF/MP - 2/10
- Die, Die, My Daughter! - GF/MP - 2/10
- The Hordes of Hell! - GF/MP - 2/10
- The Snakes Crawl at Night - GF/TS - 3/10
- The Coming Of… Witch-Woman! - GF/TS - 3/10
- Season of the Witch-Woman - GF/TS - 2/10
- A Woman Possessed! - GF/TS - 2/10
- Shake Hands With Satan! - GF/JM - 2/10
- Wheels on Fire - GF/JM - 3/10
- Death Stalks the Demolition Derby - GF/JM - 3/10
- And Vegas Writhes in Flame! - MW/DM/JM - 3/10
Average: 2.6/10
Ghost Rider (#5)
Strange origin issue. A hero who (in flashback) makes a lot of bad choices and appears to have no powers, just a very odd appearance.
Roy Thomas & Gary Friedrich deliver a character with a great look, and a tragic past. So much death has dogged the life of Johnny Blaze that it is tempting to laugh. And when he turns to Satan in his hours of need I think I did give a little chuckle.
Because of decisions like this, and other ones (like keeping the secret of the deathbed promise), Johnny comes across as kinda stupid. His supporting cast, however, appear to be both dumb and mean (as they give the poor guy grief of the strangest of things, and his girlfriend seems to somewhat of a stalker type: always watching him in silence and borrowing/reading his books on Satan without ever mentioning it, etc.).
In general all this odd behaviour lessens the (intended) power of the origin. Instead of feeling sympathy for Mr. Blaze you are inclined to keep thinking to yourself how unlikely all of this is, and what a strange/unfortunate bunch they all are. It’s doesn’t help that, at this point, Johnny’s alter-ego appears to have no discernible powers/purpose.
Thanks to Mike Ploog, however, all of this looks kinda cool. This is the first of 4 credits for Ploog as penciller on the series. And this is the first of 11 credits for Gary Friedrich as writer on the series.
4/10
Angels From Hell! (#6)
Very stupid.
At this stage in his evolution Ghost Rider is still a pretty lame super-hero. He appears to have no real super-powers, and no real purpose in life. Both his stories so far have shown that, depressed by his strange appearance, he basically just wants to ride around on his motorbike at night, all night, and hope that nobody sees him.
In New York.
That’s pretty lame. And weird. And useless.
Even worse… for the second time in a row he is seen by bad guys who (of course) give chase. Later on these same bad guys will hatch a plan to abduct his girlfriend from in front of a crowd of thousands. Because, you know, that’s what biker gangs do. This forces Johnny to come to her rescue. And he does. Without using any real super-powers. Just his skills as a biker.
But that’s not the lamest/weirdest/saddest part of this whole mess. That honour is reserved for the identity of the main villain.
Who is it?
Why, the very man that died in the first story: Crash Simpson. The guy that Johnny made his deal with Satan to try and save.
Twists and turns I like… but this is nonsense.
2/10
Die, Die, My Daughter! (#7)
This is dumb.
We get more of the same nonsense as before: with Johnny riding around in plain sight hoping that nobody will notice him! He’s also seen to bitch and moan about his lot in life, being shunned by society and all. Except… this really doesn’t hold true for him. But it does read like a standard moan for a Marvel hero. Sigh.
Then there’s the whole business of this issue’s bad guy: a former good guy (father to Johnny) who is now trying to sacrifice his own daughter.
Crazy, crazy stuff. And not much fun to read, to be honest.
2/10
The Hordes of Hell! (#8)
Awful.
It’s an odd, disjointed affair that goes on and on for far two long.
In many ways, it feels like two separate issues, two separate stories.
The first half deals with the Crash Simpson storyline. Johnny, Roxanne, Crash and Satan are all involved. None of the characters are behaving in a way that is consistent with what was established about them (and their motives) previous to this. None of this makes much sense. What exactly were Crash’s goals? To kill his daughter? Or save her life and life with her? It all depends upon what section you are reading.
The battle in hell is awful and comes to a crazy conclusion when Johnny trusts some random stranger.
Then, back on Earth, Roxanne conveniently forgets everything that has just happened. I wish I could.
But, within a page, Johnny is in Arizona and fully ensconced in a completely different storyline. About some crazy jump on some Indian territory. This, too, is full of characters whose goals make no great sense.
Idiotic.
2/10
The Snakes Crawl at Night (#9)
Not quite as bad as previous episodes, but still pretty dire.
We’re only a few issues into the series and we can already see major flaws in the concept: Roxanne is constantly being kidnapped and menaced, it’s not really clear what Ghost Rider does when he appears and Johnny’s desire to maintain a low profile (as GR) seems at odds with his being billed as the Ghost Rider in his motorcycle show.
It’s all a bit badly thought-out.
Then there’s this issues villains. The desire to stop the cycle show because it will make the land famous doesn’t exactly make a whole lot of sense.
I was hoping this saga would end in this issue, but no… there’s a cliffhanger and a further chapter.
F**k!
This is the first of 4 credits for Tom Sutton as penciller on the series.
3/10
The Coming Of… Witch-Woman! (#10)
Full of contradictions. That’s one of the major problems with these early Ghost Rider comics: events/characters contradict earlier ones. All the time. Bad guys change plans/motivations and Johnny seems to want different things on different pages.
It’s all very frustrating.
Even aside from that, this episode is weak because some of it is hilariously bad. Johnny takes Roxanne to the hospital in this one, to try and save her life, and pretty much everything he and the doctor says to one another is… awful. And, in the right frame of mind, it will make you smile.
Linda Littletrees appears here for the first time. She’s hot. Seriously sexy. It’s not much, but it means there’s something to enjoy…
3/10
Season of the Witch-Woman (#11)
Awful. Once again.
Half the issue is a flashback/origin story all about Witch-Woman, who promptly dies… So you gotta wonder ‘Why?’. At least she’s hot, and her origin story is full of other scantily-clad hot ladies. The other plus is that it’s hilariously bad. Linda and her college roommate come across as idiots, and the story progression is clunky.
The other half of the issue involves the escape of Ghost Rider from the clutches of Witch-Woman (isn’t that an awful name?). His desire to escape highlights another central flaw in the character (at this stage in his development): he has no discernible powers/abilities. He just rides his bike around and he pretty much helps nobody. He just rides around being chased and attacked. For the oddest of reasons, as this tale attests. And when he does get free from his shackles he only recourse is to: flee.
Yawnsville. Again.
2/10
A Woman Possessed! (#1)
Bad.
Once again, I’m mesmerised by how stupid these people are.
Johnny starts off the issues by - inexplicably - trying to bust through a police roadblock and getting himself badly injured in the process. It makes no great amount of sense. Neither does the fact that, later on, he leaves the hospital (as Ghost Rider) when it’s been clearly established that he’s going to be left alone there all night.
Johnny is not the only one cursed by odd behaviour. All the characters are crazy/dumb in the exact same fashion. And one of them apparently gets himself killed in the process.
Who cares?
When does this series get good? I know it gets good (really good) because I’ve read later issues, but this early stuff is total crap.
2/10
Shake Hands With Satan! (#2)
Crazy bad. I look forward to each issue with curiosity, wondering what crazy twists the story will take. And it never disappoints.
Witch-Woman returns. Boy, does she ever look hot. But, thing is, it’s not really her. It’s really Satan. For some reason that’s not adequately explained. I mean, sure, they do explain it, but it’s not much of an explanation.
Anyway, GR is face to face with Witch-Woman (such an awful name) and a bunch of so-bad-they-are-funny bikers show up to cause trouble. Once again, the series shows inconsistencies with regard to how famous Ghost Rider is, and how much the general public knows about him and his powers and such.
This bunch immediately recognise GR and want to fight him. And he… won’t fight back. For odd, badly explained, reasons. So, he gets thrown around and eventually dragged off to Hell by WW/Satan.
Damon Hellstrom gets a couple of long scenes in the issue. The first is good, as it builds mystery and character, but the second is dumb as the two guest stars promptly do exactly what they were told not to do.
Crazy stuff. Bad, but crazy.
This is the first of 4 credits for Jim Mooney as penciller on the series.
2/10
Wheels on Fire (#3)
More frustrating storytelling.
Johnny stumbles into traffic and causes a horrific accident. So… Johnny’s a bit of moron, really. Then he finds himself back in hospital. Again. Just like before. And eventually he transforms into GR. Again. Just like before. Once gets the feeling that the series is careering along, without much sense of direction or purpose.
There are some good elements here. The introduction of the fire cycle is cool, and Witch-Woman continues to be a total babe, but the frustrating stuff is really frustrating. For instance: GR ends the issue fighting a truly lame villain instead of rushing off to rescue Witch-Woman. And it really does read like an oversight.
3/10
Death Stalks the Demolition Derby (#4)
I love the first Ghost Rider series, but the early issues are rubbish.
The series has no concept/status quo yet, (dumb) random coincidences drive the stories and the way Johnny is able to get away with being GR in public is really, really stupid. And his girlfriend is annoying, too.
This is the last of 11 credits for creator Gary Friedrich as a writer on the series.
3/10
And Vegas Writhes in Flame! (#5)
The series continues with Doug Moench taking over as writer (for this one issue) and Marv Wolfman providing the plot.
I had hoped that this would improve on what went before - with new writers - but it’s still dumb.
Nonsense. Aimless mess. Sigh.
I know the series gets great. Eventually. But I’ve never read the first 30 issues.
I sure hope they’re not all like this.
3/10
Black Widow - Friedrich/Thomas/Colan/Heck (70-1) 4.3/10
Captain Marvel - Thomas/Colan (67-8) 5.5/10 - Drake/Heck (68) 4.8/10 - Friedrich/Thomas/Kane (69-70) 4.1/10 -
Daredevil - Conway/Colan (71-2) 6.7/10 - Gerber (73-4) 6.5/10 -
Deathlok - Moench/Mantlo/Buckler (74-6) 8.8/10
Doctor Strange - Fox (71-2) 9.3/10 - Englehart/Brunner (73-4) 8.9/10 - Englehart/Colan (75-76) 8/10 -
Ghost Rider - Friedrich (72-3) 2.6/10 - Isabella (74-6) 5.4/10 - Shooter/Heck (77) 6.7/10 - McKenzie/Perlin (78) 8.9/10 -
Iron Man - Brodsky/Heck (70) 7/10 -
Living Mummy - Isabella/Mayerik (73-5) 7.6/10
Luke Cage - Goodwin/Englehart/Tuska/Graham (72-3) 7.1/10 -
Night Nurse - Thomas/Mortimer (72) 6.3/10
Tales of the Zombie - Gerber/Marcos (73-4) 6.5/10
