Monday, April 18, 2022

JOHNNY BLAZE - THE GHOST RIDER - VOLUME ONE (Part 3)

 THE GHOST RIDER - JOHNNY BAZE

VOLUME ONE



PART THREE

 - Notes on the previous posts -

Welcome back to our comic book deep-dive chronicling the early years of Johnny Blaze a.k.a. the Ghost Rider! For the hell of it, we decided to go back and do a complete 100% read of every Johnny Blaze appearance from Marvel Spotlight #5 in August 1972 through to the end of his solo volume in June of 1983. Comprising well over 100 comics including guest appearances and his team book, Johnny Blaze's story has a beginning and, in a rare moment for comic books, a nice ending (or what would've been anyway). 

And this series of posts endeavors to chronicle it all!

Join us, won't you, as we highlight the best moments in the series and underline the instances where Ghost Rider went from being scarcely recognizable during his early days on to the iconic character he is today.

To recap, in Part One we covered Marvel Spotlight #5 thru #12, Ghost Rider #1 thru #12, Marvel Team-Up #15, Marvel Two-In-One #8, and Avengers #118 (22 issues in total). In Part Two we covered Ghost Rider #13 thru #26, The Champions #1 thru #17 (including every Champions tie-in), and a bunch of cameos, guest appearances, specials (41 issues and more if you include the Champions tie-in issues without GR in them). We'll call it 63 comic books covered between these first two posts.

To get caught up on those previous posts, click the links below:

GHOST RIDER - JOHNNY BLAZE: VOLUME ONE Part One

GHOST RIDER - JOHNNY BLAZE: VOLUME ONE Part Two

To begin, Part Three will cover the beginning of a new era for Johnny Blaze and the start of something great. We'll touch on Ghost Rider #27 thru #50, and Marvel Team-Up #91. Comparatively, this section of the character's history is more controlled and consistent as opposed to how scattered and directionless the previous section proved to be. We saw the beginning of something that resembled the Ghost Rider we know today near the end of the last post, specifically Ghost Rider #24 thru #26, and the start of the great character work to come.

This section will showcase the first real extensive run of a consistent creative team on the character, a creative team that really has a grasp on who the character is and where the character works best. Not only that, but we'll also see some genuine character work and building of the lore. When Jim Shooter came on the book with Ghost Rider #23 on thru #26 we really started seeing the character come into his own and the first hints of where the story would ultimately head towards. And I am extremely happy to report that the series only gets better from here.

Without further introduction... let's ride!

THE DEMON, THE DOCTOR, AND THE HUNTER


The last issue saw Johnny Blaze pulling up his roots and leaving his life in Los Angeles behind, including both Roxanne and Karen Page. Issue #27 sees Johnny on the open road again, aimless and without a destination. The story potential with this setup is endless. He arrives on a dude ranch with Hawkeye and the Two-Gun Kid of all people (all of whom previously fought alongside each other against a group of aliens from the Shadow Realm in Champions #11). This issue marks Jim Shooter's last issue as writer on the book before becoming its editor. Luckily Jim Shooter's influence remains with the book and the character even after he leaves to become Marvel's editor and chief. In this issue, during the battle with the Manticore, GR is so frightening that he scares even Hawkeye and Two-Gun Kid. Johnny notices their fear and distrust of him, further driving him away from others into a nomadic life on the road.

Issue #28 features the return of the Orb, becoming one of Johnny Blaze's more frequently recurring villains. The Orb, using his hypo-helmet, hypnotizes the residents of the town Johnny is riding through, including Roxanne who returns in search of Johnny. As Johnny is attacked by the Orb and the hypnotized townsfolk they wrap him in chains and drag him along the back of a motorcycle. Johnny transforms into Ghost Rider in what is the first image of Ghost Rider wrapped in chains. It's brief, but it is the very first image of the character with chains, what would later become an essential part of GR's iconography. The issue ends with the Orb defeated and Johnny leaving without ever seeing Roxanne (whom remains hypnotized, forgetting Johnny completely).

Noteworthy here, artist Don Perlin came aboard the book with issue #26 and starts his epic 36 issue run on the book, contributing the longest stint of any artist on the book.

The Issue #29 thru #31 feature the first ever epic meeting between Ghost Rider and Doctor Strange. The Dread Dormammu invades Ghost Rider's mind, crafting a life-like illusion of being attacked by Doctor Strange. Dormammu stokes Johnny's anger and Ghost Rider's fury. Driven to a murderous rage, Dormammu seamlessly takes GR out of the illusion and into reality within Doctor Strange's sanctum sanctorum. GR believes his illusory battle with Doctor Strange is continuing and blindsides an unprepared "real" Stephen Strange. Overwhelmed by GR's ferocity, Doctor Strange projects his astral form into GR's mind. Clea, while at the market with Wong, senses her beloved in danger and returns to the sanctum. 

Inside Ghost Rider's form, Doctor Strange uncovers Dormammu's psychic assault on Johnny Blaze. Unable to repel both an attack by Ghost Rider in the physical plane and an attack from Dormammu on the mystic plane, Doctor Strange pushes Johnny's soul out of his body and into Stephen Strange's body.  With Johnny's soul now outside his body, "The Demon" that is Ghost Rider is fully unleashed for the first time! Doctor Strange battles Dormammu within Ghost Rider and Johnny, now in control of Doctor Strange's body (and assisted by Clea), battles the fully demonic Ghost Rider in the physical world.

Meanwhile the Devil's mercenary, simply named "Bounty Hunter," is tracking down Johnny Blaze. As the Bounty Hunter claims his bounties everyone is horrified by his face (which isn't revealed to the reader just yet). Back at Bleeker Street, the combined forces of Doctor Strange, Johnny Blaze, and Clea drive Dormammu out of GR and reunite Johnny's soul with his body. At that moment, the Bounty Hunter arrives and GR has to run for his life! Clea urges Stephen to help Johnny, but Stephen, weakened by the battle, hasn't the strength, his remaining energies needed to repair the defenses of the Sanctum Sanctorum. 


Fleeing for his life, Johnny is captured by the Bounty Hunter. Issue #32 sees Johnny about to be executed. Before the execution, the Bounty Hunter reveals himself to be another Ghost Rider like Johnny Blaze, charged with tracking down the Devil's bounties to earn back his soul and freedom from Hell. Johnny Blaze is the Bounty Hunter's 50th and final bounty needed to reclaim his soul from Satan. In an unexpected (but also completely expected) twist, Johnny is saved by another demon trying to cash in on the bounty reward. Johnny tells the Bounty Hunter that, if he believes Satan would ever honor a bargain, he's deluding himself, that these demons were sent by Satan to deliberately sabotage the Bounty Hunter's chances. Time runs out on the contract and, because of the interference of other demons, the Bounty Hunter is unable to fulfill his contract. More ghost riders suddenly appear to drag the Bounty Hunter back to Hell.

Johnny sees what could've (should've) been his fate reflected in the Bounty Hunter. Once freed, Johnny tries to save the Bounty Hunter, but is weakened by the battle and unable to rescue the Bounty Hunter from being dragged back into Hell. Johnny is left alone to ponder the fate that was supposed to have been his.

If it didn't come through, I absolutely loved these issues. These four issues (#29 thru #32) are easily the best issues of Ghost Rider so far! The run from issue #24 through #32 far outshines anything that came prior, displaying how great a character Ghost Rider is. Don Perlin continues contributing the illustrations for these issues and author Roger McKenzie pens the scripts. McKenzie continues showcasing Ghost Rider with the same power and awe that Jim Shooter imbued GR with. 

Issues #33 and #34 are Roger McKenzie's last two issues on Ghost Rider. These issues are a two part story that, on the outside, seem goofy and bonkers (that's because they are), yet somehow work incredibly well. GR meets a cartoonish prospector with nigh infinite power. As Johnny tries to wrap his head around this, they are attacked by what appears to be a UFO or futuristic hovering battleship. Cyborgs on motorcycles emerge, capture the duo, and take them inside where Johnny encounters a mutant boy in a bubble named Nathan Beame. A mutant with omega level psychic abilities and able to prolong life, Nathan was born over a century ago in a sickly body but with a godlike mind. Only Ghost Rider's hellborn powers are enough to stop this mad mutant! Like I said, from the synopsis it is one of GR's most far-out and crazy stories, but upon reading it is surprisingly resonate and well executed.

Issue #35 feels like a special event as writer/artist Jim Starlin delivers a complete one-shot story taking on both writer and artist roles himself. Johnny Blaze, while driving through a lonely stretch of road in the middle of the night, is confronted by the literal figure of Death. Death claims that Johnny has been taunting them for years, well before even becoming the Ghost Rider, citing all of the death-defying stunts Johnny has engaged in. Death challenges Johnny to a race which will determine the fate of not only Johnny's soul, but also the souls of two others in their path. This is a standout issue in the series that ends not quite as one would expect. It's a tense and atmospheric one-off story.

THE VENGEANCE FROM HELL

Here we begin the longest and most consistent run of any creative team on the book. Writer Michael Fleisher and artist Don Perlin team for 23 issues here, only broken once or twice. Michael Fleisher has a firm grasp of the character, maintaining the same menacing and badass persona Jim Shooter imbued the character with and maintains a consistent power set. Ghost Rider feels like a solid character rather than one in flux, and has direction as opposed to a character no writer prior knew quite what to do with. And Don Perlin maintains reliable and consistent imagery, finally finding the best depiction of this Ghost Rider.

With issue #36 the story begins leaning a bit further into the idea of Johnny Blaze and Ghost Rider being two different beings, Johnny and Ghost Rider referring to the other as if they were their own persons, expanding upon ideas hinted at within GR #26 and #29 thru #31. There's a sense from Ghost Rider that he loves what he's doing, delivering hellish punishment to the wicked and longing for more demonic mayhem. GR begins regularly referring to himself as a deliverer of hellish vengeance (using the word "vengeance" regularly, but the phrase "Spirit of Vengeance" has yet to be said again since issue #26). Johnny starts to worry what GR would do if he were let completely off leash.

Prior to this section, the earlier issues of this volume present the Ghost Rider as being just a "nick name" Johnny receives when he transforms into his hellish appearance. Issue #26, when confronted by Doctor Druid, presented the idea that a demon may be lurking inside Johnny Blaze. Issue #30, when Doctor Strange separates Johnny's soul from the Ghost Rider, the story describes GR as the Demon being uncaged. From the intervening issues this duel persona is downplayed until now.

Issues #36 through #42 are one to two issue stories with little super hero elements to them, almost more "human interest" stories where Ghost Rider deals with more realistic threats such as solving murders, battling death cults, highway robbers, and such. The presence of other known Marvel characters is completely non-existent. All of this is to the book's benefit, letting the title character shine on his own and differentiate himself from the other characters. They feel like episodes of the CW show SUPERNATURAL or the 70s INCREDIBLE HULK with Bill Bixby where our main character rarely stays long at any one place. Johnny drifts in and out of towns, seemingly drawn to trouble, solving problems, and leaving the townspeople better (and sometimes worse off) than he found them.

I really enjoyed these issues. Written by Michael Fleisher and illustrated by Don Perlin, these issues have Johnny Blaze traveling back and forth across the midwest, between the winding canyons of Arizona, to Colorado, Nebraska (just west of Omaha), and Kansas. There are many stand out moments across this run, such as Johnny preventing a kid from making a revenge pack with the Devil (stopping the boy from making the same mistake Johnny made); stepping amongst a death-worshipping cult and being mistaken for Death itself; and hearing a grisly description of a malformed baby being "mercy-killed" by his grandfather. And more!

The creative team of Michael Fleisher and Don Perlin are both dialed into this particular style of narrative. Don Perlin's artwork grows better with every issue too. Starting with issue #37 Perlin starts consistently leaving out the eyes from Ghost Rider's face with only empty black eye-sockets instead, which proves far more striking than the, at times comical, eyeballs in the skull. Speaking of the skull, some of the best depictions of Ghost Rider's skull in the series thus far are rendered here as well. I've always felt that one of the key elements in any Ghost Rider book is a powerful artistic rendering of the skull, and Perlin ups his game and delivers some great skull imagery, better than, in my opinion, any of the previous artists on the book (a possible caveat being Don Heck's art in GR #24).

Hopping over to MARVEL TEAM-UP #91 here, this was one of the few guest-appearances Ghost Rider made outside his own book during this period. Written by Steven Grant (no, not that Steven Grant) and amazingly illustrated by Pat Broderick, once again Ghost Rider encounters Spider-Man, both heroes aligning against the evil magician Moondark. Spider-Man attends a carnival side-show in which Ghost Rider is inexplicably on display! Moondark has stolen Johnny Blaze's soul and has Ghost Rider mentally enslaved along with most of the carnies. Moondark pits Ghost Rider against Spider-Man, Spidey's only hope being to free Johnny Blaze's soul and break Moondark's sway over Ghost Rider. This is a solid issue that kinda harkens back to the earlier issues of Ghost Rider and is a nice reminder that Ghost Rider still exists alongside the rest of the heroes in the Marvel universe. That and Pat Broderick's artwork is great, rendering a striking Ghost Rider, maybe even being the best GR's looked so far.


Don Perlin's run is interrupted here as artist Carmine Infantino provides art for issues #43 and #44

In issue #43 the series gets a little injection of the supernatural (other than GR himself) as a centuries old magician named Azaziah uses a magic spell to separate Johnny Blaze from Ghost Rider in an effort of the magician's to take over Ghost Rider's body himself. These issues are key in that they finally show Ghost Rider's real personality unencumbered by Johnny Blaze. The demon that is Ghost Rider is in fact its own entity and is revealed to be pure evil. Now free of Johnny Blaze, the demon wants only to burn the world and everyone in it in hellfire. Ghost Rider himself reveals that he was buried within Johnny's consciousness for a long time and it was Johnny's influence that leashed him and directed him to do acts of good. The true name of the demon isn't revealed yet but these issues mark the most significant character development of him thus far in the series. 

As the Demon embarks on a reign of terror and destruction, Johnny discovers that both he and Ghost Rider are dying and need to be reunited in order save one another. But the magician Azaziah is hoping to unite with Ghost Rider first. This story wraps up in issue #44 with Johnny defeating Azaziah and reuniting with the Demon. The only mar on these issues is that they were not illustrated by the main artist of this run, Don Perlin, but rather guest artist Carmine Infantino. Infantino delivers strong artwork but it breaks up the nice flow and consistency the series had. Don Perlin returns and continues for another good run starting with issue #45 though #59.

Issues #45 through #47 return the focus to Johnny Blaze as he struggles to hold on to the one part of his life that he hasn't lost; his status as the reigning stunt-bike champion. Johnny enters a tournament with up and coming stunt-biker Flagg Fargo to decide who will be the champion. These issues explore what remains of Johnny Blaze that he hasn't yet lost due to becoming the Ghost Rider. The issues are maybe some of the best character studies of Johnny Blaze in the series, especially with issue #47 in which Johnny attempts to lock away Ghost Rider within and never summon GR again. And, in true Marvel comics fashion, it all ends badly for our hero in fire and brimstone.

Issue #48 dives back into the supernatural with Ghost Rider battling giant vampire bats, feeling right out of a 1930s Universal monster movie. It's enjoyable but not as strong as the prior "human interest" stories, Michael Fleisher's talents shining brightest there. Still, by this point there is a longing for more elements of the fantastic and Fleisher and Perlin oblige us in a two-part story with issues #49 and #50. Blending what looks to be a human interest story at first into a time-traveling mystic adventure, Ghost Rider is transported back in time one-hundred years to a place called Bison Bend where he meets... THE GHOST RIDER; Carter Slade, the true original Ghost Rider! The time-traveling element is handled well and the overall story is a nice celebration of the characters. Issue #50 is a grand double-sized issue commemorating not only the milestone issue but also the first meeting of both Ghost Riders.

And, before this post gets any longer, this looks like a fine place to end. Overall, I'd say this section of the series, really beginning with Jim Shooter's writing, is far stronger than just about all of the Ghost Rider issues prior. It's just my opinion, but the characters and the series itself really find its footing here from issue #23 to issue #50. This section spotlighted in this post is, more or less, the most consistent its ever been and, more importantly, Ghost Rider feels like a much stronger and more engaging character. 

One of the significant factors of this is when Jim Shooter comes aboard as the writer. Shooter really showcases the character well, making Ghost Rider a force to be reckoned with. Shooter is the first writer to lean into Ghost Rider being on a mission of vengeance and helping the fiery skulled alter ego find his voice and demonstrating how awesome and terrifying GR's powers are. This carries through to the following writer, Roger McKenzie, and perfected by Michael Fleisher. Ghost Rider was always cool, but once Jim Shooter arrives the character really becomes something badass and special.



Before we go...

KEY MOMENTS FOR THIS SECTION

1) CONSISTENT POWERS (finally!)

*Expert stunt-driving skills (first revealed in Marvel Spotlight #5)*

*Transformations occur at will (first begun in Ghost Rider #22)*

*Can create a flaming motorcycle out of hellfire that can move at speeds in excess of 300 mph (first revealed in Ghost Rider #3)*

*Super-strength (first explicitly shown in Ghost Rider #25)*

*Nigh invulnerability (first revealed in Marvel Spotlight #9)*

*Soul searing hellfire (first explicitly stated in Ghost Rider #26)*

*Intense heat hellfire (first revealed in Marvel Spotlight #5)*

2) ICONOGRAPHY

*begins regularly describing himself as a deliverer of "Vengeance." (starts feeling like a catchphrase around Ghost Rider #36)*

*artists begin leaving out the eyes on GR's skull (beginning in Ghost Rider #37)*

*Johnny Blaze and Ghost Rider are revealed to be two different entities (Ghost Rider #30)*

*Ghost Rider's (the demon inside Johnny Blaze) true personality is revealed, that of an evil demon longing for havoc and destruction (Ghost Rider #43)*

3) MAJOR ENEMIES

*The Orb - Drake Shannon (returns in Ghost Rider #28)*

*The Dread Dormammu - attacks GR in a ploy to kill Doctor Strange (Ghost Rider #29 thru #31)*

*The Bounty Hunter - Lemuel Haskill (Ghost Rider #29 thru #32)*

*Nathan Beame - powerful psychic mutant (Ghost Rider #33 and #34)*

*Death - the actual entity of Death ((Ghost Rider #35)*

*Azaziah - The Crimson Mage (Ghost Rider #43 and #44)*

Flagg Fargo - rival stunt driver to Johnny Blaze (Ghost Rider #45 thru #47)

*Moondark - The Mystic (Marvel Team-Up #91)*

4) MINOR ENEMIES

*The Manticore (Ghost Rider #27)*

*The Death Cult (Ghost Rider #38 and #39)*

*Nuclear Man (Ghost Rider #40)*

*Dalton Cartwright and Tabitha Arcanne - Transylvanian vampire lords (Ghost Rider #48)*

*Tarantula - Clay Riley (Ghost Rider #50)*

5) ALLIES - GUEST STARS

Hawkeye & Two-Gun Kid (Ghost Rider #27)

Doctor Strange & Clea (Ghost Rider #29 thru 31)

Spider-Man (Marvel Team-Up #91)

Carter Slade - the original Ghost Rider (Ghost Rider #50)



And this is where we'll leave you for now

Once again, in case you missed it, click here to get caught up with 

JOHNNY BLAZE - GHOST RIDER: PART ONE

JOHNNY BLAZE - GHOST RIDER: PART TWO

and be on the look out for Part Four coming soon!

And for more Ghost Rider related posts check out these others too!

TOP TEN GHOST RIDERS
TOP TEN GHOST RIDER VILLAINS 
 TOP TEN DOCTOR STRANGE VILLAINS 
TOP TEN MARVEL SUPERNATURAL HEROES
TOP TEN MARVEL HEROES YOU'VE NEVER HEARD OF 


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Wednesday, April 6, 2022

JOHNNY BLAZE - THE GHOST RIDER - VOLUME ONE (Part 2)

THE GHOST RIDER -  JOHNNY BLAZE

VOLUME ONE 



PART TWO

- Notes on the previous post -

Welcome to the next leg of our journey through the original saga of Johnny Blaze - the "original" Ghost Rider! The previous post we covered Johnny Blaze's first appearance in Marvel Spotlight #5 on through Marvel Spotlight #12, Ghost Rider #1 through #12, including Ghost Rider's guest appearance in Marvel Team-Up #15. All in all covering 22 issues... or rather it should've been 22 issues. 

We should've covered Marvel Two-In-One #8 and Avengers #118 in that post as well... but we forgot (actually, we didn't forget, we just didn't bother with them as they held little bearing on the overall story). Simply put, Avengers #118 is the penultimate issue in the amazing AVENGERS/DEFENDERS WAR epic! Ghost Rider has a one panel cameo in this issue, vaguely shown as one of the heroes battling monsters in the wake of Dormammu's meddling. This moment isn't even acknowledged in the slightest in Ghost Rider's own book.

As for Marvel Two-In-One #8, this is a Christmas issue! This issue begins with a strange star shining in the night sky, peculiarly similar to the fabled Star of Bethlehem. Ghost Rider, while driving through the Arizona desert, is inexplicably drawn to the strange star. At the same time, Ben Grimm a.k.a. The Thing, has headed out to investigate this star as well (to keep Reed Richards at home on Christmas to be with his family). There they find the evil Miracle Man using his nigh infinite powers to recreate the Nativity Story in hopes of birthing a new messiah to enable Miracle Man, as the "father" of the new messiah, to become God and take over the world. His plans are thwarted when the Thing and Ghost Rider pretend to be two of the Three Magi, disrupting the birth of the new messiah. It's a bizarre version of the Nativity Story that makes for a fun little comic book. It is referenced in GR's solo title too, though it doesn't have the same bearing that Marvel Team-Up #15 does on GR's story.

Sorry, I didn't touch on that issue in the first post, hopefully this makes up for it!

And if you need to get completely caught up check out the previous post linked below!

JOHNNY BLAZE - GHOST RIDER: PART ONE

TO BEGIN

With Part Two we'll endeavor to cover Ghost Rider #13 through #26, Champions #1 through #17, Captain America #191 (which is only a tiny recap of events from GR #13... and this all we're going to say about that issue), Marvel Premiere #28, Daredevil #138, Marvel Treasury Edition #13, The Human Fly #2, Marvel Team-Up #58, Super-Villain Team-Up #14, Iron Man Annual #4, and Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man #17 & #18, and the rest of the issues featuring the Champions. It seems like a lot, but really it isn't. There's a complete Champions read in here which, in regards to Ghost Rider, can be summed up pretty quickly. The focus will remain on Ghost Rider so, while we did a complete Champions read including guest appearances, several of those issues don't feature GR (so, don't expect me to touch on them here).

Onward down the highway to Hell!


BECOMING A SUPER HERO - THE CHAMPIONS ERA

Still firmly in the Isabella run, one of the first changes writer Tony Isabella enacts is that Johnny's transformations are no longer governed by day and night, rather when there is danger near, starting with issue #13, immediately after the battle with the Phantom Eagle. Because of this change Johnny believes he's free from the Devil's pursuit. Johnny decides to put down some roots and maybe get a visible job in case Roxanne wants to reconnect and find him.

The story moves away from demons and satanism for a while in exchange for more standard super hero fair, pushing the character towards a more traditional super hero esthetic. Johnny moves to Los Angeles and battles the villainous Trapster (of the Frightful Four) and the Orb (run of the mill villains). He gets a job as the stunt double on the Stuntmaster television show and starts dating Karen Page (yes, Daredevil's Karen Page), setting up a permanent residence in California. There's even a cool issue shamelessly attempting to ape the JAWS movie craze at the time where Ghost Rider battle a great white shark (I actually really enjoyed the issue too)! And, while in California, he becomes a founding member of a new super group: THE CHAMPIONS.

On a drive through Berkeley near the University of California, Johnny transforms into Ghost Rider upon encountering Cerberus standing the middle of the road. More craziness is occurring around Berkeley which leads Ghost Rider into the paths of Hercules, Black Widow, Venus, the Angel, and Iceman all similarly engaged in battle against Greek mythological menaces. Pluto, Ares, and Hippolyta, the villains behind the chaos, are eventually defeated by the combined might of these heroes, after which is formed The Champions; "Heroes for the common man!" being their slogan.

Tony Isabella is also the initial writer for the Champions book and maintains decent continuity between both Ghost Rider's solo book and this new team book. Chris Claremont pens issue #4 with Isabella returning for issues #5 and #6. Bill Mantlo then takes over the title, maintaining a consistent run from issue #6 on to the end of the book with issue #17. Though the Champions have 17 issues themselves plus a half dozen tie-ins with other books, Ghost Rider's role in it all can be summed up pretty quickly. The Champions only ever focuses on Black Widow, Hercules, Angel, or Iceman. Not once is there a Ghost Rider centric story among these twenty odd issues. He does come up with a key part of the plan to defeat Pluto, Ares, and Hippolyta. And then, near the end, Ghost Rider is the only hero immune to Dr. Doom's mind-control and is the hero to ultimately bring Doom down. That's it. In issues #14 and #15 the Champions battle the villain SWARM (issue #14 being Swarm's 1st appearance) and GR proves fairly formidable against the villain's swarms.



A running plot throughout the Champions has Johnny feeling at odds with the team, paranoid that the team doesn't trust him. And in reality, the cast of heroes altogether feels rather strangely assembled, Ghost Rider foremost among them, but everybody on the team really. The book itself is quite fun and well written. Bill Mantlo delivers some solid writing when he takes over. Ghost Rider's impact on the book though, as well as the book's impact on him and his solo title, is fairly minimal. Thus ends Ghost Rider's first time with a super hero team. We could go into more detail, but it would only steer further away from Ghost Rider.

Of note here, during the Champions era saw the most crossovers and guest-spots for this entire volume. In addition to appearing in 15 of the 17 issues of Champions, he also guest-appeared with the Champions in Avengers #151 in a one page cameo, Marvel Treasury Edition #13 in the last few pages having a snowball fight with the team at Christmas, Iron Man Annual #4 battling alongside Iron Man against Modok, Super-Villain Team-Up #14 battling Dr. Doom in a crossover with Champions #16, and Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #17 & #18 (all Champions tie-ins). These last Spider-Man issues mark the epilogue of sorts for the Champions. 

Along with Marvel Team-Up #15, Ghost Rider co-starred in Marvel Two-In-One #8 alongside the Thing, a cameo in Captain America #191, The Human Fly #2, and Marvel Team-Up #58 (in which Ghost Rider battles the Trapster yet again...). You wouldn't think it, but The Human Fly #2 is actually one of the best of this bunch, the two stunt riders engaged in a rigged death race where only their combined talents can lead them to victory. And then there's MARVEL PREMIERE #28...

Marvel Premiere #28 should've been an epic issue as it co-starred Man-Thing, Morbius, and Werewolf By Night. First and foremost, the artwork by Frank Robbins left much to be desired. And the story was more of a think piece commenting on the human fears of the unknown, what makes a monster, and destroying things that will make us better people, the things that make us human. Aside from an epic cover, the issue doesn't do much to favorably showcase the characters, rather displaying the worst in them. It is still cool to see them all together in one story though.

And in just a few paragraphs we've covered over thirty different comics books (an omnibus' worth of material). Have we given these books their proper due? No. There is a great deal herein that we could discuss, but the points of discussion would scarcely concern Ghost Rider. There is definitely a dedicated post to be done concerning the Champions (especially since we did a COMPLETE read of them). But that's for another time. Needless to say, Ghost Rider hadn't quite found himself yet, even though appearing in over fifty issues by now. The real work on Ghost Rider had yet to be done.

Let us continue...


HELLSTROM - SATAN - DAREDEVIL

Returning to GR's solo book, Karen Page's stunt double, Katy Milner, is suddenly possessed by a demon. Contacting one-time friend, Daimon Hellstrom, to perform an exorcism, the demon proves difficult to expel, threatening to kill Katy if Hellstrom forcibly removes it. The one orchestrating the affair calls himself THE CHALLENGER and forces Johnny to participate in an impossible motorcycle race across Hell. At the end the Challenger is revealed to be the ARCHDEMON of Satan, the most powerful of Satan's servants trying to attain Johnny's soul. The challenge proves to be more than just a race, but also a challenge of Johnny Blaze's confidence, conviction, and spirit. Emerging victorious, Johnny returns and Daimon expels the demon from Katy Milner. Then, somehow, Ms. Milner's true identity is revealed to be none other than Roxanne (don't ask me how)! Tony Isabella's run ends here with issue #19 and the return of Roxanne Simpson.

Tony Isabella took Ghost Rider in a different direction from Gary Friedrich, still including demonic elements albeit sparingly, but making an earnest attempt to push the character into the classic role of the super hero. And why not? This is Marvel after all, the home of super heroes. Despite this honest effort, the super hero bit wasn't quite the right fit for Ghost Rider. Even if it didn't quite work, Tony Isabella at least tried something different with the character, searching for where Ghost Rider works best.

As the story continues... During this death race of Johnny's, Karen Page is abducted by a long-thought deceased villain, her own father in the guise of DEATH'S HEAD (the first character in Marvel to carry that name, not to be confused with the Freelance Peacekeeping Agent from the future, yes?). This occurs on the last page of issue #19. After saving Katy/Roxanne from possession, Johnny sets out to save Karen Page and discovers that he isn't the only hero out to save Karen. In a crossover with Daredevil's solo title, Ghost Rider and Daredevil discover Death's Head real identity: Death-Stalker, not Karen's deceased father. 

Part One of this story occurs in Daredevil #138 with Part Two taking place in Ghost Rider #20. This crossover was written by Marv Wolfman and was pretty good, showcasing Ghost Rider very well as he was immune to Death-Stalker's touch of death. Daredevil and Ghost Rider track Death-Stalker down, rescue Karen, and enter in final battle. Daredevil is nearly killed by Death-Stalker, saved only by GR. Daredevil realizes he can't harm Death-Stalker. But Ghost Rider's hellfire reduces the villain to ashes. GR comes out looking pretty good in this crossover. Comics legend John Byrne delivers the art here offering a rare glimpse of his rendition of Ghost Rider. All in all, a decent crossover.


UNLEASHING THE DEMON

Gerry Conway comes aboard for two issues, #21 and #22, keeping the Daredevil influence going with a battle against DD's old foe; The Gladiator, working for a would-be kingpin of California's underworld called The Enforcer. In what feels like an all-time low for Ghost Rider and the series, issue #21 sees Ghost Rider lose to THE EEL of all villains. Conway doesn't attempt to move Ghost Rider in any direction, opting instead to keep the status quo. This story centering around the Enforcer feels truly like the last gasp of GR's stint as a traditional super hero, the writer treating GR like a discount Spider-Man (which Conway was adept at, having written many issues of Spidey. But what works for Spider-Man just doesn't work with Ghost Rider here). Gerry Conway exits before the story finishes, leaving the finale to the next writer; Jim Shooter. Although Conway does leave the character with one significant change: Now Johnny Blaze can transform into the Ghost Rider at will. This change will stay around for a while.

Inheriting this story from a different writer, issue #23 has Ghost Rider fighting against a character called the Water Wizard in another story that feels like it would be better suited for someone like Spider-Man, Daredevil, or even the Sub-Mariner and, to Jim Shooter's credit, this issue feels like it could've been written by Gerry Conway. Noteworthy here, the Water Wizard exclaims that "it feels like his soul is burning" which is the first hint of a new power of Ghost Rider's.

 In issue #24, the finale to the Enforcer story arc, Jim Shooter imbues Ghost Rider with strength, confidence, and power. For the first time in the entire series Ghost Rider is... kinda badass. Don Heck provides some of the coolest artwork of Ghost Rider here too, showing GR torn up and beat down, more of his fiery skeleton on display. Even looking terribly damaged, GR acts just as confident and looks even more menacing. Jim Shooter really knows how to showcase Ghost Rider as a badass and it continues in earnest with issue #25. There is some wonderful imagery of GR in issue #25, particularly at the beginning with Ghost Rider entering a burning building to rescue a woman inside, shown from the POV of the first responders on the scene. 

GR battles a wanna-be super villain named Malice rains down hellish vengeance upon the evil doer. In a sequence that services the character thoroughly well, Ghost Rider races down a fleeing Malice, Malice wrapping his car around GR like one would a tree (in one of the first overt displays of GR's super strength). Ghost Rider melts the pavement beneath Malice's feet, fusing the villain to the ground, and bathes Malice in hellfire. As Malice writhes in agony he cries out that the fire is cold, not burning his flesh, but searing his soul. I'd argue that issue #25 does more to showcase how awesome Ghost Rider is than any comic featuring GR that came before it, truly uplifting the character.

Finally, at long last, it feels like we're really diving into the character with these last few issues and a sign that significant work is being done with the character. During this story arc Johnny is constantly drained of energy, having to form the hellfire-motorcycle at a moment's notice and even forcing the change into Ghost Rider through sheer willpower. Another noticeable change when Jim Shooter takes over is Johnny's change in personality. The "cowboy-speak" is ditched entirely and Johnny is angrier. Ghost Rider is noticeably more intense than he's ever been before and goes after the Enforcer and Malice hard, taking the up and coming villains down before they ever really get started. Another aspect that stands out is in GR himself (not Johnny Blaze) showing Ghost Rider laughing demonically and genuinely reveling in dealing out his hellborne vengeance. 


With issue #26 Doctor Druid, Marvel's technical 1st super hero of the silver age, guest-stars in maybe the best issue so far in this series. Since Roxanne's return, a love-triangle sub-plot between Johnny, Karen Page, and Roxanne has been brewing in the background. Johnny's been leaning more towards Karen, but when he sees Roxanne with another man he flies off the handle into a murderous jealous rage. Meanwhile Doctor Druid senses evil in the Ghost Rider and tracks Johnny to the movie studio. Still emotionally volatile, when confronted by Doctor Druid, Johnny transforms into the Ghost Rider in front of everyone present. His coworkers are terrified, seeing his actual skull enflamed and hearing his demonic voice. 

Having been goaded into a confrontation by Doctor Druid, Johnny drives away to a cemetery where he lashes out among the tombstones in fiery anger. Druid arrives and the final battle begins. Ghost Rider gets the upper hand, about to crush Druid's skull beneath a headstone when he comes to his senses. As Johnny hesitates, Druid reveals a talisman that forces Ghost Rider to revert to Johnny Blaze and knocks him unconscious. Doctor Druid reaches into Blaze's memories and senses the good man inside despite sensing evil in the Rider. Realizing he acted in error, Doctor Druid leaves. And Johnny, having transformed into Ghost Rider in front of everyone he works with, decides to cut ties and leave California.

With the foreknowledge that I already have, this issue felt like the first big step towards seeing the actual demon that Satan bound within Johnny Blaze. Beginning with issue #21, over the course of these last six issues we see Johnny pushing harder and harder on the Ghost Rider power and it taking a heavier toll on him as he wills the transformations to happen. Little by little we see Johnny weaken and change until he no longer seems like himself, acting more like the demon he appears to be. Issue #26 feels like a big payoff of everything the book was building toward from issue #13. Ghost Rider even refers to himself as a "Spirit of Vengeance" in this issue, using this iconic phrase for the first time. And the issue ends with Johnny finally leaving Los Angeles, signifying that this era has drawn to a close.

And thus we come to the end of this leg of the journey!

Whoever made it this far, we apologize for how long this post was.

We covered nearly 50 issues of Marvel comics here (yet only 14 of these were from Ghost Rider's solo comic series). This section is the most scattered and crowded period during the original Johnny Blaze era, but yet the real cream of the crop only really occurs in the last few issues when Jim Shooter takes over as the writer. There's a ton of fun and good stuff to be found among all of these issues though.

Personally, what I enjoyed the most from this section: Issue #16 (where GR fights a shark), issues #17 thru #19 against the Challenger/Archdemon, and issues #24 thru #26 (culminating with the battle against Doctor Druid). Issues #24 thru #26 specifically being the best of this section in my opinion. Amongst all of the writers to have contributed to Ghost Rider thus far, Jim Shooter somehow tapped into the best way to present the character, showcasing the first glimpses of what would turn out to be the definitive characterization of Ghost Rider.


Before we go however...

KEY MOMENTS FOR THIS SECTION

1) CHANGING POWERS

*Transformation changes, now occurring whenever danger is present (revealed in Ghost Rider #13)*

*Transformation changes, now occurring at will (revealed in Ghost Rider #22)*

*Ghost Rider first's overt display of super-strength (first explicitly shown in Ghost Rider #25)*

*First hints that Ghost Rider has a different type of hellfire that is cold and can burn the soul (first hinted at in Ghost Rider #23, then again in #25. In issue #26 it is Doctor Druid who first explicitly states that GR's cold hellfire is meant to burn the soul not the flesh)*

*Ghost Rider possesses two kinds of Hellfire powers: 1 - Cold Soul Searing Fire.  2 - Intense heat Fire*

2) PROTO-ICONOGRAPHY

*First major hints that Johnny Blaze may be possessed by a demon i.e. the true source of his power (revealed in Ghost Rider #26 by Doctor Druid)*

*Ghost Rider first uses the words "Spirit" and "Vengeance" near each other in description of himself (first seen in Ghost Rider #24 and next in issue #25)*

*Ghost Rider first uses the phrase "Spirit of Vengeance" together in description of himself (first spoken in Ghost Rider #26)*

3) MAJOR ENEMIES note: this list excludes characters featured in the Champions

*The Orb - Drake Shannon (returns in Ghost Rider #14 and #15)*

*The Challenger - Archdemon (Ghost Rider #17 thru #19)*

*The Enforcer - Charles Delazny (Ghost Rider #21 thru #24)*

*Water Wizard a.k.a. Aqueduct - Peter van Zante (Ghost Rider #23 thru #24)*

4) MINOR ENEMIES note: this list excludes characters featured in the Champions

*Trapster - Peter Petruski a.k.a. Paste-Pot Pete (Ghost Rider #13 & Marvel Team-Up #58)*

*Death Stalker (Daredevil #138 and Ghost Rider #20)*

*The Gladiator - Melvin Potter (Ghost Rider #21)*

*The Eel - Leopold Stryke (Ghost Rider #21)*

*Malice - (Ghost Rider #25)*

5) ALLIES & GUEST STARS note: this list excludes characters featured in the Champions

*Morbius, Werewolf By Night, and Man-Thing (Marvel Premiere #28)*

*Daimon Hellstrom (Ghost Rider #17 thru #19)*

*Daredevil (Ghost Rider #20)*

*Spider-Man (Marvel Team-Up #58)*

*Doctor Druid (Ghost Rider #26)*

*The Human Fly (The Human Fly #2)*


And that's it for this post!

Once again, in case you missed it, click here to get caught up with 

JOHNNY BLAZE - GHOST RIDER: PART ONE

and be on the look out for Part Three coming soon!

And for more Ghost Rider related posts check out these others too!

TOP TEN GHOST RIDERS
TOP TEN GHOST RIDER VILLAINS 
 TOP TEN DOCTOR STRANGE VILLAINS 
TOP TEN MARVEL SUPERNATURAL HEROES
TOP TEN MARVEL HEROES YOU'VE NEVER HEARD OF 


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SUPER HERO CINEMA: MORBIUS (2022)

MORBIUS


It's been 24 years since Wesley Snipes blindsided audiences with the legendary portrayal of the vampire hunter BLADE from Marvel comics. And it's been 22 years since the first X-MEN film and the beginning of the super hero film boom. It feels like we've come a long ways since then in certain instances and in other ways it feels like we're still stuck in the same rut as we were then. Morbius seems to exemplify both of these sentiments somehow. But Morbius is only following in the same footsteps as 2018's VENOM and 2021's VENOM: LET THERE BE CARNAGE. Having watched both Venom films, and for anyone else whose seen those movies, should know exactly what they'll get in Morbius. 

COMIC BOOK DIGRESSION RANT (skip this)

Morbius is one of my favorite comic book characters and I was really looking forward to this movie. Curiously, I love Morbius not for any connection he has to Spider-Man, but rather his solo adventures and later his associations with Ghost Rider, Blade, Doctor Strange, Werewolf By Night, and the Midnight Sons. Typically whenever Morbius appeared in a Spider-Man comic the story was more or less a repeat of his origin story: bloodlust takes over Morbius and Spider-Man has to defeat him to bring him back to his senses. When Morbius is allowed to step away from Spider-Man the character is allowed to grow and develop. Morbius' character endeared to me when he was more or less independent from Spider-Man.

During the late 80s and early 90s Morbius returned in the pages of Doctor Strange and signaled the major return of vampires to the Marvel universe (vampires were completely wiped out by Doctor Strange a few years earlier). After teaming with Doctor Strange, and then an obligatory battle with Spider-Man, Morbius received another solo title and really found his place in Marvel that worked best: alongside Ghost Rider, Blade, and the horror heroes the Midnight Sons. A vampire flourishing in a horror setting rather than a family friendly super-hero setting? Who knew?

MOVIE TRIVIA

Morbius nearly made his motion picture debut WAY BACK in the first Blade movie (he's actually in an alternate ending for the film. Another related fun fact: Werewolf By Night debuts in a cut alternate ending for Blade Trinity just like Morbius) but due to various reasons and licensing agreements New Line Cinema was unable to use Morbius (probably because Sony had the rights to Morbius). It had long been my hope that Sony didn't have the rights to Morbius, mainly because I wanted to see Morbius with Ghost Rider, Blade, and the other horror heroes which were all at Disney. But given the way Disney has been adapting the more obscure Marvel characters I doubt Morbius, when eventually adapted by the MCU, would even remotely resemble the character I love from the comics (at least that's what the cynicist in me says. My faith in the MCU had been shaken to say the least). So, maybe it's a good thing Sony has him instead.

THE VENOMVERSE (skip this if you want too)

When Sony released the first Venom film in 2018 the MCU was at its peak! That year alone saw the releases of BLACK PANTHER, AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR, and ANT-MAN & THE WASP, all of which I really enjoyed. Then Venom came out last that year and felt like a massive step backwards. Venom felt like a throwback to the super hero films of the mid 2000s and essentially like Sony hadn't learned anything from all the progress of the MCU. Little did I know that "the Great MCU Disillusionment" was just around the corner. Other than Sony's Spider-Man films, I haven't really enjoyed anything from the MCU since 2019. It mainly comes down to what seems like nonsensical writing and disrespectful adaptations of the source material. And a tiresome formula and structure.

During the Great Disillusionment I revisited Venom and found it more enjoyable than before. That doesn't mean the movie became better, more punctuating just how much I wasn't liking the MCU anymore. Breaking it down to its core elements, Tom Hardy's performance didn't endear me like it did so many others, but I did enjoy Venom's character and their dynamic together. Although, Venom simply doesn't work without Spider-Man. He can have his own adventures, yes, but Venom at least needs Spider-Man in his origin story. His powers, appearance, and personality are all informed by his relationship with Spider-Man. 

VENOM: LET THERE BE CARNAGE was more of the same, showing once again that Sony had learned nothing... or that this "2000s throwback" esthetic was truly the style they're going for. I did think the action sequences were far better here though and the movie was still fun. But the core problem is still the same: the core foundational element (Spidey) was missing.



THE HORROR SUPER-HERO GENRE PROBLEM (skip this too!)

With a scant few exceptions, Hollywood has yet to crack the super-hero horror genre. Keanu Reeves' CONSTANTINE, Matt Ryan's CONSTANTINE, the 2019 SWAMP THING television series, the Dick Durock SWAMP THING trilogy (the two movies and the television series), the Nic Cage GHOST RIDER films, the MAN-THING movie, and the dead on arrival HELSTROM series (they couldn't even spell the name right!). Hell, let's throw in the PUNISHER trilogy of films too. I'm sure I'm forgetting some, but the pattern remains the same, regardless of quality (some of which are great!) they are all viewed as failures for various reasons. The BLADE trilogy remains perhaps the closest to success that this subgenre has ever achieved.

What's the answer? How does Hollywood make this subgenre succeed? Truly I don't know. Making a movie is complicated. There are lots of moving parts and lots of egos involved and board room members to satisfy. There are also conflicting ideologies on the genre too, marketing, and accessibility. Not to mention a lot riding for a studio that dumps $100 million dollars into a project. 

Rarely does a property succeed when it doesn't know what it needs to be. Ghost Rider feels like the perfect example here. 

"Tell me the premise," asks a studio exec. 

"Based on the classic Marvel comics, a man sells his soul to Satan and then has to battle demons and even literally descend into Hell. He basically melts the brains of rapists and murders as his special brand of punishment."

"Hmm..." says the studio exec. "How much money will this cost us?"

"A hundred million for the heavy amount of effects."

"It's a Marvel property? It sounds a little dark. How about we lighten it up. Inject humor and comedy, no darker than PG-13 (we don't want the kiddos to miss out), and lose the Satan and Hell stuff. Make sure to setup the crossover with Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four! And it has to make a billion at the box office," says the exec.

"But... but... that isn't Ghost Rider..."

"Not my problem. Now go make me a movie," says the exec.

Let's look at DEADPOOL and LOGAN. While not horror films, these movies are examples of super-hero films outside of the genre that succeeded. These films fully committed to the story they were trying to tell. They didn't inject antithetical elements because they were "super-hero" movies. They went all in with what they were doing. Let's look at, arguably, the greatest success of the super-hero horror subgenre: 1998's BLADE. Most audiences didn't know they were watching a Marvel super-hero movie. What they were watching was one of the finest examples of action-horror ever produced. 

I don't know how to make a movie and I'm probably the last person you'd want to ask about quality tastes in pop-culture. But I know this much to be fact: the horror super-hero genre needs to fully commit to what it is if it is going to flourish. Lower those budgets (because you aren't going to make a billion on a horror movie), lean into the R-rating, and embrace the darkness.

BACK TO THE MOVIE AT HAND


THE SYNOPSIS

Dying from a rare blood disease, Dr. Michael Morbius attempts to create a cure by using dangerous and unorthodox methods that result in transforming him into a monstrous blood-drinking beast. Lusting for human blood, can the nobel prize winning scientist and genuinely good man control his bloodthirst or will he feast upon the populace of New York City?

INITIAL IMPRESSIONS

I really wanted to like this movie. Morbius, being one of my top favorite characters, is one that I've longed to see receive a feature film for years. Trying to maintain objectivity is always a challenge, so reacting to Morbius has been a whirlwind of emotions. Biases aside (or as much as they can be), Morbius feels like its following in Venom's footsteps. It feels like another throwback to the super-hero films of the 2000's. The film goes through the classic origin story tropes as predictably as ever to the effect of feeling dated.

The film does keep a good pace, but in doing so jumps around quite a bit. Many have levied criticism against this and yes, there are some elements that feel rushed. Sadly Tyrese Gibson's SIMON STROUD (a classic character from Morbius's comic) is under-serviced a bit (although I wasn't a fan of his partner, the goofy Agent Rodriguez so I was glad he wasn't in the movie anymore). But the film wouldn't be serviced any better if it was bloated with another plot, so I'm not sure how they would've serviced Simon Stroud any better. If anything is needed it's only a few minutes of little transition scenes to help makes sense of the narrative flow. I do wish Tyrese Gibson's character was integrated into the plot better though.

Speaking of the performances, I thought the primary cast was great. I thought Leto's performance was wonderful. It felt like I was seeing a faithful adaptation of Morbius on screen (and its been a long time since I've seen comic book source material respectfully adapted). Another aspect that shone brightly was Morbius' origin story (once again, true to the comics albeit modernized). I didn't realize just how great and powerful Morbius' origin story was until seeing it depicted in earnest here. Michael Morbius, though motivated also by self-interest, is equally dedicated to helping others. This makes seeing such a good person transformed into a monster all the more compelling.

Though the super-hero origin story is a tired approach, Morbius being an obscure character with such a powerful origin story, it seems difficult to avoid not doing a proper origin depiction. I thought the look of Morbius was great. From Leto's haggard appearance at the beginning to his monstrous incarnation, all of it was spot on and visually compelling. When I looked at Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark I saw the character from the comics. When I looked at Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange I saw the character, not the actor. Similarly here, Leto looked like and embodied the character I grew up reading in the comics.



Now in regards to Matt Smith's performance... I'm torn. I fully grasp where his character was coming from. Having to deal with an extreme chronic illness one's entire life, never knowing if they'd live passed the day they were in, is powerful and leaves devastating psychological trauma. What Morbius and Milo were battling was truly cancerous. That entire through-line really resonated with me, the anger and helplessness they must've felt their entire lives. THAT I really appreciated. But I could've done without the dancing and the bar scene and other spots.

However, beginning the film with Morbius saving Milo's life and ending the film with Morbius "Saving" Milo's life (from the monster it had become) was quite poignant and powerful. This film contained far more drama than I expected and drastically downplayed the forced humor of Marvel movies, both aspects I greatly appreciated although by today's MCU standards some may find this a "slower" film.

Let's be honest for a moment. Morbius, unless it was an extremely well received all around great movie, was never going to blow the doors off of the box office. Marvel and DC both haven't done the work to generate interest in their horror characters and what work they have done hasn't been widely supported (that isn't to say that there aren't great things there though). This film wouldn't have made less money or more if the filmmakers had went all in on the horror aspects. Making it R-Rated, leaning into the darker scarier moments, and just letting the blood and gore show would have differentiated the film from its peers and showcased a new and unique aspect to the Marvel universe. You did it with Wolverine and Deadpool, both characters that CHILDREN love for crying out loud!

Marvel, Sony, if you're going to do Ghost Rider, Morbius, Blade, Werewolf By Night, and Satana and Daimon Hellstrom DO THEM RIGHT and embrace the darkness and R-Rated nature of the characters! PLEASE! FOR THE LOVE OF THE GENRE, PLEASE!

Ending on a positive note though, I think this film improved upon both of the prior Venom films. This movie demonstrates what I've always known, namely that Morbius can exist on his own just fine without Spider-Man. His origin and his character's motivations are not, even in the slightest, dependent on his proximity or relationship to Spider-Man. Venom without Spider-Man just doesn't make any sense whatsoever. I could go on arguing how Morbius' film works better than Venom's but I'll concede Venom's far greater popularity. But I'll say that Morbius, as his own independent character, is stronger.



THE VERDICT

Succinctly put, the story and acting aren't the problem with Morbius. The editing and general approach to the film is where the trouble lies. Morbius' origin story is unique and powerful subject matter (shown wonderfully here). The film displays the unique and amazing character that is Morbius, but the standard cookie cutter super-hero film structure is a disservice. The MCU has its cookie cutter structure too by the way, its style just hasn't been deemed out of fashion by the masses yet (though it is just as tired in my opinion). But which would you rather have: a film that feels fresh but barely resembles what it's adapting or a film that faithfully adapts the characters and source material but follows a familiar narrative approach?

Biases aside, let's be realistic. The critics way overreacted in savaging this film. Yes, the structure is dated, but it does the lead characters justice. The story, though missing a few transitional scenes, makes sense. And the adaptation of the source material is more faithful than the last several MCU films. Morbius is a different flavor than the MCU films, not awash in bathos and forced humor. Not perfect by any means, backwards (or traditional if you like) in its approach, which seems to be the style of all of the Venomverse films (I blame the producers for forcing this style on the film), Morbius has a lot to appreciate.

Overall Ranking: 7 out of 10

Due to the critical panning and lackluster box office, this may be Morbius' one and only moment in the spotlight. But it is my sincerest wish that we'll see Morbius return.

For more of my thoughts on all things super hero cinema check out the posts below!

And make sure to leave any comments and thoughts below!


THE MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE (MCU)

 
Fox-Marvel, Sony-Marvel, and other stuff too!
 





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