Review by Ian Keogh
This expensive oversized hardcover collection being on its third printing is evidence enough of Jason Aaron’s run on Ghost Rider being held in high regard, and continuing to find new fans. There’s certainly a swagger and ambition to what amounts to one long extended story with a few interludes along the way, the problem being that a corrupt angel Zadkiel is on the verge of taking over Heaven.
Aaron certainly varies the tone, from the opening grindhouse special (in paperback as Hell Bent & Heaven Bound) through some more usual soul-searching and all the way to a well conceived finale for which the seeds have been cleverly sown well in advance (in paperback as Heaven’s on Fire). That Ghost Rider deals primarily in horror is given, but Aaron manages to include some dark humour, especially by reviving some ridiculous old villains, and some humanity along the way. It’s Johnny Blaze who’s the primary focus, starting the collection wanting to find a way to Heaven as he’s been tricked by Zadkiel, and wanting revenge. The opening four chapters are a glorious violent mess of horror clichés refreshed by the presence of a demon on a flaming motorcycle.
However, from then matters deteriorate and take some time to recover. Aaron seemingly uses characters as needed without great regard for who they are. The prime example is Danny Ketch, the 1990s Ghost Rider, but for much of this collection a woefully misguided villain. There’s no proper accounting for this transformation, nor for the rapid reversal. Here the Omnibus suffers in comparison with the same material collected as two volumes of Ghost Rider: The War for Heaven. These crucially include a well plotted five chapters explaining why Danny would behave as he does, but they’re written by Simon Spurrier, so absent here. The paperback version is Danny Ketch: Addict.
There’s a fair contrast to the three artists who contribute. Roland Boschi’s style is loose and wispy, at times phenomenal, such as when ghostly ghouls emerge from beneath a road, and sometimes awkward over the opening chapters. He really sells the mayhem of the conclusion, though, with a caveat about the work being pretty explicit for a book not labelled as for adults. Tan Eng Huat’s art is strange (sample page). Over his first story the diseased way people look could be taken as a metaphor for their inner personality, but going forward plenty of others also have that look. When it comes to Ghost Rider, though, he hits the target.
Only three chapters are illustrated by Tony Moore, but they’re memorably different, and not just for his more naturalistic style (in paperback as Trials and Tribulations). His artistic highpoint is the road choreography of Ghost Rider chasing down a ghostly truck, but as the most conventional of the artists he’s good throughout.
Aaron builds on and extends the Ghost Rider’s history and mythology, leading to some great visual interpretations of Ghost Riders from days past, and he gives the Spirit of Vengeance a more literal interpretation. However, his new Caretaker has an interesting background, but isn’t a patch on the old visually, and never given any great development other than being pushy voice of encouragement in time of need. When this hits the highspots there’s fun to be had, but other factors drag the collection down overall.
