Review by Ian Keogh

Danny Ketch was the Ghost Rider of the 1990s, and very successful in the role, primarily drawn by Javier Saltares, as is the case here. However, his star faded and come the millennium people preferred Johnny Blaze as their Ghost Rider, and Danny was reduced to guest star appearances.

When Simon Spurrier picks him up he’s been without his Ghost Rider persona for two years, having been exorcised, but it’s been a long hard two years of the addict’s craving, and Danny is going to pieces. Well, the redemption and resurrection begin here.

We’re first shown how far Danny has fallen, starting bar fights in Brooklyn before meeting the two characters who’ll transform his life. Shobo Mirza is a young Indian woman scathing about what Danny has become, and there’s a crow, Mister Eleven by name, who’s a conduit to a power source and able to facilitate Danny becoming Ghost Rider again, but only briefly.

This revival for Danny coincided with Jason Aaron’s run on the Johnny Blaze version of Ghost Rider, but what Danny’s become there needs far greater explaining than space was allocated, where a full accounting would take the spotlight too far away from the star. Addict fills that gap while also supplying a new viable enemy for the Ghost Riders. The key to emotions is the narration not being Danny’s thoughts, but those of Mister Eleven. There’s an awareness from the start of his knowledge being greater than his disclosures to Danny, so his constant references to a boss begin to take on an ominous tone.

Saltares has always been a solid artist on Ghost Rider, and his pencils being inked by Tom Palmer only enhances their dynamism. Saltares brings a dark and demonic world to life within recognisable streets, and while he’s modified his version of Ghost Rider himself, it remains a startling visual. He’s as good with the historical alternatives introduced, if only briefly.

Within Aaron’s Ghost Rider Danny’s different personality is unconvincing (see The Last Stand). His wrong-minded certainty in the face of contrary evidence seems out of character and unlikely, but Spurrier bolsters that personality, the desperation of the addict supplying credence and reasoning. Additional supporting character Mary has a purpose although Spurrier overplays her London dialogue, and while Addict reads well alone, for readers also following Aaron’s Ghost Rider it’s best experienced as part of War for Heaven Book 2.