Ghost Rider #2 Review and *SPOILERS* - Marvel Monday

The Laura and Amadeus Show… featuring Ghost Rider

Written By: Felipe Smith
Art By: Danilo S. Beyruth, Jesus Aburtov
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: December 28, 2016
Publisher: Marvel

*Non Spoilers and Score At The Bottom*

For those unaware, I really freaking like Ghost Rider. I like most everything about him and even though we’ve strayed from our traditional Johnny Blaze days, I am still a big fan and I’m really looking forward to the rest of this series. I was a big fan of the first issue of this series but it still suffered from some problems, mainly from the Hulk story that we got. The world and tone that we get from Ghost Rider has a much different tone than what we got from Amadeus Cho. It was just a bit jarring in the previous issue but I’m looking forward to where this issue goes. So, let’s stop talking about it and just jump right into this issue.

Our issue begins with Wolverine facing off against the purple creature that we saw in the first issue. She is unable to pierce its skin due to the fact that it has absorbed powers from The Hulk. She struggles with the creature before The Hulk shows up, knocking the creature into a nearby building. Amadeus seems to have kept his optimistic demeanor despite the creature being on the loose. He tells Wolverine about the creature’s ability to absorb their powers when he realizes that she is majorly injured and bleeding profusely. The blood trails and the creature ends up licking the blood and is able to absorb the powers of Wolverine too.

We cut to Robbie Reyes who has arrived at work along with Gabe. He excuses himself for a moment and goes to the bathroom where he immediately loses his breakfast. He looks in the mirror and asks Eli what’s happening to him. Eli reminds him that what’s happening to his body isn’t normal and he should be grateful to him for keeping him alive. Robbie asks him about what happened the night before and Eli reveals that every time they get behind the wheel and take vengeance, they become more powerful and so what Robbie is really experiencing is growing pains. We cut to Robbie’s boss who is accepting a new hire. His name is Ramon and he has just gotten out of prison. He used to be a feared name on the streets but now he is trying to have a new beginning and change his ways. The boss tells him that if he starts anything in his shop, he will ask him to leave.

Meanwhile, back with Wolverine and Hulk, they are begin absolutely destroyed by the purple monster. They are completely outmatched and they are soundly beaten by the monster. This allows it to run away and escape while the two heal their wounds. The two talk for a moment and Wolverine loses her mask which allows Amadeus to develop a little crush on her. He keeps trying to talk cool and smooth but misses the mark by a mile each time. Eventually though, he tells her about how he put a tracker on the creature and they are able to follow it. The two decide to team up in order to get rid of the monster.

We then cut to a street where a local gang is meeting and we see Ramon from earlier. He seems to be steadfast in his resolve to change his life and despite meeting with his old gang he doesn’t want to be a part of their crimes anymore. This of course leads to an argument which is interrupted by Amadeus Cho driving his van up with Laura in the passenger seat. Amadeus tries to ask the guys to let him through. He event tries dropping a line about Laura being his girlfriend which she immediately shoots him down. The gang tells him to just turn around cause they aren’t moving and then they threaten him with violence. This is when Amadeus chooses to change into the Hulk and an all-out brawl breaks out. Wolverine and Hulk are able to take care of the guys easily when we suddenly see the Hell Charger on the horizon. Ghost Rider revs his engine and all the gang members immediately leave the area causing some confusion from Hulk. Wolverine sees the car though as Ghost Rider hits the gas and fire explodes from it as he races off directly toward Hulk and Wolverine. This is where the issue leaves us.

It blows my mind that the same creative team that made the first issue made this issue as well. This was such a MASSIVE drop in quality and considering we see our main character only about twice is a problem. This is a GHOST RIDER comic, not a comic about The Hulk and Wolverine. That said, we spend the entire issue with Amadeus and Laura and it feels out of place in this comic. Wolverine feels more natural but having Amadeus constantly joking around and being a comedic element just doesn’t fit. Granted, Amadeus is more of a fun character and you can’t exactly change that but he just allowed a monster that has his powers to get away and he’s more concerned with sounding cool in front of a pretty girl that he just met. Granted, that situation did give me a couple good laughs but that is about it. I’m hoping that we get back to the Ghost Rider part of the story in the next issue because that cliffhanger has me excited but aside from that, this comic was mostly a waste of time and money.

Bits and Pieces

Despite a strong start, Ghost Rider has hit a bump with its second issue. Instead of focusing on Robbie Reyes and his struggle with Eli Morrow, we get a weird team-up between The Hulk and Wolverine who despite allowing a creature that could destroy a city get away have time to provide comedic relief and Amadeus tries and fails to hit on Laura. This comic was weird and felt completely different from the first issue and frankly, didn’t make a lot of sense. At the very least, we got an incredible cliffhanger that has me really excited for the next issue but this issue was not enjoyable.

3.5/10