Game Knights - UK : May 2016

Tuesday 31 May 2016

Ghost Rider #20 (December 1991)

Maybe it is just my love of gloomy, sulky, overly pessimistic characters which I really can’t explain. But there’s something about someone, with the strength and endurance of suicide, sulking like a child whilst bashing people out of the way who are all incredibly concerned about his welfare after he is struck by a train.

I have to hand it to Mackie, he really knows how to create a fight. Here the battle between the characters is played out in the melodramatic and over planned style of a wrestling federation match. They stand apart from each other shouting out intimidations and taunts while horrified and excited on lookers remain in the background. Occasionally Suicide jumps in just at the right moment to receive a hit before melodramatically diving out of the way in the hopes that somehow the hit will lead to a fatal accident for him.

Zodiak even joins in trying to kill Suicide, the aforementioned train accident being one of those occasions, and his astrology themed weapons show up again here as he charges at Ghost Rider with bull horns or pulls out his poisoned scorpion whip. The two are once again bickering at each other with Zodiak tries to flee the scene while ghost rider chases after him shouting “No escape” over and over to the point where the villain tells him to stop because it is irritating. He even begins imitating Ghost Rider himself at one point and asks him why he doesn't say something different for a change.

The humour really brings this comic to life. Whether it’s the self-referential humour of the villain insulting Ghost Rider’s monotony, the dark humour of suicides accidents and over the top death wish and both bounce of Ghost Rider so well in his single minded pursuit of revenge even that element of the comic becomes framed in the joke. The fact that Mackie is able to take the characters he has created and craft something so wonderfully crazy just shows what a great writer he ca be when he isn't overburdening and overcomplicating a simple premise.

When Zodiak is finally caught, he is unmasked Scooby doo villain style which uncovers a weird dozen or so eyes insect like man. The villain breaks free again and escapes to the surface where a nearby cinema is showing enter the Dragon and the brawl continues.

I like how even a slight touch like this crafts an entirely new elements to the character as he runs around in the night armoured like a 60s Bruce lee character and some of his weapons even appear to now be Bruce Lee homages. If I was reading this for the first time I might even be able to consider him more of a nod to 60s kung fu cinema many elements. Unfortunately, unlike Ghost Rider I don't have the luxury of amnesia in these reviews.

If there’s a scene that exemplifies everything you need to know about this comic it’s this street battle. The fighters enter the cinema with the usual hostage situation taking place and Zodiak trying to barter his freedom. Ghost Rider stares and says no escape. Zodiak tries for sympathy via an exposition dump explaining how demon masters possess him and force him to kill. Ghost Rider stares and says no escape. So Zodiak throws a person at him. Meanwhile, Suicide impatiently watches them wondering why they are not killing him.

There are so many ideas and elements being thrown in here and it is all played as a joke. It reminds me of that Monty Python scene in Life of Brian where a chained up John Cleese accuses Graham Chapman of being given preferential treatment by The Romans.

The tone quickly shifts back to the dark side of the comic when the villain kidnaps a pregnant lady and this is played as the turning point for the battle to move from comedic violence to real threat which it does almost entirely naturally. Suicide saves the woman and Ghost Rider faces Zodiak on the precipice.

At the climax of the brawl, Ghost Rider is literally written into a corner. He can't kill Zodiak as, ever since a retcon in issue six, he can't kill a human. He also can’t penance stare Zodiak seemingly as he has too many eyes to focus on. Instead he simply stands there staring Zodiak out. It almost seems like Mackie is protesting his own comic.

Suicide complains that he is being useless and finally, in a rage at the rider’s inactivity, rugby tackles Zodiak off the bridge impaling them both on the refuse of an outgoing scrap ship.

There are other moments at here that seem to be the writer nodding at the industry itself. On recovering Suicide and Ghost Rider take Zodiak's body after checking his pulse and verifying that he is "really, really really dead" and place it in an over to burn to ashes comic as Suicide is very familiar with people coming back from the dead.

Finally, just to rub it in, Suicide is declared a hero for saving the pregnant lady everyone respects and admires him. Of course his reaction: "I just want to die..." And of course origin plug.

Editor Note: Hey Guys hope you're enjoyed J-Max's review, Why not drop him an encouraging message below (he REALLY doesn't like bees), Please check out the rest of the reviews HERE or if you're feeling brave why not join in his adventure HERE

Ghost Rider #19 (November 1991)

4 DAYS UNTIL IT GETS BURNT!

J-Max was challenged to review 30 issues of Ghost Rider in (roughly) 30 days. Should J-Max succeed he shall earn his freedom (probably not). However should he fail in this task then he shall be subjected to an attack by Bees...DEADLY BEES.

So let's join him for his review of Ghost Rider #19

Credits: Howard Mackie (writer), Mark Texeira (artist/inker), Gregory Wright (colourist).

Overview: Suicide, the man who cannot die, stalks Ghost Rider and pleads to be killed interfering with his second hunt for Zodiak.

Cultural References: Zodiak destroys a nose before making a nod to the movie Chinatown.

Review: There is a distinct rumbling coming from beneath the floor of the room. I can hear it as I press my ear to the ground. I can feel it as I move around my room, pulling my hair out and trying to think of anything other than the dark and foreboding doom that is closing in with each passing day. Within me is a deep desire to give up. To quit writing and to abandon my reviewing duties which ultimately offer little more than meeting my word and the completion of a verbal contract.

I picked up the comic and stared at Mephisto who glared back at me with gleeful hatred and malice. I wonder if this will finally be the origin story that has been bugging me along with other readers for months on end. It wasn’t. That wasn’t surprising. What was surprising was this was actually a pretty good issue and one that was fun to read.

It begins with a man whose life is falling apart for dozens of different reasons. His wife has left him and taken the kids. The kids didn’t like him anyway. Nobody talks to him. Every sentence in his thought bubbles begin with a negative; what he lacks, doesn’t own and can’t do. He points a gun to his head but tosses it away at the last minute causing it to go off near the wall blowing dusty shrapnel into his eyes. There’s something extremely comedic about how overly glum the character is; like Marvin from Hitchikers Guide or Neil from The Young Ones and, I have to admit, I like him already two pages in.

Mephisto appears and makes him an offer "the will to find a way to end his own life" in exchange for his soul, and I like how his reaction to this is an anecdote of his grandmother calling the devil the prince of liars. The man ultimately accepts and is displeased to discover he feels healthier and stronger than ever before. It turns out he is now immortal and if he wishes to die the only one capable of killing him is Ghost Rider.

So he tracks Ghost Rider down who is back hunting Zodiak again and demands to be killed. Unfortunately, Ghost Rider is no long taking human lives and when the man attacks he only throws him through walls. Zodiak, who seemingly wasn’t killed off in Dr Strange #28, is back to killing and torturing drug dealers and seemingly all out of his robot Gemini bodies. Therefore, this fight might very well be his last. But every time the two of them square off, Suicide – the name the comic ironically gives him - keeps jumping in the way and trying to get Ghost Rider to accidentally kill him.

I found myself chucking at so many things in this comic. There’s something unbelievably hilarious about Suicide saying “His chain. That’s it! I’ll wrap it round my neck” Only for Ghost Rider to rescue him from the hanging before punching him aside to focus on his quarry. Not even the main characters consider him anything more than a nuisance. And there’s almost an odd married couple dynamic between Zodiak and Ghost Rider as they battle with neither of them wanting Suicide to interfere with it and both seem entirely confused by his being here.

Throughout the comic, we see Suicide's interaction with other people. He lives in a reasonably average New York apartment and has an attractive neighbour who clearly likes him and both of them even look like they could make a good couple but every time something positive is happening his reaction is a melodramatic and over the top cry of “I want to die!” Incidentally he knocks on her door naked having failed to kill himself in a house fire. “You’re so…so…naked.” She says before inviting him in and fitting him in an ex boyfriends disco outfit.

All of the characters in this issue bounce off each other well and it is great to see such chemistry between them and the best thing? Not once do we get a single mention of a mystery. Just like In issue 15 there is a real drive and energy to every scene with dark humour to even out the action. The issue ends with Ghost Rider chasing Zodiak into the subway with Suicide in hot pursuit and for the first time in a few months I’m genuinely excited to discover what’s going to happen next.

You know it's a good issue when the first complaint you have is with an eiditor on the letters page; unfortunately this seems to confirm my suspicions that the origin story is boulder dash spun together to help increase sales. A fan writes in with two questions.

1. Is the Ghost Rider spirit of the series the same one of the old series? and 2. If yes, why does Dan have no memory of what occurs when he is Ghost Rider as Johnny Blaze and Zarathos shared the same memory.

Answer: "As yet unrevealed. But keep reading…" and 2. Dan does remember some of his time as Ghost Rider and he is getting better at remembering more.

Due to this revelation I’ve decided to put no more time into mentioning the origin tie ins. It is already fast becoming a moot point and I could presumably be repeating it far into the future. I will instead focus on the overt story and,should a thought bubble or narration box bring up the point again I will simply write "origins plug."Nothing more, and carry on with the review.

WEIRDNESS: Dragon Quest Creator Wants A Nes Feature

Now there are people who come to this site who's gaming careers started on the likes of Xbox or PS2. Whilst some of us have been gaming since the NES and Master System (Genesis to our US friends) and others have been playing on systems before the great cataclysm (also known as "Atari Shock" or "Video Game Crash '83).

Obviously there is a lot of nostalgia for the 8-bit and 16-bit era with no end of re-releases both VC and HD remakes, and Indie titles taking their inspiration from those titles. One person who obviously has ties to that era is the creator of Dragon Quest; Yuji Horii.

Speaking at a special "30th Anniversary Countdown" event Horii-San stated he would like to bring back the "Spell of Restoration" from the Japanese versions of the first two titles, to the brand new entery Dragon Quest XI. For those who don't know (which is anybody who didnt play the Japanese version of two 30 year old NES games) the "spell" was actually an password system that players used to "save" their progress. For those born after 1994 game carts didn't have batteries in their carts so players couldn't save their progress like we do now.

No idea in what form this long lost feature would take or even which version will see it on. I highly doubt they'll replace the now traditional save file but as an optional and possibly transferable option.

Abe's Take
It's always nice to get a little retro blast like this when playing an new entry in veteran series like Dragon Quest.

Sunday 29 May 2016

Ghost Rider #18 (October 1991)

J-Max was challenged to review 30 issues of Ghost Rider in (roughly) 30 days. Should J-Max succeed he shall earn his freedom (probably not). However should he fail in this task then he shall be subjected to an attack by Bees...DEADLY BEES.

So let's join him for his review of Ghost Rider #18

Credits: Howard Mackie (writer), Mark Texeira (artist/inker), Gregory Wright (colourist).

Overview: Mrs Ketch continues to be brainwashed by a doomsday cult believing they can bring back her daughter.

"Good evening." - chauffer

Review: Horror upon horror piled on me today as I realised I was running out of things to say about this comic. I had to begin doing more than praising the villains, pointing out how fond I was becoming of Johnny Blaze - who leaves this issue - or decrying the completely pointless build up to an origins story. Yes, all three happened again but just because the comic was continuing its same notes that doesn't me I should as a reviewer. So I simply stared at a blank page trying to think my way out of the box I had dug for myself and, I have to admit, I stared a long time.

There are more mysteries this issue. It turns out the sinister cult is back and has a secret, basement dwelling, tall leader whose motives for running the cult are left unexplained and all we know or seemingly need to know is that Styrge is scared of him.

Back at the Ketch home, Mrs Ketch is still involving herself in the basket case cult in the vain hopes that they will bring her daughter back even though she knows their methods are violent and was almost killed herself in the last issue. And if that comic didn't imply it enough and this issue has Dan literally spell it out in a thought bubble "with all the drugs, senseless violence and killings is it any wonder that people like my mom are turning to phony preachers like Styrge for comfort?"

Dan finds her mourning in Barbra’s room going through some of her daughters old things. Though he tries to comfort her and talk her out of involving herself with the sect she is willing to do anything and risk any possibility to see her daughter returned. We do not look down at Mrs Ketch for her desperation and irrationality. We see her as a strong character mortified by grief and losing touch with reality.

The creepy chauffer from last issue shows up again, this time at Dan's home and when he tries to resist his mother leaving he gets a knuckle sandwich from the sasquatch for his troubles. Mrs Ketch is so brainwashed she barely even flinches, she simply tells Dan to stay out of it and leaves.

I like when the comic is dealing with real world issues like manipulative revolutionaries and cults: social threats that still to this day are extremely poignant. But, I especially love reading comics that handle it well. Here the parasites that televangelists and cult leaders really are is made overt by the character Styrge who literally is a cannibal feeding off the grief stricken people who follow him.

The comic maintains some of its knife edge, tense humour when Styrge takes a mourner into a mausoleum and all the followers hear outside are screams. He finally emerges and invites another to pray with him in the mausoleum, but not the one he has just emerged from as "Mr Edleman...has been reunited with his loved ones and couldn't possibly be disturbed."

Though it is pretty obvious to us as readers what is going on and the art clearly shows how disturbed his followers are as Styrge callously throws a napkin smothered in blood to the ground, they unbelievably still continue to follow him as he lines them up to feed on them. Fortunately, Ghost Rider turns up to save Dan's mother from being sucked dry

When Styrge returns to the farmhouse having been defeated his unknown boss removes his eye as a punishment and we are lead into believing he/she/it is an old villain from the rogue gallery. I'm guessing it is Centaurious as we already know both of them were trapped inside the crystal before Ghost Rider was freed. If it is, I hope this will be the means we discover that the daemon is a new character or Zarathos so the origin can be wrapped up.

This was perhaps the comics best criticism of religion so far even though it was playing off obvious metaphors and it successfully managed to end the Barbra sub plot as Dan's mother finally comes to terms with her daughter’s death. But once again the quality of the story is undermined by Ghost Rider's pining that he doesn't know who he is. He even at one point reflects that at least Styrge has conviction in his evil, cannibalistic ways because he knows what he is and why he battles. Does he really need to go that far? Why can't he simply be fighting to save Dan's mother? Why does every single point need to be a blunt faced sale for the origin story?

I guess I'll have to wait to find out what further depths Ghost Rider will sink to plug his origin story next month. I just hope they don't put a competition in the comic to dial in the prefered outcome or have him receiving a flashback that he was shot in the head by an adamantium bullet.

Week 4 Summary: One and a half years into the comic and hints at a grandeous, soon to be uncovered backstory are seriously undermining the quality of the story telling. At best these are annoying and at worst they reduce entire events, social comments and villain apperances down to slight distractions that Ghost Rider is being pestered with to prevent him from uncovering this mysery. The secret origins story is gradually killing this book off.

Editor Note: Hey Guys hope you're enjoyed J-Max's review, Why not drop him an encouraging message below (he REALLY doesn't like bees), Please check out the rest of the reviews HERE or if you're feeling brave why not join in his adventure HERE

Saturday 28 May 2016

Ghost Rider #17 (September 1991)

Credits: Howard Mackie (writer), Mark Texeira (artist/inker), Gregory Wright (colourist).

Overview: Ghost Rider, Blaze and Spider-man set out to save Mrs Ketch from a sinister cult leader.

Cultural references: Judging from the title someone involved in the comic is a George Michael fan. This is the second time he has been referenced in the comic.

Review: Ghost Rider is a story about nothing but its villains. When it works, it works because the villains are interesting and bring a sense of drama and tension to what is happening in the few pages provided each month. Blackout is a good villain because he murdered Dan’s sister and kills vulnerable people without remorse. Deathwatch is a good villain because he holds the strings and manipulates events within the city from a point of impunity. Even Snowblind is a good villain if only by his blind assassin shtick and ties to Deathwatch. Hobgoblin is not a good example of a Ghost Rider villain.

When we first saw hobgoblin in this comic he was gluing people to walls like a xenomoph in heat, scarring children’s faces with acid and going full Frank Booth in Blue Velvet. The rationale behind this didn’t need to be explained because he was a complete fruitcake. The great thing about having bonkers characters is that you can do anything with them. Hobgoblin wants the world to see how pious he is and he kills anyone who questions his religious belief, his methods or just when the voices in his head tell him to.

There is a difference between being invested in a fight and wading through one. There is a difference between building up suspense and plodding along. And, there is a difference between an exciting issue of 90s Ghost Rider and a boring one. In issue #15 Mackie toyed with the readers desire to see Blackout receive his just desserts by having Ghost Rider go from encounter to encounter as the page count continued to decline with multiple distractions preventing the final battle with the villain.

When he finally faced him, I found myself so absorbed in the chase and tension of the comic that I literally shouted out when he was being beaten to the ground. I was so caught up in the drama. Comparing that to the boring, bomb chucking snorgasm of the Hobgoblin appearance in Spider-man #6 issue - where I became so derailed I began counting panels in the hopes that my head wouldn’t explode - is like comparing night to day.

I appreciate that at least Mackie here is trying to tie the Hobgoblin in with the narrative by having Dan’s mother's grief manipulated by a cult that Hobgoblin is in cahoots with. It is also a more realistic look at the way real cults act, in this respect, but that doesn’t stop the Hobgoblin's gobbledegook from being any less of a chore to read as he rambles on about God, salvation and being pious.

Blaze and Dan end up in a bar, (an issue I’d much rather be reading) and Dan threatens the local snitch for information on the goblins hideout. Is this addressing the sheer wealth of shared criminal knowledge in the city? Maybe. But none of this matters because they get into a Mexican standoff, Spider-man comes in to web away guns; keep everything PC and fresh, then he jets off saying he knows where Goblin is hiding and they follow him there. How is information received in this comic world? I’m still confused.

The three burst in on Hobgoblin before he can harm Mrs Ketch and once again Spider-man is worried that Ghost Rider is going to be too brutal in his takedown. After rescuing Mrs Ketch, he makes Ghost Rider promise not to kill Hobgoblin and the proceeds to believe him without any burden of proof which is awkward because the last time they met he nearly brought a ceiling down on a child. In the end Ghosty keeps his word. The building blows up. But the Hobgoblin is safe and sound outside of it.

They reflect how Ghost Rider has changed his methods for the better (good for him) and Ghost Rider has a monologue about true heroism (wonderful) which no self-respecting Deadpool would listen too.

Goblin comes back at the end for the trope horror movie scare and the three take him down with a combination of web, hellfire and a chain to the face. Brotherly love there folks.

Well, I suppose I should at least be glad that Hobgoblin will be going to prison and hopefully not breaking out and returning to Ghost Rider for a few months, but I couldn’t get over how soft footed this issue was. I like the idea of Ghost Rider changing to become more of a hero after his experiences in earlier issues but I don’t think he should be the sort of hero who makes speeches about the inner greatness of an individual. Let’s leave things like that to Spider-man.

I can always hope after more training with Johnny Blaze Dan can find that middle ground between Captain America and Marvel Man. His firing a flame upgraded shotgun at Ghost Rider and Spider-man to stop them from arguing over ethics when they should be saving Mrs Ketch was the best part of this issue.

Sadly, it was the beginning.

Ghost Rider #16 (August 1991)

7 DAYS UNTIL IT GETS BURNT!

J-Max was challenged to review 30 issues of Ghost Rider in (roughly) 30 days. Should J-Max succeed he shall earn his freedom (probably not). However should he fail in this task then he shall be subjected to an attack by Bees...DEADLY BEES.

So let's join him for his review of Ghost Rider #16

Changes

Credits: Howard Mackie (writer), Mark Texeira (artist/inker), Gregory Wright (colourist).

Overview: Dan recovers from his fight with Blaze and learns how to cope with life without the Ghost Rider power.

Review: Today, a bee came through my window and I couldn’t help but consider this an omen of my impending doom sent by Abe as the days gradually counted down to beemageddon. I had taken for granted how much time I had remaining with now no less than seven days to go he clock was ticking. I couldn't give in. I had to reach the end and save my soul from horrible, burning stinging death.

As a result of his encounter with Johnny Blaze, the monster is dying as is Dan with him. Arriving at the graveyard, he crashes into a tombstone and begins to morph back into Dan. This is the first time we’ve actually seen the creature in a vulnerable position. We are given the perspectives of both characters and It begins to tell Dan that the pain he feels is a direct result of its injuries and begs him to stop Blaze. Dan, on the other hand, seems taken aback and believes the creature is harming him on its own accord in order to subdue him. Before he falls unconscious he sees the shadowy figure of Blaze staring over him at his sister’s grave.

There’s been a mystery growing for quite some time now in the comic which genereally spaking cn be broken down into four questions. Is this monster Zatharos or now? Why is it seeking revenge? How does it have some of its powers such as the hellfire and penance stare? Is it manipulating Dan? Other than the first question, I can honestly say I don’t care. Mainly because it’s obvious the creature is playing mind games at this point and the other question aren’t really that interesting ones to answer anyway.

To compensate, I’ve thought of four far more interesting questions which actually do need answering How did Deathwatch get the job in the World Trade Centre? How did the bike end up in a scrap yard? Who was the organization Deathwatch was working for in those first few issues and why was he working for them? Sure, most of these are about the villains but does that really surprise you?

Hell, maybe some of these questions have been answered already it’s so hard to keep track because at this point the series was spinning off into so many other comics such as Marvel Presents, Fantastic Four, Punisher; sometimes even finishing entire ongoing stories in them such as the Dr Strange issue. I understand Marvel is trying to make money here, but can they not see how irritating it is from a fans perspective to lose track of what’s going on in one book because they missed its dive into another book?

It turns out Dan is in hospital having been rescued by Johnny Blaze who has been visiting him every day to ensure he is recovering. When Dan tries to attack him he is scolded by his family, who have grown quite fond of Blaze. I found this scene quite funny, his mother even likening his attitude to being as “though he comes from heaven” a little ironic given what we know.

When Blaze berates Dan for how easy he was to track down and points out how dangerous this whole save the world attitude is given how Blackout has already managed to track him down once, he pushes off the advice and naively barks back I’ll take karate. To which Johnny Blaze states “I’ve got a few thing I can teach you” and begins kicking his ass no less than a panel later.

I take that back, Johnny Blaze is fast joining the villains as the best thing about the comic. I appreciate Dan is nineteen but when did he become such a bone head. He mentors Dan teaching him how to street fight over a period of time and even gets him used to riding normal bikes for the distant future where he may no longer have powers and will be relying on his natural skills alone.

An unspecified amount of time later, Dan and Johnny are fixing up a bike on the front porch when Dan notices a strange chauffeur emerging from a limousine and collecting his mother who is going to church. Finding this all a bit suspicious, Dan follows the car against Blaze’s advice and comes across a church. The Ketch family are catholic and Dan increased suspicions of his mother attending a non-denominational church are confirmed when armed guards almost kill him for snooping around.

The two hide inside to see a reverend Styge deliver a sermon denouncing all the congregation as being punished by God for leading a life of sin. Dan’s mother seems to have been indoctrined into this cult in the belief that she is responsible for her daughter’s death and that the cult can help bring her back.

On hearing Styrge declare he can resurrect Barbra, Dan looses himself and shouts “No!” alerting the armed guards to his and Blaze’s position and forcing them to surrender. When his mother is knocked unconscious by an armed reverendtrying to defend them, Dan and Blaze use some of their street fighting move to fight back only to discover The Hobgoblin is the brains behind the church when he bursts through a stained glass window and begins firebombing the congregation.

At this point, the bike transforms him into Ghost Rider and Spider-man shows up to remind the monster not to hurt Hobgoblin who has now kidnapped Dan’s mother.

Was Spider-man’s appearance really necessary in this comic? I guess that’s another pressing question I can add to my list that may not be answered in my 30 Days of Ghost Rider

Game Knights - UK

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