arghhhh!!!I’m disappointed. I really wanted to love this series because I think Sabir Pirzada is a great writer. Marvel and Cult of Carnage: Misery was amazing, so I was excited to pick up this deal. Unfortunately, the spirit of vengeance: vengeance was a complex mess of different stories, well written by Pilzada on a page-by-page basis, but not successful in forming meaningful connective tissues that I want more. It was a fun read, and Pilzada nailed the essence of the character of Fire and Ketch, but it couldn’t stand the hype.
Sadly, it appears that the planned sequel series, The Spirit of Violence – is clearly cancelled or indefinitely late, and has an attitude similar to mine. The first issue of Spirits of Violence was asked to debut in early March, but Marvel quietly removed the series from its debut schedule. There was no news about a potential release, but two gorgeous covers have already been announced (always hope that artists and writers are being paid for unreleased jobs that Marvel has cancelled… hmm…). Additionally, UGH, the new series was intended to be a crossover with Helberin.
Amazing
The spirit of vengeance follows Danny Ketch and Johnny Blaze on a random journey to discover who the murderous “spirit of violence” is (spoiler: turns out to be Danny’s long-dead sister). The series also features the reintroduction of Robbie Reyes, the ghost rider who heroically sacrificed his life in Jason Aaron’s epic Avengers Run, as well as new roller skate ghost rider Fantasma. I was actually most excited about the role of Robbie and Phantasma in the book, but the final question is that they both get stuck in God’s Quarry, the sequel series being cancelled, and who knows what this plot will come back?
When I first picked up the spirit of vengeance, I thought it would be a great starting point for anyone who doesn’t read much Ghost Rider. Unfortunately, this series requires a lot of background knowledge, lore and emotional investment to get the full depth and meaning of many encounters and battles, which is not a great onboarding ramp for new Ghost Rider fans. What are the stakes? Why are these important players? Along the way I had far more questions than the answers. That being said, as someone who knows the lore of random Ghost Riders, I thought the final issue featuring Linda Little Leads (aka Witch Woman) was incredibly well done. The story was tragic, the emotions were real, and it was a lovely final ending for Linda’s turbulent life.
Amazing
I personally love limited series, especially when there is a diversity of artists, especially when there is a slightly different story worthy of their vibe. However, if an ongoing series (although it’s not ongoing, this series is made with the intention of a sequel series) has all the issues, I really don’t like it. These cartoon artists, Dev Pramanik, Chris Campana, Sean Damien Hill and Paul Davidson, are all incredibly talented, but this art didn’t bring to the explosive, fiery energy the series was supposed to bring. Especially in the first issue, the use of the panels seems to be extremely busy and overwhelming, slowing down and busy. That being said, I absolutely love Davidson’s art, and the last two issues included my favorite illustrations of the entire series, especially #6 with Linda and Johnny’s repentance “vacation.” I was excited to learn that Davidson had also explained the spirit of violence until I discovered that the series could be cancelled.
To be fair, it wasn’t a miserable time to read the spirit of vengeance… I didn’t understand the interactions of many contexts and characters, but it was an exciting story of lovely art and fun cameos of both Fantasma and Loki. I hope this was one of the last issues that readers wanted a spirit of violence, as I was really looking to see one first problem setting the context and what would happen next. The final issue was emotional and intense, with Davidson’s gorgeous art, and every cover of the series was fantastic. If you’re a huge fan of Ghost Rider, definitely get this deal. However, if you’re new to the myth of Ghost Rider, I highly recommend starting with a different series.
“The Spirit of Vengeance: Die before the flame of vengeance burns before the flame of vengeance dies before the flame of vengeance dies before the flame of vengeance burns
The Spirit of Revenge: Revenge
To be fair, it wasn’t a miserable time to read the spirit of vengeance… I didn’t understand the interactions of many contexts and characters, but it was an exciting story of lovely art and fun cameos of both Fantasma and Loki. I hope this was an eight-shot limited series, one departure question that actually set the context, and one of the last questions that made readers excited by the spirit of violence. The final issue was emotional and intense, with Davidson’s gorgeous art, and every cover of the series was fantastic. If you’re a huge fan of Ghost Rider, definitely get this deal. However, if you’re new to the myth of Ghost Rider, I highly recommend starting with a different series.
Paul Davidson’s art in the last two issues is amazing
I love the scene between Johnny and Linda
Very confused and disconnected plot
The panels can use some work and feel crowded
It’s not a great starting point for new readers
