by Charlie Brooks, CMRO Contributing Writer
Ghost Rider
Issue #13
Written by Daniel Way, Art by Javier Saltares
Published: August 2007
When we last left Johnny Blaze in Ghost Rider #12, he had defied the Ghost Rider entity, abandoned his mission to hunt down Lucifer, and gone to New York to take on the Hulk. Presumably, Ghost Rider #13 takes place between the pages of World War Hulk #1, although on Marvel’s official checklist it gets listed after World War Hulk #2. The exact timing doesn’t really matter all that much. All we need to know is that Ghost Rider is taking on the Hulk.
As it turns out, he’s about to take a beating as well.
As the issue opens, Johnny tries to talk the Hulk down. He makes the cardinal mistake of referring to the Hulk as “Bruce,” but the enraged Hulk seems to let that slide. He simply tells Ghost Rider to leave, and in fact seems to treat Ghost Rider like an old friend of sorts. Maybe he remembers Ghost Rider from the time that they both served on the new Fantastic Four way back when, although that was a different person in the leather and chains.
Despite the unusual friendliness from the Hulk, Johnny decides to take the Hulk out of New York whether he likes it or not. For the rest of the issue, he tries to get the Hulk out of town and fails miserably. The Hulk outfights him and outwits him, surprising Johnny by showing more intelligence than most people are used to from the jade giant. Eventually, though, Johnny goes too far and finally ticks the Hulk off, and a beatdown ensues. Said beatdown is observed from afar by Reed Richards and Doctor Strange. Strange explains that the Ghost Rider has the power to take out the Hulk, but that Johnny Blaze acts as a limiting factor to the entity’s power. That limiting factor goes away as Johnny gets beaten to near unconsciousness and loses control over the Ghost Rider.
Now it’s time for an epic battle, right? An enraged Hulk versus an unfettered Ghost Rider? Not exactly. Rather than fight the Hulk, Ghost Rider streaks out of New York, presumably to continue the hunt for Lucifer he was on before this diversion into World War Hulk. The reason, as Doctor Strange puts it, is that “The Ghost Rider avenges only the innocent. Which we…all of us…are not.”
Despite the somewhat anticlimactic end and the fact that World War Hulk interrupted another, more interesting plot for Ghost Rider, Ghost Rider #12 and #13 are the best crossover stories to come out of World War Hulk. The issues provide a blueprint for how a crossover with a B-list character is supposed to be done: create an easy jumping on point for new readers, present the character’s likeable qualities as well as his struggles, and then provide some fun action to keep things going. Issue #13 does feel short, due to its focus on wordless action, and the art gets a little sloppy here and there, but it otherwise presents an excellent argument for why you should read up on Ghost Rider. In terms of how it ties into World War Hulk, it drives home a very important point: the Hulk is not the bad guy, or at least is not fully unjustified in his attack. Ghost Rider couldn’t deliver judgment upon him because the supposed heroes of World War Hulk are borderline villains due to their actions. At the same time, Johnny Blaze presented the human argument and the moral dilemma of World War Hulk: the Illuminati might be the bad guys, but the Hulk isn’t going about his vengeance the right way either. Is it better to be morally wrong or justified in your actions but too blinded by rage to choose the correct path? We don’t get an answer here, but the story does provide some food for thought while simultaneously showing off what a strong character Ghost Rider can be.
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