Ghost Rider, Vol. 2: The Life & Death of Johnny Blaze

Ghost Rider (2006) (Collected Editions) #2

by Daniel Way, Richard Corben (Illustrator), Javier Saltares (Illustrator)

How did Johnny Blaze end up in Hell, anyway? It's simple, He died. And when he died, his eternal soul - long promised to Hell in exchange for "saving" Crash Simpson - descended into the Pit, taking the Ghost Rider along with it. This is the story of how and why it all happened, courtesy of writer Daniel Way and horror-comic legend Richard Corben. In a small town northeast of Chicago, people are losing their heads... literally. The sheriff of this sleepy little town firmly believes he's found the culprit - a scruffy drifter found sleeping in the bushes with blood on his clothes and no believable explanation for where he was and what he was doing when the murders occurred. He even gave the sheriff a fake "Johnny Blaze." But the identity of the true culprit is even more Lucifer has taken up residence in a new host - a casualty of Civil War who's bound to raise eyebrows! Collects Ghost Rider (2006) #6-11.

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Graphic Novels, Horror, Fantasy, Superheroes, Graphic Novels Comics

144 pages, Paperback

First published August 22, 2007

Reviews

[Sam Quixote · Rating 3 out of 5]

Johnny Blaze the Ghost Rider escaped Hell but unintentionally brought Lucifer back to Earth with him who then splintered into multiple avatars - Ghost Rider has to hunt down and defeat each of Lucifer’s avatars to send him back to Hell! But how did Johnny end up in Hell to begin with? Find out here! Also, Ghost Rider goes to Sleepy Hollow, Illinois, to fight Jack O’Lantern (another biker dude but with a flaming pumpkinhead)!

Daniel Way’s Ghost Rider continues to be disappointingly mediocre with Volume 2: The Life and Death of Johnny Blaze. Neither of the stories in this volume are bad but they’re not great either. They also both weirdly use the same trope of small town cops taking advantage of drifter Johnny who’s getting framed for murders he didn’t commit which gets a little repetitive, not to mention unimaginative.

The story of how Johnny wound up in Hell isn’t that exciting but the awesome Richard Corben draws it which makes up for the lack of interest a bit. I really liked Corben’s Ghost Rider and Lucifer - the dude just knows how to illustrate the hell out of horror in a way that’s so compelling!

The Jack O’Lantern story is better if only for having some sweet Ghost Rider action where he and the sheriff explosively take on zombies and the demonic Jack. Javier Saltares and Mark Texeira’s artwork isn’t bad either - it’s not as striking as Corben’s but it looks good for the most part.

Though I usually enjoy Daniel Way’s comics, his Ghost Rider definitely isn’t among his best work nor is it a must read whether you’re a fan of this writer or character. The Life and Death of Johnny Blaze is an ok comic but if you want to read some excellent Ghost Rider comics check out Jason Aaron’s run that follows Way’s.

[Gavin · Rating 4 out of 5]

We get a quick origin tale for Johnny Blaze Ghost Rider.

Then we get the Sleepy Hollow Illinois battle, versus Lucifer, inhabiting Jack O'Lantern, so the local badass Sheriff gets him confused with The Rider, understandably so...Jack/Lucifer then gets bloody on Halloween, rising the dead zombies of Sleepy Hollow to help fight his war against the Ghost Rider.

Johnny Blaze manages to convince the Sheriff about his identity and Rider being not evil, they team up and fuck shit up.

Perfect chaos for the flaming skull rider, including, I believe, his ability to use Penance Stare, which only the Danny Ketch version had before....

Oh and if I'm wrong, look and see how much GR I've read lately and you'll see...they might blend together.

Loved the carnage.

[Logan · Rating 2 out of 5]

An okay read. So I've always been a fan of Daniel Way and the first volume of this series was really good! So the story here is Ghost Rider gets framed for a murder done by a mysterious new villain called Jack o Lantern... no seriously! But ya sadly this volume disappointed a bit, the story was very average and I didn't really like the art either. It's a skip from me.

[Jesse A · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this volume. Enjoying the direction of the whole series.

[Andrew Uys · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the 2nd volume of Daniel Way's run on Ghost Rider, esp. the return of Mark Texeira illustrating the series. A favourite of mine from his previous work on Danny Ketch/Ghost Rider, his art holds a special place in my heart. The story is a fun riff on the Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow, but with a Satan-possessed Jack O'Lantern (Marvel villain killed by the Punisher during the MU Civil War) tearing up innocent townsfolk.

A fun book for any comic book fan, long-time Ghost Rider fans will definitely enjoy this GN! Best read late-October, but that's just my suggestion! B+

[Bobby Hiler · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’d say 2 and half stars. I couldn’t possibly give it 3 or higher because Richard Corbens art is always so out of place that it detracts from the story. Which is a bummer because I’m digging Daniel Way’s run as a whole.

[Jdetrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first two issues are horrible, with fill in art and a subpar story. But the second story is much stronger, and Javier Saltares' art really helps. It becomes moody and scary and Daniel Way is more than willing to step back and let the art shine.

[Paul Young · Rating 2 out of 5]

1 star for the first tale, except for the art - it was awesome!

3 stars for the second tale.

The whole thing was OK. Surprised that the whole thing was a multi-issue run from the same book.

[Myrmidon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Abbastanza godibile, ma penso che davvero rilevanti ai fini della trama siano solo i primi due numeri, in cui la storia principale (molto semplice, in verità) è intervallata da un flashback in cui viene finalmente mostrata la vicenda che ha portato Johnny Blaze a finire trascinato all'inferno (sinora sempre liquidata con: "Un giorno se lo sono preso. Fine.").
I numeri da #8 a #11, invece, sono ufficialmente dei tie-in di Civil War, nonostante di quella vicenda praticamente non ne venga fatta menzione (se non in via moooolto indiretta) e Johnny non ne venga minimamente coinvolto.
E meno male, aggiungerei, 'ché già stavano abbastanza nei casini senza che intervenisse pure lo spirito della vendetta a prendere le parti di una o dell'altra fazione. Più probabilmente, di nessuna.
L'unico e labile collegamento con Civil War è infatti dovuto al fatto che un frammento di Lucifero si è impossessato del criminale Jack Lanterna, ucciso dal Punitore in Civil War #5 (da cui la domanda: ma com'è che Lucifero si è impossessato di un criminale morto da relativamente poco, cioè neanche due settimane? Dobbiamo dedurre che i primi numeri della serie si svolgano in contemporanea ai primi di Civil War?), per poi recarsi nella città natale di Jack e seminare il terrore decapitando gente di notte.
Ad ogni modo, come storia non è malaccio, ma si potrebbe tranquillamente saltare e ciò non inficerebbe la lettura del resto della serie, in quanto non succede nulla di rilevante ai fini della trama principale (se non Johnny che distrugge un altro posseduto da Lucifero, ma capirai... Ce ne sono seicentosessantasei).
Suppongo che lo stesso si possa dire per i due successivi numeri, il dodicesimo e il tredicesimo (non presenti in questa raccolta), che non a caso sono sempre dei tie-in, però di World War Hulk.

[Dean liapis · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was terrible and I never give 1 star review. Just...oof. First, I really don't like the artist, so that went a long way to the negative for me. This guy's art ruined one of my favorite moon knight volumes, so I admit I'm bitter. I just can't get past his art.

But I could still get behind it, but Way's story is also bad. Very cliche, dialogue that makes you cringe and it doesn't really go anywhere. I see Way's trying to go for a tone (at least I think he is), but the uber corny one liners mainly given to the devil are so bad, and not in a "so bad its funny" kinda way. Its just bad, unfunny and boring. If this was more horrific and dark, it could have worked, but its mainly silly and the devil consistently sounds like just some dumbass instead of the actual devil.

The 666 devil soul shards concept was mildly interesting, but every volume is just GR tracking down pieces and killing them. Each member of the 666 that dies makes the rest more powerful so there should have been some interesting match ups and cool fights. There were not, just boring one off fight after another.

I like some of Ways stuff but this series really is not for me. My God, the dialogue...

[47Time · Rating 4 out of 5]

The artwork takes a dip for the filler issue, but it's then back to the good stuff. Flamin' action worthy of recommending.

Johnny's next target is Jack O'Lantern who is possessed by Lucifer. Sheriff Harry O'Connor is determined to stop the murders in his town of Sleepy Hollow - murders perpetrated by a guy with a flaming head. Both Jack and Johnny are sporting flaming heads, but Harry quickly finds out who is on his side. He and Johnny set up a trap for Jack, though their victory leaves plenty of destruction behind.

[Βαλάντης Δοξάκιερ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good but I prefer the previous volume of ghost rider but still very fun and entertaining even interesting. I can't wait to read the volume 3 of ghost rider which is the continuation of this volume and the entire story that started with the first volume the previous one before that I mean.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know why but this book makes me laugh and then feel guilty about it.

[Kurt Lorenz · Rating 4 out of 5]

6-7, Hell to Pay, ☆☆☆
8-11, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Illinois, ☆☆☆☆☆

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

We have Ghost Rider vs. the Jack O Lantern, who has been possessed by Satan. This is as fun as it sounds. The Mark Texiera/Javier Saltares art is a great blast from the past as well.

[Derek Moreland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, this one's a hoot and a half. Way's tone on this book has changed for the more farcically comedic, and it works... at least for this one volume.

[Silas · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think Ghost Rider just isn't my wheelhouse, since I have yet to really enjoy a Ghost Rider story that wasn't Danny Ketch's origin story. This continued a previous story that I have read, more or less, though it wasn't tied in all that well. It was something of a montage, with Ghost Rider beating up random people for a while, then one big bad guy a the end. There was a flashback sequence in the middle that didn't make a ton of sense, and the ending some kind of odd. I didn't much enjoy the Lucifer theme, but that's personal preference, and it might be more to another reader's liking. One thing that I definitely didn't enjoy, though, was the art, which was not particularly good. Ghost Rider and any motorcycles looked okay, but nobody else did. Heads were much too large, and people just looked cartoony and odd, and I don't think that was the intent. Honestly, this isn't a book that I would recommend.

[Fugo Feedback · Rating 3 out of 5]

No leí mucho de Ghost Rider como para juzgar si esta es una mala o una buena interpretación del personaje (aunque supongo que mejor que la película, que vi de a cachitos, ha de ser). Este tomo incluye dos historias más bien macabronas con guiones bien hechos, que tienen gancho y una buena ambientación, y dibujos a la altura. En el caso de la historia dibujada por Corben, tuve sentimientos encontrados, como siempre. El tipo es bueno haciendo caras, expresiones, ambientes deprimentes y toda la bola, pero es un salame absoluto con las proporciones, los ángulos más o menos complicados y con las secuencias con mucho movimiento. El saldo sigue siendo positivo, pero hay cada escena que cuesta tomar en serio que le quita un poco de gracia al conjunto. Supongo que si después tengo otro tomo a mano, le daré una chance más al -puaj- Motorista Fantasma. Este me dejó un buen sabor de boca.

[Hipogrifa De Hagrid · Rating 4 out of 5]

🍃Hola familia plumil🍃
Sé que hace mucho no subo nada y hoy por fin os traigo la reseña del cómic the ghost rider.
Lo primero que decir es que me parece muy mal qué en esta comunidad no se haga tampoco reseñas de cómics y si se hacen son muy pocas.

Ahora os voy a contar del personaje que es Ghost Rider claramente pues es como cualquiera de nosotros con un pasado oscuro y lo demás algunos lo sabréis por las películas.
📚
En este cómic el va al pueblo de Sleepy Hollow y se encuentra con qué algo está haciendo cosas malas en este pueblo y él tiene que enfrentarse a ello y ayudar al pueblo.
📚
Es el primer cómic en formato de libro que me leo y el primero de este personaje y pensé que no iba a superar mis expectativas pero las ha superado con creces yo os lo recomiendo si os gustan los cómics de este tipo y le doy 4/5 🐾

[Matt DiSilvio · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ghost Rider is not one of my favorites but I wanted to read a different Marvel character for a change. I honestly can't put my finger on the reason I didn't enjoy this other than it just felt slow. It wasn't the worst graphic novel I've read by any means but it's not one I plan on re-reading.

[Kaotic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Again, I own the individual 32-page comic book issues, but I would like to start adding some of the comics I read on here. This is a great series, full of sarcasm and wit. I find some of the comebacks and sarcasm put into here highly relate-able. I wish more people could appreciate this series.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

2nd book - you learn more about how the ghost rider comes to be. he continues to hunt down and destroy the pieces of the devil... still okay for 7th graders.