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© The Weirding, 2019
A rambling melange of pop-culture.
Showing posts with label ghost rider. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ghost rider. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 14, 2019
Wednesday, May 02, 2018
Tuesday, September 19, 2017
Tuesday, August 30, 2016
Monday, March 14, 2011
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Monday, November 10, 2008
Villain Variant Covers
Marvel is pleased to Bring On The Bad Guys with all-new villain variant covers to Captain Britain & The MI-13 #8 by fan favorite artist Humberto Ramos, and Ghost Rider #30, by the legendary Richard Corben!CAPTAIN BRITAIN AND MI 13 #8 (OCT082413)
CAPTAIN BRITAIN AND MI 13 #8 VILLAIN VARIANT (OCT082414)
Written by PAUL CORNELL
Penciled by LEONARD KIRK
Cover by BRYAN HITCH
Villain Variant by HUMBERTO RAMOS
Rated T+ …$2.99
FOC—11/20/08, On-Sale—12/10/08
GHOST RIDER #30 (OCT082406)GHOST RIDER #30 VILLAIN VARIANT (OCT082407)
Written by JASON AARON
Penciled by TAN ENG HUAT
Cover by GERALD PAREL
Villain Variant by RICHARD CORBEN
Parental Advisory …$2.99
FOC—11/20/08, On-Sale—12/17/08
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Ghost Rider #26 - Sneak Peek!
Hell hath no fury like the Spirit of Vengeance, Ghost Rider! After Johnny Blaze squared off with the merciless Deacon last issue, a familiar face is about to return from Ghost Rider's past in Ghost Rider #26! This is one high octane, supernatural issue you're not going to want to miss, True Believers! Prepare for a double dose of the ghostly as Danny Ketch puts the pedal to the metal and furiously rides on again… but why is he opposing Johnny Blaze? Join red-hot writer, Jason Aaron (Wolverine, Scalped) as Danny Ketch makes his triumphant return to the Marvel U! With mind blowing interiors from rising artist Tan Eng Huat (Silver Surfer: In Thy Name), Danny has some surprises up his sleeve… and this is just the beginning!Who has Danny Ketch brought to the party? Who is that yielding the hellfire shotgun? What will happen when Johnny Blaze confronts his long lost brother? Find out the answers to these questions and more as hell is about to be unleashed in Ghost Rider #26!
GHOST RIDER #26 (JUN082329)
GHOST RIDER #26 MONKEY VARIANT (JUN082330)
Written by JASON AARON
Art by TAN ENG HUAT
Cover by MARKO DJURDJEVIC
Ape Variant by NIC KLEIN
Parental Advisory …$2.99
FOC—7/31/08, On-Sale—8/20/08
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Thursday, April 03, 2008
Ghost Rider - A Review
So, once again last night, I found myself unable to sleep, and Ghost Rider happened to be on.
I was never a Ghost Rider fan - certainly a fan of Mark Texeira (ever since Psi-Force) and I loved the thick-inked style he brought to the title - but not a big fan of the character or story. As Dave Sim (or one of his readers) has mentioned before, the 1970s were awash in Satanic comics and characters - particularly Marvel. We can point to all sorts of sociological factors and ideas - Anton LaVey's Satanic Bible; KISS, Judas Priest, and the emergence of leather-clad heavy metal; the horrors of Vietnam; the damning effects of disco on a nation of relative innocents - but I don't think anyone really knows why this was the case, it just was. In the 1970s, Satanism sold a slew o' comics and Ghost Rider was one of them.
The story is your basic Faustian tale: Johnny Blaze was a carnival stuntman (ala Evel Knievel) who sold his soul to the Devil to save his father's life. The Devil betrayed him and Johnny embarked on a career of increasingly more dangerous stunts - all of which he survived because the Devil helped him - which made him legendary. One day, the Devil came to stake his claim and turned Johnny Blaze into his bounty hunter, sending him to traipse about the world on his souped-up hog to collect Evil souls.
The title went largely unnoticed, though it had a respectable run, and in the 1990s, amidst the popularity of such titles as Sandman and Hellblazer, Marvel revived it. It was a smash-hit, but also a fad; one of those comics that was already "worth" twice its cover price before it hit the shelves every month and can now be had for much less. But, again, Mark Texeira's work on the title is legendary, so if you were into comics around that time, you know the character and story. So I figured I'd check it out at 3:00 in the AM.
Nicholas Cage is the perfect Johnny Blaze: he favors him physically, he has the intensity, and he came to the role with a feel for the character, having been a big comics fan in his earlier days. Eva Mendes also gives a startlingly sincere turn as GH's girlyfriend. Given what the writers had to work with, the dialogue flows and if you can suspend your disbelief, it's actually quite well-written. The problem is that the story is shit and the CGI is too, so only a child could manage to suspend his disbelief.
It's unfair to call the movie "clichèd," because the story itself is a melange of clichès: it is your basic superhero origin transposed over your basic beat-the-Devil story. No one knows exactly why Satanism came into vogue in the 70s, but I do believe it had to do with the whole Satanic Church thing that LaVey was doing, and the whole rebellion thing the Vietnam War sparked. Regardless, plenty of other mythologies and ideologies have been plumbed for comics gold, so why not the Judaeo-Christian mythology? After all, in the end, Ghost Rider becomes more of an avenging angel than a willing devil, using his Satanic powers for Good instead of Evil.
Still, while no fan of the titles, the movie is good for a single viewing, so long as you go in not expecting much. If you like the story, pick up the 1990s title and then move to the original for completeness. Well-directed, well-acted, fairly-written, but the CGI destroys it as it does with all movies. Besides, the story is a bust.
* In researching this, I found out that there was a Ghost Rider title from the 1950s. I am assuming this was the original title, with the horseback Ghost Rider. I do not know his story or origin and I really didn't have the time to look it up.
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
I was never a Ghost Rider fan - certainly a fan of Mark Texeira (ever since Psi-Force) and I loved the thick-inked style he brought to the title - but not a big fan of the character or story. As Dave Sim (or one of his readers) has mentioned before, the 1970s were awash in Satanic comics and characters - particularly Marvel. We can point to all sorts of sociological factors and ideas - Anton LaVey's Satanic Bible; KISS, Judas Priest, and the emergence of leather-clad heavy metal; the horrors of Vietnam; the damning effects of disco on a nation of relative innocents - but I don't think anyone really knows why this was the case, it just was. In the 1970s, Satanism sold a slew o' comics and Ghost Rider was one of them.
The story is your basic Faustian tale: Johnny Blaze was a carnival stuntman (ala Evel Knievel) who sold his soul to the Devil to save his father's life. The Devil betrayed him and Johnny embarked on a career of increasingly more dangerous stunts - all of which he survived because the Devil helped him - which made him legendary. One day, the Devil came to stake his claim and turned Johnny Blaze into his bounty hunter, sending him to traipse about the world on his souped-up hog to collect Evil souls.
The title went largely unnoticed, though it had a respectable run, and in the 1990s, amidst the popularity of such titles as Sandman and Hellblazer, Marvel revived it. It was a smash-hit, but also a fad; one of those comics that was already "worth" twice its cover price before it hit the shelves every month and can now be had for much less. But, again, Mark Texeira's work on the title is legendary, so if you were into comics around that time, you know the character and story. So I figured I'd check it out at 3:00 in the AM.
Nicholas Cage is the perfect Johnny Blaze: he favors him physically, he has the intensity, and he came to the role with a feel for the character, having been a big comics fan in his earlier days. Eva Mendes also gives a startlingly sincere turn as GH's girlyfriend. Given what the writers had to work with, the dialogue flows and if you can suspend your disbelief, it's actually quite well-written. The problem is that the story is shit and the CGI is too, so only a child could manage to suspend his disbelief.
It's unfair to call the movie "clichèd," because the story itself is a melange of clichès: it is your basic superhero origin transposed over your basic beat-the-Devil story. No one knows exactly why Satanism came into vogue in the 70s, but I do believe it had to do with the whole Satanic Church thing that LaVey was doing, and the whole rebellion thing the Vietnam War sparked. Regardless, plenty of other mythologies and ideologies have been plumbed for comics gold, so why not the Judaeo-Christian mythology? After all, in the end, Ghost Rider becomes more of an avenging angel than a willing devil, using his Satanic powers for Good instead of Evil.
Still, while no fan of the titles, the movie is good for a single viewing, so long as you go in not expecting much. If you like the story, pick up the 1990s title and then move to the original for completeness. Well-directed, well-acted, fairly-written, but the CGI destroys it as it does with all movies. Besides, the story is a bust.
* In researching this, I found out that there was a Ghost Rider title from the 1950s. I am assuming this was the original title, with the horseback Ghost Rider. I do not know his story or origin and I really didn't have the time to look it up.
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Ghost Rider vs. Lucifer - Annual #1
Yes, I realize I have been out of the loop for several years now, but did they just completely discontinue annuals or what? I mean Daredevil is up to issue #100 and just now coming out with Annual #1, now Ghost Rider (I've no idea what issue it is up to in its run) is kicking out its first Annual. This is an official Marvel press release:The devil himself, Lucifer, has never quite been on good terms with the supernatural hero known as Ghost Rider, but does that mean he'll make a deal with a dangerous new player to take down the Spirit of Vengeance in Ghost Rider Annual #1? Writer Stuart Moore (Marvel Comics Presents, New Avengers/Transformers) teams up with artist Ben Oliver (Ultimate X-Men) to introduce the mysterious Mr. Eleven, a man with a connection to both the Devil and Ghost Rider! When the Devil rides into town, with Ghost Rider hot on his trail, Eleven sees an opportunity to benefit—but whose side is he on? One thing's for sure—he's important to the Ghost Rider mythos!
It's a battle of two supernatural titans as Ghost Rider battles Lucifer, with Mr. Eleven making a shocking decision—one that'll change all the players once Ghost Rider Annual #1 concludes!
GHOST RIDER ANNUAL #1
Written by STUART MOORE
Pencils & Cover by BEN OLIVER
Rated T+ …$3.99
FOC—10/25/07, On-Sale—11/14/07
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Ghost Rider #1 Again
Ghost Rider with Nicholas Cage managed to hold onto the top spot at the box office this past weekend, despite lukewarm critical reviews and very little positive buzz since its opening. While the hype previous to the film's release was pretty heavy with commercials and "making-of" specials playing widely across cable and network channels, as well as heavy spot-placement online, initial reviews were tepid. There has not been much buzz of any kind since the film's release, and I think most people assumed the movie would slip to a lower placing, if not fall completely from the top ten by this time. I personally don't think it will be able to hold onto the #1 spot for the next week, but I could be very wrong.
At any rate, hype for Frank Miller's 300, based on the Spartan's near-impossible hold-out at Thermopylae which proved the male-dominated society's siren song, is reaching fever pitch, with impressive TV commercials and an appearance by the comic book genius, writer, and film director on G4's Icons this Sunday. No matter how well Ghost Rider does next week, I think it safe to predict its upset by Miller's flick the week of its release.
In fact, I believe 300 will sweep the top box office position its first week, blowing the competition away by literally tens of millions. And, if the movie proves as good as it looks in previews, it may be one of the year's top earners.
At any rate, hype for Frank Miller's 300, based on the Spartan's near-impossible hold-out at Thermopylae which proved the male-dominated society's siren song, is reaching fever pitch, with impressive TV commercials and an appearance by the comic book genius, writer, and film director on G4's Icons this Sunday. No matter how well Ghost Rider does next week, I think it safe to predict its upset by Miller's flick the week of its release.
In fact, I believe 300 will sweep the top box office position its first week, blowing the competition away by literally tens of millions. And, if the movie proves as good as it looks in previews, it may be one of the year's top earners.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Ghost Rider Tops Box Office, Disappoints Critics
Well, Ghost Rider topped the US box office over the weekend, pulling in (according to some reports) nearly $45 million. The critical reviews are a bit less enthusiastic, though... I had a feeling they would be.
I mentioned this before, but I want to remind people that Ghost Rider's real popularity came about in the 1990s, when vengeful, leather-clad characters were all the rage. This is the title which propelled one Mark Texiera to fame. This was the time of Wolverine and Punisher, then later Spawn - they were all hellish, brook-no-bullshit, loose cannons who had no compunctions about killing in order to make a point. It was the 1990s.
At any rate, the whole concept was silly, which is why I never got into it, but Mark Texiera (Tex) was a brilliant artist, so if you should come across some of those 90's-era Ghost Riders for a fair price (you might wait a few months from now), they're worth checking out. Still, a lot of the reviews I've read have dismissed Ghost Rider as unrecognizable - not a Spider-man or Superman or the like - and one even referred to the character and title as a "B"-title, but this isn't really the case. If you talk to anyone who collected comics back in the 90's, Ghost Rider is far from "unrecognizable" - even if, like me, you didn't care for the character or collect the title.
I haven't seen the film and never really had any intention to, but the reviews are solid and overwhelmingly congruent: it's, at best, "fair-to-middlin."
I told you so.
I mentioned this before, but I want to remind people that Ghost Rider's real popularity came about in the 1990s, when vengeful, leather-clad characters were all the rage. This is the title which propelled one Mark Texiera to fame. This was the time of Wolverine and Punisher, then later Spawn - they were all hellish, brook-no-bullshit, loose cannons who had no compunctions about killing in order to make a point. It was the 1990s.
At any rate, the whole concept was silly, which is why I never got into it, but Mark Texiera (Tex) was a brilliant artist, so if you should come across some of those 90's-era Ghost Riders for a fair price (you might wait a few months from now), they're worth checking out. Still, a lot of the reviews I've read have dismissed Ghost Rider as unrecognizable - not a Spider-man or Superman or the like - and one even referred to the character and title as a "B"-title, but this isn't really the case. If you talk to anyone who collected comics back in the 90's, Ghost Rider is far from "unrecognizable" - even if, like me, you didn't care for the character or collect the title.
I haven't seen the film and never really had any intention to, but the reviews are solid and overwhelmingly congruent: it's, at best, "fair-to-middlin."
I told you so.
Sunday, February 04, 2007
Two Weeks to Ghost Rider
I have already mentioned that I didn't get into Ghost Rider. I just didn't really care much for the character, the concept -- any of it. Then, too, it was immensely popular in the 90s, and I was pretty much against anything that was immensely popular back then.
But they've been showing the previews for the movie recently and I have to admit, it looks pretty nifty. I doubt I'll go see it in the theater, but I'll likely get it on PPV or rent it once it comes out on DVD.
I know that it was supposed to have been released a while back, but it went into "turnaround" -- which is an industry term that basically means it went back to the drawing board. The original wasn't good enough, or at least didn't test well with sample audiences, so they went back and reworked the whole thing. That doesn't necessarily mean that what we'll end up seeing is going to be bad, but I think it's important to know going in.
I dig Nicholas Cage for one movie and one movie only: Raising Arizona. Pretty much everything else he's done that I've seen is lousy and he phones the whole thing in. He did that Christmas movie with Tea Leoni a few years back that wasn't bad -- it was an update of that Jimmy Stewart movie, you know the one -- but it wasn't great.
I know everyone and their brother will blog about it and it'll be all over the news and reviews when it comes out, but I'd love to hear from anyone who goes to see it. Feel free to leave a comment with a link to your own blog, if you post about it.
But they've been showing the previews for the movie recently and I have to admit, it looks pretty nifty. I doubt I'll go see it in the theater, but I'll likely get it on PPV or rent it once it comes out on DVD.
I know that it was supposed to have been released a while back, but it went into "turnaround" -- which is an industry term that basically means it went back to the drawing board. The original wasn't good enough, or at least didn't test well with sample audiences, so they went back and reworked the whole thing. That doesn't necessarily mean that what we'll end up seeing is going to be bad, but I think it's important to know going in.
I dig Nicholas Cage for one movie and one movie only: Raising Arizona. Pretty much everything else he's done that I've seen is lousy and he phones the whole thing in. He did that Christmas movie with Tea Leoni a few years back that wasn't bad -- it was an update of that Jimmy Stewart movie, you know the one -- but it wasn't great.
I know everyone and their brother will blog about it and it'll be all over the news and reviews when it comes out, but I'd love to hear from anyone who goes to see it. Feel free to leave a comment with a link to your own blog, if you post about it.
Sunday, December 17, 2006
Love of Comics
I was reading something about how Ghost Rider #1 has topped $6000 in value earlier, and thinking how many times I had the chance to buy a copy of that issue for less than $100 over the years. I never did because I just don't really care for Ghost Rider. I think it a silly character, and one to which I cannot relate. I'll admit I've only read one, maybe two, issues of the newer series (the one that started in the 90s), but I've read some of the older stories and several comics in which "the spirit of vengeance" appeared, and I just don't find the character appealing.
And when that new series came out and became a big hit, pretty much every store had a copy of the earlier, 1970s', series that just set there, collecting dust. I could have had all sorts of Ghost Rider for, in most cases, under $20. And had I liked the character, I would have those right now.
But I only found out comics were worth something long after I was a comics fiend. I literally grew up on comics, reading slews of Mad magazines and things like that that I picked up at yard sales, because my grandparents loved to go "yardsaling" every weekend. I mean, they were true pros and by noon, we'd hit pretty much all of them listed in the newspaper. They rarely had anything I wanted, except for comic books -- usually in a worn, cardboard box with a transistor radio and errant baseball cards and a trophy and a baseball glove that looked like the cow had been beaten to death to make it and a twisted up Slinky and a pair of gym socks. "Everything in BOX 5-cents."
Those were good days.
But of any of those comics I still have (I have most all of the MAD mags I ever picked up -- I think one still has the cover!), none of them are worth squat as a "collectible," but there's no way to impress upon anyone their actual value. Yes, it's sentimental to the point of being downright cheeky and maudlin, but it's very true. And while I don't get like disgusted when I see something like this, I agree that there is a lot of glut in the field because of it.
And no matter what else is said, I still love superheroes. I just do.
And when that new series came out and became a big hit, pretty much every store had a copy of the earlier, 1970s', series that just set there, collecting dust. I could have had all sorts of Ghost Rider for, in most cases, under $20. And had I liked the character, I would have those right now.
But I only found out comics were worth something long after I was a comics fiend. I literally grew up on comics, reading slews of Mad magazines and things like that that I picked up at yard sales, because my grandparents loved to go "yardsaling" every weekend. I mean, they were true pros and by noon, we'd hit pretty much all of them listed in the newspaper. They rarely had anything I wanted, except for comic books -- usually in a worn, cardboard box with a transistor radio and errant baseball cards and a trophy and a baseball glove that looked like the cow had been beaten to death to make it and a twisted up Slinky and a pair of gym socks. "Everything in BOX 5-cents."
Those were good days.
But of any of those comics I still have (I have most all of the MAD mags I ever picked up -- I think one still has the cover!), none of them are worth squat as a "collectible," but there's no way to impress upon anyone their actual value. Yes, it's sentimental to the point of being downright cheeky and maudlin, but it's very true. And while I don't get like disgusted when I see something like this, I agree that there is a lot of glut in the field because of it.
And no matter what else is said, I still love superheroes. I just do.
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