Broken Frontier

Ghost Rider is a character that while popular, never seems to be able to hold a book for very long. His most recent series was penned by Daniel Way and then Jason Aaron, and completely redefined the character as not an agent of Hell who fought demons (which didn't really make sense) but instead an agent of Heaven. Marvel seeks to shake things up with this year's new Ghost Rider series, starting with this #0.1 issue, but does there really need to be a 0.1, or is this just keeping in line with their marketing plan for the year?

Ghost Rider #0.1 is written by the up and coming Rob Williams, a writer whose name you will see on a number of upcoming Marvel projects. The art duties here are by Matthew Clark (of the recent Doom Patrol series), who brings a certain degree of nineties flair to the book. But the question to ask is does the Ghost Rider still need to feel like a nineties character? In this issue, he makes a Nirvana joke which feels like it came from an old Mark Texeira issue (though that was a different man under the skull), and in general the pacing feels a bit dated. That isn't to say the issue is bad, but more so that maybe Johnny Blaze himself is a bit dated.

Which is perfect, because this issue serves as a platform to strip him of the Ghost Rider mantle. In this  Point One Initiative issue, it builds the story of Johnny Blaze being sick of the Ghost Rider powers, and of the possibility of somebody new inheriting the mantle. Which is a perfect way to get new readers to jump on, except the enjoyment of this issue isn't necessarily representative of enjoying the new series. Personally, I feel that the new Ghost Rider should have really been introduced here as a character, to let fans determine if they want to follow them.

As it stands, Ghost Rider #0.1 isn't a bad issue, but it does feel a bit pointless. It is supposed to be a jumping-on point, yet it doesn't matter if you hate or love the character it introduces you to, because the series is going to about a completely new Ghost Rider. Rob Williams still feels a bit untested to me, as I wasn't familiar with his work until now, and I'm not sure if Johnny Blaze is MEANT to feel dated here. At the very least, I'll be along for the ride, as the action here is fun and fluid, and if it continues into the series proper, should be a pretty fun time.