As Ghost Rider, Robbie Reyes struggled to provide for his disabled younger brother, protect his neighborhood, and wrestle with the demands of an insatiably evil demon possessing him. Now, at the end of the series, Robbie finally tries to confront the spirit of Eli Morrow and return to a life resembling normalcy. Warning: this review contains SPOILERS.
Written by Felipe Smith
Illustrated by Felipe Smith and Kris Anka
FATAL FINISH LINE!
• What is the shocking fate of ROBBIE’S brother, GABE?
• Will Robbie finally be pushed over the edge by the evil of ELI MORROW?
• And…THE MOST UNEXPECTED GHOST RIDER EVER!!!!
As a whole, “All-New Ghost Rider” hasn’t seemed to have any interest in being part of the greater Marvel Universe, and I think it works so much better because of it. By focusing on the intimate, on essentially a few inner-city L.A. blocks and on Robbie’s desire to provide for his brother, this has consistently been one of the most engaging and emotional stories I’ve encountered from Marvel. Robbie hasn’t been trying to save the world from the Kree or Dark Elves or whatever other stupid Marvel evil entity that’s attacking this week, but rather Gabe. All the time, he also has to cope with a vengeful spirit who wants nothing more than to kill as many people as he can.
And that makes the final confrontation, the final expression of Eli’s evilness, all the more impactful for us as readers. We’re invested in this, we’re honestly rooting for Robbie because it’s so goddamn difficult not to empathize with him. We’re constantly worried that Robbie’s going to go full Heisenberg. It’s almost like Felipe Smith took his notes from John Lasseter rather than the Marvel editorial board.
Almost.
‘Great Power: Part 2’ focuses mostly on the battle between Robbie, Eli, and Gabe. After dying at the end of the last issue, Gabe also suddenly finds himself infused with some ghastly powers, which leads to these infernal monsters duking it out. At its core, “All-New Ghost Rider” has always been about the triangle between Gabe, Eli, and Robbie, and it’s appropriate, I think, that it ends with their L.A. battle royale.
Smith amps up the intensity both in the script and in the art. He takes the time to give Robbie and Gabe a quieter fight, a more domestic scene, where Eli truly succeeds in tearing them apart, before he launches into the outright fiery brawl. He provides these stakes that remind us that for all the girls suddenly interested in Robbie, for the new opportunities at his job, for his superpowered success in the neighborhood, that it’s all been for Gabe, and anyone attacking Gabe is the only true way to send Robbie into a frenzy.
Smith’s art balances the frenetic intensity of Tradd Moore with the more brutal slugfests from Damian Scott. He works here with Kris Anka and manages to deliver a truly cutting and intense climactic battle to the series. The panels are cut into jagged pieces, harkening back to Smith’s manga days and time working for Vertical. His action is clear without losing any of the momentum or mayhem; the expressions he gives the characters punctuates the emotion, helps us remember that he isn’t only fighting some bully street thug or drug overlord. You feel every punch, every blast of power, every bit of terror.
I think because Smith establishes all these elements so well, Robbie’s victory, though a bit generic, feels earned. The more cynical of us could roll our eyes and go, “Oh bother” at the last couple pages of Robbie holding his brother, but I thought it was a satisfying close to their relationship. It stayed true to Robbie’s spirit and character and it was appropriate.
But the ending of the series altogether doesn’t leave the same impact – mainly because it has a Standard Marvel Comic Book Conclusion. It doesn’t end, not really.
While Gabe and Robbie have their conclusion, Robbie and Eli end on a sort of . . . compromise. We’ve spent all this time with the two of them constantly dueling and trying to take control of each other and the people around them, all of which has added to the drama and, like, enjoyment of this series. So for neither of them to get the upper hand or even accomplish anything with each other sort of undermines much of the success Smith had with the rest of this series. It’s like at the end of The Matrix Revolutions when the giant computer goes, “We’ll have peace for as long as it lasts.” It doesn’t leave us with a satisfying feeling, but more of a, “Hh.”
Continued belowThis is especially glaring because “All-New Ghost Rider” had been such a strong series for its entire run. It was emotional and intense, featured some fantastic race sequences, fights, and characters. And the non-conclusion fizzle out leaves a lot to be desired. I’ll admit here this is the first Ghost Rider story I’ve followed through from beginning to end, and this ending might very well be a typical Ghost Rider sort of ending; however, I still feel this series deserved more.
Of course, Robbie Reyes is returning in one of the “Secret Wars” tie-in miniseries: “Ghost Racers” and it looks intriguing. But that’s a whole new series, and for a finale, “Ghost Rider” #12 just misses the mark.
Final Verdict: 7.5 – Great emotion, passion, and intensity come out in the climactic showdown between Robbie, Eli, and Gabe, but ultimately the series struggles to give any closure.
