Wolverine/Ghost Rider: Weapons of Vengeance – Alpha #1 had me hooked from the initial pitch. Wolverine is one of the most badass X-Men, with his healing factor and Adamantium claws making him a formidable opponent. Ghost Rider’s entire concept screams “badass” – it’s a guy with a flaming skull for a head who rides a motorcycle and fights demons. So putting the two together is a scenario ripe with opportunity. Benjamin Percy, Geoff Shaw, Rain Beredo and Travis Lanham capitalize on said opportunities.
A string of grisly murders have been appearing all over the news, drawing the attention of both Ghost Rider and Wolverine. It turns out that the Spirit of Vengeance and the clawed Canadian previously met years ago, when a mysterious boy named Bram entered their lives. Bram has a dark and deadly secret that almost led to the X-Men being killed…and that secret happens to be demonic in nature, drawing in a young Johnny Blaze.
Percy, who pens both the ongoing Wolverine and Ghost Rider series, injects plenty of pathos into the page here. He could have simply been content to just let them fight, but instead builds on their established history and crafts a threat that only the two of them could fight. More than that, Percy understands that both of these men have been damaged by the events in their lives. “Johnny Blaze and me…we got a few things in common,” Wolverine says in his opening monologue, pointing out how both of them tend to be loners while also utilizing the darkness within them to combat other, more darker beings. Not only is this some great character writing, but it also whets my appetite for the upcoming Predator vs. Wolverine miniseries (also penned by Percy.)
Such great character writing deserves an equally great artist, and Shaw is more than up to the task. He’s drawn some of my favorite comics, including God Country and the Thanos Wins storyline – both of which coincidentally happened to be written by one of my favorite writers, Donny Cates – and his style has only been refined with time. You can see the detail that went into the art, from the length of Wolverine’s claws to the flames rolling from Ghost Rider’s head. That same detail lends itself well to Ghost Rider and Wolverine’s first fight – there’s a poetic, yet brutal movement in the chains and claws and fireballs being thrown around. Plus, it’s a treat to see Shaw illustrate Wolverine in his classic yellow and blue costume (along with the rest of the Claremont/Byrne era X-Men.)
Finally, Beredo and Lanham tap into the melancholy of the title with their color and letter work, respectively. In keeping with the current line of X-Men books, Lanham letters everything in lowercase, which has a rather…terrifying effect where the Ghost Rider’s concerned. His word balloons are laced with black edges, making him sound like a man who’s actually possessed by a demon. As for Beredo, his work is mostly obscured in shadow, with the odd splash of color coming from Ghost Rider’s reddish orange flames or Wolverine’s claws glinting in the light.
Wolverine/Ghost Rider: Weapons of Vengeance – Alpha #1 unites two of Marvel’s biggest badasses for a metal, macabre, and menacingly good read. I was hooked from start to finish, and hopefully the rest of the crossover lives up to the promise of this initial issue.
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