Tuesday, September 07, 2021

With no dialog, you would've thought that was the Punisher, wouldn't you?

For reasons I won't go into yet, I'm trying to knock a bunch of posts out in a hurry: I use my blog to get to other sites, and don't like to see it stuck on the same post for too long. So without further ado, from 1994, Ghost Rider #49, "Darkness Within" Written by Howard Mackie, pencils by Ron Garney, inks by Tom Palmer. 

This felt a lot like that Simpsons episode with the Critic, a bit of a sell-out to try and give another property a little more credibility than it probably deserved. With the Ghost Rider M.I.A, the new Vengeance is administering the street justice today, although his alter-ego Michael Badilino is starting to wonder what he's becoming. Frustrated, he decides to try and take some personal time off; which we all know isn't going to happen. Starting his vacation at the Cypress Hills cemetery probably wasn't a great choice either, but he realizes he's being watched--by the Hulk?
In classic Marvel-misunderstanding fashion, Vengeance assumes the Hulk was working for his bad guy, Hellgate--oh, come on, that's just being willfully obtuse--and starts a fight. Hulk was just kind of looking for his former FF teammate Ghost Rider, and anyway had a bachelor party to go to later, and too bad, we're doing this thing. Without looking, I'm going to say...four page fight, after the initial shot?
Oh, so close: including a surprising kick to the Hulk's crotch from Vengeance, it's four pages only if you count an interlude page with two armored goons, who actually did work for Hellgate, discussing how they have to capture Vengeance. Fearing the Hulk was going to kill their target, one of the goons takes a shot at him, while his companion yells the Hulk was "just posturing!" They nearly capture Vengeance, before the Hulk bats them over the horizon line with a lamp post; in a shot that looks like Team Rocket is blasting off again! Wait, the fight with the goons goes two more pages after that; and presumably ends with...it's not clear if the goons ran off, were beaten into compost, recanted their evil ways and joined a monastery, or what? Maybe the lamppost bit should've been later. 

Hulk and Vengeance have a pleasant chat afterwards, recapping what maybe happened to the Ghost Rider, who was currently having his skull reignited or something. Hulk asks if Vengeance wants to join him for the bachelor party, and Vengeance declines, which means he missed out on Incredible Hulk #417! His loss.

3 comments:

  1. Imagine saying no to THAT particular bachelor party. That shit was lit, I remember. Oh the networking Vengeance could've done to have gotten better booking once GR inevitably came back. All it cost him was what, 15+ years until Jason Aaron brought him back?

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  2. I kinda see why; those bone armbands look like a bitch to draw.

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