GHOST RIDER #26 – June 1992

Blood Feud!

Credits: Howard Mackie (writer), Ron Wagner (artist), Mike Witherby (inker), Janice Chiang (letterer), Gregory Wright (colorist)

Summary

A mysterious ebony figure is murdering members of the Thieves Guild in New Orleans. Ghost Rider passes by the blood of a murdered Guild member and tracks down his killer. When he confronts the Assassins Guild, he discovers that they are infected with the Brood. The X-Men soon arrive in New Orleans, and Wolverine traces the scent of the Brood. The X-Men enter the Assassins Guild’s lair to discover that Ghost Rider has also been infected by the Brood.

Continuity Note

This issue establishes that all members of the Thieves Guild have a special power.

Approved By The Comics Code Authority

The Assassin kills a pregnant member of the Thieves Guild, licks her blood from his claws, and comments on how warm and salty it is.

Review

This Ghost Rider crossover issue marks Howard Mackie’s first time working in the x-canon, aside from Wolverine's appearance in a Ghost Rider special. It’s actually not a bad issue, just a straightforward story of Ghost Rider chasing a killer while the X-Men follow behind. Aside from Bella Donna’s exaggerated accent, most of the dialogue is fine and the story moves at a decent pace. Ron Wagner is a great artist, but I don’t think he’s well suited for this type of material. He does a nice job, but I prefer his work on G.I. Joe and Nth Man. He also drew some fill-in issues of Excalibur that I liked a lot, but his work here is a little bland. An okay comic, better than you might think.