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Cosmic Ghost Rider #1 (2023)
- Writer:
- Stephanie Phillips
- Artist:
- Juann Cabal, Jonas Scharf
- Letterer:
- VC's Travis Lanham
- Cover Artist:
- Valerio Giangiordano, Morry Hollowell
- Publisher:
- Marvel
- Price:
- $4.99
- Release Date:
- 2023-03-01
- Colorist:
- Espen Grundetjern, Arif Prianto
Cosmic Ghost Rider is back with a brand-new Marvel series. However, Frank Castle's time as the Rider could be coming to a close as he tries to move on without the Spirit of Vengeance. Cosmic Ghost Rider #1 features two stories. Part One of "Duel Identity" is written by Stephanie Phillips, drawn by Juann Cabal, colored by Espen Grundetjern, and lettered by Travis Lanham. Phillips and Lanham return for "Cosmic Ghost Stories," while Jonas Scharf and Arif Prianto handle the art and colors.
In the first installment of the main story, "Duel Identity," Castle has hung up his intergalactic boots and flaming skull. He now works at Marlow's in Sector Nine's Junk District, doing odd jobs and living an ordinary life plagued by nightmares of the Rider. This changes when bounty hunter Kral Dravitt strolls into town. In the backup story, "Cosmic Ghost Stories," Cosmic Ghost Rider finds himself waking to a living nightmare where he is flung in front of Galactus and judged for his sins. However, all is not what it seems.
From the dusty terrain to the brash and Cad Bane-inspired Kral Dravitt, it's clear Phillips is trying to infuse more of an intergalactic western flavor into Cosmic Ghost Rider #1. It marks a tonal shift for the character, as the Rider isn't quite as energetic as his earlier incarnations. While this new story sets up an intriguing narrative, the first issue is missing a lot of the fun and excitement normally associated with the character. Of course, it's still early days, and this series could go on to become as sensational as Donny Cates, Dylan Burnett, and Antonio Fabella's run was. However, this first issue fails to hook the reader.
Due to the lack of action in "Duel Identity," Cabal, Grundetjern, and Lanham's work remains lowkey. Cabal does a decent job establishing a Star Wars-esque world, and Grundetjern breathes life into the atmosphere with western-inspired colors. Lanham also keeps the narrative ticking over, occasionally chiming in with an impactful sound effect to stir up the story.
Conversely -- Scharf, Prianto, and Lanham get all the juicy cosmic extravaganza scenes in the backup story. Scharf has free rein to play with settings and characters, ripping through the space-time continuum to illustrate a gorgeous tale bursting with action-packed panels. Similarly, Prianto plays with a multitude of bright, cosmic colors to accentuate Scharf's artwork. Lanham also receives more freedom to turn up the volume and go wild on the lettering here.
Unfortunately, Cosmic Ghost Rider #1 isn't the grand return many fans may expect. In an effort to change the status quo, it seemingly forgets what made the character appealing, to begin with. That said, this is only the first issue of a new story, so it is unfair to write off the series completely without seeing what the next installments bring.