What do you think?
Rate this book
Ghost Rider: One-Shots
Ghost Rider/Wolverine/Punisher: Hearts of Darkness
Cuando los designios del cruel demonio se posan sobre una niña, habitante de la ciudad de Christ’s Crown, tres de los héroes más despiadados y letales de Marvel se unen para protegerla: Ghost Rider, Wolverine y Punisher. Regresa, por primera vez en un solo volumen, la saga de Howard Mackie, John Romita Jr. y Ron Garney que marcó los años 90. Una aventura oscura que explora los lados sombríos de tres personajes muy queridos... y en el alma del lector.
112 pages, Hardcover
First published December 1, 1991
112 people are currently reading
167 people want to read
About the author
Howard Mackie
1,025 books33 followersHoward Mackie is an American comic book editor and writer. He has worked almost exclusively for Marvel Comics.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
February 25, 2021
Collects both of the team-ups of Marvel's most popular characters of the early 90's. Both times they fight Blackheart, Mephisto's son, who tries to convince them to join him in overthrowing his father to create a gentler Hell. There's not much story here but the art in both books is good.
December 26, 2023
Este encadernado capa dura traz a republicação de um especial dos anos 1990 que foi publicado no Brasil pela Editora Abril. Embora muitos reverenciem essa história, quando eu a li pela primeira veza, não achei nada demais. Na verdade, confesso que nem gostei. Relendo ela agora tendo lido A Saga do Demolidor, a coisa passou afazer mais sentido para mim e puder entender melhor o que os autores queriam com ela. A trama ganhou uma continuação, Desígnios Sombrios, dessa vez, em vez de desenhada por John Romita Jr., foi desenhada por Ron Garney. Apesar de os desenhos me agradarem mais a trama se tornou ainda mais sombria e chata de se acompanhar. Se tivesse ficado na primeira edição teria uma sobrevida e sobrevivido melhor aos sinais dos tempos. De toda forma, podemos comemorar que mais uma história inédita da Marvel foi publicada aqui no Brasil, mesmo sendo bem ruim mesmo.
May 15, 2021
An interesting premise -- collecting three of Marvel's "darkest" heroes to fight the son of Mephisto -- which, unfortunately falls short on the delivery. Much is said about Ghost Rider, Wolverine, and the Punisher walking a fine line between heroism and darkness, but while this is give lip service, not much comes of it. For the most part the three act as one would expect them to.
The artwork is well done, but the story lacks.
The artwork is well done, but the story lacks.
October 16, 2024
Really fun crossover where Ghost Rider, Wolvie, and Punisher team up to take down Blacheart. It's actually pretty fast paced with some really cool fights, especially Ghost Rider laying the smackdown. The overall vibe between the 3 is a ton of fun too, love the darker/edgier heroes of the time had to team up like that. A 4 out of 5.
March 7, 2020
No perder el tiempo con esto, un sinsentido
February 22, 2024
From writer Howard Mackie, and Marvel’s recurrent artist, John Romita Jr., here comes the highly successful crossover that combines three of the most hardcore and bloodlust heroes in the Marvel catalogue: Ghost Rider, Wolverine, and The Punisher. Together, the three anti-heroes will face the demonic threat of ‘Blackheart’, ‘Mephisto’s’ son, and arch nemesis of Ghost Rider, who has been summoned to Earth thanks to a secret cult, and now, he’s decided to kill his own father after punishing him to live amongst mere mortals as an inferior version of the devil.
Now, I’m not gonna lie, I was expecting a complete disaster after seeing Romita Jr., in the pencils, but once I thought it through, I decided to give it a shot since, well, Klaus Janson is the inker, and he often complements the work of Romita Jr., in certain areas. Besides, this is a story with ‘The Punisher’ in it, and ‘War Zone’ was pretty neat on its visuals, so I managed to start this optimistically enough, and to my surprise, yeah, this wasn’t that bad, in the art department at least. Howard Mackie is a writer that was prominent enough in the 90s, and his contributions to characters such as ‘Ghost Rider’, ‘The X-men’, even ‘Spider-Man’ in the late 90s (prior to the iconic arc of J.M. Straczynski), while not outstanding, had their own charm and levels of popularity. With a crossover this tough, a compelling story wouldn’t be an easy task and, yeah, the plot in this is pretty generic; from the way these three characters gather in the same place, to the villain’s plan and motivations, to even the action and the character interactions. It all feels standard and dull. Not that this isn’t entertaining, nor engaging. It is. It’s really difficult to ruin these characters as long as you maintain their respective cores, but Mackie just seems to be playing safe with this crossover, rather than truly exploit and have fun with the concept. From the get-go, just having ‘Blackheart’ as the main villain, without any other support from either Punisher or Wolverine’s enemies is such a waste, and it never justifies the presence of other characters aside from ‘Ghost Rider’. Even if it’s something as predictable as to have ‘Sabertooth’ and ‘Jigsaw’ join forces with Mephisto’s son, at least that would’ve justify- in a way- ‘Wolverine’ and ‘Punisher’ teaming up alongside ‘Ghost Rider’, who is not even Johnny Blaze, but Danny Ketch, who essentially looks the same as Blaze, either as human or as the Rider, but somehow, feels the least interesting of them both.
As for the art, yeah, I often complain about how cheap and lazy Romita Jr., style looks like, especially in later years, but here, this was a 1991 release, so his art style was already differing from his very earliest works, but not to a point where it looks careless and half-assed. There was some excessive use of detail, and at times, I wasn’t fully aware of what I was staring at, but that is simply the average 90s trait. This was at the time when he was working on ‘War Zone’, ‘The Man Without Fear’, and ‘The Uncanny X-men’, and these titles were pretty neat in terms of his contributions. I was particularly surprised at how well he draws ‘Ghost Rider’, and ‘Blackheart’ looked considerably scary. There was a specific panel near the beginning of the One-Shot that I realized I’ve seen before, and it looked great (perhaps in the special features from the 2007 ‘Ghost Rider’ DVD), and ‘Wolverine’ was well-design. Ironically, the character that looked the more generic and standard was ‘The Punisher’, which came as strange, since Romita Jr., has drawn him in much better ways. For the rest of the comic book visuals, they were fine enough. Nothing groundbreaking, and certainly other artists could’ve done a better job (I’m thinking Mark Texeira, Kubert, or even Jim Lee, who was also doing ‘X-Men’ at the time), but as for what I’m used from Romita Jr., he was fine in here, and weirdly enough, the show-stealer. The title alone is sufficient to draw anyone’s attention, but sadly, the plot could’ve been way, way better considering who’s involved in it. It is entertaining enough, is a fast read, and visually it is pleasing. Nothing too fancy, and clearly a product of its time that could’ve used some improvement.
Now, I’m not gonna lie, I was expecting a complete disaster after seeing Romita Jr., in the pencils, but once I thought it through, I decided to give it a shot since, well, Klaus Janson is the inker, and he often complements the work of Romita Jr., in certain areas. Besides, this is a story with ‘The Punisher’ in it, and ‘War Zone’ was pretty neat on its visuals, so I managed to start this optimistically enough, and to my surprise, yeah, this wasn’t that bad, in the art department at least. Howard Mackie is a writer that was prominent enough in the 90s, and his contributions to characters such as ‘Ghost Rider’, ‘The X-men’, even ‘Spider-Man’ in the late 90s (prior to the iconic arc of J.M. Straczynski), while not outstanding, had their own charm and levels of popularity. With a crossover this tough, a compelling story wouldn’t be an easy task and, yeah, the plot in this is pretty generic; from the way these three characters gather in the same place, to the villain’s plan and motivations, to even the action and the character interactions. It all feels standard and dull. Not that this isn’t entertaining, nor engaging. It is. It’s really difficult to ruin these characters as long as you maintain their respective cores, but Mackie just seems to be playing safe with this crossover, rather than truly exploit and have fun with the concept. From the get-go, just having ‘Blackheart’ as the main villain, without any other support from either Punisher or Wolverine’s enemies is such a waste, and it never justifies the presence of other characters aside from ‘Ghost Rider’. Even if it’s something as predictable as to have ‘Sabertooth’ and ‘Jigsaw’ join forces with Mephisto’s son, at least that would’ve justify- in a way- ‘Wolverine’ and ‘Punisher’ teaming up alongside ‘Ghost Rider’, who is not even Johnny Blaze, but Danny Ketch, who essentially looks the same as Blaze, either as human or as the Rider, but somehow, feels the least interesting of them both.
As for the art, yeah, I often complain about how cheap and lazy Romita Jr., style looks like, especially in later years, but here, this was a 1991 release, so his art style was already differing from his very earliest works, but not to a point where it looks careless and half-assed. There was some excessive use of detail, and at times, I wasn’t fully aware of what I was staring at, but that is simply the average 90s trait. This was at the time when he was working on ‘War Zone’, ‘The Man Without Fear’, and ‘The Uncanny X-men’, and these titles were pretty neat in terms of his contributions. I was particularly surprised at how well he draws ‘Ghost Rider’, and ‘Blackheart’ looked considerably scary. There was a specific panel near the beginning of the One-Shot that I realized I’ve seen before, and it looked great (perhaps in the special features from the 2007 ‘Ghost Rider’ DVD), and ‘Wolverine’ was well-design. Ironically, the character that looked the more generic and standard was ‘The Punisher’, which came as strange, since Romita Jr., has drawn him in much better ways. For the rest of the comic book visuals, they were fine enough. Nothing groundbreaking, and certainly other artists could’ve done a better job (I’m thinking Mark Texeira, Kubert, or even Jim Lee, who was also doing ‘X-Men’ at the time), but as for what I’m used from Romita Jr., he was fine in here, and weirdly enough, the show-stealer. The title alone is sufficient to draw anyone’s attention, but sadly, the plot could’ve been way, way better considering who’s involved in it. It is entertaining enough, is a fast read, and visually it is pleasing. Nothing too fancy, and clearly a product of its time that could’ve used some improvement.
July 27, 2025
“Corações sombrios” é uma graphic novel que faz parte da coleção “Marvel Vintage” publicada pela editora Panini no Brasil e reúne “Corações Sombrios” lançada originalmente em 1991 e sua sequência intitulada “O desígnio das trevas” de 1994. O roteiro é de autoria de Howard Mackie, escritor e editor e os desenhos são de autoria dos artistas John Romita Jr e Ron Garney.
O grande atrativo dessa graphic novel é que ela reúne três dos personagens mais polêmicos da Marvel: o mutante Wolverine criado por Chris Claremont, Len Wein e John Romita Sr em 1974, Frank Castle, mais conhecido como “Justiceiro” criado, também em 1974 por Stan Lee, John Romita Sr., Gerry Conway e Ross Andru e Johnny Blaze o “Motoqueiro Fantasma” criado originalmente em 1973 por Mike Ploog e os escritores Roy Thomas e Gary Friedrich, mas aqui neste volume, o “Espírito da Vingança” está incorporado no corpo de Danny Ketch, personagem criado por Howard Mackie e Javier Saltares em 1990 numa nova abordagem do “Motoqueiro Fantasma”.
Esses três icônicos personagens notórios por utilizarem a violência como forma de impor suas noções de justiça à margem das leis são atraídos para a pequena Christ´s Crown, cidade fictícia situada no meio oeste dos Estados Unidos por Coração Negro, um demônio filho de Mefisto (nome abreviado do demônio Mefistófeles), o “rei do inferno”. Coração Negro faz aos heróis a seguinte proposta (pacto): a verdade por trás de todos os segredos que os atormentam serão revelados (a origem de Wolverine, a identidade dos assassinos da família do Justiceiro e a forma de quebrar a maldição que condena Danny Ketch a ser o “Espírito da Vingança”) caso eles se unam, matem Mefisto e viabilizem a ascensão de seu filho ao posto de “rei do inferno”.
No entanto os heróis logo percebem que por trás desse pacto existem motivações ocultas e que terão que se unir, a despeito de suas diferenças e desconfianças mútuas, para salvar não apenas as suas almas mas, também as pessoas inocentes de Christ´s Crown.
Os fãs empedernidos de quadrinhos não tem do que reclamar: bela capa dura, ação ininterrupta, bela quadrinização, colorização impecável e um interessante complemento na forma de uma extensa entrevista com o mestre dos quadrinhos John Romita Jr nascido em 1956 e filho de uma verdadeira lenda do universo dos quadrinhos, John Romita Sr (1930/2023).
Mas por trás de todos os atrativos dessa graphic novel ouso fazer uma ressalva: Em minha avaliação faltou uma melhor elaboração para o roteiro. Uma reunião de três personagens tão marcantes e polêmicos merecia uma história mais encorpada e menos previsível ainda que a à custa de umas 20 páginas a mais.
Mas vale o investimento.
O grande atrativo dessa graphic novel é que ela reúne três dos personagens mais polêmicos da Marvel: o mutante Wolverine criado por Chris Claremont, Len Wein e John Romita Sr em 1974, Frank Castle, mais conhecido como “Justiceiro” criado, também em 1974 por Stan Lee, John Romita Sr., Gerry Conway e Ross Andru e Johnny Blaze o “Motoqueiro Fantasma” criado originalmente em 1973 por Mike Ploog e os escritores Roy Thomas e Gary Friedrich, mas aqui neste volume, o “Espírito da Vingança” está incorporado no corpo de Danny Ketch, personagem criado por Howard Mackie e Javier Saltares em 1990 numa nova abordagem do “Motoqueiro Fantasma”.
Esses três icônicos personagens notórios por utilizarem a violência como forma de impor suas noções de justiça à margem das leis são atraídos para a pequena Christ´s Crown, cidade fictícia situada no meio oeste dos Estados Unidos por Coração Negro, um demônio filho de Mefisto (nome abreviado do demônio Mefistófeles), o “rei do inferno”. Coração Negro faz aos heróis a seguinte proposta (pacto): a verdade por trás de todos os segredos que os atormentam serão revelados (a origem de Wolverine, a identidade dos assassinos da família do Justiceiro e a forma de quebrar a maldição que condena Danny Ketch a ser o “Espírito da Vingança”) caso eles se unam, matem Mefisto e viabilizem a ascensão de seu filho ao posto de “rei do inferno”.
No entanto os heróis logo percebem que por trás desse pacto existem motivações ocultas e que terão que se unir, a despeito de suas diferenças e desconfianças mútuas, para salvar não apenas as suas almas mas, também as pessoas inocentes de Christ´s Crown.
Os fãs empedernidos de quadrinhos não tem do que reclamar: bela capa dura, ação ininterrupta, bela quadrinização, colorização impecável e um interessante complemento na forma de uma extensa entrevista com o mestre dos quadrinhos John Romita Jr nascido em 1956 e filho de uma verdadeira lenda do universo dos quadrinhos, John Romita Sr (1930/2023).
Mas por trás de todos os atrativos dessa graphic novel ouso fazer uma ressalva: Em minha avaliação faltou uma melhor elaboração para o roteiro. Uma reunião de três personagens tão marcantes e polêmicos merecia uma história mais encorpada e menos previsível ainda que a à custa de umas 20 páginas a mais.
Mas vale o investimento.
October 2, 2023
One-Shot. 1991.
For challenging Mephisto, Blackheart has been relegated, by his devilish father, to a minor deity, lacking the free will that he once admired in Man, and being summoned to a thorny hilltop monikered as Christ's Crown, called forth by blood-sacrificing cultists. Blackheart will play his father's role of corrupting Man, if only to get closer to Mephisto so Blackheart can assassinate him. But Mephisto won't corrupt any and everybody like his father does: he will select a special breed, a trio of "heroes" that have a grey area within their soul that Blackheart thinks will allow them to enter the darkness and destroy his father, men that live so close to the edge that they need a simple push to cross over to embrace their inner darkness.
Three boarders have been mysteriously summoned to Christ's Crown to seek answers by their summoner: Dan seeking the secrets of controlling the Ghost Rider demon that Blaze succumbed to; Frank seeking the location of one of his family's murderers; Logan seeking info on who experimented on his body.
The moral of the story may not be so black-and-white, but a good point, if even unintentional, is the tendency of the younger generations (Blackheart here) to consider their elders as archaic in their ways and beliefs (Mephisto here) but in time, they are the same and simply coming into their own being as a representation of the same generation before them. Another potent take, is the necessity of an individual to have the capacity for violence, the will to destroy evil with force, but the wisdom to not cross over the edge of darkness to an abyss of black hearts. Howard Mackie's tale is easily a classic for the ages, fitting in well with fairy tales or the likes of Dante's Inferno. The dialogue, more so the introspection and explaining of their feelings/thoughts, tended to be overdone, and the theology/mythology is a bit dated and messy. John Romita Jr.'s art is decent but I can see that he could really shine on those few spots where we see the raw strength of the Punisher and Wolverine, but especially when Ghost Rider hits the scene in his raging inferno atop a blazing motorcycle.
- Blackheart - son of Mephisto
- Flo Crumm - runs a bed & breakfast
- Lucy Crumm - Flo's daughter
- Dan Ketch - boarder from Brooklyn (Ghost Rider)
- Mr. Logan - boarder from up North (Wolverine)
- Mr. Frank - boarder from the East (Punisher)
- Zarathos - soul-devourer (Ghost Rider)
For challenging Mephisto, Blackheart has been relegated, by his devilish father, to a minor deity, lacking the free will that he once admired in Man, and being summoned to a thorny hilltop monikered as Christ's Crown, called forth by blood-sacrificing cultists. Blackheart will play his father's role of corrupting Man, if only to get closer to Mephisto so Blackheart can assassinate him. But Mephisto won't corrupt any and everybody like his father does: he will select a special breed, a trio of "heroes" that have a grey area within their soul that Blackheart thinks will allow them to enter the darkness and destroy his father, men that live so close to the edge that they need a simple push to cross over to embrace their inner darkness.
Three boarders have been mysteriously summoned to Christ's Crown to seek answers by their summoner: Dan seeking the secrets of controlling the Ghost Rider demon that Blaze succumbed to; Frank seeking the location of one of his family's murderers; Logan seeking info on who experimented on his body.
The moral of the story may not be so black-and-white, but a good point, if even unintentional, is the tendency of the younger generations (Blackheart here) to consider their elders as archaic in their ways and beliefs (Mephisto here) but in time, they are the same and simply coming into their own being as a representation of the same generation before them. Another potent take, is the necessity of an individual to have the capacity for violence, the will to destroy evil with force, but the wisdom to not cross over the edge of darkness to an abyss of black hearts. Howard Mackie's tale is easily a classic for the ages, fitting in well with fairy tales or the likes of Dante's Inferno. The dialogue, more so the introspection and explaining of their feelings/thoughts, tended to be overdone, and the theology/mythology is a bit dated and messy. John Romita Jr.'s art is decent but I can see that he could really shine on those few spots where we see the raw strength of the Punisher and Wolverine, but especially when Ghost Rider hits the scene in his raging inferno atop a blazing motorcycle.
- Blackheart - son of Mephisto
- Flo Crumm - runs a bed & breakfast
- Lucy Crumm - Flo's daughter
- Dan Ketch - boarder from Brooklyn (Ghost Rider)
- Mr. Logan - boarder from up North (Wolverine)
- Mr. Frank - boarder from the East (Punisher)
- Zarathos - soul-devourer (Ghost Rider)
April 15, 2021
Collecting the two one-shot crossovers 'Hearts of Darkness' and 'The Dark Design', this book sees the titular characters going toe-to-toe with the demon Blackheart, who hopes to corrupt them into helping him overthrow his father Mephisto, King of Hell.
This was one of my favourite graphic novels as a teenager and it was nice to return to it a couple of decades later and rediscover that I still really enjoy it.
The three main characters are perfectly matched for one another and I love the way they all come together at the start of this book, summoned by mysterious letters and all staying in the same boarding house, unaware of each others' involvement. These are heroes for whom killing is second nature and who walk the line between light and darkness at all times. It is the fact that they're such likely candidates for falling to the dark side, as it were, and yet are never tempted by Blackheart's offer that makes them so badass here. Ghost Rider himself puts it best: "It doesn't matter if there is an edge, or if we occasionally cross it. As long as the innocent are protected, our cause is just."
It has to be said, however, that this is very much a book of two halves.
The first half ('Hearts of Darkness') is a perfectly plotted and paced clash between the heroes and the forces of evil and is elevated by some absolutely brilliant, albeit simple, art by John Romita Jr.
The second half of the book ('The Dark Design') is noticeably less coherent and impactful and is absolutely the weaker half. Once again the art plays a big part in the difference and I have to say that I didn't particularly enjoy Ron Garney's very 90s style much at all.
Overall, however, this is largely a crossover story done right, with the plot and themes playing nicely into the characters of the main players.
* More reviews here: https://fsfh-book-review2.webnode.com *
This was one of my favourite graphic novels as a teenager and it was nice to return to it a couple of decades later and rediscover that I still really enjoy it.
The three main characters are perfectly matched for one another and I love the way they all come together at the start of this book, summoned by mysterious letters and all staying in the same boarding house, unaware of each others' involvement. These are heroes for whom killing is second nature and who walk the line between light and darkness at all times. It is the fact that they're such likely candidates for falling to the dark side, as it were, and yet are never tempted by Blackheart's offer that makes them so badass here. Ghost Rider himself puts it best: "It doesn't matter if there is an edge, or if we occasionally cross it. As long as the innocent are protected, our cause is just."
It has to be said, however, that this is very much a book of two halves.
The first half ('Hearts of Darkness') is a perfectly plotted and paced clash between the heroes and the forces of evil and is elevated by some absolutely brilliant, albeit simple, art by John Romita Jr.
The second half of the book ('The Dark Design') is noticeably less coherent and impactful and is absolutely the weaker half. Once again the art plays a big part in the difference and I have to say that I didn't particularly enjoy Ron Garney's very 90s style much at all.
Overall, however, this is largely a crossover story done right, with the plot and themes playing nicely into the characters of the main players.
* More reviews here: https://fsfh-book-review2.webnode.com *
August 26, 2025
MY THREE FAVS, HOW COULD I RESIST?
Punisher, Wolverine, and Ghost Rider Team-Up? Count me in. I didn’t know this was a thing, but I had to read this book. The art is good, and the story is passable, but there are no big revelations or gut punches. Blackheart wants the trio to kill Mephisto. Thanks for the effort, Marvel.
Punisher, Wolverine, and Ghost Rider Team-Up? Count me in. I didn’t know this was a thing, but I had to read this book. The art is good, and the story is passable, but there are no big revelations or gut punches. Blackheart wants the trio to kill Mephisto. Thanks for the effort, Marvel.
September 22, 2025
Una buona scusa per riunire i tre pezzi da novanta della Marvel di inizi anni '90, almeno per quel che riguarda le vendite.
Invecchiata abbastanza male, come storia si mantiene comunque sufficiente e i disegni sono ancora buoni, ma l'effetto oggi è molto inferiore a quello che mi fece quando la storia uscì.
siamo sulle 2 stelle e mezza.
Invecchiata abbastanza male, come storia si mantiene comunque sufficiente e i disegni sono ancora buoni, ma l'effetto oggi è molto inferiore a quello che mi fece quando la storia uscì.
siamo sulle 2 stelle e mezza.
February 3, 2024
The art is top notch. The book is very much a product of it's time. Story is a bit thin as a stand alone. This was one of the first times we see this new gritty breed of hero come together, and the characters are handled well.
April 13, 2025
it’s alright .
Maybe I need to read more ghost rider or punisher. The story is disjointed, I always wondered about black heart and I see why he’s not really used. I liked the ending to the story though that was the most interesting part and the twist .
Maybe I need to read more ghost rider or punisher. The story is disjointed, I always wondered about black heart and I see why he’s not really used. I liked the ending to the story though that was the most interesting part and the twist .
August 14, 2021
Trifecta
Awesome read with a lot of action. Beautifully illustrated by some of the best in the business. A very fun read!
Awesome read with a lot of action. Beautifully illustrated by some of the best in the business. A very fun read!
August 6, 2022
Hearts of Darkness AND The Dark Design!!
Both hearts of darkness and the dark design together in one volume, fantastic!! Every bit as awesome as the physical volumes!!
Both hearts of darkness and the dark design together in one volume, fantastic!! Every bit as awesome as the physical volumes!!
August 17, 2022
Three of Marvel's characters team up. It doesn't work. Great artwork, but a played out story. Even the Punisher comments that Doctor Strange is better suited for the job.
November 2, 2022
Fun and actionfilled
February 13, 2023
Very over written
June 6, 2023
It's about what you ought to expect from a Ghost Rider/Wolverine/Punisher 90s comic written by Howard Mackie. Good for a laugh of nostalgia but not much else.
July 21, 2024
4 stars for the JRJR issue. The second one is totally forgettable.
August 14, 2024
It’s pretty much exactly what I expected, which is good.
January 12, 2025
Very good easy read. It has great illustrations and a good storyline. As well as backstory.
February 21, 2025
The Great Marvel Readthrough, pt 354
November 12, 2025
Did it for the art
October 24, 2019
This was a reasonably interesting, if a bit overblown story featuring three characters who skirt the edge between hero and antihero being tempted by Blackheart, the son of Mephisto in an effort to depose his father. The writing is of the gritty '90s style, and the two books are clearly separated from one another by a significant chunk of time, as shown by the change in art and character design, but also the aging of the young girl character. The plot is a little sketchy at times. We never really learn about why Blackheart is after this young girl until the end, and then it's kind of a guess, and a bit odd, because it seems like the author skipped a step or two. The story doesn't concern itself much with setting. Scenes take place in the streets or buildings, but going between them is usually accomplished by showing a leap through a shattering window with no concern for what is on the other side. It's very dramatic, but still quite wordy in a way that doesn't really capture the characters all that well, and while I suppose it must have made some significant changes to the Marvel universe at the time, it doesn't seem to have lasted all that long, and overall, it resolves as a somewhat average '90s book of no real consequence to posterity (I've never even seen it come up again between the characters).
May 25, 2019
I had fun.
Great pencil work from the amazing JRJr. The colors yoyo’d between black, orange, yellow and red. There’s a constant feel of smoldering ash.
The story was sort of by the numbers, but it’s always fun to see these characters interact. Danny ends up being the heart and soul of this team. Wolvie and Punisher function more as kindred spirits, united in method and purpose.
One thing I liked; this book manages to crossover different characters without staging a “misunderstanding fight” right out the gate. I like that restraint, because for me, when characters meet, I want to see them talk and work together.
Not bad. Not mindblowing. Short and sweet fun.
Great pencil work from the amazing JRJr. The colors yoyo’d between black, orange, yellow and red. There’s a constant feel of smoldering ash.
The story was sort of by the numbers, but it’s always fun to see these characters interact. Danny ends up being the heart and soul of this team. Wolvie and Punisher function more as kindred spirits, united in method and purpose.
One thing I liked; this book manages to crossover different characters without staging a “misunderstanding fight” right out the gate. I like that restraint, because for me, when characters meet, I want to see them talk and work together.
Not bad. Not mindblowing. Short and sweet fun.
July 23, 2017
I won't say I didn't enjoy it, but it didn't live up to its own hype. It talks about how they are dark heroes, but never really confronts it. There is no temptation in the story for them to go over the edge to show how they walk a grey line. The villian they fight is obviously evil and they never show any temptations.
November 2, 2020
A blast from the past.
I'm still trying to remember if I read this book when I was younger. Anyway, made me feel like a kid reading this book. Three badasses in one story, made for a great story.
I'm still trying to remember if I read this book when I was younger. Anyway, made me feel like a kid reading this book. Three badasses in one story, made for a great story.
March 25, 2017
It was a fun and quick read, my first foray into 90s comics and was not disappointed in the illustrations, the plot was iffy, unoriginal
May 18, 2018
Great read
Art work is great story is a bit weak but still worth it. Really cool seeing these three team up
Art work is great story is a bit weak but still worth it. Really cool seeing these three team up
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews