Ghost Rider: Danny Ketch - Addict

Ghost Rider: Danny Ketch #1-5

by Simon B. Spurrier, Javier Saltares (Artist)

You've heard the news by now. He's been away, he's been down to rock bottom - but he's back! Dan Ketch reborn: a stranger, darker figure. So, what happened, Dannyboy? Where did it all go wrong? Tying into Jason Aaron's stunning take on the Ghost Rider mythos, artist Javier Saltares (Iron Man, Cat Woman) and writer Simon Spurrier (Gutsville, Silver Surfer) present a tormented fall into the deepest pits of the soul. Join us - via Technomancer babes, talking carrion-birds, battering-rams on bikes, and the inescapable hunger for Vengeance - for a dark tale of Addiction! Collects Danny Ketch: Ghost Rider #1-5, and Ghost Rider Finale.

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Graphic Novels, Superheroes, Horror, Graphic Novels Comics

192 pages, Paperback

First published June 10, 2009

Reviews

[A.J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

“We imagine you were about to enquire about Daniel Ketch. Heed instead the advice of angels. Mind. Your Own. Fucking. Business.”

Ghost Rider: Danny Ketch — Addict is a 5 issue mini-series bringing together Si Spurrier & Javier Saltares, one of the most prevalent Ghost Rider artists of all time, to tell a dark story of addiction. Danny Ketch has been off the radar for years, wandering aimlessly through life after having the Spirit of Vengeance exorcised from him two years prior. A man who spent his whole life trying to get rid of one thing so he could finally start living, only to then find out he’s nothing without it. But what happens when he is given a taste of that power again, and what will be the cost, not only for Danny but the people around him?

With 5 issues of Technomancers, talking carrion-birds, and the inescapable hunger for vengeance, how does this miniseries hold up? Honestly, it’s pretty okay. I thought this would suck based on the reviews and things I have heard about this, and that really did play into my expectations of the story because I thought this was good, and I thoroughly enjoyed most aspects of it.

The comic ties into Jason Aaron’s War For Heaven Epic, but I won’t spoil the twist of how here in case any of you 2 Ghost Rider fans out there want to track that run down. Spurrier uses the Spirit of Vengeance as an analogy for addiction, with Ketch having gone on a downward spiral ever since giving up his “memeform” (no really, that is what they call it in this). He is then given a small dose of the Spirit that is a bit weaker than what it normally was, leading us down a road that will see Ketch fall deeper than he ever has before. The aspect of addiction wasn't perfectly used, but it was a neat idea for a Ghost Rider book. I really liked the art as well and thought it did a perfect job of bringing Spurrier's script to life. The ending was a bit predictable, as I predicted what it was an issue in and don't even read a lot of Ghost Rider, but it's still a fun read worth checking out. I probably would've rated this lower, but I really went into this expecting the worst and ended up getting a pretty solid story.

[Tiag⊗ the Mutant · Rating 1 out of 5]

The worst Spurrier's story I've read so far, what a mess.

[Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

Could be worse?

...but not by much. A Danny Ketch addicted to the Ghost Rider is a new spin, but yeah..these 'heaven at war' stories are tough to swallow.

Bonus: we get to see the original end to the 90s Ghost Rider comic. Originally cancelled and buried, fans pushed to get the story published

[47Time · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story uses the power of the Spirit of Vengeance like a drug. The main character is too weak to resist it, nor does he even want to. The rush is too good to pass up.

After getting rid of the Spirit of Vengeance, Danny embraces its return like an addiction. A talking crow named Mister Eleven knows more about the power's source. Too bad Danny only gets one minute of charge that expires before he can put down a group of armed gangsters. Still, it's enough to get him hooked on the power once more. Little does he know who is behind it all and what their purpose is.

Danny's friend Mary brings some helpful - and explosive - tech to help. Before she can check on Danny's state further, Eleven shows him another Ghost Rider - a woman named Shoba Mirza. There are many like her and they need Danny's help. The Berev'Ha led hy Verminus Rex are disrupting the Ghost Riders' power, making them lose control and go mad. Danny is given the power to adsorb their energy.

Before he absorbs the first Rider, Danny dedicates his every waking moment to hunting down Verminus Rex. The temporary power he is given is like a drug rush - a blissfull state followed by painful withdrawal. Absorbing Shoba's power is the greatest rush of all. He fully embraces his mission, especially aster finding out he is serving an angel. The only catch is that he needs to be fully reinstated to defeat Verminus.

Victorious, Danny finds he is just as succeptible to veing destroyed by the Ghost Rider power as any Rider. Zadkiel himself drains the excess power from him. What he doesn't know is that Verminus was tasked by Zadkiel to make Danny easier to control. Zadkiel needs the Riders' power to conquer heaven. For now he has earned in Danny a loyal hunter whose determination is unwavering.

[Myrmidon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ho letto questa miniserie prima di cominciare la run di Jason Aaron su Ghost Rider vol. 6, poiché già sapevo che Danny sarebbe lì comparso dopo qualche numero.
Qui ritroviamo Danny senza più i suoi poteri demoniaci, a cui ha rinunciato facendosi esorcizzare due anni prima dalla sua amica (?) Mary LeBow, una "tecnomante" (personaggio molto carino, tra l'altro).
L'amara verità è però che a Danny mancano visceralmente i poteri da Ghost Rider, e ciclicamente ricade in vere e proprie crisi d'astinenza che mitiga a malapena con comportamenti autodistruttivi... Finché qualcuno non gli offrirà una "dose"...
Insomma, non è un capolavoro, ma la consiglierei agli amanti del personaggio e a chi voglia comprendere a pieno i retroscena dietro il ritorno di Danny Ketch in Ghost Rider vol. 6* (categoria in cui rientrava il sottoscritto).
Post Scriptum: adoro la Ghost Rider stile divinità induista, è quasi al livello di Kushala in quanto a design e cazzutaggine.
*[Pare infatti che la vicenda si svolga tra Ghost Rider Annual vol. 2 #1, dove per la prima volta compare il personaggio di Mr. Eleven, e Ghost Rider vol. 6 #19... Io personalmente lo leggerei dopo il #23]

[Eric · Rating 2 out of 5]

This should have been a one-shot. No need for five issues with this lean of a story. Danny isn't the Ghost Rider anymore, Danny's addicted to being the Ghost Rider, Danny get's to be the Ghost Rider again, he's a Ghost Rider because of the bad guys. If anything, I would have preferred a retelling of his origin with a quick recap as to why he's working for the villains. Ah, well. I don't write Ghost Rider comics!

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was okay, but I can see why some readers wouldn't like it. I personally didn't like the way Danny Ketch was handled. Since he's lost the Ghost Rider powers, he's turned into an addict craving the power again. This does provide some background for the Ghost Rider series that was running at the same time. I thought the Javier Saltares art was good, but overall this wasn't on the level of the other Ghost Rider material of the era.

[Dubzor · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I like the addiction storyline, it all seems a bit too weird and complicated. Ghost Rider didn't need anything more complicated than "flaming skull+motorcycle." Not sure why people keep trying to shoot for something deeper. He's just not that kind of character.