My Interview With Tony Isabella

Before reading this, be sure to check out my retro review of Ghost Rider #9. After I had finished the comic, I wanted to dig deeper into the story and retcon. The way to do that was to get a few words from the writer of the story of course. I managed to get in touch with the writer, Tony Isabella, where I asked a few questions regarding the issue. (And one about the 2007 Ghost Rider film.) 

1. You took over Ghost Rider at issue #6, did you have a set plan for 

the series forward at that point?

Not really.  Gary Friedrich had left the series somewhat abruptly. 

Marv Wolfman and Doug Moench did a quick fill-in for issue #5.  I was 

given an issue already pencilled by Jim Mooney from Gary's last 

plot.  That was issue #6.  As I recall, I switched around some of the 

pages.  I never received a copy of Gary's plot so I made up my own 

story around the pages and Jim's border notes. My getting the gig was 

a typical-for-Marvel scenario: "Congratulations, you're the new 

writer and you're already late on your next script and plot." My 

immediate "plan" was to come up with an exciting finish to the story 

for issue #7.

For issue #8, I wanted to get the book back to its core concept of 

Satan trying to claim Johnny Blaze's soul.  Since it was girlfriend 

Roxanne Simpson's "protection" of Johnny that was holding Satan at 

bay, I decided to put that protection in jeopardy.  By the time I was 

plotting issue #9, I decided that protection kept Johnny from the 

consequences of his deal with the devil and that particular bit was 

wearing thin.  So what could be more game-changing and shocking than 

Roxanne being tricked into renouncing that protection?

This was when I realized I'd written myself into a hellish corner. 

How could Johnny Blaze be saved?  I was thinking out loud about it in 

the Marvel Bullpen when the great Steve Gerber suggested, half in 

jest, that maybe God could save Johnny.  I loved the idea and, with 

the blessing of editor-in-chief Roy Thomas, made "the Friend" a 

recurring character in the series.  It should be noted that Roy and 

his successors Len Wein and Marv Wolfman supported what I was 

doing.  There was no controversy about the addition of Jesus Christ 

to the book until, as Marv was ending his stint at editor-in-chief, 

Jim Shooter took offense to it and took it upon himself to rewrite my 

last issue and destroy the finale I had been working towards for two years.

2. To this day, are you still proud of how issue #9 came out? Do you 

think it has aged well?

Yes.  At a time when Marvel had several demonic entries operating in 

its universe, I was determined to let have Heaven have a voice in 

these stories.  When I reread the issue a few months back, I saw 

flaws here and there, but I do think it has aged well.  A number of 

readers have remarked that my old stories hold up better than many of 

those written by my contemporaries.

3. December 1st marks the 37th anniversary of issue #9. Looking 

back, would you consider it your single greatest issue or something else?

That's a tough call to make.  I think the best single issue of any 

comic book I've written is Black Lightning #5 from the second run of 

that series.  When it comes to Ghost Rider, while issue #9 was an 

important issue, I like issues #11 (with the Hulk) and #12 (with the 

Phantom Eagle) better.  I was really pleased with the scene in my 

original version of issue #19 wherein Johnny Blaze accepted "the 

Friend" as his savior and defeated Satan, but, sadly, readers never 

got to see that scene as written.

When I became the regular writer of Ghost Rider, I knew I couldn't 

write the kind of stories Gary Friedrich had been writing so well. So 

I decided to put a somewhat greater emphasis on the "superhero" part 

of "The Most Supernatural Superhero of All."  I'm told sales went up 

with this approach and the title went monthly shortly after my 

departure, based on the sales of my run.

4. Of course, the big thing fans remember is the retcon of your 

story. You've talked about it a bunch of times in the past, I would 

like to know a few things. So it wasn't until after issue #19 that 

your editor decided he didn't approve your story? Was it a last- 

minute change? Why didn't he approve the concept of Heavenly forces 

to counter Hellish forces?

It wasn't my editor per se.  Jim Shooter, who was just an assistant 

editor at that point, stated he was offended by the story and took 

advantage of the chaos during the end of Marv Wolfman's time as the 

editor-in-chief and the start of Gerry Conway's to rewrite and have 

partially redrawn the already-completed and ready to go off to the 

printer issue.  So, yes, it was a last-minute change.  At the time, 

Shooter told me he was offended by the story and that statement was 

backed up by others who heard it.  I asked for my name to be taken 

off the issue, but he refused to honor that request.

5. After you left the book, did you follow Ghost Rider at all? The 

90's series, or the mid-2000's Daniel Way series?

I read the book sporadically.  I remember liking some of the issues 

written by Michael Fleisher and Roger Stern in the original run of 

the title.  The 1990s series didn't do anything for me, I 

haven't  read more than an issue or so of the Daniel Way run and only 

those issues that crossed over with whatever Marvel Universe event 

was going on at the time.

6. What did you think of the 2007 Ghost Rider movie?

I enjoyed it and even recognized something of the Johnny Blaze who I 

wrote in Nicholas Cage's performance.  It wasn't a great movie, but 

it wasn't as awful as some would have it.

7. The retcon came ten issues later in #19. Some fans believe the 

Arch-Demon was lying about "The Friend" being an illusion. After all, 

he is the Prince of Lies. Would you tell those fans to give up that 

claim and just accept that he was just an illusion, or since "The 

Friend" technically never appeared again, it's alright to claim that?

I would tell fans to interpret the story however they like.  On my 

long "bucket list" of things I'd like to write before I kick that 

bucket is a Ghost Rider Forever series wherein I would proceed as if 

my story had been left intact and cover the next several years of 

Johnny Blaze's life.  I doubt Marvel would be interested in my doing 

this, but, who knows, I might describe what I would have done in some 

future blog.

8. And finally, would you change anything about issue #9?

Not really.  Maybe tweak a line here and there, correct any typos I 

spot, but not really.  It was a good comic book that addressed an 

interesting facet of the Marvel Universe.  My only regret is that, 

ten issues later, Shooter pissed on another writer's story.

Ghost Rider PS2 Review

Recently, I really started to get into the Ghost Rider franchise. Ever since re-watching the film, (my review here: http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/Destroyer14/news/?a=44337 ) I started to buy some of the 90's comics, and watched some of the 90's shows with him guest starring. He's now my second favorite Marvel character. Now, to able to play as this guy would be awesome, right? So, I found out that there was a video game related to the movie. Despite the negative reviews, I picked this bad boy up. Why don't we hear my take on this old game?

The plot follows Ghost Rider, who is thrown into Hell by the demon lord Mephisto, who says the Rider's work is not done. The demons are attempting to ressurect Blackheart, and Ghost Rider has to stop that from happening.

As you can see, rather than adapting the plot of the film, it's meant to be a SEQUEL to it. I think that's always a sound way of doing it. Rather than "playing" the film, you get new material. The plot here is great, it's a direct sequel. It kind of makes me disappointed to think what could have been done as a direct film sequel, so many great great possibilities. The plot is good, but has a few problems I will address soon.

Ghost Rider at its core is a beat-em-up. There's no puzzle at all, so get ready for some mindless whipping. (If you're into hardcore puzzle games like Zelda, you'll find this game heart-breaking.) If you're into button-mashing and combos after combos, you'll find this game extremely enjoyable.

The gameplay is reminiscent of the famous God of War series. I only knew that cause all the reviews say it, for I've never played that series. So, you have your chain, punches, and a shotgun. Combos are the rage here, you will be using them a lot. I'll give a hand to the game, the gameplay is pretty fun. The different combos are truly devastating and awesome to behold. Sadly, the game gets really repetitive with the missions feeling the same, and the same annoying enemies over and over.

The other part, and one of the games's main selling points, is riding Ghost Rider's cycle. For the most part, it's fun. You get some nice ramps, some ducking for good measure, it's good stuff and shakes up the formula. (You're going to need that after battling the same enemies endlessly.) Still, it would have been nice to have a little free-roam with the cycle.

The plot of this game is really good, but doesn't have enough cutscenes. You go whole levels without any real update on what's happening. With some more cutscenes, the narrative could have been better. For fans, there's some awesome appearances by characters from the comics. Seeing Vengeance alongside Mephisto, and Blackout and Deathwatch making an alliance is truly cool. Since this game is in the movie world, they could play around with the characters. It was such fun fan service, but for non-fans, it won't seem like much. (We also get Blade!)

Graphic wise, it's decent. It isn't bad, of course nothing great. But it's doable. The environments look bland, and just boring. Ghost Rider looks fine enough, with the final boss having some great detail.

The game's sound effects are decent, a little generic. The soundtrack is similar to the film's, it has some really cool little tunes. The voice acting is mixed. Ghost Rider sounds awesome, but the other characters, Mephisto and Blackheart, don't match their movie counterpart's voice. Would it have been really hard to hire the actors for voice-work? C'mon people. The Caretaker sounds good, along with the rest of the villains.

Presentation: The menu is too simple and arcade-like. Extras wise, it one of the game's biggest ups. There's some nice artwork and interviews. And for fans, actual pages from the comics. Nice little touch. The upgrade system is good, but upgrading is severely easy. On the second level, I had already maxed out my health. Three levels before the final one I had upgraded all my moves and combos, it goes by too fast. After you beat the game, you unlock other characters, Ghost Rider 2099, Vengeance, and Blade. But really, who would want to play through the story mode again? Some stage select would have been nice.

The plot as I've said is very good. But due to some pretty cheesy writing and stuff that doesn't make too much sense, it could annoy some people. Like, Blade appears, but then disappears after his third cutscene. He wasn't there for the final battle, he just vanished. (C'mon, even if he appeared in the final cutscene riding away would have been fine, I like closure.) Mephisto's plan at the end feels forced and just put in. The final boss has the scope of epicness, seeing Blackheart in his REAL form from the comics was very cool. But if you have maxed health, the battle is pretty easy.

Overall, Ghost Rider is a step above the average tie-in. Awesome combos, fun little story, and some great appearances makes this a fun comic book game. Sadly, it gets repetitive with no variety, and the same annoying enemies over and over again. (The shielded ones will drive you insane and make you feel like throwing the controller out the window.) This game is not worth the $30 when it first came out, for you could beat this game in under four hours. (No joke, according to the screen, it took me three hours and forty-five minutes to finish it.) You can find the game at Gamestop for $7, so if you're into beat-em-ups and like Ghost Rider, it's worth $7.

6/10.

Future Ghost Rider Movie Ideas: Heaven's on Fire

So I was at Comic Book Jones a few days ago. They had sent me their yearly 30% birthday coupon, so I headed there. My main comic place had sold out of Detective Comics, so I was hoping this place would have it. Thankfully, I found a copy. (My review here: http://destroyers-editorialsandreviews.blogspot.com/2011/09/detective-comics-1-review.html) Since I had such a great coupon, I headed to the back issue bins. But time had ran out, it was 6:11 and I had to be back in New Jersey by 6:45. I quickly zoomed in to the Spidey ones, where they had NOTHING, just newer issues I already have. With the time against me, I quickly dove into the Ghost Rider section. (Ever since my revisit to the film, I have been eager to check out some of his series.) They didn't have much, (this place needs to really re-invent their bins) but I saw this thing called "Heaven's on Fire." It was a six issue issue limited series according to the front. I wanted to buy all of them, but 4.50$ was the price for every single one, so I ended up just buying number six. (For those wondering, I made it back in time.)

The cover of this issue was what really grabbed me. As seen above, it shows two Ghost Riders, and this awesome looking black-winged angel. I've always liked how Ghost Rider meshed with theology, so I love this cover. (Definitely in top ten best, maybe even top five.) I honestly had no clue what it was about, or what year was it from. I found out the ladder when I opened it, seeing an advertisement for Siege, which meant this mini-series came out just last year. Of course, before I read the issue, I looked up what had happened before. Here's the plot in my words.

So it turns out that the being responsible for the Ghost Riders is NOT who they thought it was. It turns out that a renegade angel, Zadkiel, is responsible. This rebel wants to take over the the throne of Heaven itself, claiming that he himself is God. Meanwhile, the actual Anti-Christ, calling himself Kid Blackheart, leads an assault on Heaven. Zadkiel wants to erase this being from existence, so Revelation could go out the window and he could write the future. In the midst of all of this, the two Ghost Riders, Johnny Blaze and Danny Ketch, journey into Heaven to send Zadkiel to Hell.

Tell me that doesn't sound awesome. I wish I would have delved in sooner to this franchise. Hey, I'm not here to give a review, I'm here to talk about these great ideas I had for future movies.

Alright, Spirit of Vengeance opens next year. I don't see it succeeding in the box office. Sure, with Nicolas Cage being in it, it will attract some viewers, but I honestly don't see it becoming a hit. The first one came out five years back, and no one seemed to like it. (Save for a few, such as myself.) So I can see Sony giving up, for Ghost Rider isn't mainstream. Like with Punisher, I can see the rights reverting back to Marvel, and then the fun begins.

Now, I greatly enjoyed the first Ghost Rider film, but the movie I want to see is with him on his motorcycle slaying monstrous creatures from Hell. I think Sony is too shy, for already Spirit of Vengeance looks to have non-demonic villains. The first film made Blackheart a Twilight-esque looking character! Marvel Studios wouldn't be shy to unleash some Hellish creatures in the film. Now, for my idea.

Heaven's on Fire I think is the perfect story to adapt. Of course, here are my two ways of doing it. Now, if they were to go the long route, (most likely fans would prefer it) this would be the way to do it in my humble opinion.

At the start of the film, Blaze realizes that the Ghost Rider needs to move on to a new host, and it has picked one: Danny Ketch. What follows is Blaze showing Ketch the ropes, and for the villain, I would like for them to bring back Blackheart in his REAL demonic form. Then in the next film, it is revealed that Zadkiel was the one responsible for the Ghost Rider, so Blaze becomes the Ghost Rider again, (he would still have some of the spirit within) and they both go after Zadkiel. Thus Heaven's on Fire. I doubt they could adapt it completely, too many characters to introduce, but the general idea would work soundly.

The other idea is more likely. Instead of introducing the Ketch dynamic, cut him out completely. I think the story would work, keep the general idea with Heaven's on Fire, but make the necessary changes. A real Ghost Rider film with a battle in Heaven with angels and demons would be something else, wouldn't it? I think Heaven's on Fire, or elements of it, would make the perfect Ghost Rider film for after Spirit of Vengeance.

What do you think?