Comics Bulletin logo
Search
  • Columns
    Random
    • A Requiem for The Batman or Is This Just Your Typical Rip-off...Bob?, Pt. 2

      Sara McDonald
      October 15, 2009
      Columns, Comics Bulletin Soapbox
    Recent
    • The Full Run: Usagi Yojimbo – The Wanderer’s Road Part 2

      Daniel Gehen
      December 4, 2020
    • The Full Run: Usagi Yojimbo – The Wanderer’s Road Part 1

      Daniel Gehen
      October 30, 2020
    • Comictober 2020: DRACULA MOTHERF**KER

      Daniel Gehen
      October 27, 2020
    • What Looks Good
    • Comics Bulletin Soapbox
    • The Full Run
    • Leading Question
    • Top 10
    • The Long-Form
    • Jumping On
    • Comics in Color
    • Slouches Towards Comics
  • Big Two
    Random
    • Crisis #12 Tie-ins: Kinda Sorta the End

      Sara McDonald
      September 15, 2015
      DC Comics
    Recent
    • 4.5

      DCeased: Dead Planet #7 Presents a Hopeful Future (Review)

      Daniel Gehen
      January 22, 2021
    • Retro Review: Detective Comics #826 Remains a Holiday Classic

      Daniel Gehen
      December 3, 2020
    • Stan Lee

      nguyen ly
      November 7, 2020
    • DC Comics
    • Big Two Reviews
    • Marvel Comics
  • Indie
    Random
    • 5.0

      Review: ALIENS - DEAD ORBIT HC Edition Bursts Into Our Hearts

      Sara McDonald
      May 13, 2019
      Dark Horse, Reviews
    Recent
    • Review: The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist

      Daniel Gehen
      December 14, 2020
    • The Full Run: Usagi Yojimbo – The Wanderer’s Road Part 2

      Daniel Gehen
      December 4, 2020
    • 4.5

      TMNT: The Last Ronin #1 Lives Up to the Hype (Review)

      Daniel Gehen
      October 29, 2020
    • Reviews
    • Archie Comics
    • Boom! Studios
    • Dark Horse
    • IDW
    • Image
    • Oni Press
    • Valiant
  • Reviews
    Random
    • 3.5

      Hybrid Bastards!

      Sara McDonald
      January 18, 2012
      Reviews
    Recent
    • 4.5

      DCeased: Dead Planet #7 Presents a Hopeful Future (Review)

      Daniel Gehen
      January 22, 2021
    • Review: The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist

      Daniel Gehen
      December 14, 2020
    • Retro Review: Detective Comics #826 Remains a Holiday Classic

      Daniel Gehen
      December 3, 2020
    • Singles Going Steady
    • Slugfest
    • Manga
      • Reviews
    • Small Press
      • Reviews
      • ICYMI
      • Tiny Pages Made of Ashes
  • Interviews
    Random
    • Voice Inside Your Head: Orlando Jones on Live Action Graphic Novel Filmmaking

      Sara McDonald
      June 13, 2013
      Interviews
    Recent
    • Interview: Jon Davis-Hunt Talks SHADOWMAN

      Daniel Gehen
      June 8, 2020
    • Interview: Becky Cloonan talks DARK AGNES and Her Personal Influences

      Mike Nickells
      March 4, 2020
    • Simon Roy

      Interview: Simon Roy on His Inspirations and Collaborations on PROTECTOR

      Mike Nickells
      January 29, 2020
    • Audio Interview
    • Video Interview
  • Classic Comics
    Random
    • Classic Interview: Joseph Barney Pt. I - Right Place, Right Time

      Sara McDonald
      March 4, 2016
      Classic Interviews
    Recent
    • Countdown to the King: Marvel’s Godzilla

      Daniel Gehen
      May 29, 2019
    • Honoring A Legend: Fantagraphics To Resurrect Tomi Ungerer Classics

      Daniel Gehen
      February 15, 2019
    • Reliving the Craziest Decade in Comics History: An interview with Jason Sacks

      Mark Stack
      January 2, 2019
    • Classic Comics Cavalcade
    • Classic Interviews
  • News
    Random
    • Kickstarter Spotlight: A Really Awesome Comic Book Critique

      Sara McDonald
      January 14, 2015
      Kickstarter Spotlight
    Recent
    • 2020 Ringo Awards Winners Announced

      Daniel Gehen
      October 26, 2020
    • BAD IDEA Announces 2021 Publishing Slate

      Daniel Gehen
      September 29, 2020
    • A Full Replay of NCSFest 2020 is now Available

      Daniel Gehen
      September 15, 2020
    • Press Release
    • Kickstarter Spotlight
  • Books
    Random
    • Raymond Briggs, Part Four

      Sara McDonald
      November 6, 2015
      Books, The Long-Form
    Recent
    • Collecting Profile: Disney Frozen

      CB Staff
      November 22, 2019
    • Collecting Profile: NFL Superpro

      CB Staff
      August 31, 2019
    • “THE BEST OF WITZEND” is a Wonderful Celebration of Artistic Freedom

      Daniel Gehen
      September 15, 2018
    • Review: ‘Machete Squad’ is a Disappointing Afghan Memoir

      Jason Sacks
      July 31, 2018
    • Review: ‘Out of Nothing’ is the Antidote to Our Sick Times

      Jason Sacks
      July 23, 2018
    • Review: ‘Bizarre Romance’ Shows Rough Edges in the Early Days of a New Marriage

      Jason Sacks
      July 10, 2018
What's New
  • Collecting Profile: If I win Powerball, I will buy Amazing Fantasy 15
  • DCeased: Dead Planet #7 Presents a Hopeful Future (Review)
  • Collecting Profile: Batwoman
  • Collecting Profile: Daredevil
  • Collecting Profile: Floronic Man
  • Review of Cheetah in Wonder Woman 1984
  • RSS Feed
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Contact Us
  • Write for us!
  • Visit Video Game Break!
Home
Reviews

Ghost Rider #5

Sara McDonald
November 12, 2011
Reviews

If you haven't been reading the latest volume of Ghost Rider, Issue 5 is a good place to start. Johnny Blaze is nowhere to be seen in this comic, as it focuses instead on the newest Spirit of Vengeance, a young woman named Alejandra. Alejandra is an orphan, raised in a temple and cut off from the rest of the world, trained to someday become the Ghost Rider. However, her upbringing left her unprepared for what it really meant to be the Ghost Rider, and as she leaves her past and the temple behind her, she's discovering not only her own abilities but the world itself.

As someone with absolutely no real world experience and a skewed upbringing, Alejandra is an interesting narrator, and one that Williams utilizes well. She has a level of innocence and naiveté, her lack of knowledge about anything outside the temple giving her an almost childlike quality. However, she also sees the world through the eyes of a demon, and is living with the guilt of missteps she made when she originally took on the powers of the Ghost Rider, and is on a quest to redeem herself for the lives she took when she shouldn't have.

This issue shows Alejandra's first step towards that redemption as she strives to save children from human traffickers in Mexico. Alejandra can relate to the children, remembering how she felt growing up adopted by the fanatical Adam and without a "happily-ever-after secret waiting to be revealed." Like she was, these children are lost innocents, and as she works towards freeing them, she realizes for the first time, it feels good for her to say she's the Ghost Rider. What she's always wanted to do is save people, and as she begins to find her footing, she takes the first steps towards learning what that really means.

Though he lacks a flaming skull, the real horror in this comic comes from the nearly silent Jones, the smuggler Alejandra is hunting down. A man willing to sell children, he's a dark figure with nothing redeeming about him. Where in the past, Alejandra turned her powers on everyone, no matter what their "sin" may be, Jones is a true sinner and the sort of man the Ghost Rider should go against. He's someone she can feel justified in fighting against, and by stopping him, she can move further on the path of redemption. However, Jones is also a connection to a secret Alejandra has long wanted to know, and facing him means more than she expected. Still, she demonstrates that she has the makings to be the sort of heroine who can stand up to adversity and tap into an inner strength beyond only that of her Ghost Rider powers.

Ultimately, Ghost Rider #5 is a slick blend of western and horror, and a comic that offers a strong set up for what's sure to be a wild and entertaining journey.


Sara McDonald started reading comics in the third grade, and now puts her English degree to good use talking about them on the Internet. She currently resides in Western Massachusetts with a roommate, three cats, and an action figure collection and spends the time she isn’t reading comics working for a non-profit. You can visit her blog at Ms. Snarky’s Awesometastic Comics Blog.

Clayton CowlesGhost RiderLee GarbettMarvelRob SchwagerRob WilliamsSara McDonaldSebastian Girner

Share On:
Tweet
New Avengers #18
Avenging Spider-Man #1

About The Author

Sara McDonald
Sara McDonald

Sara McDonald is a writer for Comics Bulletin

Related Posts

  • Collecting Profile: Daredevil

    nguyen ly
    January 9, 2021
  • Collecting Profile: Fantastic Four

    nguyen ly
    November 21, 2020

Latest Reviews

  • 4.5

    DCeased: Dead Planet #7 Presents a Hopeful Future (Review)

    Daniel Gehen
    January 22, 2021
  • Review: The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist

    Daniel Gehen
    December 14, 2020
  • Retro Review: Detective Comics #826 Remains a Holiday Classic

    Daniel Gehen
    December 3, 2020
  • 4.5

    TMNT: The Last Ronin #1 Lives Up to the Hype (Review)

    Daniel Gehen
    October 29, 2020
  • 4.5

    Micro Review: Commanders in Crisis #1

    Jason Jeffords Jr.
    October 12, 2020
  • 3.0

    Review: GHOST WRITER Fights the Spectre of Unevenness

    Daniel Gehen
    September 3, 2020
  • 3.5

    Review: Strange Skies Over East Berlin

    Yavi Mohan
    August 11, 2020
  • DRAWING BLOOD: A Hyper-Stylized, Fictional Autobiography

    Ben Bishop, Brittany Peer, David Avallone, Drawing Blood, Kevin Eastman, Tomi Varga
    August 9, 2020
  • 3.0

    Alien: The Original Script #1 – This One’s For The Fans

    Jason Jeffords Jr.
    August 7, 2020
  • Singles Going Steady: Why? Lettering!

    Daniel Gehen
    July 28, 2020
RSSTwitterFacebookgoogleplusinstagramtumblr

Comics Bulletin is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for website owners to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, audible.com, and any other website that may be affiliated with Amazon Service LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate, Comics Bulletin earns from qualifying purchases.

All content on this site (c) 2018 The Respective Copyright Holders