Issue(s): Ghost Rider #41
Cover Date: Sep 93
Title: "Mother love"
Credits:
Howard Mackie - Writer
Ron Garney - Penciler
Christopher Ivy - Inker
James Felder - Assistant Editor
Bobbie Chase - Editor

Review/plot:
Ghost Rider and Spirits of Vengeance go directly from Midnight Massacre to Road to Vengeance, and from here they'll go directly to Siege of Darkness. So they are in crossover mode for more than half a year. It's somewhat mitigating that Road to Vengeance is "only" between these two books as opposed to the entire Midnight Sons line. And Ghost Rider is a regular character in Spirits of Vengeance, and basically since SOV started, Johnny Blaze has either appeared in Ghost Rider's solo book or the story had to make a point to explain where he was. So the books might as well always be a in crossover together. And Road to Vengeance might reasonably just be thought of as a "storyline" as opposed to a "crossover". But it's hard to be reasonable about things when the books are advertised as a special event and are published with special covers (i'm not sure what gimmicks were left at this point; i think these covers might be edible but i didn't try them).

Road to Vengeance is an important storyline/crossover, in that we finally get an origin for the current Ghost Rider, including an explanation about his relationship to the 1970s version. It also more or less wraps up the "plot" about Centurious, who has been lurking around in Spirits of Vengeance from the beginning without actually doing anything. And it features the return of Lilith, which will feed directly into Siege of Darkness. We actually saw Lilith at the end of Midnight Massacre, but this is where she is able to recover from being trapped - friendless, helpless, hopeless - in Greenland.

She sends out a call to her Lilin. Centurious, holding court with his own group of misfits, feels it...

...but the first Lilin to respond to her call is a new one called Outcast.

Outcast was included in some very thick promotional material that was inserted in Marvel books advertising all the Midnight Sons events. The ads were filled with very ambiguous but very wordy text that i could never bear to fully read, and i never bought any of these events in realtime, but i thought the design for Outcast was pretty cool (and i suspect that's basically all that anyone, even at Marvel, thought about him). He clearly needs to fight Sasquatch. Eespecially based on his look in the ad, where he was hairier and more orange.

Outcast cuts open Lilith's belly, releasing several Lilin that had previously died, including Blackout (who is now fully Lilin).

Danny Ketch and Seer are on their way back from Central Park after the events of Ghost Rider annual #1...

...when Pilgrim teleports Blackout to New York. Blackout immediately goes into a murderous rampage, killing commuters.

When Danny approaches on his motorcycle, Seer creates a rift to throw them into a huge canyon. Danny says that he can't turn into Ghost Rider because no innocent blood has been spilled (despite what we just saw Blackout do). Seer berates him, saying that Danny doesn't really need innocent blood to transform (which Danny also heard from Caretaker in Ghost Rider #34), and then allows herself to fall in order to produce the "innocent blood" Danny requires.

Danny is grabbed by Blackout, but he is able to change. He chases Blackout, but Blackout is teleported away by Pilgrim while taunting Ghost Rider about Danny's mother.

Meanwhile, Centurious approaches Lilith and proposes an alliance.

Ghost Rider races to Doris Ketch's house and gets there before Blackout. She says that she knows that Ghost Rider is Danny. When Blackout shows up, Ghost Rider attacks him, damaging Blackout's face, which was restored with his resurrection.

But while they are fighting, Centurious arrives and kidnaps Doris, telling him to go to Blaze to find out how to come after him.

After Centurious leaves, Seer arrives, promising answers regarding Ghost Rider's origin. But Ghost Rider is focused on rescuing Doris, and he leaves without her.

Quality Rating: C+

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: It's said that Danny Ketch and Seer are returning from their "detour" in Ghost Rider annual #1 (but see the Considerations for the annual). This is part one of Road to Vengeance. Part two is in Spirits of Vengeance #14. This issue features the return of Lilith, so any other books featuring Lilith should come after this. Johnny Blaze becomes partially bionic during this crossover, so any pre-bionic appearances should go before it.

References:

• Ghost Rider and Seer have just concluded their adventure from Ghost Rider annual #1.
  
• Blackout comments about how both Danny and he have "died". Danny died in Ghost Rider #25, Blackout in Ghost Rider #31, which also featured Lilith's last defeat. It's also necessary to note that Blackout must have temporarily escaped death to appear in the background of Alpha Flight #121.
  
• Ghost Rider originally scarred Blackout's face in Ghost Rider #3.

Crossover: Road to Vengeance

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A