Issue(s): Marvel Comics Presents #137, Marvel Comics Presents #138, Marvel Comics Presents #139, Marvel Comics Presents #140, Marvel Comics Presents #141, Marvel Comics Presents #142 (Ghost Rider story only)
Cover Date: Sep-Nov 93
Title: Fellow Travelers: "Rage of honor" / "Lightning swords of death" / "Fangs of fury" / "Throne of blood" / "Army of Darkness!" / "Red dawn"
Credits:
Len Kaminski - Writer
Reggie Jones - Penciler
Fred Harper - Inker
Michael Kraiger - Assistant Editor
Richard Ashford - Editor

Review/plot:
For Ghost Rider's team-up partner in this story, Len Kaminski brings in his Masters of Silence.

The Masters have been hired by Chinese peasants to investigate a gang that has lured people to America, only to kill them along the way. Ghost Rider, meanwhile, is drawn to the same gang: a den of ninjas called the Golden Fist.

The Masters of Silence get the wrong idea and assume Ghost Rider is the bad guy.

As far as Misunderstanding Fights go, it's a short one.

They investigate the house that the Golden Fist were guarding and find barrels of innocent blood. The house is the home of a Tsin Hark, who knows the Masters.

He's got a major dislike of technology, and the blood is for a spell that will wipe away science. He seems very much like a prototype for the 1990s iteration of the Mandarin (and the cartoon version).

Tsin Hark stops Ghost Rider in his tracks by placing a parchment on his head (a method familiar to people who have seen the Mr. Vampire and Chinese Ghost Story movies).

He summons some gynosii ("the Chinese undead, a cross between vampires and zombie") to fight the Masters.

The Masters are overwhelmed by the undead, and they realize they need to destroy the parchment and free Ghost Rider.

With Ghost Rider's help, they wipe out the gynosii, but at this point Tsin Hark has raised an Army of Darkness.

So now, more undead to fight, this time of the skeletal variety.

And then Tsin Hark transforms into a demon.

Ghost Rider fights Tsin Hark, and when he whips him with his chain, Hark's blood splatters into the pool of innocent blood and taints it. This causes Hark to revert to human form and sucks back the Army of Darkness as well.

After a hasty goodbye, Ghost Rider and the Masters of Silence part ways.

Good visuals, not much of a story, etc..

Len Kaminski definitely seems to be a horror movie buff. His Avengers #352-354 story also made reference to Army of Darkness. I also wonder if Tsin Hark's name is meant to be a nod to Tsui Hark, the legendary martial arts director (whose credits include Chinese Ghost Story).

Quality Rating: D+

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: This takes place after Iron Man annual #14. I'm also trying to squeeze this in before Road To Vengeance (which isn't strictly necessary, but i'm trying to keep random Ghost Rider appearances to the minimum between Road and Siege of Darkness).

References: N/A

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A