Issue(s): Marvel Comics Presents #90, Marvel Comics Presents #91, Marvel Comics Presents #92, Marvel Comics Presents #93, Marvel Comics Presents #94, Marvel Comics Presents #95, Marvel Comics Presents #96, Marvel Comics Presents #97 (Ghost Rider/Cable story only)
Cover Date: 1991-1992
Title: Servants of the Dead: "Life underground" / "Chase in the dark" / "In the cathedral of the dead" / "Nothing to fear..." / "Pursuit" / "Shadows" / "The bride" / "Death's servant"
Credits:
Howard Mackie - Writer
Guang Yap - Penciler
Bud LaRosa - Inker
Mark Powers - Assistant Editor
Terry Kavanagh - Editor

Review/plot:
Prior to these issues, the covers for Marvel Comics Presents had (obviously) the series title on the front, along with the headline character (usually Wolverine). The back cover usually had a montage of the other characters appearing in the issue. But starting with these issues, the back cover becomes a second cover, with Wolverine on the "front" and Ghost Rider (and Cable, for now) on the back (e.g.), and the book becoming a "flip" book (i.e. half upside-down). This will continue basically until the end of the series, with Ghost Rider remaining a co-headliner (although things break down at the end, with Ghost Rider getting replaced with Vengenace and in general the book's headliners becoming more random). For the medium term, we're essentially getting Ghost Rider Team-Up. And for the short term, the covers are all drawn by Sam Kieth, who was also drawing the overlapping Wolverine story. Sadly, he's not drawing the interior art for this Ghost Rider/Cable story, though, because his exaggerated style would be really great for Ghost Rider. No offense to Guang Yap, but Ghost Rider stories are all about the visuals and Sam Kieth would have been a real treat.

Looking at the Statement of Ownership numbers (see below; it appears in issue #97) this book wasn't hurting saleswise, but i wonder if the difference between the average number and the most recent reflects the change in format. I suspect that the book's sales were pretty erratic depending on who the featured characters were, though, but i guess ensuring that both Wolverine and Ghost Rider were regular headlines might have stabilized things.

This story starts with Cable trying to wrap up a loose end from X-Force and going after the Morlocks (leaving the rest of X-Force "snug in their beds"), but he winds up falling into an underground scheme and meeting a young ninja that is being pursued by the *sigh* Grateful Undead.

The attack from the Undead attracts the attention of Ghost Rider, who comes to Cable's rescue.

They then go to rescue the ninja. And basically just fight stuff for several issues.

Eventually they manage to escape the underground with the girl. She then gives a vague explanation of what's going on, but she caveats it with the fact that her own memories are hazy (she doesn't even know her name) and so what she's saying might not be true.

Then the Servants of the Dead catch up with them and we get back to the fighting. The bad guys say that the girl is already dead, but Cable and Ghost Rider aren't listening.

The Dead do seem to prove their point, though.

The Dead say that the girl is one of the reanimated dead, and if she'd just open her mind they'd provide her with the true history. But she refuses, and that angers their god or something and everyone is brought back underground. And then more fighting.

Ghost Rider is really stubborn about the fact that the girl needs saving even though the evidence suggests that she really is (un)dead. I would guess that as part of his nature/powers, he knows who he's supposed to be protecting and/or avenging.

Ghost Rider cracks the "god's" mask, and Cable shoots the god in the face...

...revealing a normal looking human.

The god then learns from his high priest that his people have become assassins, and he is displeased and leaves.

As for the girl, she is returned to real death.

Then Ghost Rider and Cable go home. Cable mumbles something about how maybe they should be servants of death themselves, but Ghost Rider is all like "I AM THE SPIRIT OF VENGEANCE" so that ends that conversation.

I honestly can't be bothered to care about the Grateful Undead and their necromancer-wizard-turned-god or whatever, but that's fine. This is a Team-Up story, so you come up with some quickie plot to get two heroes together and then give them a bunch of stuff to fight, and that's exactly what happens. All we're missing is the preliminary Misunderstanding Fight. Guang Yap's stiff, basic style is a letdown especially after the expectation set by the Sam Kieth covers, though.

A random comment: i have to sympathize with someone who writes in to the lettercol for issue #97. He complains that he holds off on reading any parts of a Marvel Comics Presents story until all the parts are completed, and then he runs into the problem of the different stories in the books starting and ending at different times. So either he has to wait until a bunch of endings line up at the same time, or he has to try to flip quickly past other stories to avoid spoilers. For my project, i have a similar problem. I'm less worried about spoilers and more concerned about making sure that i cover everything, and at the right time. For example, this story runs into 1992. Since it starts in 1991's publication year, i'll definitely cover this story while i'm working on 1991. But do i cover the single issue 8 page stories that were published in the 1992 issues that overlap with this story? Or wait until i start working on 1992? No one in the world cares about this but me, of course, but that's exactly why this guy's letter stood out.

Statement of Ownership Total Paid Circulation: Average of Past 12 months = 174,471. Single issue closest to filing date = 250,200.

Quality Rating: C-

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: N/A

References: N/A

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A