Quarter Bin - Ghost Rider 1 vol. 3

This comic I read on my ipod touch. I find reading comics on the ipod is best when you are on the go or somewhere that you don't want to take your comics. The second good thing about this comic was it was a free download on the Marvel app. I love the free comics. I truly don't know of a better thing than free comics. Okay there probably is better things, but not when your board and only have an ipod with you.

So this comic rocked. I never read the 90's Dan Ketch Ghost Rider. I've never really been a big Ghost Rider fan at all. I just read the Ghost Rider Jason Aaron Omnibus a few months ago and it was nothing like this comic. They both are awesome in their own respects. I just love 90's comics. This comic was the best too. It was a double size issue. Twice as much story. I wrote a long explanation of the book earlier, but lost it. I hate computers sometimes. So this review is going to be much shorter and sweet.

Danny goes to Houdini's grave with his sister, Barbara. They run into a gang on the way there and Danny totally chickens out and has Barb save him. That's the start of the trouble. Then as they make it into the graveyard they over see two rival crime groups fighting. One is Deathwatch and his crew and the other is the Kingpin's crew. This comic is so tied into the marvel universe. The two groups see Danny and Barb. Barb get's shot with a arrow into the chest. Danny hides her in the junkyard next door. He finds a motorcycle in the junkyard. He's magically transformed into the Ghost Rider. He goes and fights the crime families. The local gang steals what the two crime families want. The cops show and see Ghost Rider and assume he's the bad guy. Which why wouldn't they he's got a flaming head in leather. Sounds evil to me. Ghost escapes and get's Barb to the hospital. We meet Danny's parents. He's dad is a cop and thinks Ghost Rider hurt his daughter. Tons more story happens with the local gang and crime families.

All and all I really liked this comic. I've never been a big Ghost Rider fan and haven't read much by him. The story wasn't all fighting and big muscles like most 90's comic. It was interesting. Danny wasn't sure about himself, but when the Ghost Rider took over things worked out. I felt like Danny could be a real person. He wasn't two dimensional. He had a little depth and I hope they build on that. One thing I wish was that I had a physical copy of the comic. I love the feel of paper between my hands vs the ipod. I see full pages instead of individual panels. I think I'll even start looking for these comics in quarter bins when I'm in comic shops. I would love to have this comic and maybe even the full run in my collection.

I give this comic 4 out of 5. It was a lot of fun to read.

The Quarter Bin – Wolverine 170 – 172

2002 was an exciting year. X-Men the movie had just come out the summer before. Wolverine was a hot property. Plus the yellow spandex was ditched for the black leather jacket. This three story issue arch was called Stay Alive. This story was not the best Wolverine story ever, but I’ve never heard of the writer, Frank Tieri. That doesn’t mean much in the comic world. Writers come and go in the comic industry. This story is a nice little adventure in Canada. Wolverine is looking for a bad guy who messed him up in previously. Instead he stops in a diner and sees some crazy guy eat all these people on a live reality show. The guy turns out to be Mauvais, an immortal French wizard who happens to be a cannibal too. Mauvais is going all crazy to unleash a Wendigo. Wolverine has to fight Mauvais and the Wendigo in issue 171. He’s beat pretty good and then in issue 172 Alpha Flight shows up. Nothing like Canada’s premier superhero team showing up.

So let’s get into what makes this story arch good.

The Good: Wolverine in black leather. I love this era. Grant Morrison run on New X-Men was one of my favorite. I love the old look now. I liked that the X-Men were all out of spandex and into leather jackets. They seemed cooler and who’s the coolest X-Men, Wolverine. The second issue in the arch is a “Nuff Said” issue. It was a challenge Marvel did with its comics for one month in 2002. No words were used in the comic, just pictures to tell the story. In issue 172 Sasquatch preforms a fast ball special. I don’t know about you, but I love seeing Wolverine doing a fastball special anytime I can get it. Also Tieri is setting up future stories with Sabertooth watching Omega Red and Lady Deathstrike. You see both of these characters for a second, but no explanation of what is going on with them. I like Omega Red and wish he was the main villain in the story. Also Wolverine has to fight some Polar Bears.

The Bad: Wolverine seems a little depowered in this arch. Mauvais seems like lame villain. He’s a French wizard. Not really that cool in my book. Wolverine has to fight and kill some polar bears. Doesn’t he know they are already in trouble with global warming? Come on Wolverine. Also the story plot from the first issue is just dropped. What ever happened to the guy who wanted to show everyone dying on TV. The TV producer never gets mentioned after he decides to air his reality show as his contestants are being eaten.

Stay Alive was an okay arch, not the best. I liked a lot of things about it, but it was lacking a real villain. French wizards just seem silly to me. Plus the fact that I spent $1.50 for it I would say it was worth it. I had fun seeing Wolverine in his leather jacket. Plus there was a fast ball special in it!

3.5 stars out of 5