http://geekylibrarian.wordpress.com/2010/03/31/review-ghost-rider-by-jason-aaron... ( )

This book, the first collection of Jason Aaron's run on the title, collects Ghost Rider #20-25, originally serialized between February and July 2008. It contains two stories: "Hell-Bent and Heaven-Bound" (20-23), with art by Roland Boschi, and "God Don't Live on Cell Block D" (24-25), with art by Tan Eng Huat.

In July 2006, a new Ghost Rider series was launched under the pen of Daniel Way, one of Marvel's most consistently boring writers. For 19 issues Way steered Ghost Rider into Ennis territory with a story of the Devil escaped from Hell, rogue angels, unrest in Heaven, and the trashy humans who got mixed up in it all. Way, however, is no Ennis, and despite the gorgeous art from Javier Saltares, the title never rose above mediocrity. Way recently departed Ghost Rider to work on his new Deadpool series, and newcomer Jason Aaron, perhaps the hottest young writer in comics, came on board with Ghost Rider #20. As it turns out, it was a match made in, well . . . you know.

For the first time in recent memory, Ghost Rider's strength is the writing. We've seen some rather standard stories from Garth Ennis elevated by Clayton Crain's incredible, awesomely grotesque art, and Daniel Way's lackluster scripts buoyed by Saltares' beautiful pencilwork. From the very beginning of Hell-Bent and Heaven-Bound, Jason Aaron gives the book -- and the character -- a distinctive voice. Johnny Blaze is finally a character more textured and tortured than just a really stupid guy possessed of amazing power. The book finds a proper tone: Jason Aaron does the popular "gritty" thing like no one's business, but he does what many writers who go for that feel forget to do and keeps it fun and fast-paced, too. Further, while Aaron blazes the story in bold new directions, he also draws from the character's history (Full disclosure: I never read a Ghost Rider comic before 2006), folding in past characters (and villains), enriching the Ghost Rider mythology, and making this story feel like a natural culmination of what's gone before rather than just arbitrary new adventures of Johnny Blaze.

Don't feel like I'm dissing the art, either. While not as immediately accessible or appealing as some Ghost Rider art, Boschi's art on the first story is very effective and suits the story well. For the first time, the sheer speed ("Faster than hell.") of Ghost Rider's bike is effectively illustrated, and the action is usually clear: a scene where Ghost Rider, wielding a scythe, runs a gauntlet of cannibal ghosts (by the way, it's hard enough to write such things with a straight face even in review; it's a testament to Aaron's skill as a writer that he can incorporate much more absurd elements into his story without coming across as corny or hokey) is particularly effective. Tan Eng Huat's impressively detailed yet stylized work took a couple pages to get used to, but I quickly came to find it very engaging and am happy to see him staying on as artist.

Putting Jason Aaron on Ghost Rider was an excellent move on Marvel's part. I hope this title finds the readership it deserves, because Aaron's acclaim is well-earned, and this book does not disappoint. It's a hell of a ride, and I hope it doesn't end any time soon. ( )