To close off Favorite's Week we'll be taking a look at a quite recent character in comic books. A character given the keys to known moniker in Marvel Comics: The Spirit of Vengeance. Allow me to introduce my favorite all-new superhero, Robbie Reyes: The All-New Ghost Rider.
Following the gunslinger Carter Slade, the stunt driver Johnny Blaze, the Brookline civilian Daniel Ketch, and the Nicaraguan mystery Alejandra, high school student Robbie Reyes is the newest mortal to take on the Ghost Rider mantle. Robbie lives in East Los Angeles with his disabled brother Gabe. He juggles the responsibilities of working at an auto-shop, attending high school, and supporting himself and his brother. With so many responsibilities, Robbie finds himself making hazardous impulses, one led him to steal a customer's car and use it in an illegal street race. The race gets Robbie wrapped up in a gang war and gunned down by a group of mercenaries. But that's not where the story ends. See, Robbie would've died if a spirit from hell named Eli Marrow didn't possess his body and turn him into a Ghost Rider.
Even with these new demonic powers, Robbie finds forces he can't fight. LA's incurable crime, the constant struggle to support his brother, and even Eli Marrow himself. After a run-in with fellow Ghost Rider Johnny Blaze, Robbie learns Eli isn't another Spirit of Vengeance, he was actually a satan-worshiping assassin and if Robbie ever gives in to his anger, Eli Marrow could take control of his body. The first time Eli possessed Robbie's body, he ended up leaving Gabe alone in the kitchen to starve, almost killing one of Robbie's teachers, and taking on a two street gangs head-on. But that's not the worst of it, turns out this Eli Marrow is actually the ghost of Robbie's uncle and possibly the reason Gabe was born disabled as Eli mentions pushing Robbie's mother down the stairs while she was pregnant. Not only must Robbie use his demonic powers to defend LA, but he also must ignore the anger Eli brews within him if he ever wants to protect his brother.
With the powers Robbie receives from Eli, he has acquired super strength, enhanced durability, and the ability to conjure weapons like chains, sickles, knives, and even Hellfire. His true power comes from the cursed muscle car that Eli's spirit also inhabits. The car is capable of scaling walls, driving on it's own, and acting as a means of teleportation for anyone inside it. Though he hasn't done it yet, it is theorized that Robbie is able to use "The Penance Stare". An eye-to-eye spell that subjects the victim to every sin they've ever committed, an ability used by Ghost Riders before Robbie.
What I like about Robbie Reyes is that he's character with a lot of old tropes, but put together in a new way. Like Peter Parker he has many responsibilities, but most of these responsibilities are heavier and made worse by Robbie's environment. Like Bruce Banner he has to constantly keep his anger in check otherwise he'd end up hurting people, the difference is he can't exactly have an outbreak and then leave town, he has too much on his plate to play runaway. Also, the concepts of caring for a disabled sibling, living in a dangerous ghetto, and being spiritually bound to a man hellbent on ruining your life are all quirks to this character's life that separate him from A-List heroes. At first, I ignored this comic simply based on the new direction this Ghost Rider was taking, but I've never been more satisfied to have my opinion changed because Robbie Reyes has quickly become one of my favorite comic book characters. I look forward to the future of this character.
I'd like to give a few honorable mentions: My Favorite Paranormal Character: Etrigan the Demon, my Favorite Fantastic Four Character: The Thing, my Favorite Underrated Character: The Martian Manhunter, and my Favorite Superhero Team: The Teen Titans. I hope you all enjoyed Favorite's Week, I truly appreciate your viewership. Thanks for reading!
Facebook: The Panel Biter
Twitter: @ThePanelBiter
No comments:
Post a Comment