Ghost Rider 2099 #1

Writer – Ed Brisson; Artist – Damian Couceiro; Colorist – Dono Sánchez-Almara; Letterer – VC’s Joe Caramagna; Editor – Chris Robinson; Senior Editor – Jordan D. White; Design – Jay Brown

The year is 2099. A group of powerful corporations control the world and all the people in it. Those companies are also kind of communist. It’s an odd set-up that feels pulled straight from an 80s movie, especially for those only familiar with Spiderman 2099, but despite all of that, or perhaps because of it, Ghost Rider 2099 is a solid book. It has a very Judge Dredd meets Mad Max feel. The whole concept feels very 80s-90s. In that vein, there are a lot of corny names. The evil company in this issue is D/Monix (get it?) and it’s riddled with loads of non-expletives and silly gang names (shockin’ sons of glitches!).

The whole story has this wonderfully corny sci-fi aesthetic. For instance, there’s a hacking scene that kicks off the story where the main character, a master hacker named Zero, literally enters a computer. This, through a series of major plot points, results in Zero finding himself imprisoned in a robot and thus becoming the Ghost Rider of the year 2099. The book has some very fun action that I won’t ruin in a review of what’s likely a stand-alone issue, but suffice to say the chainsaw on the cover is as cool as it looks.

On that note, the art led by Damian Couceiro really does great with the material. This iteration of Ghost Rider has a very cool design, literally terminator, but possessed by an evil spirit. Couceiro does a good job of sticking to the character’s roots, while allowing the sci-fi nature of this story to lead the way in his design. Also in the realm of design, the SHIELD agents that appear in this book have really great armor. The red, white, and blue looks great, thanks to Sánchez-Almara’s colors, and the design looks like Judge uniforms from 2000AD, but also has a touch of Nazi stormtrooper that brings home the message that they are corrupt and villains in Zero’s story.

Further praise for Sánchez-Almara is also warranted by the colors of the fire and the deep red of the blood that makes the damage so much more visceral.

All of the other characters look good too. There is good use of shading on the faces, which helps to convey the characters’ emotions and make everything feel more real; his art really shows emotion well.

Ghost Rider 2099 is corny in all the best ways. If you are missing some classic Sci-Fi in your life, make sure to check it out.