I guess I should have been a little more patient with the Shadowland storyline. Anyone who reads my reviews might remember that I have a real problem with Ghost Rider's brief appearance early on in the Shadowland series. Well, his appearance and motives are clearly explained in this great little One-Shot!
Turns out that Ghost Riders smash and run at Daredevil's gulag was all part of an elaborate plan. As this plan begins to play out Ghost Rider decides to pay a visit to the Hand puppet masters in Japan. And of course, thing then get very, very, ugly!
Clayton Crain's art works really well with Ghost Rider. I have to say that I love his depiction of the Kingpin as well. The one thing about Crain's art that I just figured out last night though, is that it takes a special kind os lighting to figure out his images. I thought I could read this book in bed with just my bedside lamp on...not a chance! His imagery is so dark that most of the pages just looked black! So be sure to read this book with plenty of light, or else you will miss some of the details.
I'm not very familiar with Ghost Rider so I don't know how much I can say about the writing with any authenticity. So take this next critique with a grain of salt. Johnny Blaze's dialogue irked me a little. The drunk Southern drawl and constant slang was a little over the top. Not enough to derail the comic, but it definitely was noticeable!
With all that said, I do recommend this book. It is an entertaining little read and does help explain away some of the mystery of Shadowland.