Cosmic Ghost Rider #4 Review

Written by: Stephanie Phillips
Art by: Guiu Vilanova
Colors by: Espen Grundetjern
Letters by: VC’s Travis Lanham
Cover art by: Valerio Giangiordano
Cover price: $3.99
Release date: June 14, 2023

Cosmic Ghost Rider #4 unveils the origin behind the second Cosmic Ghost Rider, just in time for Monark Starstalker to show up and capture his bounty.

Is It Good?

Well, that’s one way to solve a problem. When the Cosmic Ghost Rider mini-series started, it had potential. Stephanie Phillips crafted a solid first issue that served as a good jumping-on point and an intriguing mystery with plenty of, again, potential.

Since then, the lack of clues about the second Rider’s identity started to tip from intrigue toward frustration because a mystery doesn’t work without clues. Cosmic Ghost Rider #4 doesn’t provide any clues but instead leaps right to the big reveal, and it’s not what you might think unless you happen to be a Star Trek: TNG fan and recognize the name Thomas Riker ending on a very special Raven episode of Teen Titans Go! Anyone who gets those references knows exactly where this is going.

When last we left Frank Castle and his cosmic friends, Frank came under attack when everyone assumed he was the Rider committing reckless acts of violence. Frank’s powers sputtered out, and Valkyrie could see his aura enough to know Frank wasn’t the same Rider she fought in the previous issue. Frank passed out, and Valkyrie used her aura-vision to locate the second Rider.

Now, Frank dream-remembers an incident some months back where he fell into a Black Hole. The group concludes the accident split the Rider into different versions of himself, and the two Riders come to blows. The fight spills out into space where Monark Starstalker happens to be waiting to collect his bounty. During the fight, the two Riders coming into close contact opens up a new Black Hole where Frank falls in and finds more trouble waiting for him.

What’s great about this issue? First, The art is colorful and engaging. Guiu Vilanova’s eye for cosmic art is gorgeous, so if nothing else, this is a great looking comic. Second, kudos to Stephanie Phillips for addressing the mystery before the frustration builds up any more than it has and for picking an admittedly unique combination of ideas. A reveal that isn’t guessable can be hit or miss, and in this case, it’s more hit than miss.

What’s not so great about this issue? The explanation of the second Rider’s identity is the stretchiest of stretches. Mixing Thomas Riker’s creation accident from the Star Trek: TNG episode Second Chances with (based on the last page) Raven’s adventures in split personalities from the Teen Titans Go! episode Colors of Raven is a bold choice that’s more convoluted and convenient than logical. Further, the reveal of even more color-coded Riders waiting in the wings shifts the tone of this book from a gritty mystery into a mildly jokey farce.

This is supposed to be the penultimate issue in this mini-series, but the weird reveal combined with the suddenly-humorous tone deflates all the momentum going into the finale. Now the finale is simply a curiosity rather than a point of high anticipation. We’ll see if Phillips can turn it around in the next issue.

About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.

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Bits and Pieces

Cosmic Ghost Rider #4 dispenses with the teases to reveal the entire mystery surrounding the second Rider’s identity. Unfortunately, the reveal is a bizarre (and convenient) explanation that shifts the series into a humorous tone that doesn’t fit the previous issues. The art looks great, but any urgency or anticipation going into the finale has fallen flat.