Why the Upcoming Ghost Rider Series Bothers Me

When I first decided I wanted to blog about my new hobby, I told myself I didn’t want to fall into the negative stereotypes of comic books fans. I don’t want to be the guy that clings onto his own personal vision for a character so tightly that they lash out to anyone who wants to do something different. I don’t want my fandoms to turn venomous. I want to be open to new ideas, optimistic, and be genuinely excited to see a fresh take on a beloved hero.

I just can’t do it this time. The upcoming Marvel Now! Ghost Rider bothers me. Admittedly, we know very little about the upcoming title so far, but there is still enough information out there to get me awash with nerd rage. I’m ok with introducing yet another host for a Spirit of Vengeance, I am ok with that hosts description this time, and I am ok with Marvel shifting everything over to L.A. But nothing is acceptable about replacing the motorcycle with a Charger.

Now, make no mistake, the Dodge Charger is a badass hotrod, but conceptually for this story it doesn't fit to me.The only way it remotely makes sense to me is if Dodge is throwing them a metric fuckton (technical term) of money for the product placement. The name of the Comic is Ghost Rider, yet you let your creative team take away what the Ghost rides. Does Marvel plan to slowly morph the title into Ghost Driver, is he going to run moonshine in a backwards southern county? I’m all for breathing new life into old characters but this is like taking away the Silver Surfer’s board and replacing it with a silver jetski. It is completely divorcing the character from his (its?) identity. Ghost Rider needs something to ride dammit!

Not only does the Charger make the title confusing, but it makes the coolest aspect of

This is how Ghost Rider was meant to fight

the old comics impossible. By far the coolest thing about Ghost Rider is the artwork depicting him riding his hellfire infused bike while masterfully whipping around his chains. This works because a motorcycle is an open environment where the chains can be thrown all over. The Charger has a closed cab. What are they going to do about the combat? Is Ghost Rider going to frantically roll down his windows then time quick tosses of his chain out the window? Will our anti-hero circle the block to find a parking spot before he dishes out the punishment? Or will the Spirit of Vengeance merely be reduced to vehicular manslaughter and the high school prank of dooring pedestrians?

Ghost Rider is such a cool license and I hate to see it (once again) go to waste instead of flourishing into a long lasting series.

For the record though, I'd love to be wrong and for the Charger to not suck.