Comic Review: Avengers (2018-) #23

Avengers (2018-) #23

Marvel Comics

Writer: Jason Aaron

Artist: Stefano Caselli

This issue of Avengers is pretty crazy. Purely in a good way. Ghost Rider, Robbie Reyes, doesn’t want to be the Ghost Rider anymore. His team aids him in this by having Daimon Hellstrom, the son of Satan, perform an exorcism. Things don’t go according to plan, obviously, and now Robbie Reyes is in for a hell of a race. (You see what I did there?)

Avengers #23 continues the “Challenge of the Ghost Rider” story. In the middle of Robbie’s exorcism, Johnny Blaze (former Ghost Rider, current King of Hell) brings Robbie to hell. Blaze challenges Reyes to a race for his power and the fate of his brother’s soul. Meanwhile, the rest of the Avengers have their own troubles, as Avengers Mountain is under attack by a demon/hell spirit.

Even if I weren’t already a big Avengers fan, I think I’d still be a big fan of this book. Robbie Reyes has been around for a few years now, but I don’t think he’s gotten the attention he deserves. He’s been a secondary character in this run so far, but this story puts the focus on him, and I can’t complain about that. We see what makes him (in my eyes) more of a hero than just another Ghost Rider. Robbie doesn’t want to race, but Johnny Blaze ups the ante by threatening to take his brother’s soul. So of course, Robbie “suits up” and gives everything he’s got to win the race. And, speaking of the devil himself, this arc is also the most we’ve seen of Johnny Blaze since 2018s Damnation event. 

I like the art in this issue. There’s kind of a lot going on, and I think Stefano Caselli displays everything really well. We’ve got the Ghost Riders in hell, and the Avengers fighting inside Avengers mountain. On top of that Daimon Hellstrom is doing magic outside the mountain. There’s some interesting “the magic is getting out of hand” costumes the Avengers are wearing. They’re simple, and I really dig the design of them. I think the parts inside Avengers mountain look a little “bland”, but it’s something I put more on the setting than the artist. It’s a base, and it’s a lot of grey/white walls. The art and coloring (by Jason Keith) really shine in the scenes set in hell. There’s a little more color (though it’s red/orange/black mostly) and the action feels a lot more dynamic.

This is a good issue, with the stakes for everyone getting higher. Jason Aaron’s run on Avengers does have the occasional slow issue, where not much happens. Fortunately, this isn’t one of those. There are some good art and colors, and we’re still focusing on my favorite Ghost Rider. I can’t not enjoy that part of it. Plus we get to see two Ghost Riders race. That alone should make you want to read this issue. Now is a better time than ever to jump on board Avengers if you haven’t already.