Month: January 2015

The Bounty hunter of the devil himself, named the Ghost Rider, for being spiritually possessed, and for driving/riding on hell on wheels (sometimes hoofs) – transportation that turns along with the host of the Rider.

A comic character originally and acted later by Nicolos Cage in the 2007 movie, Johney Blaze makes a deal with satan in an attempt to save his stunt bike performer dad’s life. He only asks for A small thing in return – his soul. Having never seen any old horror movie in his life (a joke that is later mentioned in the sequel) he signed the contract.

Years later, having left most of his old life as a circus performer, Johney is doing well for himself, still contuing his stunt biking. But thats whats bothering him. After numerous close calls, his alive. “You’ve got A guardian angel!” his friend says. A mutter from Johney follows “..or maybe its something else..”

Discovering the powers of the Rider and learning more about the legends, it is known that it is an enslaved demon that is responsible for bringing the souls of the damned down to hell. He’s essentially being forced to work for a devilish fiend, so he’s quite relatable to any working man. As if that wasent enough to class him as an antihero, his soul sucking is usually done by burning out the life of the evil doers through their eyes- his penance stare, the Rider’s most powerfull weopon.

Closely following Johney Blaze’s battle, burns also one inside him, to which he loses love and friends to both. He considers himself A monster so long as this curse is his to burden. But if this is HIS curse, he will claim it.

The Wolverine: Origins graphic novel explores the untold aspect of the Wolverine. Reading it, James Howlett is not yet the antihero. He isn’t the tough bearded fellow you see in the films or other comics. He’s vulnerable, quick to trust others and wishes the problems he encountered never happened, rather than to combat them. This being his origin story, doesn’t show him being born and continue from there, but instead shows the pinnacle events that occurred in his early life that made him the man we see today, depicted in the present comics and movies.

Tragedy after tragedy strikes before the man with accelerated healing has any time to spit them out and close up the wounds.  Family disputes, love affairs and abandonment hits hard, all at once, ripping Logan up and leaving him to put himself back together, but regeneration doesn’t medicate a broken heart, and some wounds become permanent scars. If every day you kick the dog you walk past, eventually you’re going to get bitten, and the animal wont make the same mistake of letting you make the first move next time.

By the end of the book, the character is not in the same place he was in the beginning. He isn’t quite the polished product that is the Wolverine, but you would never look at him in the same way. Instead of some of Logan’s actions being perceived as cruel or unkind, they’re what’s expected from him. His choices are understandable, given the circumstances at the time, and if he has gone through something similar before. To be cold-hearted, still requires a heart to be frozen over. That meaning that no-one is born the way they are; its their surroundings that shape them. There is a reason why he is constantly trying to withhold his animalistic side, why he tries his best not to get too close to people, why he’s so hard on himself and others. Now I know that reason.