Aaron Kuder is a pretty great artist. When Marvel announced that Kuder would be penciling a new Ghost Rider series, fans were excited for Kuder to draw both Danny Ketch and Johnny Blaze. The first issue of Ghost Rider had great art by Kuder. Only half of the second issue was drawn by Kuder. With Ghost Rider #3 hitting the stands this week, Kuder is nowhere to be found (except on the cover).

After a brief flashback with a Native American Ghost Rider, the book gets back to the adventures of Blaze and Ketch. Johnny Blaze is still king of hell and is still overzealously hunting down escaped demons. Ketch is still drinking too much and still resisting his responsibility to stop Blaze from going too far. 

The art in this issue is not by Aaron Kuder. Instead, it’s by Juan Frigeri. Frigeri’s work is competent but not exciting. The characters are all distinguishable from one another, and the panels are easy to follow, but his figures are stiff, and there’s just not much to say about it one way or another. The coloring by Jason Keith and the lettering by VC’s Joe Caramagna do the heavy lifting to make sure that the transition between artists won’t be too jarring in the trade.

Ed Brisson’s writing is not terribly exciting. His characters are unlikeable, and his dialogue is cliche. Because the book has two protagonists, there’s a split focus at work here, and it’s hard to root for anyone. Kuder’s absence makes the shortcomings in the writing even clearer.

The concept of Ghost Rider is a good one, and this should be one of Marvel’s flagship titles. Instead, it’s a joyless slog with inconsistent art. It’s a major disappointment.

Grade: B-