Please Do Not Pimp My Ride, Felipe Smith
So, let's talk about Ghost Rider. Specifically, the new ongoing book written by Peepo Choo's Felipe Smith and drawn by Luthor Strode's Tradd Moore, announced at New York Comic-Con.
The book will star a brand new Spirit of Vengeance by the name of Roberto Reyes (hurray for diversity!) and apparently swaps the motorcycles for muscle cars. Historically, I've never been a Ghost Rider fan, but that sounds pretty cool to me. Demonic muscle cars strike me as particular cool, in a weird, almost primal sort of way. But even so, I'm kind of worried.
I want to look forward to this - the whole demonic muscle car thing sounds TOTES rad, and Felipe Smith is crazy awesome - but I can't help but be worried by the side-stuff they're talking about this book. Supposedly Ghost Rider Robbie is going to have a disabled little brother that he has to take care of, which aside from being cliche on it's own, greatly worries me as someone who is actually in a wheelchair. I see it going two ways: either the little brother dies in order to fuel some revenge motive and pull the heartstrings of the reader, or he ends up getting a "tricked out" wheelchair. Honestly, and this may be hard to empathize with, the latter worries me more because time and time again I've had to tolerate wheelchairs becoming some sort of cartoon sight gag. I've had to smile and nod as people make jokes about "pimping out" my chair, over and over and over with the same lame jokes. It's more than a turn-off, it's insulting. I'd love to pick up this book, but I can't see them not going for that easy gag.
Maybe I'm just worrying too much.