Volume 39 in Marvel's Ultimate Graphic Novels Collection is "Road to Damnation", which collects "Ghost Rider" volume four issues one to six, which was originally published between August 2001 to January 2002 under the Marvel Knights imprint. The story is by Garth Ennis with artwork by Clayton Crain and opens with the Ghost Rider trapped in Hell and every night riding to the Gates with the hordes of hell on his tail, in a desperate effort to escape. Every night he fails and is torn to bits by demons only to try again the next day. Meanwhile a demon called Kazaan has found a way to bring Hell to the world, forcing the angel Malachi to take desperate measures and go to Hell to enlist the assistance of Ghost Rider – if the Rider can defeat Kazaan he will be released from Hell. Returning to the world he has to confront archangel Ruth and a demon called Hoss in his battle to save the earth and return Kazaan to the pit. The story is a typical Garth Ennis effort full of dark humour, crazy violence and bitter religious barbs and musings. There is little originality in the tale – this is the type of thing that Ennis has done much better previously, particularly in the classic "Preacher" book. It isn't a bad story and is engaging enough, it's just a bit standard and a bit average and not really up to Ennis' normally high standards. It's also interesting to note that Ennis makes the Ghost Rider an almost a bit part character in his own book. The artwork by Clayton Crain is digitally rendered and is hugely enjoyable and inventive in the splash pages and in the action sequences but becomes a touch wearing over the entirety of the book. The pages look a bit muddy and lack definition in places making it difficult to fully decipher the pictures and storytelling. The book is a solid hardback and runs to 168 full colour glossy pages. The special features are good: a three page origin of the Ghost Rider feature, a three page overview of Clayton Crain's career and a covers / variant covers gallery. Overall this is a decent package, with good artwork and a readable, but slightly average storyline – worth reading, but only just! ( )

Written by none other than the creator of Preacher and current writer of Punisher, Garth Ennis brings us a tale of the Ghost Rider trapped in Hell, never able to escape. Night after night he's ripped apart by ghastly demons, thinking that maybe - just maybe - this time he can reach the 'gate' in time to free his tormented soul. When offered the chance at salvation, he takes it hungrily, not seeing the traps and lies laid ahead before him.

Clayton Crain gifts the story with amazing artwork, colorful images on glossy pages that make the over-eager fanboy (or fangirl, whichever the case may be) sit up and take note. There's violence galore, with detailed bloodshed and darkly injected humor. The story doesn't lag and is a different enough one, staying relatively true to the vein of the Ghost Rider legend. Rather than the way the movie depicted it, the tortured being takes no delight in his existence, trapped in this cursed state. On the downside, the dialogue could have been better. There's Ennis' trademark humor and religious jabs, but nothing overtly sensational in terms of character interaction. Also, even if it doesn't lag, the story isn't the best it could be, and more ooph wouldn't have hurt.

Overall Ghost Rider is a fascinating legend that's fun to read different takes on. Here we see him as many others do, if not a little more naive than usual. I would have enjoyed seeing more of him here, especially with his take-charge, kick-ass attitude, but what I did see was enjoyable. There is plenty of pizazz in the art department, but sometimes I wondered if they put more focus on that and less on some areas for substance. Oh well, still a very good read that most Ghost Rider fans will devour eagerly.

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In which Ghost Rider is turned into a Vertigo character for six issues. Gone are the character’s brash origins, in are the demons and trademark ‘both sides are bastards to humans’ of DC’s adult line. It’s distinctly out of place with Marvel’s usual supernatural hierarchy – it doesn’t fit the universe of the pantomime villain types like Mephisto and Thanos too well.

The bigger problem is that the title character is largely reduced to a bystander in his own story. He has absolutely no impact on the plot but to take a road trip with a demon. His situation at the start is the same as at the end. He plays no part in resolving the crisis in the story – it’s a change of heart from a human character that solves everything. It doesn’t open up any new understanding or fresh perspective, it simply reads as if Ellis is on Vertigo autopilot here, replete with deliberately nasty moments and pointless attempts to shock. On the other hand, I loved the artist’s style, even if it’s a tad close to Giger and sundry bad metal album covers at times. A wrong turn then, and not a particularly interesting one. ( )