TOP TEN FAVORITE GHOST RIDERS
Have you ever noticed when a new movie comes out with a lot of hype and enthusiasm and the public embraces it, all of the sudden there are a ton of copycats and ripoffs coming out near the same time? Super hero movies and attempts at creating cinematic universes are relevant examples today along with ghost/possession movies too. When the movies Insidious and The Conjuring proved inexpensive and highly successful, it took no time at all for other studios to start cranking out their own spins on similar content.
Comic books are no different. To be polite they're referred to as "LEGACY" characters. To be frank and/or rude they'd be characterized as derivatives or clones. When Marvel proved successful with NAMOR ~ The Sub-Mariner, DC responded with AQUAMAN. When DARKSEID was killing it at DC, Marvel blatantly copied the character with THANOS. These characters have since been developed beyond being mere clones but the derivative origins remain the same. It goes back and forth between companies again and again and again still to this day, sometimes in strikingly similar ways too (and some of these copies are coincidental and unintentional too).
And even within the same company they'll ripoff their own characters and populate their comic universes with multiple (sometimes dozens) of the same character. There are countless Spider-Man and Wolverine clones all over the place (Marvel's two most popular characters). It's actually kinda rare to find a somewhat known character that hasn't been copied or isn't a copy themselves. Personally I'd like most clones of characters to go away. There only needs to be ONE Hulk in my opinion. But I'd be lying if I didn't say there aren't a few that I do enjoy though.
Which brings us finally to the character being showcased: THE GHOST RIDER. I love Ghost Rider and he is one of my all-time favorite characters across all fiction mediums. There are a TON of ghost riders populating the Marvel Universe. Interestingly enough, my favorite Ghost Rider isn't the original, but in fact a clone! As much as I'd like there to be only one Ghost Rider and only one Hulk, sometimes these multiple iterations are necessary for the evolution of the character. Some of these copies though are a waste of space however.
Anyway, here are my favorite Ghost Riders of the Marvel universe!
THE BONUSES
#12
SPEED DEMON & KID DEMON
Once upon a time (the craziness that was the 90's) DC and Marvel agreed to mash their characters together and created a short-lived series called the AMALGAM UNIVERSE. During this "experiment" Spider-Man and Superboy became SPIDER-BOY, Batman and Wolverine became DARKCLAW, and many many more such fusions came about. Among these combos Barry Allen and Johnny Blaze became Blaze Allen ~ THE SPEED DEMON! And Dan Ketch and Wally West became the KID DEMON in Marvel and DC's Amalgam imprint.
The demon which grants them their power isn't Zarathos or Noble Kale but rather DC's own premiere demon, ETRIGAN. In essence, this is just a combination of The Flash and Etrigan made to look like Ghost Rider. Marvel really doesn't contribute a whole lot to this strangely. Needless to say, these are among the strangest yet most noteworthy Ghost Riders that have ever come along. It was an interesting experiment to say the least. I'm not gonna say that these are among my favorites but these two do number among the most odd iterations of Ghost Riders to have come along.
#11
The Blazing Skull technically isn't a Ghost Rider, but he is Marvel's first character (and maybe literature's first character) to feature a skull ablaze for a head. First appearing in MYSTIC COMICS #5 from March 1941, Mark Todd was a reporter caught in the middle of a war. As the artillery rained down Mark sought refuge in a hidden cave in the mountains. There he discovered a group of mystics who all possessed bare fiery skulls for heads. These mystics taught Mark their powers and transformed him into the hero known as the Blazing Skull!
Like I said, Blazing Skull isn't a Ghost Rider but he is undeniably a template character for what Ghost Rider would eventually become. He actually has very few appearances and didn't received a new story outside of the 1940's until 1995 in Midnight Sons Unlimited #9. An obscure character but hugely influential for his design.
THE TOP TEN
#10
WILEAYDUS AUTOLYCUS A.K.A. SPIRIT OF VENGEANCE
The Ghost Rider of the 31st century, Wileaydus Autolycus was an alien from the planet Sarka. When the Universal Church of Truth began converting the population of Sarka, Wileaydus transformed into the Spirit of Vengeance. He travels the cosmos chasing after the Universal Church of Truth, avenging those lives ruined by the church.
So, the 1990's was without a doubt the height of Ghost Rider's popularity. Ghost Rider was given the most exposure and creativity during this era. One such creative take being Wileaydus, the original COSMIC GHOST RIDER! He first appeared in the pages of the Guardians of the Galaxy #12 from May 1991. One of the fun aspects of the Guardians of the Galaxy book was seeing what became of the classic super heroes in the 31st century. Wileaydus was the demon on the heels of the Universal Church of Truth (which, if you know your cosmic Marvel lore, the UCOT is a major threat!) and later became a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy.
It's interesting how today the cosmic ghost rider has come back in much the same way following a very similar path. Speaking of which...
#9
FRANK CASTLE A.K.A. COSMIC GHOST RIDER
In an alternate reality Frank Castle a.k.a. The Punisher was killed alongside nearly every Earth hero in a battle against Thanos. In exchange for his soul, Frank made a deal with Mephisto to become a new Ghost Rider to gain revenge on Thanos. Frank gained new powers only to discover Thanos had left the planet. Frank was left stranded on a dying Earth with no enemy to fight. Then Galactus arrived on Earth and transformed Frank into a new Herald. Now, armed with both the power cosmic and the spirit of vengeance, Frank traveled alongside Galactus into the cosmos. After thousands of years they finally confronted Thanos and lost. Galactus died and Frank was taken by Thanos to be the Titan's personal enforcer. After countless millennia Frank was driven insane by Thanos. Now a cosmic supernatural cuckoo, Frank is finally killed by the Silver Surfer. Odin then revives Frank and sends him to the past (our present) where he attempts to atone for his sins by joining the modern Guardians of the Galaxy.
"Phew!" The definition of absurdity, yes?
It's like writer Donny Cates took apart his super hero toys, mismatched their limbs, and started playing with the composite figure in his hands. What a lot of people don't realize is that this is basically a reinvention of the previous character on this list: Wileaydus, the original Cosmic Ghost Rider. In essence this should be viewed as a continued evolution of Wileaydus as this new Cosmic Ghost Rider is basically following a similar path. This new Cosmic Ghost Rider is wildly popular with today's readers and considered pure brilliance by some. He's basically Wileaydus with Deadpool's personality. Just imagine if Deadpool had the powers of Ghost Rider and Silver Surfer and that's who this new Cosmic Ghost Rider is.
#8
First appearing in All-New Ghost Rider #1 from May 2014, Robbie Reyes was not the traditional Ghost Rider. He was an innocent kid living in Hillrock Heights in L.A.who was gunned down by gangs. Near death, he was possessed by the evil spirit of his dead Satan worshiping uncle, Eli Morrow, and revived as a fiery demon resembling Ghost Rider. Sporting a chrome-skull-helmet and a hell-powered muscle-car, Robbie cruises the rough neighborhoods of L.A. stopping gang wars and battling the evil spirit within himself.
I was skeptical of this new Ghost Rider at first but became accepting of him upon seeing how different he was. Despite being named Ghost Rider, he was very much his own character. His side-story of being a high-school student working all night to provide for his handicapped little brother, Gabe, was a unique touch too. Sadly though I was not a fan of the artwork. And later writer Jason Aaron began retconning him into being an actual Spirit of Vengeance, which I was not a fan of. I must admit that I haven't kept up with Robbie Reyes since he joined the Avengers, but that's because I don't enjoy Jason Aaron's writing anymore, not because of Robbie Reyes.
#7
ALEJANDRA JONES
Raised and trained in an ancient temple to be the host of the Spirit of Vengeance, Alejandra was just one of many potential candidates being groomed to become the next Ghost Rider. Their leader was a mysterious figure calling himself Adam. Possessing power beyond measure, Adam removed Zarathos from Johnny Blaze and placed the demon inside Alejandra. Adam claimed to want to rid humanity of its sin by way of the Ghost Rider. But what was really happening was the stripping of humanity's free will. Alejandra rebelled against Adam and, with the help of Johnny Blaze, she defeated her former mentor. In turn Johnny became Alejandra's mentor, teaching her how to deal with Zarathos' demonic influence and harness his power as the next Ghost Rider.
First appearing in 2011, Alejandra wasn't a half-bad Ghost Rider. I thought she was an interesting successor to the legacy in that she was trained for this role her entire life. Yet when she finally became the Ghost Rider it was nothing like she imagined. So while she was cocky she needed help from Johnny. She also had an interesting relationship with Zarathos where he was kind but ultimately very manipulative of her, rather than a straight up antagonist like he was to Johnny. What supremely sucked about Alejandra's run was how horribly "back-woods hill-billy hick" the writer made Johnny Blaze come across as. It was easily the WORST Johnny Blaze was ever written and that ultimately amounted to the end of the book and Alejandra's time as Ghost Rider.
#6
KUSHALA
The most recent iteration of the Ghost Rider (that isn't cosmic), Kushala is both a spirit of vengeance and a sorcerer supreme from the past. An Apache woman from the 1800's, Kushala became the Ghost Rider to avenge the slaughter of her family by U.S. Troops. Seeking to cure herself of the Ghost Rider (or Demon Rider as she called it) she traveled the world learning magics and martial arts (to help focus her spirit). Eventually she learned enough magic to become the sorcerer supreme of her time.
Now, admittedly there isn't much story about Kushala (only a mere twelve issues), but I totally dig Kushala. First and foremost I love her design. She has a cool and calm demeanor that juxtapose against the raging fiery demon inside her. She's deadly without having to tap into the Ghost Rider too, what with her fighting prowess (not to mention her sorceress might). And she rides a flame-engulfed steed! As I type this I'm realizing how grossly overpowered she is. But still, she's one badass lady and one cool take on the Ghost Rider concept. I really wish there was more material with her, but maybe it's this small amount of material that has kept her so cool, preventing some other writer from coming along and ruining her.
#5
CARTER SLADE
The ORIGINAL and very first Ghost Rider in comic book publication (that we know of). Originally published by Magazine Enterprises from 1949 to 1955, Ghost Rider was a horror western story following a man named Rex Fury. He fought monsters and raced against Death among dispensing justice to the wicked. In the ensuing twelve years Marvel Comics bought Magazine Enterprises including the rights to Ghost Rider. In 1967 the first Marvel Comics Ghost Rider appeared featuring Ghost Rider's creator, Dick Ayers, on art detail. This Ghost Rider was identical to the previous design but went by a different secret identity, Carter Slade.
I love horror western stories. There are so few and the landscape is incredibly fertile for gruesome storytelling. Remember when the idea of a ghost conjured up images an ethereal floating white sheet that moved against the wind? This Ghost Rider literally takes the "Ghost" motif and runs with it. A ghostly horseman that bullets pass through. To be honest, I am in love with the idea of this Ghost Rider more than the actual comics that have come from Marvel. As with any long running character there are stories that are worse than others and some stories that should've never been written at all. There is one such notorious story with a version of this Ghost Rider (not Carter Slade but a different Slade) that I am not endorsing whatsoever involving the character of Mockingbird. It is a story wildly out of character for this hero and it is a story that has unfortunately marred this particular character's legacy. Thankfully it wasn't Carter Slade in that story.
#4
ZERO COCHRANE
In the year 2099 a massive corporation called D/Monix has been steadily increasing its influence and power. When hacker Kenshiro "Zero" Cochrane uncovers the company's nefarious plot, D/Monix has him killed. Before dying, Zero downloaded his consciousness onto the web where he encountered a mysterious group called Ghostworks, a group dedicated to stopping D/Monix's plans. Ghostworks offered Zero a chance to avenge himself if he acted on their behalf. Zero agreed and his mind was downloaded into a powerful robotic body. Alive in the real world once again, Zero began a war against D/Monix, calling himself the Ghost Rider.
Cyberpunk esthetics mixed with a little bit of Terminator, Robocop, and Ghost In The Shell all set in the far future of 2099. Oh yeah, and he's got chainsaw hands! What about this doesn't scream amazing? As a kid reading comics in the 90's I got one look at this character and was sold. I love the rad design. It was only a few years ago that I went back and reread all 25 issues of this series. Maybe it was nostalgia but I felt the book held up very well. The artwork for half the book is traditional and amazing. The latter half received the highly stylized artwork of Ashley Wood which is the kind of art that either you like or you don't. Anyway, I've always loved his design and thought the whole intermingling of spirits and machines was interesting and cool.
#3
VENGEANCE
When Johnny Blaze first became possessed by the demon Zarathos there was always a battle for control over the body. During a period where the evil Zarathos was in control, Zarathos encountered a police officer named Badilino. Sensing the presence of an ancient enemy, Zarathos used his hellfire on the policeman. The hellfire drove the officer mad. The officer went home and killed his family before killing himself. A young boy named Michael was the only survivor. Flash forward several years, Michael, now a police officer himself, thought Danny Ketch's Ghost Rider was Zarathos reborn. Seeking vengeance against Zarathos, Badilino sold his soul to Mephisto for the power to kill Ghost Rider. Mephisto, the grand manipulator and fellow enemy of Zarathos, awakened the power lying dormant within Badilino transforming him into the fiery black skulled demon, Vengeance.
I love this character. I love the design and I love his story. Vengeance's story ties directly into the greater mythology of Ghost Rider, that of the legend of the Medallion of Power. In ancient times Zarathos walked the Earth with power rivaling Mephisto. Called together by fate, a group of heroes called the Midnight Sons battled Zarathos for the fate of the world. One of the original Midnight Sons was Michael Badilino's ancient ancestor, their power lying dormant with their bloodline over millennia. Vengeance started off as an anti-Ghost Rider, battling Danny Ketch. Once the truth was revealed he became a powerful ally in the fight against Lilith and Zarathos. And for a time, when Danny Ketch had died, Vengeance succeeded Ketch as the next Ghost Rider.
#2
JOHNNY BLAZEThe original! Well... kinda. Johnny Blaze was Marvel's second Ghost Rider, but he was the first Ghost Rider to sport the fiery skull, but not the first Marvel hero to rock the blazing skull (it was the Blazing Skull!). So, in essence, Johnny Blaze was the first character to bring the name of Ghost Rider to the flame engulfed skull image. Combined with those elements was a modern day retelling of FAUST along with pulp comic book sensibilities and a motorcycle and what resulted was one compelling narrative landscape and what would become an icon. First appearing in 1972, Johnny Blaze is probably the character most associated with Ghost Rider and, to many, the best.
Admittedly, I wasn't always that big of a Johnny Blaze fan, at least not his stint as Ghost Rider. His original run started with an intriguing premise, but floundered for years until finding its footing. The final year of this run (issues #68-#81) by Bob Budiansky, Roger Stern, and J.M. DeMatteis was the shining moment of the volume and is essential Ghost Rider reading with what was to come. It wasn't until recently, after doing a complete read of this volume, that I really came to appreciate the work that was done here; beginning with Jim Shooter's brief stint, then to Roger McKenzie for some truly great issues, before finally arriving at Michael Fleisher who wrote an epic run more than thirty issues long until passing the writing duties to J.M. DeMatteis and Roger Stern who would bring the volume to a close. And so too has my appreciation for the character of Johnny Blaze grown as a result.
For the longest time my favorite rendition of Johnny Blaze was from the 1990s (who am I kidding? This is still my favorite rendition of Johnny). During that time Danny Ketch was Ghost Rider and Johnny Blaze (older and going by John Blaze) acted as a mentor figure to Danny. Together they fought alongside each other to battle an unbound Zarathos, Centurious, Lilith, and Blackheart in my personal favorite era of Ghost Rider stories. As a co-star and/or supporting character Johnny Blaze really shone as a great character. This Johnny Blaze was grizzled, serious, and a no-nonsense badass. Instead of a young fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants stunt rider, he was a rough Clint Eastwood-esque cowboy (think William Munny from Unforgiven) and an undeniable badass.
Johnny has since come back as the central Ghost Rider after the market crashed in the 1990s, but has fluctuated in quality since. The greatest amount of success Johnny has achieved since then occurred when he appropriated nearly all of Danny Ketch's powers and image. Basically the progenitor became a derivative of the successor (did you understand that?). In essence Johnny Blaze became Danny Ketch only he kept his original name... because Johnny Blaze is the cooler name and that's all the new writers actually knew about him. There have been bright spots here and there since the 90s, but Johnny and the character of Ghost Rider were never better than the 70s, 80s, and 90s, each decade the character growing even better.
#1
DANNY KETCH
When Danny Ketch came into contact with the Medallion of Power he became the host of the Spirit of Vengeance, the Ghost Rider!
This rendition of Ghost Rider has arguably contributed the most iconography to the character and is the storytelling high point of Ghost Rider's career. For one, the artwork by Javier Saltares and Mark Texeira was outstanding and some of the best looking skull renditions in all of Marvel's books. Danny Ketch introduced the leather, spikes, and chains to the character, the power of the Penance Stare, and the AKIRA inspired motorcycle. Writer Howard Mackie took the Ghost Rider mythos and developed a whole history around the characters and deepened the mythology more than any other writer has done for Ghost Rider. Mackie took the content seriously and crafted a larger overarching story connecting Johnny Blaze's original volume with the new volume into one massive story.
Danny Ketch's volume was heavily steeped in horror but a horror that was modernized. Not only was Ghost Rider fighting monsters and demons but also serial killers, rapists, and genuine scum of the earth. Danny's book had a dark gritty edge to it while balancing brutal street level violence with grand supernatural themes. The villains that are synonymous with Ghost Rider like Lilith, Blackheart, Scarecrow, Blackout, and others became tied to Ghost Rider during this run.
I love this incarnation of Ghost Rider for many reasons, foremost likely
being that he was the first Ghost Rider I came to know. I came into
comic books during the late 80's and early 90's and Ghost Rider was
among those first comics I ever read. I showed a love for horror early on
in my life because the moment I saw Ghost Rider I thought it was the
coolest thing I'd ever seen. That hasn't changed much for me in the last
30 years. If I didn't know of the Incredible Hulk, Danny Ketch Ghost
Rider would be my all-time favorite comic character (Hulk and Ghost
Rider go back and forth some days).
And there you have it! My favorite incarnations of Ghost Rider ranked!
Who are your favorite Ghost Riders?
Drop a comment below and let us know!
And for more Top Ten lists and Ghost Rider related posts click on the links below!
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