JOHNNY BLAZE - THE GHOST RIDER - VOLUME ONE (Part 5)

 THE GHOST RIDER - JOHNNY BLAZE

VOLUME ONE

PART FIVE

- Notes on the previous posts -

Greetings, my fellow flame-heads! Welcome to another leg of our journey through the original Johnny Blaze Ghost Rider saga! This time we're beginning the final stretch! Ghost Rider #68 is the start of the final arc and that's exactly where we're starting today! Are you ready to begin this renown chapter in Johnny Blaze's original run as Ghost Rider? 

Ghost Rider has long been one of our favorite literary characters. Since the character's epic revival in the 90s onward to today we've been fans! And 2022 marks the 50th anniversary of the Johnny Blaze incarnation of Ghost Rider. This has inspired us to do something we've never done before: a complete read of every Johnny Blaze appearance from 1972 to the end of his initial run in 1983, not just his solo book but every guest appearance in other books as well. It's a complete Johnny Blaze read! And because we thought it would be fun, we've been documenting the whole journey!

Up to this point we've covered 109 different comic books featuring Johnny Blaze: in Part One we covered Marvel Spotlight #5 thru #12, Ghost Rider #1 thru #12, Marvel Team-Up #15, Marvel Two-In-One #8, and Avengers #118 (22 issues in total). In Part Two we covered Ghost Rider #13 thru #26, The Champions #1 thru #17 (including every Champions tie-in), and a bunch of cameos, guest appearances, and specials (41 issues and more if you include the Champions tie-in issues without GR in them). In Part Three we covered Ghost Rider #27 thru #50, and Marvel Team-Up #91. And in Part Four we went over Ghost Rider #51 thru #67, Defenders #96, Marvel Two-In-One #80, Marvel Graphic Novel #1, and Avengers #214 (for another 21 issues).

To get caught up on those previous posts, click the links below:

GHOST RIDER - JOHNNY BLAZE: VOLUME ONE Part One

GHOST RIDER - JOHNNY BLAZE: VOLUME ONE Part Two

GHOST RIDER - JOHNNY BLAZE: VOLUME ONE Part Three

GHOST RIDER - JOHNNY BLAZE: VOLUME ONE Part Four

For Part Five we will be looking at Ghost Rider #68 thru #75, and Team America #11. With only nine issues covered here, this is by far the fewest number of issues covered by any of our posts. But that doesn't mean this post is any shorter. These issues here come with a lot of content, the beginning of a mapped out and detailed story in the works unlike any other in the series thus far. The Chris Claremont school of writing is on full display in this section. Meaning what exactly? That this is a Ghost Rider story unlike any other!

THE LAST RIDE

This is the first half of the legendary run of this volume, folks. Everything the story has been building toward starts coming together here. Not only that, but perhaps many significant revelations are made within this section, both to Johnny Blaze's origin as well as that of the Ghost Rider himself. And the funny thing is that this run isn't written by a single writer nor illustrated by one specific artist, but a group of creators, their collected works forming something greater than the sum of its parts. 

Needless to say, this section here is a big reason why we read the issues before it. Like the ouroboros though, these issues would not carry the incredible weight that they do if not for the immense work that built to this moment. The creators of this section owe much to the creators who came before them, for without them, there'd be no Ghost Rider and no fertile ground from which this great ending would spring. And likewise, the earlier issues we covered would feel less if not for such a strong ending.

And it is an ending... well, the first half of the ending anyway!

I wanted to get the whole finale in this one post, but it turned out to be far larger than any post I had done before. In our infinite wisdom, we decided to break the post in two. Here's the first half of the epic final run!

Now that I've built this up to a point where it can't possibly live up to the hype...

...let's ride!

THE CURSE OF THE GHOST RIDER

The previous issue, Ghost Rider #67 by J.M. DeMatteis and a trio of artists, was one of the best issues in the series. It proved to be the start of an incredible "one-two" punch as this next issue maybe one of the greatest of all! 

Ghost Rider #68 features a new creative team, writer Roger Stern and artist Bob Budiansky. Artist Bob Budiansky isn't new to the book however. Beginning with issue #33, Budiansky contributed dynamic covers for nearly every issue onto the end of the volume. Issue #68 marks the first fully illustrated interior by Budiansky for a Ghost Rider book. There have been some great looking issues of Ghost Rider in the past, but the book has never looked better, in my opinion, than it does in Bob Budiansky's hands. One of the premiere aspects of this final run is Budiansky's art. And while he doesn't fully illustrate every issue in this section, his work makes up the majority of these last fourteen issues.

This is writer Roger Stern's first time writing the character and he immediately showcases the character brilliantly, maybe the best any writer ever has. The issue opens with Johnny entering a massive cathedral during a raging thunderstorm. He seems distressed, the growing influence of the Ghost Rider weighing heavily upon his conscience. Though not one for religion, he nonetheless asks the priest for confession. In the confessional booth, Johnny recounts his tragic tale to the priest. For the first time since issue #10, we're retold Johnny Blaze's origin story, only this time in greater detail (even going a little ways to explain one of my weird nitpicks with the origin too). A greater emphasis is placed on Mona Simpson, Johnny's foster mother. Johnny reveals his deep love for her, Mona's death effecting him more than the others. After her death he was understandably messed up and "went off in all sorts of weird directions." Taking an interest in the occult, he began studying occult rituals, perhaps in an attempt to contact Mona as he was still having difficulty dealing with her death. Ultimately growing disgusted and disturbed by what he was researching, he stopped his studies, but never threw away the books.

One key aspect of Johnny's origin that I poked fun at was how casually he seemed to turn to the Devil for help, as though every human being knows how to contact Satan and readily thinks to ask for the dark lord's help in times of need. This issue, while not necessarily changing his origin or retconning anything, provides further context and a deeper understanding for Johnny's decision. Exploring more fully Johnny's relationship with his foster mother, Mona, was a great gateway for this. And later, when the threat of losing his foster father looms near, those occult books tempted him to finally go through it. Johnny explains how he "felt twisted inside" after his deal with the Devil. Johnny recounts the slow build of Ghost Rider's power and influence to the point where he is no longer sure he can control GR anymore.

Once finished with his harrowing tale, Johnny begins another story, one about a priest he'd come across only hours earlier. The priest had been fatally injured, his clothes stolen, and of how the gold objects in the sanctuary might be tempting items for theft. Then a fiery skeletal hand smashes through the confessional window grasping for the murderer in priest's clothes (Johnny knew this whole time that he was talking with a murderer in priests clothes, so he's been deviously building up fear within the murderer, a nice touch). Desperate and scared, the murderer runs for his life from Ghost Rider, the chase leading out into the rain swept night where, beside the train tracks, Ghost Rider sears the man's soul with hellfire, laughing demonically as he deals out his infernal vengeance.

This one issue tells the reader everything they need to know about Johnny Blaze, the Ghost Rider, and the kind of world he lives in. This one story perfectly encapsulates the best aspects of Ghost Rider while simultaneously introducing him to potential new readers and providing more details for longtime readers to chew on as well. Noteworthy here is the usage of GR's iconic phrase "Spirit of Vengeance." Roger Stern is the first writer aside from Jim Shooter to use that phrase and it will continue to be used, albeit sparingly, in the following issues. Coupled with Budiansky's amazing artwork, if you only ever read one Ghost Rider comic book in your life... this is the one to read.

Ghost Rider #69 finally brings us back to the Quentin Carnival after spending two issues away. Roger Stern and Bob Budiansky continue together on this issue, building further upon the Quentin Carnival setting and the supporting cast that was introduced in GR #63. Red Fowler continues being a close friend of Johnny's while we get to know more about the owner of the carnival, Ralph Quentin, and even the carnival's star clown, Corky Franklin. Cynthia Randolph too, the reporter for Woman Magazine, continues to be a regular supporting cast member as well. There's a sexual tension between Cynthia and Johnny, the tell tale signs of a possible romance in the works. 

Issue #70, also by Stern and Budiansky explores one of the most fascinating aspects of carny life: FREAKS. Instantly recalling Tod Browning's immortal 1932 classic film, Freaks, this issue introduces us to another member of the Quentin Carnival; Jeremy, a hulking malformed man, with more humanity than most of us. Jeremy is pursued by the villainous Renaldo, working for a mysterious benefactor, on a mission to collect a menagerie of human freaks. Ghost Rider fights off the freaks and unleashes his hellfire upon Renaldo. But when Johnny's persona returns and rescues Jeremy from Renaldo's freaks, Jeremy's reaction is not what he expects. There's an unexpected and touching ending to this issue, though it is not the end for Renaldo and his freaks. In this issue we're also introduced to Eliot Franklin, Corky the clown's son.

Ghost Rider #71 sees a break in Roger Stern and Bob Budiansky's collaboration as writer J.M. DeMatteis and artist Don Perlin return to the book. Madame Olga returns too making contact with NULL - THE LIVING DARKNESS, one of the ultimate dark entities in the Marvel Universe. Following its defeat in Defenders #103, Null possesses the body of a man named Adam Henderson and continues spreading death to whomever it meets. There's a character within this issue by the name of Pastor Matheson (which I couldn't help but wonder if the name was a reference to prolific science fiction/horror writer Richard Matheson?) who is confronted by Null, challenging what the pastor stands for. The pastor maintains his faith and risks his life to save Adam's wife, Maureen, while Ghost Rider takes on Null. Seeing his wife nearly killed gives Adam the strength to fight Null's possession, making it vulnerable for GR to strike the decisive blow. It's another strong issue that, despite being from a different creative team, fits nicely among the other issues. The arc of Adam Henderson, the man possessed by Null, parallels Johnny's own experience with Ghost Rider and foreshadows what is to come for Johnny and Ghost Rider.

Stern and Budiansky return for #72 and #73 in a two-part story focusing on the Quentin Carnival. It's carnival vs carnival as Eliot Franklin's secret is revealed: he's the clown from the CIRCUS OF CRIME. Continuing an ongoing subplot from Michael Fleisher's run, Johnny has kept Ghost Rider bottled up for weeks now, refusing to let him loose. GR, growing in power, makes contact with Johnny through his dreams. GR demands Johnny set him free but Johnny no longer trusts GR to do the right thing, referencing the events of Avengers #214 as evidence. GR grows even more furious with Johnny. Meanwhile, disaster hits the Quentin Carnival as a series of mysterious accidents, thefts, and vandalism assail them. The troubles escalate to a tent fire which nearly kills Corky Franklin, Eliot's father, and places him in the hospital. Reluctantly Johnny lets out GR to dive into the raging inferno and save Corky's life. The culprits responsible for the attacks are the Circus of Crime! After Corky is hospitalized, Eliot takes off through the woods. Johnny follows him to the Circus of Crime's encampment in the forest. To Johnny's shock, he discovers that Eliot is the clown in the Circus of Crime! 

Johnny is quickly discovered and captured while Eliot leads the Circus of Crime back to the Quentin Carnival to take over. Eliot double crosses his old compatriots and leads the Quentin Carnival against the Circus of Crime. Even reporter Cynthia Randolph gets into the action as the battle heats up. In some awesome imagery by Bob Budiansky, Johnny transforms into GR to escape his bonds. He isn't in his usual leathers so we're treated to a rare sight of Ghost Rider in a tore up t-shirt showing more of his fiery skeleton. GR hightails it to the carnival to exact his hellish vengeance finding the cruelest of the Circus of Crime, the Fire-Eater, battling against Eliot. GR, believing Eliot to be in league with the Circus of Crime, burns his soul with hellfire. Red Fowler arrives and tells GR that Eliot is innocent. Realizing that he delivered vengeance to an innocent, Ghost Rider is shaken in his resolve and willingly lets Johnny back out. The ending was a genius move by Roger Stern that had yet to be done in the series, adding layers of gray to what had been a black and white concept of guilty versus innocent. Sadly, this is the last issue written by Roger Stern. He didn't contribute many issues, but issues he did pen were fantastic!

A noteworthy continuity error occurs here in issue #73. Ghost Rider, while trapped within Johnny's body, curses Mephisto for binding him within a human host. Recalling the early issues of Ghost Rider, it was Satan, not Mephisto, who bound Ghost Rider to Johnny Blaze. Some of you may ask, "Isn't Mephisto Marvel's Satan?" Mephisto is certainly Marvel's preeminent satanic figure, but he is NOT Satan in the Marvel comics universe. Marduk Kurios is the demon who went by the name Satan for many years in the Marvel comics universe. Marduk Kurios is the father of Daimon Hellstrom and clearly the figure whom Ghost Rider battled in those early issues of the series. This is made even more clear in the pages of Defenders #99 and #100 where Satan and Mephisto are together alongside Marvel's other major devils, Satannish and Thog. Ghost Rider blaming Mephisto instead of Satan is a major continuity error here, foreshadowing a major retcon coming in the near future.

J.M. DeMatteis and Bob Budiansky join forces for issue #74. Feeling responsible for Eliot's traumatized state at the hands of Ghost Rider, Johnny takes off on his bike. Veering off the road by accident, Johnny crashes his bike in the wilderness. There he meets a kindly old man who helps him recuperate. A ghostly fog arises, a terrifying figure walking within its ethereal mists. The old man who helped Johnny reluctantly leaves with the mysterious figure in one of the most eerie and atmospheric scenes in the entire series. Leaving a trail of dead plants in their wake, Johnny follows them to a withered and overgrown old plantation home deep in the Louisiana wilderness. Inside Johnny meets the mysterious figure, an imposing man calling himself CENTURIOUS. Surrounded by a host of people, all glass-eyed and doll-like, Centurious reveals that he has taken all of their souls and they now exist only to serve his whims. Internally Ghost Rider warns Johnny of the incredible evil he senses from this man. Johnny still refuses to let GR out until Centurious starts to steal Johnny's soul.

His resolve weakened, Johnny can no longer keep Ghost Rider back. GR emerges and begins waging his vengeance! Centurious sends his thralls to attack. GR bathes them in his soul-searing hellfire to no effect, realizing they have no souls to burn! Centurious flees to another room, retrieving a mysterious artifact called the Crystal of Souls, but is unable to reach it as Ghost Rider interrupts him. An epic battle ensues and Ghost Rider quickly realizes how powerful Centurious really is. GR covers Centurious in hellfire and thousands of souls come flooding out of the villain, all of the souls that had been consumed. Centurious himself laughs, revealing that he himself has no soul for GR to burn. Both Ghost Rider and Centurious are barely able to stand by the battle's end as the plantation home comes burning down around them. Reverting back to Johnny, Johnny escapes as everyone else inside burns in the inferno.

J.M. DeMatteis and Bob Budiansky prove to be every bit as good of a match-up as Roger Stern and Budiansky, as this issue was one of the best yet. The transition from Roger Stern to J.M. DeMatteis feels pretty seamless, DeMatteis proving to be a worthy successor as he will become the sole writer for the series from now on, weaving in Roger Stern's plots expertly with his own. Issue #74 and the battle with Centurious will prove to be quite significant for the future. This issue, to me, evoked thoughts of the horror movie TOURIST TRAP married with a little bit of HAMMER HORROR (which I both unabashedly love). Centurious himself looks and feels like an homage to Christopher Lee, which again, is absolutely wonderful!

Next comes, in what is becoming an increasingly rare occasion, is Ghost Rider making a guest appearance in another book: TEAM AMERICA #11. This is a fun little issue with little bearing on GR's story though there are a few elements of note here: 1) Jim Shooter once again gets the opportunity to writer Ghost Rider here! Shooter knows exactly how best to showcase GR and does not disappoint here. 2) Ghost Rider alludes to Mephisto here, which reinforces the coming retcon of Mephisto as the demon who bound Ghost Rider to Johnny Blaze. And 3) Ghost Rider, for the first time ever, wields a chain as a weapon! Leave it to Jim Shooter to add another essential piece of Ghost Rider iconography.

Issue #75 sees J.M. DeMatteis continue Roger Stern's Freaks plot from issue #70. A beautiful and mysterious female stunt rider named STEEL WIND is hired for the Quentin Carnival. And Johnny Blaze is fired! The entire carnival is in an uproar over the sudden change and Steel Wind begins enforcing new restrictions, displaying more power than she should have over the entire carnival. A new key member of the Quentin Carnival is introduced here; Vincenzo - The Magician. Vincenzo begins suspecting that Steel Wind has some dirt on Ralph Quentin, but doesn't know what. While spying on Steel Wind, he unwittingly stumbles upon her undressing, discovering she's part machine! Steel Wind menacingly stalks towards the magician and Vincenzo is never heard from again. Johnny, also suspecting something is wrong, returns and challenges Steel Wind to a race. During the race she attempts to murder Johnny, forcing the Ghost Rider to take over. Exposed for the duplicitous and murderous fiend that she is, GR defeats Steel Wind and essentially renders her comatose with his hellfire. In an epilogue sequence we are shown that Steel Wind was another Freak of Renaldo's and we are given our first shadowy glimpse of Renaldo's benefactor; the FREAKMASTER.

Issue #75 also contains a brief interlude where we're shown an unidentified woman searching for Johnny Blaze across the Midwest. From reading this entire run this character can only be one person (or rather there is an obvious identity to this character): Roxanne Simpson, Johnny's long lost love. Clearly seeding an event to come, the prospect of Roxanne finally coming back, for me, generated a lot of excitement in this issue. In those early issues Roxanne was both literally and figuratively Johnny's guardian angel with the power to repel demonic influences. For the last twenty to thirty issues the demonic half of the Ghost Rider has been growing stronger, Johnny now terrified of unleashing GR for fear of what he might do. This plot thread is building to a head. The return of Roxanne portends huge events on the rise. And it also clearly demonstrates how thoroughly well this creative team knows their Ghost Rider lore and characters.

'Phew!' There was a lot to unpack in these issues and we indulged ourselves a bit longer here as a result! The following issues are even more loaded, but we promise the next post will bring Johnny Blaze's original Ghost Rider saga to a close!

But before we go, let's run down the...

KEY MOMENTS FOR THIS SECTION

1) RECONTEXTURALIZING THE ORIGIN

*GHOST RIDER #68 is a superior retelling of Johnny Blaze's origin story*

*Johnny's turning to satanism is further explained* 

*New emphasis is placed on Johnny Blaze's relationship with his foster mother, Mona Simpson*

2) CONSISTENT POWER SET

*Expert stunt-driving skills (first revealed in Marvel Spotlight #5)*

*Transformations occur at will (first begun in Ghost Rider #22)*

*Can create a flaming motorcycle out of hellfire that can move at speeds in excess of 300 mph (first revealed in Ghost Rider #3)*

*Super-strength (first explicitly shown in Ghost Rider #25)*

*Nigh invulnerability (first revealed in Marvel Spotlight #9)*

*Soul searing hellfire (first explicitly stated in Ghost Rider #26)*

*Intense heat hellfire (first revealed in Marvel Spotlight #5)*

3) MAJOR ENEMIES

*Renaldo and his Freaks (Ghost Rider #70 & #75)* 

*Null - The Living Darkness (Ghost Rider #71)*

*The Circus of Crime (Ghost Rider #72 & #73)*

*Centurious - The Soulless Man (Ghost Rider #74)*

*Steel Wind (Ghost Rider #75)*

*Freakmaster -cameo only- (Ghost Rider #75)*

4) MINOR ENEMIES

*Phony Priest (Ghost Rider #68)*

*Harry Donovan (Ghost Rider #69)*

5) ALLIES & GUEST APPEARANCES

*The Quentin Carnival: Ralph Quentin, Red Fowler, Cynthia Randolph, Corky Franklin, Eliot Franklin, Madame Olga, Vincenzo - The Magician*

*Roxanne Simpson -cameo only- (Ghost Rider #75)*

*Team America (Team America #11)*

6) ICONOGRAPHY

*begins regularly describing himself as a deliverer of "Vengeance." (starts feeling like a catchphrase around Ghost Rider #36)*

*artists begin leaving out the eyes on GR's skull (beginning in Ghost Rider #37)*

*Johnny Blaze and Ghost Rider are revealed to be two different entities (Ghost Rider #30)*

*Ghost Rider's (the demon inside Johnny Blaze) true personality is revealed, that of an evil demon longing for havoc and destruction (Ghost Rider #43)*

*Ghost Rider begins using the phrase "Spirit of Vengeance" again (Avengers #214)*

*first image of Ghost Rider with chains (Ghost Rider #28)*

*first instance of Ghost Rider using a chain as a weapon (Team America #11)*

And this is where we'll leave you for now

Once again, in case you missed it, click here to get caught up with 

JOHNNY BLAZE - GHOST RIDER: PART ONE

JOHNNY BLAZE - GHOST RIDER: PART TWO

JOHNNY BLAZE - GHOST RIDER: PART THREE

JOHNNY BLAZE - GHOST RIDER: PART FOUR

and be on the look out for Part Six coming soon!

And for more Ghost Rider related posts check out these others too!

TOP TEN GHOST RIDERS
TOP TEN GHOST RIDER VILLAINS 
 TOP TEN DOCTOR STRANGE VILLAINS 
TOP TEN MARVEL SUPERNATURAL HEROES
TOP TEN MARVEL HEROES YOU'VE NEVER HEARD OF 

TOP TEN MARVEL SUPER HERO TEAMS

Artwork by the great Bob Budiansky

You know what this section is missing? The Orb! This is the first section of this Ghost Rider volume not to feature an appearance by the Orb. Shame, it's a missed opportunity for sure.