Cover Date: February 1974
On Sale Date: November 1973
Writer: Gary Friedrich
Artist: Jim Mooney
Inker: Vince Colletta
Letterer: Tom Orzechowski
Colorist: P. Goldberg
Editor: Roy Thomas
Writer: Gary Friedrich
Artist: Jim Mooney
Inker: Vince Colletta
Letterer: Tom Orzechowski
Colorist: P. Goldberg
Editor: Roy Thomas
Cover Artist: John Romita
On a deserted stretch of Nevada highway, the Ghost Rider is
pursued by a fleet of police officers. Thinking he can lose the patrol
cars, Johnny takes his hell-cycle off road, into the desert, but the
police are one step ahead of him as they follow in a modified dune
buggy. Riding onto a dead end at the top of a plateau, Blaze is forced
to give himself up when the sun rises and he returns to his injured,
human form. Meanwhile in Carson City, the Attorney General of the state
talks to the sheriff that captured Blaze, telling him to make sure he
gets the best of care. Roxanne Simpson is in the office with the A.G.,
and he offers to pardon Johnny for his crimes, as long as he accepts the
deal he's laid out. Roxanne tells him that they'll do anything to make
sure Blaze's name is cleared.
In Vegas, the bed-ridden Johnny is physically
abused by the sheriff that arrested him, but is stopped by the famous
stock car promoter, Dude Jensen. Dude offers Blaze a job for when he
regains his help, promising to take care of his troubles with the law.
The next day, Roxanne visits Johnny in the hospital, where he tells her
that Dude Jensen got the charges against him dropped, and that he's
going to go to work for him once he's better. Though she says nothing,
Roxanne thinks to herself that Jensen is the man the Attorney General is
after, but decides to remain silent until she talks to the A.G. first.
As the two lovers talk, however, a jealous Linda Littletrees watches
from the hallway, wishing she had Blaze for herself.
Two months later, a recovered Blaze is set to
debut as the star of the Dude Jensen Demolition Derby in Las Vegas.
Roxanne talks with the Attorney General, who tells her that they can't
do anything against Jensen until they have evidence. Roxanne goes to
Johnny's dressing room, where she finds him talking closely with Linda.
Roxanne storms out, slapping Johnny for his effort. Linda then tries to
move in, but Johnny tells her to get lost. As she leaves, he notices the
sun setting, and undergoes the painful transformation into the Ghost
Rider. Blaze creates his hellcycle and rides into the arena, joining the
cars, and the demolition derby immediately begins.
Meanwhile, outside, a distraught Roxanne overhears
Jensen telling a lackey to shoot the driver Red Thompson, due to the
fact that Thompson is an independent driver that's costing his show a
fortune. Before she can get to a phone to tell the Attorney General what
she's learned, Roxanne is caught by the lackey. Back in the arena,
Johnny has managed to survive the derby, but he soon finds himself in
the sights of a car that's prepared to run him over. Before the car can
hit him, however, Jensen's lackey fires a bullet into the driver's
brain, causing him to swerve away and crash. The Ghost Rider chases down
the sniper, and promptly fries him with hellfire. In his trailer,
however, Jensen has Roxanne tied to a chair. She tells him that she's
working for the Attorney General, to which Jensen replies by shoving a
pistol in her face.
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| Bye Linda, see you in twenty years! |
THE ROADMAP
This was Ghost Rider co-creator Gary Friedrich's last issue as writer.
Johnny was shot by policemen after running a barricade in Ghost Rider (1973) # 1.
Linda Littletrees first appeared in Marvel Spotlight (1972) # 10, and was later freed from Satan's curse in Ghost Rider (1973) # 3. Unfortunately, this was Linda's last appearance until 1994, when she appeared in the back-up Blaze story in Ghost Rider (1990) Annual # 2.
Ghost Rider's appearance in Marvel Team-Up (1972) # 15 takes place during the two-month gap in which Johnny is recovering from his injuries, as does his one-panel appearance in Avengers (1963) # 118.
CHAIN REACTION
To read my review of Ghost Rider (1973) # 4 see my book Wheels On Fire: An Unofficial Guide to Marvel Comics' Ghost Rider: 1972-1983!
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| Zen and the Art of Hellcycle Maintenance |
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