The Original Ghost Rider (1992) # 4

"...The Hordes of Hell!"

Cover Date: October 1992; On Sale Date: August 1992

 

Writer: Gary Friedrich; Artist: Mike Ploog & Jim Mooney; Inker: Jim Mooney; Letterer: Shelly Leferman; Colorist: Not Credited; Editor: Roy Thomas; Cover Artist: Joe Quesada

 

With Roxanne still strapped to the sacrificial alter, the Ghost Rider is confronted by the crazed Crash Simpson, who holds the flaming sword of Satan and is more than willing to use it. Johnny frees Roxanne and begs her to run, but she refuses to leave the man she loves and her father alone to fight to the death. Satan commands Crash to strike, but the man cannot while his daughter is endangered. Enraged, Satan waves his hand and takes both Crash and the Ghost Rider down with him to Hell. With Roxanne no loner in the equation, Crash attacks Blaze, attempting to kill him with the flaming sword. Johnny pleads with Crash to turn against the demon, and finally his words get through to his step-father, who saves Blaze from a tentacle creature. Crash takes the wounded Blaze and runs into the depths of Hell, but the two are attacked by a large demon. Crash strikes the monster with the sword, but is crushed by the falling monster. Johnny picks him and begins to walk, determined to make it out of Hell with Crash's soul. Blaze is approached by a mysterious cloaked figure, who offers to send Crash onto his final reward and Blaze back to Earth. Johnny gives his step-father over, and seconds later awakens back in the crypt in his human form, an amnesiac Roxanne fawning over him. Johnny feigns ignorance about what happened, and the two return to Madison Square Garden.

 

Several hours later, Johnny arrives in Arizona, and is picked up from the airport by a local Native American named Sam Silvercloud, who is supposed to take the stunt-rider to Copperhead Canyon. Instead, Sam pulls a gun on Blaze, telling him that he won't allow the biker to jump the Canyon. If he makes the jump, then the canyon will never be returned to the Indians that are trying to get it back. Silvercloud abandons Blaze in the desert, but not before Johnny is able to retrieve his cycle from the back of the truck. The next morning, Johnny arrives at the Canyon Rodeo grounds and speaks with the rodeo manager, who explains that the local Indians are in an uproar because of a medicine man named Snake-Dance. As they speak, Silvercloud sabotages Blaze's cycle.

 

That evening, Johnny rides out into the desert toward the Canyon, and while in transit undergoes the transformation into the Ghost Rider. When he makes it to the rim of the canyon, he is attacked by several Native American warriors. After quickly defeating them, Blaze is confronted by Snake-Dance himself, who mystically summons snakes to attack the Rider. Johnny makes it to his bike as the shaman transforms into a giant serpent and gives chase. Realizing the only avenue of escape is to jump the canyon, Blaze takes flight. At that moment, Sam Silvercloud's earlier sabotage causes the Ghost Rider's bike to explode, sending him into a free fall toward the bottom of the canyon.

"End of the Line, Part 1"

Writer: Dan Slott; Artist: Dick Ayers; Letterer: Dick Ayers; Colorist: Mike Worley; Editor: Evan Skolnick 

Angus O'Donnel and his men hijack a train. When the Phantom Rider approaches, Floyd and Red jump off the train. William startles Angus, who accidently kills the train's mailman. Phantom Rider attacks and Angus takes young William hostage.

Think man, THINK!

THE ROADMAP

This issue is a reprint of Marvel Spotlight on Ghost Rider # 8.

 

This issue also included an all-new back-up story featuring the old western Ghost Rider, Carter Slade, now re-named the Phantom Rider as of West Coast Avengers # 19.

 

The synopsis for the Phantom Rider story comes from Ghost Rider: the Official Index to the Marvel Universe.

CHAIN REACTION

The Phantom Rider stars in a 3-page chapter of an ongoing serial. How exactly does one review a 3-page story?

Dan Slott has a real thankless task, you can't really get to the nuance of any characters in such a short span of time. It helps that the story starts off with a high dose of momentum, forgoing suspense for action right from the first panel. The real star of the show is Dick Ayers, whose work looked just as good in 1992 as it did in 1967. I still don't really understand why there's a Phantom Rider back-up strip versus new Johnny Blaze material, but hey, I'm not an early 1990s Marvel editor, am I?

There, that's how you review a 3-page story!

Criminals being a cowardly and superstitious lot.