Cover Date: June 1975
On Sale Date: March 1975
Writer: Steve Gerber
Artist: Sal Buscema
Inker: Bob McLeod
Letterer: Artie Simek
Colorist: Phil Rache
Editor: Len Wein
Steve Gerber was absolutely one of my favorite Marvel writers from the 1970s, the man's work on Man-Thing, Defenders, and especially Howard the Duck holds up as high-quality decades after the fact. Not as fondly remembered as those three aforementioned titles was Gerber's work on the Son of Satan feature in Marvel Spotlight, which is a shame because it contained just as much trippy shit as his more well-known works. This issue in particular was always the one that stuck out in my head when I thought back to this run, because it's absolutely bizarre. Essentially, it's a stream-of-consciousness trip through the Son of Satan's head, which is a standard plot for comics, but Gerber's structure keeps it interesting by just whipping from one setting and character to the next with little to no transition. Ghost Rider's appearance, for example, happens when a hole opens up under the San Francisco street for Daimon to fall into and land in the middle of a highway in outer space. I did like that Johnny was the one manifestation that finally helped Daimon by pointing him in the direction he needed to go. Even when he's a figment of the Antichrist's imagination, Johnny's still a stand-up guy!
The artwork is by another Marvel 70s staple, "Our Pal" Sal Buscema, who always turned in solid work, which is impressive considering how many comics the guy was drawing in his heyday. Buscema and Gerber had a great synergy while working together on The Defenders, but I'm not sure if that was concurrent with Son of Satan or after their time on the series ended. Anyway, Buscema draws a great Ghost Rider, one of the few artists of the time that was able to successfully marry "horror" and "superhero" in his depiction of the character, he falls nicely in the middle. It's a shame Sal didn't get to draw the character more.
So, yeah, Ghost Rider fans can obviously skip this issue if all you're interested in is Blaze's appearance. However, if you want some quality Marvel horror comics, tracking down Gerber's Son of Satan run (handily reprinted a few years ago in a trade paperback collection) is highly recommended.
Writer: Steve Gerber
Artist: Sal Buscema
Inker: Bob McLeod
Letterer: Artie Simek
Colorist: Phil Rache
Editor: Len Wein
Cover Artist: Sal Buscema
Daimon Hellstrom, the Son of Satan, has fallen into a comatose state, while his astral body is trapped in a nightmare caused by the witch Madame Swabada. Hellstrom is led through various dream encounters with his childhood and forced to fight old enemies. One stop on his dream journey is the gravesite of his mother, Victoria Hellstrom, from which rises Linda Littletrees, the former Witch Woman saved from Satan's servitude by Hellstrom. He continues on his dream journey, falling through a hole in the earth only to land on the back of Johnny Blaze's motorcycle. The Ghost Rider is riding down a ribbon of highway floating in space, and he tells Daimon the "good news" that he is now free from Satan's control as well. The astral project of Blaze tells Daimon that some part of Hellstrom is hiding Swabada's presence inside his own mind, which urges Daimon to confront the witch inside a dream church. At the church, Hellstrom is confronted not only by his sister, Satana, but by a physical manifestation of his own Dark Soul, freed by Swabada. Before he can be destroyed, Hellstrom accepts the Dark Soul as part of himself and re-absorbs it, then blasts Swabada out of his consciousness, allowing him to finally wake up from his coma state.
THE ROADMAP
Though this is just a dream projection of the Ghost Rider, Blaze did indeed recently win his freedom from Satan in Ghost Rider (1973) # 9.
Hellstorm first met both Johnny Blaze and Linda Littletrees in Marvel Spotlight (1972) # 12, which is also when he freed Linda from Satan's control.
Hellstrom next meets Blaze in Ghost Rider (1973) # 17, where he notes "having heard about" Johnny's triumph over Satan.
Hellstorm first met both Johnny Blaze and Linda Littletrees in Marvel Spotlight (1972) # 12, which is also when he freed Linda from Satan's control.
Hellstrom next meets Blaze in Ghost Rider (1973) # 17, where he notes "having heard about" Johnny's triumph over Satan.
 |
| It's okay Daimon, I've had the exact same hallucination! |
CHAIN REACTION
This was a comic I originally thought I might skip over when I was doing reviews of the 1970s series and Blaze's miscellaneous appearances of the time, but I've reconsidered for two reasons: a) he's right there as the most prominent figure on the cover and b) Hellstrom's appearance in Ghost Rider # 17 does sorta-kinda reference this story. However, since it's not really an appearance by Blaze, just a figment of Daimon's subconscious, I'll make this relatively brief.
Steve Gerber was absolutely one of my favorite Marvel writers from the 1970s, the man's work on Man-Thing, Defenders, and especially Howard the Duck holds up as high-quality decades after the fact. Not as fondly remembered as those three aforementioned titles was Gerber's work on the Son of Satan feature in Marvel Spotlight, which is a shame because it contained just as much trippy shit as his more well-known works. This issue in particular was always the one that stuck out in my head when I thought back to this run, because it's absolutely bizarre. Essentially, it's a stream-of-consciousness trip through the Son of Satan's head, which is a standard plot for comics, but Gerber's structure keeps it interesting by just whipping from one setting and character to the next with little to no transition. Ghost Rider's appearance, for example, happens when a hole opens up under the San Francisco street for Daimon to fall into and land in the middle of a highway in outer space. I did like that Johnny was the one manifestation that finally helped Daimon by pointing him in the direction he needed to go. Even when he's a figment of the Antichrist's imagination, Johnny's still a stand-up guy!
The artwork is by another Marvel 70s staple, "Our Pal" Sal Buscema, who always turned in solid work, which is impressive considering how many comics the guy was drawing in his heyday. Buscema and Gerber had a great synergy while working together on The Defenders, but I'm not sure if that was concurrent with Son of Satan or after their time on the series ended. Anyway, Buscema draws a great Ghost Rider, one of the few artists of the time that was able to successfully marry "horror" and "superhero" in his depiction of the character, he falls nicely in the middle. It's a shame Sal didn't get to draw the character more.
So, yeah, Ghost Rider fans can obviously skip this issue if all you're interested in is Blaze's appearance. However, if you want some quality Marvel horror comics, tracking down Gerber's Son of Satan run (handily reprinted a few years ago in a trade paperback collection) is highly recommended.
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