Cover Date: April 1993; Publication Date: February 1993
Writer: Gary Friedrich; Artist: Herb Trimpe; Inker: Frank Chiaramonte; Letterer: John Costanza; Colorist: John Severin; Editor: Roy Thomas; Cover Artist: Michael Bair
Locked in a cabin at the Indian
reservation, a manic Daimon Hellstrom pounds on the door to his prison,
promising that he can save the life of Linda Littletrees. Despite the
fact that Hellstrom had told them not to release him until morning, no
matter how much he pleaded, Sam Silvercloud and Snake Dance open the
door and free the man, only to Daimon transformed into the Son of Satan!
Garbed in a red cape, golden trident in hand and a pentagram tattooed
on his chest, the demon spawn tells the Indians that while by day he is
the meek Hellstrom, by night he becomes his father's son, whose
elemental trident can produce blasts of searing hellfire. Hellstrom
demands to know Linda's whereabouts, sure that she has been possessed by
his father. When the two men refuse to tell him, the Son of Satan
raises his trident in the air, causing a ferocious thunderstorm. From
the clouds, a mystical chariot descends, drawn by two demonic horses.
Daimon jumps aboard the chariot and leaves the Indians, determined to
find Linda Littletrees.
Meanwhile, in the remote desert, Roxanne Simpson
finds herself at the mercy of Big Daddy Dawson and his biker gang after
the disappearance of Linda and the Ghost Rider. Before the men can
injure the young girl, the Son of Satan appears, demanding to know where
Linda and Blaze have gone. Hellstrom quickly defeats the bikers,
causing them to run away without Dawson, whom the devil scion has
blasted with his trident. Daimon then attacks Roxanne, demanding to know
where his father has gone. She tells him that the Witch Woman
disappeared with the Ghost Rider, though she doesn't know where they
went. Hellstrom knows, however, and departs, abandoning Roxanne once
again to the desert.
The Son of Satan makes his way to a desert plateau
in the desert, in which is a cavern that doubles as a gateway to Hell
itself. He descends into the netherrealm, and when he reaches his
father's throne room, finds Satan and his two captives, Linda
Littletrees and Johnny Blaze. Not pleased at seeing his son, Satan
commands his demon hordes to destroy him, but Hellstrom fights on,
destroying the demons with his power. He makes his way to a bridge high
above the floor, a bridge that supports the weight of the entire roof of
Hell. Daimon threatens to destroy the bridge, thusly destroying Hell,
unless Satan allows him, Linda, and Blaze safe passage back to Earth.
Satan agrees, realizing he has no choice, and Daimon takes the two
captives back to Earth. Realizing that the sun is about to come up, and
with it a reversion back to his normal self, Daimon sets down his
chariot in the desert and leaves Blaze and the unconscious Linda,
despite the fact that the two would most likely die. Daimon flies away,
stating that their lives are of little consequence to him.
"Who is the Phantom Rider?, Part 3"
Writer: Dan Slott; Artist: Dick Ayers; Letterer: Dave Sharpe; Colorist: Mike Worley; Editor: Evan Skolnick
Determined to arrest the Phantom Rider, Sheriff Brown looks over his
list of suspects before settling on Carter Slade; he has nights free
from teaching so he could be the vigilante. Suddenly, Phantom Rider
appears and they chase him into the cemetery where several Phantom
Riders convince the Sheriff that Carter is innocent. Sheriff Brown
leaves and Jamie Jacobs reveals William knows Carter's secret and gives
Carter Cletus' journal.
THE ROADMAP
This issue is a reprint of Marvel Spotlight on the Son of Satan # 12.
This reprint was scheduled to coincide with the first issue of the 1993 Hellstorm series by Raphael Neives and this issue's cover artist Michael Bair.
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
Slott and Ayers provide a resolution to the Phantom Rider's decision to quit the vigilante business with a particularly chilling masquerade.
Let's be honest, the Phantom Rider's "ghost gimmicks" are inherently hokey and definitely a product of the time the character was conceived. That doesn't mean they can't be used to great effect, though, as the creative team demonstrates with this story where the Rider has to throw the sheriff off his tracks before his secret identity is discovered. Having the Phantom Rider appear as the ghost of dead men returned to exact vengeance is a great ploy and would certainly be effective as a way to cement his otherworldly appearance.
Dick Ayers continues to be the hero of this serial, as his work never fails to recapture the 1960s aesthetic that the serial needs to be successful. The way the Phantom Rider appears in the cemetery is top notch and is a great example of how Ayers was able to capture mood in his artwork. If the Phantom Rider was going to be the back-up feature then they certainly made the right decision to bring Ayers back on board.
This series isn't mind-blowing by any means but it's entertaining enough when viewed through a historical lens, just like the 1960s series.
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