Cover Date: April 1982
On Sale Date: January 1982
Writer: J.M. DeMatteis
Artist: Don Perlin
Inkers: Dave Simons & Tom Sutton
Letterer: Diana Albers
Colorist: George Roussos
Editor: Tom DeFalco
Editor In Chief: Jim Shooter
Cover Artist: Bob Budiansky
Riding his bike on a stormy night, Johnny Blaze runs across a young girl on the side of the road. She asks Johnny for a ride, which he gladly gives her. While on the road, Blaze tells her that she should be more careful who she accepts rides from, because for all she knows he could be a psycho. She replies that she can tell Johnny is a good soul, to which he says, "Don't bet on it." Further down the road, Johnny and the girl come across a stranded motorist, who claims that his car won't start. Johnny offers to take a look at the engine, but quickly realizes that he's walked into a trap. Three other men emerge from the darkness and beat him into near unconsciousness, stealing his bike as they leave. Unable to retain control over his second-self, Blaze transforms into the Ghost Rider, who forms his flame-cycle and pursues the attackers. The two men on Blaze's bike wreck against a tree, but the two in the car manage to escape. The demon relinquishes control back to Johnny, who weakly reclaims his bike. Suddenly, the girl he gave a ride to mysteriously reappears, pointing the wounded stunt rider toward a house where he can get help. Blaze approaches the house, where an old woman sits on the porch, but collapses before he can ask for help.
Johnny wakes up in the old woman's house, where he tells her that he was attacked and badly beaten. The woman's name is Veronica Stanton, and she tells Johnny why he's been the first person to set foot in her house in years. After her son and husband died, the only person that kept her from going insane was her daughter, Sally. Unfortunately, one night on the way home from a college seminar, Sally was run off the road and killed by a drunk driver. The drunk was the nephew of the town mayor, which meant the whole incident was covered up and ignored. Veronica allows Johnny to take her truck into town, so he can pick up some spare parts to fix his bike. At the town's auto-shop, Blaze sees one of his attackers, who is an employee of the shop. With his memory affected by the beating, Johnny finds the man familiar, but does not recognize him. He sees Johnny leave in Veronica's truck and decides that he and his boys need to go to her house to make sure she's "okay".
Later that night, Johnny tells Veronica that the man at the auto shop looked familiar, to which she replies that his name is Jock Parker and is the drunk driver that killed her daughter. Outside the house, Jock tells his friends that his drunken accident cost him his family and his business, that he's been living in Hell ever since and he deserves vengeance. He throws a brick through one of the house's windows, prompting Johnny to run outside to see what's going on. The men attack Johnny and tie him to a tree, where they prepare to beat him to death. Inside, Veronica readies her rifle to protect herself, but is stopped by the young girl that Blaze had helped the night before. The girl is Sally, Veronica's daughter, who says she's come back from the dead for a reason.
Outside, Johnny finally gives in to his demonic self, letting the Ghost Rider out to stop the men from hurting him. The demon biker brutally attacks the four men, while Sally points out to her mother that Blaze is the embodiment of vengeance, the very thing she's wanted ever since Sally's death. The Ghost Rider prepares to kill Jock Parker, but is stopped by the frightened Veronica, who says that no matter what he's done, he doesn't deserve death. The demon slaps the old woman away but is then confronted by Sally. The Ghost Rider flies into an insane rage but finds that his fists pass right through the ghostly girl. Eventually exhausting himself, the Rider is unable to retain control over Blaze, and transforms against his will. Sally fades away, telling her mother that it's time to move on with her life. Veronica turns to Johnny, who weakly holds out his hand and asks for help. Veronica takes his hand, deciding to choose love over her desire for vengeance.
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| Slappin' the elderly since 1982! |
CHAIN REACTION
To read my review of Ghost Rider (1973) # 67 see my book Wheels On Fire: An Unofficial Guide to Marvel Comics' Ghost Rider: 1972-1983!
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