Cover Date: December 1977
On Sale Date: September 1977
Writer: Jim Shooter
Artist: Don Perlin
Inker: Dan Green
Letterer: Denise Wohl
Colorist: Francoise Mouly
Editor: Archie Goodwin
Cover Artist: Sal Buscema
At the dude ranch are Hawkeye and the Two-Gun Kid, who have been working their during a leave of absence from the Avengers. Blaze arrives on his motorcycle, which the Kid immediately strikes up a fascination about and invites Johnny to stay at the ranch while he does his repairs. The next day, while Blaze is giving the Kid motorcycle lessons, they notice something movement atop a large peak, though Two-Gun states that its impossible to climb. That night, Johnny goes to the peak as the Ghost Rider and rides up to the top, where he finds tracks that resemble large paw prints.
At the ranch, Hawkeye has changed into his costume, pondering on whether he should return to the Avengers. His room is attacked by a large cat-like creature that calls himself the Manticore, which knocks him unconscious and carries him away. Ghost Rider arrives and frees Two-Gun from the wreckage of the room, and the cowboy is shaken by Blaze's appearance despite having met him once before with the Champions. Ghost Rider swears to rescue Hawkeye and rides off, but Two-Gun decides to follow as well. In a canyon far away, an injured Hawkeye is told by the Manticore that he works for Brand Industries, who needs a dead Avenger for a scheme. Ghost Rider interrupts and battles the Manticore, but the fight is disrupted by Two-Gun Kid, who is riding Blaze's motorcycle. Manticore grabs Two-Gun and threatens to kill him if Blaze doesn't surrender. Blaze intimidates the Manticore by bluffing him with his demonic persona, allowing Hawkeye time to hit him with an electrical arrow, knocking him unconscious. After Blaze transforms he realizes that Hawkeye and Two-Gun were just as spooked by his bluff as the villain and tries to assure him that he wasn't being serious. He notes that the Ghost Rider is his curse and it will follow him no matter where he goes.
Johnny Blaze rides through the desert alone, having left his life in Los Angeles behind him after having been exposed as the Ghost Rider to his friends and co-workers. While on the road and pondering where to go, he runs across another biker named Brahma Bill that he strikes up a brief friendship with before they part ways. Blaze stops at a service station to get his bike checked out, and is directed toward a local dude ranch for repairs.
At the dude ranch are Hawkeye and the Two-Gun Kid, who have been working their during a leave of absence from the Avengers. Blaze arrives on his motorcycle, which the Kid immediately strikes up a fascination about and invites Johnny to stay at the ranch while he does his repairs. The next day, while Blaze is giving the Kid motorcycle lessons, they notice something movement atop a large peak, though Two-Gun states that its impossible to climb. That night, Johnny goes to the peak as the Ghost Rider and rides up to the top, where he finds tracks that resemble large paw prints.
At the ranch, Hawkeye has changed into his costume, pondering on whether he should return to the Avengers. His room is attacked by a large cat-like creature that calls himself the Manticore, which knocks him unconscious and carries him away. Ghost Rider arrives and frees Two-Gun from the wreckage of the room, and the cowboy is shaken by Blaze's appearance despite having met him once before with the Champions. Ghost Rider swears to rescue Hawkeye and rides off, but Two-Gun decides to follow as well. In a canyon far away, an injured Hawkeye is told by the Manticore that he works for Brand Industries, who needs a dead Avenger for a scheme. Ghost Rider interrupts and battles the Manticore, but the fight is disrupted by Two-Gun Kid, who is riding Blaze's motorcycle. Manticore grabs Two-Gun and threatens to kill him if Blaze doesn't surrender. Blaze intimidates the Manticore by bluffing him with his demonic persona, allowing Hawkeye time to hit him with an electrical arrow, knocking him unconscious. After Blaze transforms he realizes that Hawkeye and Two-Gun were just as spooked by his bluff as the villain and tries to assure him that he wasn't being serious. He notes that the Ghost Rider is his curse and it will follow him no matter where he goes.
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| The character find of 1977: Brahma Bill! |
THE ROADMAP
Hawkeye and Two-Gun Kid first met Ghost Rider in The Champions (1975) # 11.
CHAIN REACTION
To read my review of Ghost Rider (1973) # 27 see my book Wheels On Fire: An Unofficial Guide to Marvel Comics' Ghost Rider: 1972-1983!
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| Pretty soon, that rant won't be a bluff... |
Roger McKenzie demonized the ghost rider's personality pretty quickly once he took the helm. Do you think Jim Shooter was heading towards something like this? It would have been interesting to see GR evolve into a colder, more merciless and demonic version of Blaze's personality, rather than a just a separate entity completely. What do you think Shooter was heading towards?
ReplyDeleteI think you're spot on. If you go to Avengers # 214 by Jim Shooter, he outright says that he believes the Ghost Rider is Blaze's dark side, and that the more angry and bitter Johnny is the more vicious he is as GR.
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