Ghost Rider (1973) # 36

"A Demon In Denver!"

Cover Date: June 1979
On Sale Date: March 1979

Writer: Michael Fleisher
Artist: Don Perlin
Letterer: Irv Watanabe
Colorist: Ben Sean
Editor: Roger Stern
Editor In Chief: Jim Shooter
Cover Artist: Bob Budiansky

On the outskirts of the Colorado Rockies, the Ghost Rider tears down the highway, terrorizing truckers and other motorists. Several hours later, the demon arrives in Denver, where he causes more chaos before finally relinquishing control over to Johnny Blaze. Finding himself exhausted and incredibly hungry, Johnny walks to the nearby Dickie's Restaurant, where he orders some food. Finding he doesn't have enough money, a kind woman Debbie offers to pay. The woman is an exotic dancer who works the diner for money, and her normal customers don't appreciate her befriending Blaze. The leader of the gang, a construction worker named Barney, picks a fight with Johnny, only to get his ass thoroughly kicked. Blaze and Debbie leave together, ending up at the woman's apartment. There, Blaze meets her little sister, Beth, who is due for a hospital visit for her weekly kidney treatment. Debbie invites Johnny to go along, which he accepts.

While on the way to the hospital, Debbie's car is run off the road by an unknown assailant. After their car crashes, Johnny is hauled out by Barney and his gang of buddies, who want payback for being shown up in the restaurant. The gang proceeds to beat Blaze to a pulp, so to save his own life, he transforms into the Ghost Rider. While the demon makes short work of the men, Debbie tries to start the damaged car and escape, afraid for her and her sister's lives. Realizing the car won't start, they beg Barney to give them a ride as he tries to escape the Ghost Rider. The girls get in the man's car, but quickly find that he's been hoisted into the air by the demonic biker. Debbie attempts to plead with the monster, telling him that if she doesn't get to a hospital, her sister will die. Reluctantly, the Rider tosses Barney to the ground and relinquishes control back over to Blaze. Johnny drives the fearful women to the hospital, not a word spoken amongst them.

Johnny Blaze, ladies man.

THE ROADMAP
Johnny Blaze takes a moment to mention how much he misses Roxanne Simpson, who last appeared in Ghost Rider (1973) # 28 and won't show up again until many years later in Ghost Rider (1973) # 74.

CHAIN REACTION
To read my review of Ghost Rider (1973) # 36 see my book Wheels On Fire: An Unofficial Guide to Marvel Comics' Ghost Rider: 1972-1983!


A defining moment for the series.
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Ghost Rider (1973) # 35

"Deathrace!"

Cover Date: April 1979
Release Date: January 1979

Writer: Jim Starlin
Artist: Jim Starlin
Inker: Steve Leialoha
Letterer: Tom Orzechowski
Colorist: Petra Goldberg
Editor: Roger Stern
Editor In Chief: Jim Shooter
Cover Artist: Bob Budiansky

As he rides down a Utah highway, the Ghost Rider thinks back to a time when his curse was less consuming; back to a time when Johnny Blaze was a newly-hired stuntman for the Stuntmaster television show...

Johnny rides through the desert, only to find himself transforming into the Ghost Rider. He questions why, since he only transforms when danger is near, but then sees a storm forming rapidly overhead. He then sees a man standing directly in the middle of the road, causing Blaze to brake as hard as he can to keep from running him over. The skull-headed biker in black greets the Ghost Rider, saying that he is the reason he rides that absurd motorcycle, the reason he risks his life in insane stunts...he is Death, who tells him that he has devised an appropriate challenge for the Ghost Rider. The two shall race three times, with three prizes for the winner. Slowly it dawns on Johnny that the creature in front of him truly is the specter of death, and that all of this really is happening.

Death's first challenge is a street race; five miles down the road is a lone cyclist named Richie Petrillo, both the destination and prize. If Blaze reaches him first, he will live...if not, then the innocent man will die. The two inhuman bikers race toward the unsuspecting man, but Death pulls ahead at the last minute to touch Petrillo as he passes. Within moments, the man is dead and Death is the victor. Blaze declares that "Death Ryder" has cheated the man out of his entire life, but Death replies that there is no cheating in their game and that anything goes. Johnny then tries to quit the contest, but Death explains that if he does so then he will forfeit his life.

The second race is a cross-country drive, where Death's extra power will matter little. The goal is a little girl named Anna Devere, four miles north and lost, searching for her parents. The two cyclists start their race, and neither gains an inch on the other as they approach the doomed girl. At the last moment, Johnny tries a daring stunt where he jumps over Death and dives to save the girl, sparing her life but wrecking his bike.

Once his bike is checked out and ready to ride, Death tells him the final race is for Blaze's own life. If he reaches the distant mountain peak first without Death touching him, he will win and live. Blaze decides he's had enough of the game and blasts Death with hellfire, only to find that it didn't affect his foe at all. Blaze takes off with Death close behind, unable to shake his pursuer. Finally, Johnny realizes that Death himself said "anything goes" in the race, and does something he would never do against a human...he cheats and kicks the "Death Ryder's" front tire, causing him to crash all the way down the jagged mountain cliffs. Blaze watches the fire consume his foe, content that the challenge is over...for now. He knows, however, that Death will continue to dog his tracks in one form or another.

The touch of death...

THE ROADMAP
This story takes place between Ghost Rider (1973) # 13 and Ghost Rider (1973) # 14. At this time, Johnny transformed into the Ghost Rider whenever there was danger to himself or others, and he also retained full control of his demonic form.

Johnny left Delazny Studios and his job as a stuntman in Ghost Rider (1973) # 26.

CHAIN REACTION
To read my review of Ghost Rider (1973) # 35 see my book Wheels On Fire: An Unofficial Guide to Marvel Comics' Ghost Rider: 1972-1983!


Eat hellfire, indeed.
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Inner Demons Episode 54 - "Return of the King"

  



They say: "It's good to be the King." Unless you're Johnny Blaze, burdened with the throne of Hell and keeping the entire hordes of the underworld at bay for for the greater good. But what happens when Blaze's plan to drag Mephisto on a mission of Vengeance is interrupted by symbiote dragons and even his own brother in "Ghost Rider: King in Black #1"?

By Crom, if that wasn't bad enough...Johnny Blaze battles none other than Conan the Barbarian in "Savage Avengers #21"
.
Next up is Daniel Way's "Ghost Rider" Issues 15 and 16 as Blaze continues his looooong mission of destroying 666 Satanic avatars but this time GR has to also contend with a pair of sneaky angels. They grow up so fast, don't they?

Lastly is "Ghost Rider" Issue 19 from the 70s, which had way more behind the scenes intrigue than you'd expect!

Stay tuned for a very special #PostWritersGR segment with listener feedback from fans like you and more details on our newest contest!!

You can listen to the episode at the Vengeance Unbound page on BlogSpot, or you can download it from Stitcher, iTunes, or Google Podcasts.

You can also find us on Facebook, just search  for "Vengeance Unbound" and on Twitter under @InnerDemonsGR.

Thanks for listening!
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Ghost Rider (1973) # 34

“The Boy Who Lived Forever!”

Cover Date: February 1979
On Sale Date: November 1978

Scripter/Co-Plotter: Roger McKenzie
Artist/Co-Plotter: Don Perlin
Letterer: Jim Novak
Colorist: Bob Sharen
Editor: Roger Stern
Editor-in-Chief: Jim Shooter

Johnny Blaze finds himself the prisoner of a child in a glass dome, a powerful boy who holds his own father under his control with the threat of death. When the boy’s father contemplates escape the child reveals the reanimated corpse of his mother to torment his father. Shocked by what he’s witnessing, Blaze transforms into the Ghost Rider, breaks his bonds, and sets the mother’s corpse on fire. When Ghost Rider destroys the woman’s body the child goes berserk, creating a psychic hurricane within the metal corridors of the hovercraft. Ghost Rider nearly reaches the child, threating to burst the dome that keeps him alive, but is finally knocked unconscious by the boy’s power. The hovercraft retreats into a mountain stronghold created by the boy.

Later, an amnesiac Blaze finds himself in chains alongside the boy’s father Jonathan Beame, who thanks him for freeing his poor wife Anna from their son’s power. He tells the story of his son Nathan’s birth and the power that he already possessed; when the townspeople came to their home fearing the “demon child” they killed Anna, and in response the infant Nathan transformed them all into monsters. Using his power to keep his father and the corpse of his mother alive, Nathan was forced to seal himself away due to his weakened physical body. Jonathan strikes Blaze, shocking him into transforming into the Ghost Rider and returning his memory. Ghost Rider finds Woody Guthrie, the old prospector that accidently claimed some of Nathan’s power, transformed into a tree-like creature. Nathan arrives to gloat, but Woody uses the last of his power to find oil within the massive ship, causing it burst up like a geyser. Ghost Rider sets the oil aflame with his hellfire, which causes the mountain base to explode. Only the Ghost Rider survives, and as he rides away he fails to notice the desiccated corpse of Jonathan Beame, having finally died without his son’s power to keep him alive.

Nightmare fuel!

THE ROADMAP
This issue’s flashback features a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo appearance by Professor X and Cyclops of the X-Men, who Nathan used his power to hide from out of fear of discovery due to him being born a mutant.

CHAIN REACTION
To read my review of Ghost Rider (1973) # 34 see my book Wheels On Fire: An Unofficial Guide to Marvel Comics' Ghost Rider: 1972-1983!


Toy Story took a dark turn.
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Ghost Rider (1973) # 33

“…Whom a Child Would Destroy!”

Cover Date: December 1978
On Sale Date: September 1978

Writer: Roger McKenzie
Artist: Don Perlin
Letterer: Diana Albers
Colorist: F. Mouly
Editor: Roger Stern
Editor-In-Chief: Jim Shooter
Cover Artist: Bob Budiansky

Stranded in a deserted ghost town in the middle of nowhere, Johnny Blaze succumbs to self-pity and transforms into the Ghost Rider. After setting fire to the town, he’s attacked by an invisible force controlled by an old prospector named Woody Guthers, who believed the Ghost Rider was after him. Blaze calms down and transforms back into his human form before joining Woody for a drink. The old man claims that he found his “power” by stealing it by accident several weeks before. Suddenly the shack begins to shake and the roof collapses along with the rest of the town’s buildings. When they free themselves from the remnants, Blaze and Woody see a massive steel hovercraft coming toward them. Six masked motorcycle riders emerge from a hatch on the belly of the ship, having come to capture Woody for their master. Johnny transforms into the Ghost Rider and sets the bikers aflame with his hellfire, only to discover that they are robots with the brains of men contained within glass domes. The dark riders capture Woody and take aboard the ship, so the Ghost Rider follows them inside. He immediately succumbs to a trap when the floor opens up beneath his motorcycle, plunging him into darkness. When Johnny wakes up, he’s the prisoner of an evil looking child sitting inside a clear bubble while the boy’s father and a captive Woody watch helplessly. 

Legit freaky!

CHAIN REACTION
To read my review of Ghost Rider (1973) # 33 see my book Wheels On Fire: An Unofficial Guide to Marvel Comics' Ghost Rider: 1972-1983!

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Ghost Rider (1973) # 32

“The Price!”

Cover Date: October 1978
On Sale Date: July 1978

Writer: Roger McKenzie
Artist: Don Perlin
Inker: Rick Bryant
Letterer: Diana Albers
Colorist: F. Mouly
Editor: Roger Stern
Editor-In-Chief: Jim Shooter
Cover Artist: Bob Layton

In the abandoned ghost town of Last Chance, Nevada, the Ghost Rider has been strung up on a fiery gallows by the Bounty Hunter. The gallows transform into a hellish creature who tries to take Blaze for itself, but the Bounty Hunter refuses to let the Ghost Rider go. The two men team up and drive the monster away, but the Bounty Hunter turns on Blaze after their victory. He tells Johnny that he was a man named Haskill that was a bounty hunter known for shooting wanted me in the back and killing them in their sleep to collect their rewards. When one bounty turned sour and left him dead, Haskill awakened before the Devil in Hell, who transformed him into a flaming skulled hunter tasked to bring the Devil fifty souls of his choosing. Blaze is the last bounty Haskill has to collect and once he has, he’ll be free forever. However, three of the Devil’s minions arrive, stating that the deadline has passed and Haskill’s agreement has been broken. Ghost Rider and Bounty Hunter fight back against the demons, victims of Haskill that had been dragged to Hell, and are quickly overwhelmed. Realizing his hellfire is unable to harm the creatures, Ghost Rider transforms back into Johnny Blaze, whose humanity repels the demons. The demons escape, taking Haskill with them as they return to Hell, leaving Johnny alone in the ghost town.

Does that make Haskill a sort of Ghost Rider himself?

THE ROADMAP
The Bounty Hunter began his pursuit of Johnny Blaze in Ghost Rider (1973) # 29.

CHAIN REACTION
To read my review of Ghost Rider (1973) # 30 see my book Wheels On Fire: An Unofficial Guide to Marvel Comics' Ghost Rider: 1972-1983!

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Ghost Rider (1973) # 31

“Demon’s Rage”

Cover Date: August 1979
On Sale Date: May 1979

Writer: Roger McKenzie
Artist: Don Perlin
Inker: Bob Layton
Letterer: J. Genovese
Colorist: Beveridge
Editor: Jim Shooter
Cover Artist: Bob Layton

While Doctor Strange battles Dormammu within the mind of the Ghost Rider, Johnny Blaze finds himself inhabiting Strange’s body, face to face with his demonic alter ego. While the Ghost Rider is nearly mindless, lashing out at Blaze and Clea with all his hellish fury, Strange and Dormammu continue their war within the demon’s mind. Blaze, seeing the opportunity to pay the Ghost Rider back for all the misery he’s had to endure, takes on the demon in a physical fight that serves to interrupt the battle on the astral plane. Doctor Strange is able to exorcise Dormammu from the Ghost Rider’s mind, returning Blaze and himself to their rightful bodies. Their victory is short-lived, however, as a newcomer addresses them from the shattered window above. The Bounty Hunter has arrived to capture Johnny Blaze, who transforms into the Ghost Rider and creates his fiery motorcycle. The Ghost Rider leads the Bounty Hunter on a race through the streets of New York City, but is eventually overcome in a dead-end alley. Blaze lays unconscious while the Bounty Hunter stands over him, holding the wanted poster and stating that “nobody escapes the Bounty Hunter”.

Doc Strange apparently fights for the MMA.

THE ROADMAP
The Bounty Hunter has been on the Ghost Rider’s trail since Ghost Rider (1973) # 29.

Doctor Strange will meet the Ghost Rider again in The Defenders (1971) # 96.

CHAIN REACTION
To read my review of Ghost Rider (1973) # 31 see my book Wheels On Fire: An Unofficial Guide to Marvel Comics' Ghost Rider: 1972-1983!


That's some phonetic accent there, Bounty Hunter.
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Ghost Rider (1973) # 30

"The Mage and the Monster!"

Cover Date: June 1978
On Sale Date: March 1978

Writer: Roger McKenzie
Artist: Don Perlin
Inker: Jim Mooney
Letterer: J. Genovese
Colorist: M. Beveridge
Editor: Jim Shooter

Having been manipulated by Dormammu, the Ghost Rider attacks Doctor Strange in his Sanctum Sanctorum.  Believing that Strange had already tried to kill him, unaware that Dormammu was responsible, Johnny Blaze is determined to murder Doctor Strange.  Fighting for his life, Strange opens a flaming pit beneath the Ghost Rider, but not even that stops Blaze's attack.  Meanwhile, Strange's apprentice Clea senses the danger and flies back toward the Sanctum, which has been sealed off from the outside world by a mystical barrier.  Clea passes through the barrier and arrives just in time to stop the Ghost Rider from killing the unconscious Strange.

Outside, two police officers confront a man on a horse in an alley, but they quickly back off when they see his face.  The mysterious bounty hunter holds up a wanted poster for Johnny Blaze that reads "Wanted: Dead or Alive".  Back inside the Sanctum, Strange releases his astral form and enters the Ghost Rider's mind, where he finds the soul of Johnny Blaze and learns his origin from his memories.  Dormammu appears to confront Strange, who sends Blaze's soul away to protect it.  Johnny wakes up inside the body of Dr. Strange, who is about to be attacked yet again by the now soulless Ghost Rider.

Ghost Rider ALWAYS beats Dr. Strange in fights.

THE ROADMAP
The Bounty Hunter will locate Blaze in Ghost Rider (1973) # 31 and his origin will be revealed in Ghost Rider (1973) # 32.

CHAIN REACTION
To read my review of Ghost Rider (1973) # 30 see my book Wheels On Fire: An Unofficial Guide to Marvel Comics' Ghost Rider: 1972-1983!


Nice perspective in this panel!
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Ghost Rider (1973) # 29

"Deadly Pawn!"

Cover Date: April 1978
On Sale Date:  January 1978

Writer: Roger McKenzie
Artist: Don Perlin
Inker: "N.Y. Tribe" (Owen McCarron, Tony DeZuniga, & Alfredo Alcala)
Letterer: Gaspar Saldino, Peter Iro, & Jean Simek
Colorist: George Roussos
Editor: Archie Goodwin

Desperate to prove himself as the world's greatest stunt rider, and to forget that he has lost Roxanne Simpson for good, Johnny Blaze attempts to jump over a massive gorge in front of a large audience as the Ghost Rider.  When he makes the jump, however, he disappears and finds himself blacking out as he is transformed back into his human form.  When he awakens, he's being held captive by Dr. Strange, who swears to kill Blaze.  Johnny transforms into the Ghost Rider to fight back against Strange, unaware that the battle is being observed by Strange's enemy Dormammu.  After a brief period lost in darkness, Ghost Rider busts his way out of Strange's Sanctum Sanctorum, only to find a twisted and transformed New York City.  On the street, Dr. Strange commands his demonic servants to ready the screaming Roxanne for death by burning her at the stake.  The Ghost Rider flies into a rage and destroys the demons, freeing Roxanne as he speeds away.  Roxanne herself then transforms into a demon, which allows Dr. Strange to get the upper hand.  Meanwhile, a shadowy bounty hunter on horseback guns down his target in an alley, then produces a new wanted poster with Johnny Blaze's face that states "Wanted Dead or Alive".

Back in the twisted New York, Ghost Rider and Dr. Strange continue their battle, with Strange acting very out of character.  Dormammu continues to observe, pontificating about how this "Dr. Strange" is actually just a magical construct created by him to drive the Ghost Rider into a demonic rage.  When the battle causes the construct Strange to flee, Blaze gives chase on his hellfire cycle.  Dormammu comments that the Ghost Rider's demonic side is now fully in control and he teleports him back to the real New York City right in front of the Sanctum Sanctorum.  The Ghost Rider busts through the wall of the Sanctum, ready to kill a very surprised Dr. Strange, who has no idea why this demon has come to destroy him.

Wreaking the vengeance of Hell, you say?

THE ROADMAP
The Bounty Hunter will locate Blaze in Ghost Rider (1973) # 31 and his origin will be revealed in Ghost Rider (1973) # 32.

Johnny believes Roxanne to be back in Los Angeles, where he left her with her new boyfriend Roger Cross in Ghost Rider (1973) # 26.  He is unaware that Roxanne followed him when he left L.A. and was hypnotized into an amnesiac state by the Orb in Ghost Rider (1973) # 28.  Johnny and Roxanne will not see one another again until Ghost Rider (1973) # 79.

CHAIN REACTION
To read my review of Ghost Rider (1973) # 29 see my book Wheels On Fire: An Unofficial Guide to Marvel Comics' Ghost Rider: 1972-1983!


Damn you, Strange! DAMN YOU!
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Ghost Rider (1973) # 28

"Evil Is the Orb!"

Cover Date: February 1978
On Sale Date: November 1977

Writer: Roger McKenzie
Artists: Don Perlin & Tom Sutton
Inker: Pablo Marcos
Letterer: Joe Rosen
Colorist: Phil Rachelson
Editor: Archie Goodwin
Cover Artist: Ernie Chan

Following his run-in with the Manticore, the Ghost Rider has been riding through the desert for hours. Exhausted, he's unable to keep his flame-cycle solid beneath him, and he takes a hard fall onto the ground, reverting back to his Blaze form after losing consciousness. A while later, a driver comes across Johnny's body in the road, and after waking him up gives him a ride. Eventually, after accepting rides from several different people, Blaze arrives in the nearest town. Roxanne Simpson arrives in the same town around the same time, searching for Johnny, and comes across Brahma Bill, who tells Roxanne that he's never seen Johnny before when he had actually met him only a few days prior. After Roxanne shoots down Bill's advances and rides off, he notices a strange biker riding through the streets.

Across town, Johnny tests out a new bike at a neighborhood motorcycle shop. He fails to notice Roxanne at the gas station across the street, and as she runs after him and shouts his name, she is grabbed from behind by an unknown person. The attacker tells Roxanne to look at him, and her eyes glaze over. As she wanders down the street, her memories erased, the stranger laughs maniacally. Completely unaware of what's happened, Johnny purchases the bike and heads over to a supply store, where he buys camping equipment for his trip across the desert. Brahma sees Blaze as he leaves town, and after a moment of thought about stealing Roxanne for himself, he decides that Johnny is probably headed for trouble and will need his help...so he follows Blaze out into the desert. Hours later, Johnny encounters a cycle gang that are under the thrall of an unknown force, all repeating that they must kill Blaze. Before Johnny can transform into the Ghost Rider, he's hit in the back of the head by a heavy chain, knocking him to the ground. As he loses consciousness, he sees Brahma Bill among the bikers.

When Johnny awakens, he finds his old enemy the Orb standing over him, determined to finally kill Blaze once and for all. Tying the helpless Johnny to the back of his bike, the Orb proceeds to drag him down the highway, the pain being too much for Johnny to concentrate on becoming the Ghost Rider. Suddenly, a gunshot breaks the chain holding Johnny, who sees Brahma riding past him, firing at the biker gang. Bill tells him that he decided to tag along with the bikers after spotting them, and that he'll keep them busy until Blaze can get back to his bike. Bill then gets a shock when he sees Blaze transform into the Ghost Rider and immediately take off after the Orb. The villain's laser blasts fail to stop the demon biker, and Blaze tackles him off his bike. While the Ghost Rider defeats his mindless slaves, the Orb again attempts to blast his foe with his laser and manages to bury him under a landslide of rocks. When the Orb begins to gloat that his victory was too easy, the Rider explodes with hellfire, removing the rocks and frying the villain with the soul-searing flame. His helmet lost, the Orb commands his minions to take him away, unable to fight after being hit by the hellfire. Johnny returns to his normal form, exhausted, and Bill helps him to his feet...neither men noticing the Orb's discarded helmet laying behind them. Johnny asks Bill to ride east with him, but Brahma says that he has a woman waiting for him back in town. Johnny and his friend part ways, and when Bill returns to town he finds the amnesiac Roxanne and tells her that the two of them are old sweethearts.

Bye, Roxy!

THE ROADMAP
The Orb last appeared in Ghost Rider (1973) # 15.

The forgotten helmet of the Orb, which is foreshadowed as being important to an upcoming story, is left as a dangling subplot when writer Roger McKenzie leaves the book. When the Orb returns in Ghost Rider (1973) # 54, he has a new helmet modeled after the one lost in this issue.

Brahma Bill met Johnny Blaze in Ghost Rider (1973) # 27.

This is the last appearance of Roxanne Simpson for quite a long time until she finally makes a return to the series in Ghost Rider (1973) # 75.

CHAIN REACTION
To read my review of Ghost Rider (1973) # 28 see my book Wheels On Fire: An Unofficial Guide to Marvel Comics' Ghost Rider: 1972-1983!


That moment you realize you made a big mistake.
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The Champions (1975) # 17

“The Sentinels Hunt Again!”

Cover Date: January 1978
On Sale Date: October 1977

Writer: Bill Mantlo
Artist: George Tuska
Embellisher: John Byrne
Letterer: John Costanza
Colorist: Phil Rachelson
Editor: Archie Goodwin
Cover Artist: Ernie Chan

Three evil mutants – Unus the Untouchable, Lorelei, and the Blob – burst into Champions headquarters requesting sanctuary. Only Black Widow and Hercules are present, and the mutants are attacked by a trio of pursuing Sentinels. Black Widow and Hercules hold off the Sentinels while activating the alert to bring the other members of their team, while the three mutants claim the Sentinels have neutralized their powers. While Black Widow and Hercules fight, they fail to notice another individual watching from the shadows.

Meanwhile, Angel is flying above the city when he sees the alert go off at the team’s headquarters. Iceman and Darkstar in line at a theater to see a new movie that features stunts by Johnny Blaze when they see Angel searching for them. Iceman and Darkstar reveal their powers and are attacked by a mob of mutant hating citizens. Johnny Blaze transforms into the Ghost Rider to aid his teammates, but only gets into an argument with Iceman. The rest of the Champions make their way to their building, with Darkstar realizing that Blaze’s hostility toward her is because he thinks she sees him as a monster. The Champions destroy the Sentinels, but quickly realize that the evil mutants are lying. The heroes are knocked out by a stun blast fired by the Vanisher, who was controlling the Sentinels to find mutants that could lead him to the X-Men, who wanted revenge upon. Darkstar wakes up and controls the destroyed Sentinels, using them to knock all of the evil mutants except the Vanisher unconscious. When the Vanisher attempts to escape by teleporting him away, Darkstar uses her power to try and stop him, accidently freezing him halfway in transition. While she is beside herself with grief the other Champions wonder about Darkstar’s mysterious powers.

Johnny, you are all kinds of screwed up.

THE ROADMAP
This is the final issue of the Champions and effectively the last time the team will be seen together. A flashback in Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man (1977) # 17 reveals that the team disbanded directly after the end of this issue, and that Ghost Rider was the first member to quit. 

Ghost Rider last appeared during the flashback story in Giant-Size Hulk (2006) # 1. Following the flashback appearance in Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man (1977) # 17, Ghost Rider appears next in Ghost Rider (1973) # 26.

CHAIN REACTION
To all things must come an ending, and in the case of the Champions its cancellation was as much a mercy killing as anything else.

That’s perhaps too harsh, because for the past six or so issues the creative team had really fallen into a fairly solid groove. Mantlo and Byrne weren’t turning out anything spectacular or even on par with books like Avengers and Defenders, but it was decent superhero stuff that was working as well as it could with the mismatched team dynamics it had been saddled with. If there were any characters less suited to working together as a team, it was this one, and Mantlo was really leaning into that heavily even here in the final issue. Ghost Rider in particular is just flat-out nasty to his teammates, though there’s an interesting bit where that anger and hostility doesn’t come out until after his transformation. As Johnny Blaze he was all about helping his teammates, and it’s a nice touch that dovetailed nicely with what Jim Shooter had been doing with Ghost Rider in his own series at the time. 

The story for this one isn’t much to write home about outside of those character interactions, though even those were turned up to histrionic levels. The Sentinels and the cast off evil mutants that Chris Claremont hadn’t wanted to use in X-Men were another example of Mantlo’s Champions not having an identity of its own and resorting to tying up plots from other titles. It’s almost purposefully reminding the readers that, hey, two of these heroes were in the X-Men, and isn’t that team much cooler than the Champions? Mantlo did get to delve into Darkstar a little more here, and if anything she was probably his pet character as the series went along.

John Byrne comes back after having left a few issues ago, this time as the inker over former series artist George Tuska. You wouldn’t think those two would mesh well, but they work quite nicely together. It’s almost poetic that the final issue of the series is carried out by two artists who had previously left their marks, much like the returning Bob Hall did last issue. It’s not as solid as when Byrne was penciling, but it certainly doesn’t look bad.

All in all, the Champions was a series handed to Bill Mantlo after its creator left, and he did the best job he could do under the circumstances. There were a few brief moments of brilliance, but it just couldn’t overcome it’s Silver Age trappings to become more than just a bunch of heroes hanging out together for no real reason. 
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