Cover Date: September 1982
On Sale Date: June 1982
Writer: Roger Stern
Artist: Bob Budiansky
Inker: Dave Simons
Letterer: Rick Parker
Colorist: Bob Sharen
Editor: Tom DeFalco
Editor in Chief: Jim Shooter
Cover Artist: Bob Budiansky
Johnny Blaze is contacted through a dream by the Ghost Rider, who demands to be released to punish the guilty. Johnny wakes up, wondering if the Ghost Rider is becoming strong enough to eventually take him over. Meanwhile on the carnival grounds, Corky and his son Eliot have a conversation about being clowns when they hear the sound of an explosion. A man flies through one of the main show tents, snapping the poles and destroying equipment. Before he leaves, the mysterious figure leaves a note. When Ralph Quentin and the rest of the carnival members investigate the tent collapse, Eliot finds the note and crumples it up, realizing the message was for him. The next night, a strange cowboy uses an electrified whip to destroy the carnival’s transformer, forcing it to close for the night. Eliot finds another message written in the dirt and wipes it away. Another day brings another tragedy, as two acrobats beat up and rob the ticket cashier for the carnival, leaving yet another message for Eliot.
The next evening, Corky finds Eliot packing up to leave and realizes his son has something to do with the mysterious accidents. After Eliot leaves another mysterious figure lights Corky’s tent on fire, setting it ablaze. While Red Fowler holds Eliot back from going after his father, Johnny enters the burning tent and finds the unconscious Corky. Johnny transforms into the Ghost Rider, who throws Corky out of the burning tent in a fit of rage. Johnny fights to regain control of his body, forcing the Ghost Rider to jump through the fire, setting his clothing aflame. Red drapes the Ghost Rider with a sheet, protecting Johnny’s secret as he douses the flame while Blaze regains control.
Later, at the emergency room, Eliot is told that his father’s treatment will cost several thousand dollars, which Eliot states he can provide. At the carnival, Johnny sees Eliot leaving and follows him into the forest. He sees Eliot stop to put on face paint and a costume before walking into a small camp of men who welcome Eliot back into their ranks. Johnny is discovered and knocked unconscious, brought before the reunited Circus of Crime, including Eliot as the villainous Clown.
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| Genuine night terrors! |
THE ROADMAP
Eliot Franklin arrived at the Quentin Carnival in Ghost Rider (1973) # 70 after his father Corky mailed him a letter in Ghost Rider (1973) # 66.
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| Yep, Ghost Rider's a straight-up villain now. |
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