Meanwhile, Danny Ketch is walking through a black void where he is attacked by the Scarecrow. Dan jumps through a portal and is found by Crash and Roxanne Simpson, both of whom are deceased. Back on Earth, Blackheart reunites Blaze with Zarathos, transforming back into the original Ghost Rider. Zarathos creates his hellfire motorcycle and rides off seeking vengeance. Danny wakes up in the company of Roxanne and his dead sister, Barbara. Blackheart arrives and tells him that he has trapped him in Hell, but if he finds his way out he will be allowed to take any one thing back to Earth with him. Unfortunately, Blackheart has offered the same deal to the Scarecrow and it is now a race to see who can find the portal first.
The Ghost Rider arrives at Freshkills Prison and starts frying the souls of the inmates with hellfire. Blackheart tempts the Ghost Rider into killing his victims instead when faced with the idea of killers returning to evil even after suffering penance. Back in Hell, Danny locates the doorway out and struggles to choose whether he will bring Barbara or Roxanne back with him. They're attacked by the Scarecrow and both women are injured during the fight. Danny fights off the Scarecrow and makes his way toward the door, which is opened by the Ghost Rider. Zarathos relinquishes control back to Blaze, who laments what he has become. Blackheart arrives and taunts the brothers with the choice Danny has to make to take only one thing back with him. Danny chooses "the power of the Ghost Rider", which an angry Blackheart reluctantly accepts. Danny transforms back into the Ghost Rider, freeing Blaze of Zarathos' influence, and the two ride out of Hell with Blackheart vowing revenge.
THE ROADMAP
Ghost Rider last appeared in Ghost Rider (1990) # 69 and appears next in Ghost Rider (1990) # 70. John Blaze last appeared in Blaze (1994) # 12 and appears next in Ghost Rider (1990) # 72.
Zarathos last appeared in his true form in Midnight Sons Unlimited (1993) # 4.
Blackheart killed his father, Mephisto, and took over as the new ruler of Hell at the end of Ghost Rider/Wolverine/Punisher: The Dark Design (1994). Blackheart will appear next in Ghost Rider (1990) # 76.
Barbara Ketch was injured in Ghost Rider (1990) # 1 and died in Ghost Rider (1990) # 7. Her soul appears next in Ghost Rider (1990) # 84. Roxanne Simpson died in Ghost Rider (1990) # 50 and returns as the villainous Black Rose in Ghost Rider (1990) # 77 (though her identity will not be revealed until Ghost Rider (1990) # 93).
The Scarecrow last appeared in Ghost Rider (1990) # 65. He returns as a disembodied spirit possessing the deceased body of Barbara Ketch in Ghost Rider (1990) # 81.
CHAIN REACTION
Howard Mackie officially hands off the reins to incoming writer Ivan Velez Jr. in this collaborative one-shot that will set the tone for the ongoing Ghost Rider series going forward.
"Crossroads" is such a curious little one-shot, I almost don't know where to begin talking about it. With a story by Howard Mackie and the script by Ivan Velez Jr., the comic truly is a solid hand-off between creators for the characters. It flags up so much of what worked during Mackie's run on the series: Danny Ketch's evolution as a character, John Blaze as a haggard mentor figure (which is turned on its head here), and the Scarecrow as a psychotic yet sympathetic antagonist. It is odd that the Ketch version of Ghost Rider, the one anchoring the ongoing series, has almost no presence in this story. He is, in fact, an afterthought trotted out as the prize at the end of the comic. That decision allows Mackie and Velez to focus solely on Danny and John as characters in their own right, and it works really effectively to sell the desperation both of them are feeling throughout.
If this comic accomplishes nothing else, I think it finally allowed Howard Mackie to write the return of Zarathos in a way he actually wanted without editorial interference. In a way it's almost an apology for "Road to Vengeance" and "Siege of Darkness", bringing back Zarathos in a way that's recognizable for long time fans while also involving Blaze at an appropriate level given the history of the characters. Readers wanted to see a confrontation between the original Blaze/Zarathos Ghost Rider and the Ketch Ghost Rider, and while we still don't get that resolution here it at least gives enough dramatic weight to Blaze's relationship with Zarathos that it satisfies what it set out to accomplish.
Outside of Mackie's story, Velez gets the opportunity to show how he will handle the characterizations, voices, and narrative tricks that are going to be a staple of his coming run. His Blackheart, in particular, truly stands out as more than just a moustache-twirling supervillain, he comes off as a truly evil and manipulative force. Danny, too, stands out under Velez's hands to be more than just the boring half of the Ghost Rider dynamic.
The comic's artwork is by Cary Nord, who would go on from here to be the regular penciller on Daredevil. His work on this issue is really great and dynamic, selling the drama with fantastic character work. His Blackheart looks like a demonic wall street broker and his Scarecrow is appropriately wiry and thin, looking like a true scarecrow. Nord isn't helped by the four different inkers that are scattered around the book, and you can tell when the art shifts styles between each of them. The work in the beginning of the comic, with Blaze and Blackheart at the diner, looks much crisper and detail-oriented than the end of the comic, which almost looks like it was rushed through with minimal use of backgrounds.
Overall, "Crossroads" is a success on just about every level. It looks back at the characters' histories while also forging ahead toward the future. It might be a bit hard to track down nowadays, but I certainly recommend doing so.
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