All-New Ghost Rider (2014) # 12

"Great Power, Part 2"

Cover Date: April 2015; On Sale Date: February 2015

Writer: Felipe Smith; Artist: Felipe Smith & Kris Anka; Letterer: VC's Joe Caramagna; Colorist: Val Staples; Editor: Mark Paniccia; Editor In Chief: Axel Alonso; Cover Artist: Felipe Smith

While working at the auto shop, Robbie Reyes is attacked by three thugs working for Yegor Ivanov.  Robbie easily subdues his attackers with his Ghost Rider power, but the spirit of Eli Morrow informs him that unless he kills Ivanov he and his family will never be safe.  However, if he kills Ivanov (the person responsible for killing Morrow), Robbie will forever be bonded with Eli and will eventually be consumed with the desire to murder.  Robbie gets a call from his girlfriend Lisa, who tells him that his little brother Gabe has disappeared. 

After searching all night, Robbie and Lisa return to the Reyes home, where they find Gabe waiting for them.  Gabe is extremely rude to the shaken Lisa, and when asked to apologize he hits Robbie in the face with a video game controller.  Robbie loses himself and chokes Gabe, but releases him when he realizes what he's doing.  Gabe walks to his room, but when he turns around Robbie sees that his brother is now under Eli's control.  Gabe escapes out his bedroom window and Robbie gives chase, realizing that he's going to murder Ivanov. 

In West Hollywood, Ivanov is preparing to flee the city, but is attacked by Gabe and Eli, who have transformed into a giant, fiery, demonic "Ninja Wolf" form.  Eli has convinced Gabe that he is the Spirit of Justice, and that he needs to kill Ivanov to be a hero.  Robbie arrives in his Ghost Rider form, but after a brief fight realizes that he's not as powerful with Morrow's power.  A defeated and de-powered Robbie appeals to his brother, who he has cared for all of their lives, and Gabe manages to regain control of his body, sending Eli's spirit back into Robbie.  When Ivanov threatens Gabe at gunpoint, Robbie as the Ghost Rider sends flaming chains through the ground, burning the gangster alive as the chains drag him down to Hell.  Morrow's spirit tells Robbie that Ivanov's death has bonded them together for all time, and eventually he will gain control and transform Robbie into a serial killer.  Robbie offers a deal to Eli, saying that if Morrow directs him toward the worst criminal scum on the planet he will kill them to appease Eli's desire for murder.  Eli laughs and accepts the deal, leaving Robbie to care for his unconscious brother.

All-New Ghost Rider (2014) # 11

"Great Power, Part 1"

Cover Date: March 2015; On Sale Date: January 2015

Writer: Felipe Smith; Artist: Felipe Smith; Letterer: VC's Joe Caramagna; Colorist: Val Staples; Editor: Mark Paniccia; Editor In Chief: Axel Alonso; Cover Artist: Fiona Staples

10 months after meeting Johnny Blaze, Robbie Reyes is using his power as the Ghost Rider to break up a child trafficking ring in Los Angeles.  During the battle, the spirit of Eli Morrow talks to Robbie in his head, reminding him that if he gets too angry and loses himself to rage Eli will take over.  Despite Eli's presence, Robbie is able to hold back from killing the slavers and calls the cops before he drives away.

Robbie takes his disabled brother Gabe (now on crutches instead of a wheelchair) to the doctor, who tells Robbie that Gabe's physical and mental improvements over the last few months have been remarkable.  During their session, Gabe tells the doctor that he is able to think more clearly about things and that sometimes he hears his a voice in his head, which the doctor assures is his conscience and is perfectly normal.  Robbie states that Gabe has thrown away all of his comics and toys and now spends all of his time shut up alone in his room, but the doctor tells him that it's normal behavior for a 13 year old boy to be rebellious.  On the drive home, Robbie's attempts to connect with Gabe are halted by his brother asking why he was left alone and without food on the floor by Robbie (unaware that it was Eli Morrow in possession of Robbie's body at the time).  At home, Eli directs Robbie to the box that Eli had dug up from the floorboards under Gabe's room, which contains a photo of Eli with Robbie's parents, revealing that Eli is Robbie and Gabe's uncle.  At that moment, Robbie's friend Lisa arrives for a tutoring session, but Gabe's attitude makes the visit uncomfortable.  On the drive home, Lisa admits that she would like to be Robbie's girlfriend, but before they can kiss Eli reveals another emotional bombshell: Gabe came out disabled because Eli pushed their mother down the stairs while she was pregnant.  Robbie drops Lisa off and flies into a rage, transforming into the Ghost Rider as he drives.

The next day, Robbie and Lisa see on the news a report about the Ghost Rider's rampage and how a violent street gang was found with all of their bones broken, yet still alive.  Meanwhile, in his room, Gabe is visited by Eli, who claims to be a "spirit of justice" that wants to make Gabe into a superhero.  He directs Gabe to the "Ninja Wolf" costume he'd worn for Halloween years before.  Robbie receives a call from the auto garage asking him to work and Lisa volunteers to stay with Gabe.  She takes Gabe to the pharmacy to pick up some medications, but when she returns to the car Gabe is gone.  Directed by Eli and wearing the "Ninja Wolf" costume, Gabe takes an elevator to the top floor of a nearby building and jumps out the window.

All-New Ghost Rider (2014) # 10

"Legend, Part 5"

Cover Date: February 2015; On Sale Date: December 2014

Writer: Felipe Smith; Artist: Damion Scott; Inker: Cory Hamscher; Letterer: VC's Joe Caramagna; Colorist: Val Staples; Editor: Mark Paniccia; Editor In Chief: Axel Alonso; Cover Artist: Damion Scott

Outside Lincoln High School, Guero Valdez has punched Robbie Reyes in the face, accusing him of being the Ghost Rider.  Guero and his two friends continue to beat on Robbie and threatens the life of his little brother, while Robbie fights with the spirit of Eli Morrow in his head, who is demanding that Robbie needs to fight back.  When their teacher, Mr. Wakeford, attempts to intervene, Guero punches him and knocks him out, which causes Robbie to lose control of his emotions.  Overcome by rage, Robbie's body is taken over by Eli, who breaks Guero's arm in three places before he's hit from behind by another member of the gang.  Guero and his friends run away, yelling that they have powers now too and will be back to kill him.  Eli jumps in the Hell Charger and flees as well, not staying for medical attention despite having been stabbed in the hand by Guero's knife. 

At the headquarters of the Blue Hyde Brigade, Dr. Calvin Zabo meets with Russian mob leader Yegor Ivanov, who is talking about his former hitman, the serial killing Satanist Eli Morrow.  Guero and his friends arrive and take their blue pills, transforming into the Blue Krue, and Guero tells Zabo and Ivanov that the Ghost Rider is really Robbie Reyes, a name that Ivanov recognizes.  Robbie, still possessed by Eli, has returned home to bandage his wounds and receives a phone call from Ivanov, who gives him an address to meet.  Before Eli can leave, he's visited by Mr. Wakeford, who has brought Robbie's brother Gabe home.  Eli decides to make Wakeford his first sacrificial victim, but before he can kill the teacher Robbie manages to take control of the body and punches Wakeford in the face, telling him to leave and not come back.  Robbie, still struggling for control with Morrow, jumps in his car and leaves to find Ivanov. 

Eli arrives at an abandoned warehouse on a pier to kill Ivanov, unaware that the Blue Hyde Brigade are laying in wait.  Ivanov mentions the Reyes family, which causes Robbie to again fight for dominance of the shared body, stopping Morrow from killing the Russian.  Zabo tells his men to continue to wait, but Guero takes another blue pill and crashes out of the warehouse, wanting to kill Robbie.  Eli takes total control and transforms into the Ghost Rider, easily knocking Guero off the pier.  Robbie gathers all of this strength and takes control of their body, just in time to catch Guero with his chain and pull him back up, which also results in Guero's spine being broken as he lands.  Zabo and the rest of the Blue Hyde Brigade attack, easily overcoming Robbie with their superior strength and numbers, but Reyes is saved by Johnny Blaze, who has arrived to help.  Reyes and Blaze defeat the Blue Hyde Brigade and capture Zabo, but Ivanov escapes and swears revenge.

The next day, Blaze says his goodbyes to Robbie, and tells him that for better or worse, he's part of their family now, he's a Ghost Rider.  When Robbie picks up Gabe from his disability school, he sees Guero, who is now in a wheelchair himself.

All-New Ghost Rider (2014) # 9

"Legend, Part 4"

Cover Date: January 2015; On Sale Date: November 2014

Writer: Felipe Smith; Artist: Damion Scott; Inker: Cory Hamscher; Letterer: VC's Joe Caramagna; Colorist: Val Staples; Editor: Mark Paniccia; Editor In Chief: Axel Alonso; Cover Artist: Damion Scott

Johnny Blaze rides through Los Angeles, on the hunt for Robbie Reyes and the mass-murdering spirit that lives inside the boy, Eli Morrow.  Blaze thinks about how Reyes is not a true Ghost Rider, as he's powered by the spirit of the Satanic Morrow, and is therefore difficult for him to track.  So he rides, waiting for Morrow to commit a murder that he can hone in on.  At that moment, at a bar controlled by the Russian mob, Morrow (in possession of Robbie's body) kills several gangsters during a gunfight.  Having killed again, Morrow's location is revealed to Blaze, who transforms into the Ghost Rider and rides toward the bar. 

Meanwhile, in downtown Los Angeles, Dr. Calvin Zabo addresses his Blue Hyde Brigade, a gang of soldiers powered by his strength-enhancing blue pills.  He states that all gangs in the city have bowed down to the Brigade, also known as the Blue Krue, except for the Russian mob controlled by Yegor Ivanov.  Zabo sends his men after Ivanov, wanting to either recruit or kill him.  In the neighborhood of Hillrock Heights, Robbie's young, disabled brother Gabe has been left alone in their house to lay on the floor and cry for his brother to come home and help him.  Morrow leaves the Russian bar in flames and drives away in his haunted car.  At another club in Hollywood, Ivanov talks on the phone with Zabo, again refusing to join forces, while Guero and the Blue Krue make their way toward the Russians.

At Ivanov's club, Morrow arrives and transforms into the Ghost Rider, breaking in on the hunt for Yegor.  While Ivanov escapes out the back of the building, Blaze arrives for a second confrontation with Morrow.  Blaze attacks, but is quickly beaten down by Morrow until Johnny uses the Penance Stare on the killer, making him feel all of the pain he's caused his victims.  Ivanov tries to escape, but is caught by the Blue Krue, who kidnap the Russian to take to Zabo.  Back inside the burning club, Robbie has regained control of his body and thanks Johnny for helping him.  The two talk, with Johnny admitting that while there are more Ghost Riders out there, he's not sure if that's what Robbie is.  Blaze explains that the Ghost Riders usually get their powers through deals with Satan, an immortal vengeful spirit, or other supernatural entities.  Because Robbie was brought back to life by a Satanist, that could account for his similarities to the Ghost Riders, but that it doesn't necessarily make Robbie a creature of evil.  Blaze states that Robbie is in a similar state as when Johnny was bound with the demon Zarathos, which nearly consumed him.  Blaze accepted the power of the Spirit of Vengeance and gained control, but Robbie doesn't do the same he runs the risk of Eli Morrow taking control of him again.  At that moment, Robbie remembers Gabe and jumps in his car to find his brother, unaware that Guero has been watching and now knows that Reyes is the new Ghost Rider.

Robbie returns home and finds Gabe on the floor.  He apologizes to this brother, who is traumatized by what had happened.  Elsewhere, Zabo shows Ivanov the power of the Blue Hyde Brigade and offers to destroy the Ghost Rider in return for Yegor's allegiance.  The next day at Lincoln High School, Guero confronts Robbie and punches him in the face, stating that he knows he's really the Ghost Rider.

All-New Ghost Rider (2014) # 8

"Legend, Part 3"

Cover Date: December 2014; On Sale Date: October 2014

Writer: Felipe Smith; Artist: Damion Scott; Inker: Cory Hamscher; Letterer: VC's Joe Caramagna; Colorist: Val Staples; Editor: Mark Paniccia; Editor In Chief: Axel Alonso; Cover Artist: Damion Scott

Robbie Reyes is confronted by Johnny Blaze, the original Ghost Rider, who wants answers about who Robbie is and what he's been doing.  Eli Morrow takes control and transforms into his version of the Ghost Rider, but is quickly overpowered by Blaze, who uses his Penance Stare to discern Morrow's identity.  Blaze claims that Morrow is an evil Satanist who needs to suffer for the murders he committed, but Morrow escapes by teleporting into his car.  Morrow speeds off with Blaze attached to the car by a chain, dragging him down the road until Blaze's motorcycle catches up to them for Johnny to jump onto.  Robbie speaks telepathically to Eli, asking him what Blaze meant by "murderous Satanist", but Morrow dodges the question.  Blaze jumps on top of the car, but when confronted on the roof by Morrow Johnny is stunned by what he sees.  Morrow kicks Johnny off, leaving the biker to question why there are two human souls inhabiting this new Ghost Rider instead of just one.  As they escape, Robbie says to Eli that something is wrong and he feels weak.

Elsewhere in East Los Angeles, Guero and his friends are hijacking medical supplies from an ambulance when the police arrive.  Using the strength from Zabo's blue pills, the gang easily overpower the cops, telling them not to mess with the Blue Krue.  At school the next day, Robbie and Guero are both playing basketball during gym class, and while Guero displays enhanced strength and agility Reyes is becoming weaker by the second.  Robbie collapses and wakes up in the school infirmary, his body now under Eli's control.

That night, Eli goes to Robbie's house and finds Gabe waiting for him.  Robbie goes into Gabe's room, flips over the bed, and uses a hammer and screwdriver to pull up the floorboards.  Under the floor is a box with money and a name and address for a man named Yegor Ivanov, who Eli wants revenge against.  Eli leaves to find Ivanov, leaving the handicapped Gabe lying on the floor alone.  Meanwhile, in Santa Monica, Blaze searches for information about Morrow, learning that he was an enforcer for the Russian mob who was shot dead in a police shootout.  Morrow was also a Satanist who dismembered his victims and used the bodies in his rituals, ultimately responsible for the deaths of 37 people and suspected of killing 15 more. 

At the Century Bar, Eli goes inside to find Ivanov, but finds one of his associates instead.  Ivanov receives a call telling him that Morrow is alive, and the Russian sends out his men to kill Eli again.  Back at the Reyes house, Gabe is forced to eat what food he can find by crawling to the refrigerator, still hoping that Robbie will return to help him.  While the Blue Krue tear up the neighborhood, Morrow is attacking Ivanov's forces and Blaze is riding to find him.

All-New Ghost Rider (2014) # 7

"Legend, Part 2"

Cover Date: November 2014; On Sale Date: September 2014

Writer: Felipe Smith; Artist: Damion Scott; Inker: Robert Campanella; Letterer: VC's Joe Caramagna; Colorist: Val Staples; Editor: Mark Paniccia; Editor In Chief: Axel Alonso; Cover Artist: Damion Scott

A group of teenagers changing a flat tire are attacked and killed by the animals that have been mutated by Zabo’s pink pills.  The next morning, Robbie drops off Gabe and spends the day paying off bills with the money he’s earned from street racing.  He tells Eli that they will have to step up the amount of races they win in order to save more money, which Eli does not agree with at all.  Robbie receives a call about a race worth $5,000 in Phoenix, but Eli tells him that he is misusing their power and that he has his own “bullies” to deal with.  5 hours later at an Arizona gas station, a man on a motorcycle watches Robbie as he’s accosted by two large bikers.  Robbie gets into a fight with the bikers, and his rage allows Eli to momentarily take control of his body.  Robbie regains control and drives away, telling Eli never to do that again, while the man watching follows them.

Back at Lincoln High School, Robbie’s teacher asks Guero if he’s seen Robbie, then comments that Guero and his gang have recovered from their injuries very quickly.  He sees the gang stocking up with cans of spray paint from their lockers, then later sees on the news that someone has been spray-painting the name “Blue Krue” around the neighborhood.  In downtown Los Angeles, Dr. Zabo sees the same news report and comments that it’s a great way for the gang to spread the word about his new blue pills.

That night in Phoenix, Robbie has won yet another street race, and the loser invites him to another race tomorrow night, with a pay out of double or nothing.  The next day, Robbie is told about a new, expensive medication for Gabe, and wonders how he will pay for it.  He talks with Eli about it, who suggests that they win the next race, even though he hates the time that it wastes to do so.  He asks for full control behind the wheel of the car, but Robbie says he’s a good enough racer on his own to win.

The next night, the race gets underway but Robbie is blocked by the mutant animals, who attack the car.  When Robbie begs for Eli’s help, the spirit tells him that they’re a team.  Robbie agrees and gives up control to Eli, who transforms them into the Ghost Rider to fight off the animals.  They destroy the mutants, but Robbie loses the race and the winner comes to collect the money.  Robbie gives him the money, but Eli convinces Robbie that they need that money for Gabe and they need to follow the racers and take the money back.  Robbie gives in and transforms, easily catches up to the winner, and runs his car off the road and over a cliff.  Robbie runs down the hill to help the man, but Eli talks him into taking the money instead.  When Robbie does so, he’s interrupted by Johnny Blaze, the Ghost Rider, who asks him “who are you and what the hell do you think you’re doing?”

All-New Ghost Rider (2014) # 6

"Legend, Part 1"

Cover Date: October 2014; On Sale Date: August 2014

Writer: Felipe Smith; Artist: Damion Scott; Inker: Robert Campanella; Letterer: VC's Joe Caramagna; Colorist: Val Staples; Editor: Mark Paniccia; Editor In Chief: Axel Alonso; Cover Artist: Tradd Moore

Late at night in East Los Angeles, two children are outside playing in the street, one of them wearing a mask created to look like the “Robot Racer” or “Skeleton Driver” seen in the neighborhood the week before.  When the boys’ mother comes outside to make them go to bed, fearing for their safety, the boys respond that the “Racer” would protect them.  After they go inside, a street race led by Robbie Reyes rushes past down the street.  Reyes wins the race in his Hell-Charger, the latest of many he’s won using the car’s power.  The spirit of Eli that resides inside both the car and Robbie’s head is not happy, saying that Robbie is misusing their power.

The next day, a news report from Hillrock Heights following the recent battle between the new Ghost Rider and Mr. Hyde is seen by a mysterious individual in a bar.  The man finishes his beer and gets on his bike, riding out of New York.  Back in Los Angeles, Guermo and his gang report to school in slings and casts following their beating at the Ghost Rider’s hands.  During Mr. Wakeford’s class, Robbie casually taunts the seemingly docile Guermo, and after class he tells the teacher that he and Guermo “worked things out”.  Guermo, on the other hand, has convinced his crew to attend a mysterious meeting.  They arrive by bus in downtown L.A. and enter an abandoned building.  

Meanwhile, at the developmental school, Robbie meets with his handicapped brother Gabe’s teacher, who tells him that Gabe’s progress recently has been amazing.  He then uses the money won through racing to pay off part of Gabe’s therapy bill, to the surprise of Gabe’s teacher.  That night, Robbie puts Gabe to bed and counts his money while Eli becomes more and more impatient, urging Robbie to go out and seek vengeance.

The next evening in Venice Beach, Robbie wins yet another street race, while in downtown L.A. a homeless man shows his friends a baggie of Zabo’s pink pills that he found in Hillrock Heights after the gunfight.  After the homeless men go to sleep, their pet dog eats the pills and transforms into a monster.  Using a machine gun left behind by Zabo’s men, the dog is gunned down and dies, but not before it kills all of the men.  The rest of the pills are then eaten by a collection of rats, cats, and birds.  Guermo and his boys, meanwhile, are meeting with the escaped Dr. Zabo, who introduces to them his newest concoction in the form of a blue pill.

All-New Ghost Rider (2014) # 5

"Engines of Vengeance, Part 5"

Cover Date: September 2014; On Sale Date: July 2014

Writer: Felipe Smith; Artist: Tradd Moore; Letterer: VC's Joe Caramagna; Colorist: Val Staples; Editor: Mark Paniccia; Editor In Chief: Axel Alonso; Cover Artist: Tradd Moore

After taking his brother Gabe out for ice cream, Robbie Reyes is driving home and talking in his head with the spirit of Eli Morrow, who is attempting to convince Robbie to burn down all of the criminals and gangsters in his neighborhood. Robbie gets a phone call from the auto shop where he works and is asked to come in and work the next night. Robbie agrees and calls a friend to babysit Gabe, then when witnessing a fist-fight outside starts to agree with Eli's message of vengeance. Elsewhere in Hillrock Heights, the mutated gang leader Grumpy is murdered by Mr. Hyde, who tells his men that they will be executing the rest of Grumpy's gang at their other hideout the next day as a message to all other gangs in the area.

The next day, Guermo Valdez and his friends are being watched by the remnants of Grumpy's gang, who know that it was Guermo who sold them out to Zabo/Hyde. When the gangsters confront Guermo in the street, they are interrupted by Zabo's mercenary army, and a gunfight breaks out in the middle of the neighborhood. At Canelo's Auto and Body Shop, Robbie hears the news that a gang shootout is happening near his house, and realizes that Gabe's babysitter lives near there as well. The school bus from the development center, in which Gabe is riding, unknowingly drives straight into the massive firefight, causing the bus to crash onto its side. While Robbie races to the scene, Guermo's friends work to help the injured handicapped children off the bus. Guermo reluctantly helps rescue Gabe, but is attacked by the leader of Zabo's mercenaries. Gabe moves in front of Guermo to save him, but before the soldier can open fire Robbie arrives as the Ghost Rider and kills the merc with his chains. Robbie places Gabe in the trunk of his car, which transports him back to the Auto Shop for safe keeping.

Robbie watches the violence and destruction going on around him and hears both the voice of his teacher telling him to be a positive force and the voice of Eli telling him to burn everything down. The mercenaries attack Robbie, who manages to take them out easily. Then, from a helicopter overhead, Mr. Hyde jumps down and enters the fight. He thinks he recognizes Robbie, wondering why he's driving a car now, but after he quickly gets the upper hand Hyde comments that whoever he is, Robbie is “not the Ghost Rider”. Neither Robbie nor Eli know what Hyde is talking about, and before Hyde can kill him Robbie uses his car as a weapon to knock the villain off balance. Afraid of losing, Hyde takes a handful of the pink pills and shoves them in his mouth, mutating further into a monster. Zabo and Hyde fight for dominance as the mutation transforms them, with Zabo stating that Hyde has caused them to overdose. Hyde turns back into a helpless Zabo, and Robbie leaves as the police arrive at the scene.

At their hideout later, Guermo and his gang talk about how awesome the Ghost Rider was during the fight, and suddenly the Rider is standing in the room with them. Robbie sees Gabe's stolen wheelchair in the corner, beats up the gang, and takes the wheelchair back before driving away.

All-New Ghost Rider (2014) # 4

"Engines of Vengeance, Part 4"

Cover Date: August 2014; On Sale Date: June 2014

Writer: Felipe Smith; Artist: Tradd Moore; Letterer: VC's Joe Caramagna; Colorist: Val Staples; Editor: Mark Paniccia; Editor In Chief: Axel Alonso; Cover Artist: Tradd Moore

At his home, Robbie Reyes shaves his head and discovers a series of scars, which Eli tells him is a sign that the two of them are becoming one. The night before, the Ghost Rider fought the gangster Grumpy, who had ingested Dr. Zabo's strength-enhancing pills. Grumpy was far stronger than the Rider, who managed to get an upper hand against the drug dealer by using his car as a weapon. However, Grumpy mutated, growing an extra set of arms, and beat Robbie into submission before leaving.

The next day, Dr. Zabo argues with his other self, Mr. Hyde, about how to fix the problem with his mutagenic drug. He realizes that the problem is in the chemical compound, and that he must change it to make the pills work correctly, changing their color from pink to blue. At school, Robbie and his rival, thug Guermo Valdez, are asked by their teacher to help with a community outreach program, which Valdez laughs about before leaving. Meanwhile, Grumpy confers with his gang about getting more of the pink pills, his mind and body severely changed by the drug.

Robbie takes his little brother, Gabe, out for ice cream in his new car, while Guermo and his friends are approached by Zabo and his men about the whereabouts of Grumpy. Zabo offers Guermo both cash and a chance for great power by helping him, which Valdez accepts. Robbie sees Guermo on the street talking with Zabo, and despite Eli telling him to seek vengeance on his rival, Robbie resists the urge and continues on his way with Gabe. While Grumpy continues to consume the drug, Zabo comments that until he finds his pills all of Hillrock Heights will burn.

All-New Ghost Rider (2014) # 3

"Engines of Vengeance, Part 3"

Cover Date: July 2014; On Sale Date: May 2014

Writer: Felipe Smith; Artist: Tradd Moore; Letterer: VC's Joe Caramagna; Colorist: Val Staples; Editor: Mark Paniccia; Editor In Chief: Axel Alonso; Cover Artist: Tradd Moore

In an abandoned junkyard, Robbie Reyes has a conversation with the spirit responsible for transforming him into the Ghost Rider. The spirit scoffs at the idea of being an angel or demon, claiming to be a human that was killed. The spirit, who says its name is Eli, offers to help Robbie by giving him the power to fight back against the injustice in his life. Eli transforms Reyes into the Ghost Rider, and Robbie agrees to join with the supernatural entity.

The next day, Mr. Hyde's paramilitary team are on the hunt for the missing back of pink pills that were stolen by the drug dealer Grumpy. Hyde is furious, having come to Los Angeles to forge himself a criminal empire after the mercenaries broke him out of prison for his leadership. Elsewhere, Robbie attempts to buy a new wheelchair for his brother Gabe, but refuses to be swindled by the owner of the pawn shop. At school, Robbie is asked by his new teacher, Mr. Wakeford, to take a look at his car's broken window.

Later, at the auto shop where he works, Robbie finds his boss Canelo and the other employees dead from numerous gunshot wounds. Eli speaks to Robbie, offering to help him find the people responsible...but the car isn't in the garage. It was taken by Grumpy's men, whose house is attacked by Hyde's soldiers. During the ensuing gunfight, Grumpy ingests some of Hyde's pink pills. Back at the auto shop, Robbie transforms into Ghost Rider and walks through a wall, disappearing just as an ambulance arrives. Grumpy and two of his men have escaped in the haunted car, with Grumpy himself suffering from a gunshot wound. Reyes appears as part of the car, emerging from the roof just as the two gangsters talk about how they killed Canelo. Consumed by rage, Robbie stops the car and pulls the two men through the roof, beating them both savagely. Afterward, the car shakes as Grumpy fully transforms from the effects of the pills and rips his way out, determined to kill Robbie. 

All-New Ghost Rider (2014) # 2

"Engines of Vengeance, Part 2"

Cover Date: June 2014; On Sale Date: April 2014

Writer: Felipe Smith; Artist: Tradd Moore; Letterer: VC's Joe Caramagna; Colorists: Nelson Daniel & Val Staples; Editor: Mark Paniccia; Editor In Chief: Axel Alonso; Cover Artist: Tradd Moore

On the 101 Freeway in Downtown Los Angeles, the new Ghost Rider chases after the paramilitary team that shot him and left him for dead. They fire bullets at the flaming car with no effect, and when they fire a missile the explosion blows the car into the air, only for it to land back on its wheels to continue the chase. The Rider pulls up alongside the fourth of the soldiers' vans and drives straight through it, destroying it. The other three vans speed off as the Ghost Rider's car drives off the bridge and explodes in mid-air. Later, the soldiers are assembled in front of their employer, Dr. Calvin Zabo, who is happy to see his duffel bags filled with pills returned to him after they had been stolen by some gang members. He notices that one of the bags is still missing and transforms into Mr. Hyde, killing the leader of the mercenaries and appointing a new one in command to find the missing bag.

The next morning, Robbie Reyes wakes up in his bed, thinking the previous night's events had been a dream. He notices in the mirror that not only have all of his injuries from the previous day's beating have healed, but that his right eye is now colored orange. Robbie takes his brother Gabe to his special learning center, then goes to school, encountering the same three punks who had beat him up the day before. While the class goes wild around him, Robbie simply sits and stares quietly. Elsewhere in LA, at the house of a drug dealer named Grumpy, two teenagers buy one of Zabo's stolen pink pills to use as a date rape drug. While they slip the pill into the drink of a girl in the kitchen, another addict tells Grumpy that he saw someone driving his car the night before. Grumpy's underlings tell their boss that the other bags of pills were in the trunk of the car. In the kitchen, the woman dosed with Zabo's drug transforms into a Hyde creature and kills the boys who drugged her, destroying part of the house in the process.

That night, after Gabe has gone to bed, Robbie sneaks back into the auto shop and finds the car that had been destroyed has returned in perfect condition. As he's taking the car out of the shop, Grumpy's lieutenants pull up to steal the car back and open fire on Reyes. He transforms into Ghost Rider and brutally disarms the thugs, forcing them to flee in their car. Ghost Rider gives chase, but ultimately speeds past them on his way to an abandoned salvage yard. When they arrive, Reyes turns back into his normal form and looks at the car, asking "what are you?". To his surprise, the car answers with "the real question is, what are WE?" 

All-New Ghost Rider (2014) # 1

"Engines of Vengeance, Part 1"

Cover Date: May 2014

On Sale Date: March 2014

Writer: Felipe Smith

Artist: Tradd Moore
Letterer: VC's Joe Caramagna
Colorists: Nelson Daniel & Val Staples
Editor: Mark Paniccia
Editor In Chief: Axel Alonso

Cover Artist: Tradd Moore

At an auto repair shop in East Los Angeles, teenager Robbie Reyes is working on a customized Dodge Charger. His boss pays him, attempting to cheat him out of part of his wages before being caught by the teen, and Robbie leaves. At the Patrick Wellman Development Center, three punks are hassling Robbie's mentally and physically handicapped younger brother Gabe. They steal the boy's wheelchair, and when Robbie intervenes and starts a fight, one of the punks pulls out a gun. They three boys beat Robbie viciously and leave with the wheelchair, forcing Robbie to take his brother home by carrying him on his back. On their way home they pass by a murder scene roped off by police, and while eating dinner that night they hear gunshots down the street.

Later that night, Robbie breaks into the auto shop and borrows the Charger, promising to return it before morning. When he puts on the racing helmet and starts the engine, he doesn't notice the flames surrounding his reflection in the window. He takes the car to an illegal street race, hoping to win $50,000 by using the car as his collateral. Robbie is easily winning the race, until he realizes he's being chased by the police. He thinks about what will happen to his brother if he's arrested and sent to prison, so Robbie attempts to outrun the police cars. However, he mistakenly pulls into a dead-end alley. When the police pull in behind him, he gets out of the car and attempts to explain, but the "cops" murder him in a hail of machine gun fire. They soak the car with gasoline, remove several duffel bags of pink pills out of the trunk, and then set the car on fire while Robbie bleeds to death. The soldiers leave Robbie and the burning car in the alley, but the flames reach out to the boy and he is transformed into the Ghost Rider. He gets inside the burning car and drives away while Gabe sleeps at home, blissfully unaware of what's happened to his brother.