Ghost Rider (2022) # 15

"Dragged Out of Hell"

Cover Date: August 2023; On Sale Date: June 2023

Writer: Benjamin Percy; Artist: Cory Smith; Inker: Oren Junior; Letterer: VC's Travis Lanham; Colorist: Bryan Valenza; Editor: Darren Shan; Editor in Chief: C.B. Cebulski; Cover Artist: Bjorn Barends

When Johnny Blaze and Talia Warroad approach the doors to Infernal Labs, a massive mystical explosion rocks the building. The two make their way through the ruined lab and find Danny Ketch, who is unconscious and near death due to being severed from the Spirit of Corruption. Talia absorbs the memories of the dying lab assistant and reveals Dr. Diyu's plan, to use the Spirit to power her mech suit and travel into Hell to retrieve her brother. Talia is able to keep Danny's body alive temporarily, but she tells Johnny that he's going to have to go to Hell to reclaim the Spirit or Danny will die.  Johnny transforms into the Ghost Rider and enters the portal to Hell, where he is immediately besieged by demons looking to kill their former king. 

Using the Spirit's power to fight her way through Hell, Dr. Diyu finally locates her brother's soul. At that moment, the Spirit rips itself out of the mech suit, leaving Diyu alone. Her brother tells her that he is in Hell because he belongs there and immediately murders her. Ghost Rider finds the Spirit of Corruption and offers to take it home to Danny. Ghost Rider emerges from the Hell portal back on Earth and returns the Spirit power to Danny. Ghost Rider transforms back into Johnny as Danny wakes up, allowing the brothers to be reunited. 

Ghost Rider (2022) # 14

"Sibling Rivalry"

Cover Date: July 2023; On Sale Date: May 2023

Writer: Benjamin Percy; Artist: Cory Smith & Brent Peeples; Inker: Oren Junior & Brent Peeples; Letterer: VC's Travis Lanham; Colorist: Bryan Valenza; Editor: Darren Shan; Editor in Chief: C.B. Cebulski; Cover Artist: Bjorn Barends

Four months ago: Danny Ketch is being subjected to experiments by Dr. Diyu at Infernal Labs, with the intention of separating him from the Spirit of Corruption inside of him. Dr. Diyu reveals a giant mech suit and a gateway to Hell inside the lab, stating that she has wasted too much time already.

Present day: Talia wakes up Johnny in a motel room, where he's been unconscious for the past three days after tapping into the signal connected to Infernal Labs. 

Three months ago: While recuperating in a nutrient bath, Danny asks Dr. Diyu to tell him about her brother, Delun, who was possessed by a demon when he was a small child and then died. This caused Dr. Diyu to begin her studies in demonology with her ultimate plan to get her brother back.

Present Day: Talia tells Johnny that she tracked the signal to Infernal Labs in California. When they leave the motel she gives him the keys to a new motorcycle, telling him that he belongs on a bike. 

Two months ago: Director Crux of the FBI contacts Dr. Diyu and gives her a mission to send Danny to resolve, despite her protests. Danny is sick and wasting away from the experimentation, but Diyu and her assistant place a remote control helmet onto him and force him to transform into the Ghost Rider. They send him to Alaska to destroy a group of vampires, and over the following weeks send him to other places, such as Savannah and South Carolina. 

Present day: Johnny and Talia attempt to sneak into Infernal Labs, but are seen on the security cameras. Dr. Diyu tells her assistant to fire up the hellfire transference device again, not caring if it kills Danny or not. She sends the hellfire into her mech suit and powers up the gateway, determined to find and rescue her brother from Hell.

"Memories of the Tide"

Writer: Jon Tsuei; Artist: Tadam Gyadu; Letterer: VC's Travis Lanham; Colorist: Brian Reber

South Korean superhero Taegukgi has arrived in California to investigate a series of disappearances at the Santa Cruz beach. He's met by Johnny Blaze, who has been brought to the area by the Spirit of Vengeance. The two compare notes on a ghost named Wrenley Fischer, a serial killer who died while Taegukgi was trying to apprehend him. Ghost Rider and Taegukgi team up and destroy Fischer's vengeful spirit, saving as many lives as they can in the process. 

Ghost Rider (2022) # 13

"My Brother's Keeper"

Cover Date: June 2023; On Sale Date: April 2023

Writer: Benjamin Percy; Artist: Cory Smith; Inker: Oren Junior; Letterer: VC's Travis Lanham; Colorist: Bryan Valenza; Editor: Darren Shan; Editor in Chief: C.B. Cebulski; Cover Artist: Bjorn Barends

Six months ago: Danny Ketch is hustling pool in a roadside bar when he is approached by a female scientist named Dr. Diyu, who wishes to make a deal with him in regards to the Spirit of Vengeance inside of him.

Present day: In Myrtle Beach, Johnny Blaze and Talia Warroad investigate a crime scene at a local dance club that doubled as a demon-worshipping temple. A fire broke out, killing hundreds of people at the club, and Talia uses a spell to see a replay of the events. She shares the vision with Johnny, who sees a green-flamed individual as the cause of the deadly fire. Danny breaks the spell, in disbelief that it was his brother that was responsible.

Six months ago: Dr. Diyu leads Danny on a tour of Infernal Labs, where demons are being dissected and used in experimental study.  Diyu locks Danny in a containment room and unleashes a giant demon for him to fight, telling him that she wishes to speak with "the spirit". Danny transforms, telling her that "the other guy" doesn't have much of a sense of humor about things.

Present day: Johnny and Talia track down the only survivor of the dance club fire at a local hospital, where she is currently in intensive care for massive burn injuries. Before she dies she provides a sketch of the man with the burning skull, who Talia deduces may have antennae on his head that transmit a signal.

Six months ago: Danny wakes up after the Spirit of Vengeance inside him has destroyed the demon released in the lab. In her office, Dr. Diyu shows Danny a file with reports on all the innocent people he has inadvertently harmed as the Ghost Rider, then tells him that she can help remove his curse if he agrees to help with her research. She tells him that her brother died after being possessed by a demon, and that is the motivation for her studies into Hell. 

Present day: Johnny and Talia go to a data center to track down the signal being broadcast, but when they find it what they hear makes Talia sick and triggers Johnny's transformation into the Ghost Rider.  After hearing the signal, the Ghost Rider uses hellfire to transmit a signal of his own back to the sender. At Infernal Labs, during an experiment with Danny, the equipment catches fire, warning Dr. Diyu that they will soon have visitors.

Ghost Rider (2022) # 12

"Necropolis"

Cover Date: May 2023; On Sale Date: March 2023

Writer: Benjamin Percy; Artist: Cory Smith; Inker: Oren Junior; Letterer: VC's Travis Lanham; Colorist: Bryan Valenza; Editor: Darren Shan; Editor in Chief: C.B. Cebulski; Cover Artist: Bjorn Barends

Johnny Blaze and Talia Warroad arrive on the outskirts of Savannah, where they are stopped by two police officers who tell them the city is locked down. Johnny is sprayed in the face with mace by one of the cops and in turn he transforms into the Ghost Rider, who occupies one of the police cars and heads into the city. Talia, refusing to be left behind, puts a spell on the cops and follows Ghost Rider into Savannah. 

The city is almost completely on fire, with the bodies of both humans and demons littering the streets. Ghost Rider follows the path of destruction to Colonial Park Cemetery, where he encounters one surviving demon that is slowly dying from its wounds. The demon claims that the Ghost Rider had already been there, slaughtering his way through the city, and he raises the dead of the cemetery to attack. Ghost Rider grabs onto a cross of a tombstone and uses it as a flaming sword to destroy the undead, then eats the sin of the final demon as its dies, revealing a vision of a green-flamed creature that destroyed the city.

Later, Johnny and Talia gather supplies for a spell to uncover the identity of who or what destroyed Savannah. Checking in to a motel, Talia uses a hot tub and a drop of Johnny's blood to experience visions of his brother, Danny Ketch, as the person responsible for killing all of the people and demons in the city. 

Ghost Rider (2022) # 10

"American Nightmare"

Cover Date: March 2023; On Sale Date: January 2023

Writer: Benjamin Percy; Artist: Cory Smith and David Cutler; Inker: Oren Junior; Letterer: VC's Travis Lanham; Colorist: Bryan Valenza; Editor: Darren Shan; Editor in Chief: C.B. Cebulski; Cover Artist: Bjorn Barends

In the Chicago subway system, Ghost Rider uses a flaming chainsaw to destroy a group of demons that had been slaughtering innocent humans. Meanwhile, Blackheart's plan to demonically possess humans of influence in America continues. Blackheart is confronted atop Hell's Backbone by Zeb and the other two remaining members of the Night Magicians.

Back in Chicago, Ghost Rider finishes off the last demon and descends further into the subway, where he finds Exhaust and the corrupted Talia Warroad. Johnny Blaze regains control of his body and attempts to talk Talia out of her corruption, which she shakes off just in time to save Johnny from Exhaust. The two partner up and use their magic and hellfire in a final stand against Exhaust. At Hell's Backbone, Blackheart has defeated the Night Magicians and is preparing to kill Zeb when the Ghost Rider and Talia arrive on a new motorcycle made from the body of Exhaust. Ghost Rider opens up a portal to Hell above Hell's Backbone and floods the area with hellfire, sending Blackheart back to Hell. 

Later, at FBI Headquarters in Washington D.C., Talia walks away from her job when her boss, Director Crux, shuts down her division for lack of prosecutable evidence. Talia meets up with Johnny in a park and the two decide to continue hunting down the shadows released across the country by Blackheart. Director Crux makes a call to a Dr. Diyu of Infernal Labs, who is about to perform an experiment on their newest subject: Danny Ketch. 

Ghost Rider (2022) # 9

"Slaughterhouse"

Cover Date: February 2023; On Sale Date: December 2022

Writer: Benjamin Percy; Artist: Cory Smith; Inker: Oren Junior; Letterer: VC's Travis Lanham; Colorist: Bryan Valenza; Editor: Darren Shan; Editor in Chief: C.B. Cebulski; Cover Artist: Bjorn Barends

In an alley in Chicago, Talia Warroad runs from the Ghost Rider, who grabs her with chains and tells her that Johnny Blaze is his, not hers. She makes a deal with the demon, telling him that she can provide him with sin to eat if he allows her to work with Blaze. The Rider throws her against the wall and when she recovers she finds Johnny transformed back into his own body, surprised that the Rider didn't kill her. Meanwhile, Exhaust rides into the city, the smoke from his motorcycle corrupting other drivers and transforming them into monsters.

Johnny and Talia find a church that Blaze senses is evil. When they go inside they find a congregation of parishioners dead, a sacrifice to the growing darkness in the city. A crow flies overhead, a signal from the Night Magician Zeb that they aren't alone in the fight. At Devil's Backbone in Utah, Zeb and his fellow Night Magicians prepare to attack Blackheart.

Johnny and Talia descend into the city's subway system, where they encounter a deranged homeless man and a speeding train full of screaming innocent victims. Johnny transforms into the Ghost Rider and follows the train, leaving Talia behind to be attacked by Exhaust. Ghost Rider is led by the train to a station filled with demons that are slaughtering humans, which he attacks with a hellfire flaming chainsaw, unaware that Talia is being strangled by Exhaust.

Ghost Rider (2022) # 8

"Skeleton Crew"

Cover Date: January 2023; On Sale Date: November 2022

Writer: Benjamin Percy; Artist: Cory Smith; Inker: Oren Junior; Letterer: VC's Travis Lanham; Colorist: Bryan Valenza; Editor: Darren Shan; Editor in Chief: C.B. Cebulski; Cover Artist: Kael Ngu

At a motel in Colorado, Johnny Blaze and Talia Warroad look over the map of newspaper clippings about demonic activity and discover that their next point of investigation needs to be Chicago. Meanwhile, at the Unknown Cemetery, the aftermath of the battle between Alabaster and Zeb is discovered by one of the other Night Magicians named Wurm, who finds Zeb as the only one still alive.

On a tree-lined road in Illinois, Blaze and Talia are riding in her custom hearse toward Chicago. The vehicle is attacked by a horde of demonic, skinned forest animals, and Blaze is unable to get the Ghost Rider to come out due to the lack of innocent lives being threatened. Talia uses her magic to allow Blaze to tap in to the Ghost Rider's power, transforming the hearse into a hellfire powered vehicle that gets them out of the forest and into Chicago. They don't realize that they are being tracked by Exhaust.

Back at the Unknown Cemetery, Zeb and Wurm investigate why Alabaster turned against them and find another one of the Night Magicians, a werewolf named Vulka, chained up in a crypt. They also find a painting on the wall of Blackheart, who Alabaster was working for. In Chicago, Blaze and Talia pull over and Blaze is able to see the demonic influence corrupting the city. Blaze asks Talia to help him summon the Ghost Rider again so he can be used to point them to the source of the evil. Talia kisses Blaze and triggers the transformation, with Johnny telling her to run as he transforms.

Ghost Rider (2022) # 7

"Shadow Hunters"

Cover Date: December 2022; On Sale Date: October 2022

Writer: Benjamin Percy; Artist: Cory Smith; Inker: Oren Junior; Letterer: VC's Travis Lanham; Colorist: Bryan Valenza; Editor: Darren Shan; Editor in Chief: C.B. Cebulski; Cover Artist: Kael Ngu

At the burned down bar where Johnny Blaze had a demon exorcised out of his body, the creature emerges with a new body all of its own. Calling itself Exhaust, it attacks a police officer and transforms him into a shadow creature under Exhaust's control.

While at a diner, Johnny drinks several cups of coffee, unaware that the person serving him drinks is a disguised Talia Warroad. Not realizing that he's been drugged, Johnny stops at a nearby motel and passes out. Talia sneaks into his room and handcuffs him to the bed, then performs a spell to find out what happened to him prior to his time in Hayden's Falls. She uncovers that while Blaze was the King of Hell he earned the ire of Blackheart, who wanted the throne for himself. Later, while Johnny was sleeping, Blackheart used the memory of Roxanne Simpson to trick Blaze into giving up control of the Ghost Rider, which is how he was imprisoned in Hayden's Falls to begin with. Johnny wakes up in the motel two days later and is introduced to Talia, who is looking for a new partner.

At Hell's Backbone, Blackheart delivers a speech to the bikers who finished the race before Blaze and Wolverine destroyed the path. Exhaust joins them and Blackheart states that the country will soon be his to control.

Ghost Rider (2022) # 5

"Hell's Backbone"

Cover Date: October 2022; On Sale Date: August 2022

Writer: Benjamin Percy; Artist: Cory Smith; Inkers: Oren Junior; Letterer: VC's Travis Lanham; Colorist: Bryan Valenza; Editor: Darren Shan; Editor in Chief: C.B. Cebulski; Cover Artist: Kael Ngu

Johnny Blaze, his connection with the Ghost Rider severed and out of control, arrives in Utah for the Hell's Backbone Motorcycle Rally, having been given the instruction to "ride or die" by the Spirit of Vengeance inside him. Meanwhile, Talia Warroad attempts to interrogate the magician Zeb, but both are knocked unconscious by FBI Agent Whilmer, who reveals himself to be a demon.

The race at Hell's Backbone begins at sundown, with an army of racers including such people as Blade, Dracula, Man-Thing, Black Widow, Moon Knight, and Wolverine. The rumor is that the winner of the race gets to hold council with the Devil and have a wish granted. Blaze, determined to win, wants nothing but answers. The racers destroy one another as the competition escalates, with Wolverine recognizing Blaze as he passes by. Demons begin to appear to pick off the bikers, but Blaze is able to avoid them until another racer shoots out his back tire, causing him to crash. While the demon inside Johnny's head begins to emerge and choke him, Wolverine rescues him and pulls him onto his bike. Johnny tells Wolverine that they have to stop the race, so using his bike as an explosive Wolverine seals the tunnel ahead of them. Wolverine then turns to see Blaze being assaulted by demonic forces emerging from his own body. At the end of the race, the "devil" is revealed to be Blackheart, the one responsible for the rise in demonic activity across the country.

Ghost Rider (2022) # 4

"Blood Circus"

Cover Date: July 2022; On Sale Date: May 2022

Writer: Benjamin Percy; Artist: Cory Smith; Inkers: Oren Junior; Letterer: VC's Travis Lanham; Colorist: Bryan Valenza; Editor: Darren Shan; Editor in Chief: C.B. Cebulski; Cover Artist: Kael Ngu

Johnny Blaze wakes up naked inside a gas station bathroom, where the Ghost Rider has burned the message "Exit 666" on the ceiling. Accosted by an aggressive biker, Johnny beats him up and steals both his clothes and his motorcycle. Meanwhile, Agents Whilmer and Talia Warroad rent out a garage where, using one of the feathers from the birds that attacked her car, Talia conducts a magic spell that brings the magician Zeb to them.

Johnny arrives at the town off of Exit 666 and finds it completely deserted with evidence of an evil circus that had come to town. The Circus of Crime, now possessed by demonic creatures, sets up shop in a small town in Minnesota and calls all of the townspeople to their tent to become sacrifices. Johnny tracks down the Circus and transforms into the Ghost Rider before riding into the tent. He is attacked by a creature made up of the fused bodies of innocent people, but the Rider is able to purge the Circus of Crime from the creature and send it on its way. The Ringmaster uses his power of hypnosis against the Rider, and Johnny wakes up in the middle of the highway. Blaze realizes that he hasn't been working with the Ghost Rider the way he should because he has been compromised by a demonic entity within his own body. The Rider takes over briefly and uses hellfire to burn another message in the road for Johnny, telling him to be at "Hell's Backbone" in three days to "ride or die".

Ghost Rider (2022) # 3

"Red Road"

Cover Date: June 2022; On Sale Date: April 2022

Writer: Benjamin Percy; Artist: Cory Smith & Brent Peeples; Inkers: Roberto Poggi & Brent Peeples; Letterer: VC's Travis Lanham; Colorist: Bryan Valenza; Editor: Darren Shan; Editor in Chief: C.B. Cebulski; Cover Artist: Kael Ngu

In the Cascade Mountains of Oregon, Johnny Blaze hitchhikes on the "Red Road", a strip of highway where motorists are known to disappear and a haunted truck appears in rear-view mirrors.  While pondering who or what wanted the Ghost Rider off the map and imprisoned, Johnny is picked up by a passing car. Meanwhile, the Council of Night Magicians meet in a graveyard, led by a wizard named Alabaster. They are given an update on Blaze by Zebadiah, the magician who helped free Johnny from Hayden's Falls, but Alabaster forbids any more interference on their part.

Back on the Red Road, the driver that picked up Blaze starts talking about the balance between good and bad, stating that you have to let the bad happen to get the good. They drive up on a massive car accident between a family minivan and a semi-truck carrying livestock. The driver of the car pulls a gun on Blaze, stating that he 's going to sacrifice him to the road before the road kills him, but Johnny disarms him and exits the vehicle to check on any survivors of the wreck. The driver, whose trunk has popped open to reveal a collection of dead bodies, drives forward and is run off the road by a demonic truck that has mysteriously appeared. 

Elsewhere, FBI Agents Whilmer and Talia Warroad eat at a diner, where Talia explains how she gained her psychic gifts as a child. When they leave the diner they find Talia's car covered in bird droppings from a flock of crows. On the Red Road, Johnny saves a little kid that survived the wreck from the demon truck, then transforms into the Ghost Rider. Touching the wrecked semi, Ghost Rider transforms it into a hell-truck and drives it straight at the demon truck, the two massive vehicles colliding head-on. Later, Johnny wanders through the desert and hears the words "The Shadow Country", spoken by the demon hosted inside his body.

Ghost Rider (2022) # 2

"Dark Places"

Cover Date: May 2022; On Sale Date: March 2022

Writer: Benjamin Percy; Artist: Cory Smith & Brent Peeples; Inkers: Roberto Poggi, Oren Junior, & Brent Peeples; Letterer: VC's Travis Lanham; Colorist: Bryan Valenza; Editor: Darren Shan; Editor in Chief: C.B. Cebulski; Cover Artist: Kael Ngu

After waking up with no memory of his time as the Ghost Rider, Johnny Blaze continues to question his imprisonment in Hayden's Falls and the constant ache in his head. Learning he is in Idaho, Blaze stops off at a roadside motel called The Cave Inn to rest and collect his thoughts. Meanwhile, in Utah, FBI Agents Whilmer and Talia Warroad are tracking the source of the supernatural atrocities happening across the country.

After checking in to the motel, unaware that the owner is watching each of the guests through mirrors in their rooms, Johnny takes a job as a handyman. Finding strange things in each of the rooms, Johnny accidentally stumbles across a tunnel connecting each room through the mirrors. Discovering a room covered in blood that had previously held a family with a small child, Johnny begins to lose control of the Spirit of Vengeance inside him. In the cave beneath the motel, the owner presents the kidnapped family to a massive creature, who begins feasting on them. The Ghost Rider arrives, prompting the motel owner to take his own life. The creature says that the Ghost Rider is suppose to be gone, and as the Rider kills it he tells the creature that he rides again. On the highway, Agents Whilmer and Warroad follow a fire engine to the motel, which is on fire and burning to the ground. They hear a witness describe a flaming skull and Talia vows to find the Ghost Rider.

Ghost Rider (2022) # 1

"Breakdown"

Cover Date: April 2022; On Sale Date: February 2022

Writer: Benjamin Percy; Artist: Cory Smith; Letterer: VC's Travis Lanham; Colorist: Bryan Valenza; Editor: Darren Shan; Editor in Chief: C.B. Cebulski; Cover Artist: Kael Ngu

Johnny Blaze sits and has a conversation with his therapist about his recent motorcycle accident and head injury, which occurred several months before. He talks about the nightmares he has when he doesn't drink whiskey before bed and how he should be happy with his life in Hayden's Falls, married to Roxanne and raising his two kids, Craig and Emma. Since fracturing his skull he's experienced waking nightmares, hallucinations of horrific things, but he lies and denies having seen them recently. He walks around the town of Hayden's Falls and encounters numerous unexplained things that people tell him are a result of his head injury. Meanwhile, at FBI Headquarters, Agents Whilmer and Talia Warroad are given a discretionary fund to explore rising cases of the supernatural across the country. 

While Blaze spends time with his son and later his father-in-law, Crash Simpson, a stranger comes to Hayden's Falls and senses a dark evil lurking beneath the surface. While the town starts to fall apart around him, Johnny continues to see everyone he knows as monstrous creatures, including his own family. He's found by the stranger, a necromancer named Zeb who was sent by a group of magicians to locate Blaze. He tells Johnny that his family and the town aren't real and unlocks his memory along with the power of the Spirit of Vengeance. Zeb turns into a crow and flies away while Johnny transforms into the Ghost Rider and destroys all the demons, including the ones masquerading as his family, out of revenge for keeping him trapped. Realizing that he had been imprisoned by someone, the Ghost Rider creates his motorcycle and rides out of Hayden's Falls, on the hunt for answers.