Marvel Comics Presents (1988) # 99

"Fallen Spirits"

Cover Date: February 1992; On Sale Date: December 1991

Writer: Dan Slott; Artist: Jimmy Palmiotti; Letterer: Steve Dutro; Colorist: Fred Mendez; Editor: Terry Kavanagh; Editor in Chief: Tom DeFalco; Cover Artist: Sam Keith

Falling to the ground after being overwhelmed by the army of D'Sprytes, the Ghost Rider watches as his motorcycle hits the pavement. With only seconds to spare, he releases his chain, catching it on a streetlight, and swings himself into a fruit stand. The D'Sprytes make their way to the street while the Rider digs himself free of debris. Catching a few of them in his hands, he is unable to keep from being attacked by the rest. On the sidelines of the battle watch a group of pedestrians who see the Rider fighting with an invisible enemy. Suddenly, the crowd turns violent, each person under the thrall of a D'Spryte. Jack Weaver, the homeless man who first saw the demons, tries to convince the crowd that their being manipulated, but the enthralled crowd ignore him, calling him "just a bum".

 

The crowd then turns on the Ghost Rider hurtling bricks and other things at him. The D'Sprytes know that the Rider will not harm an innocent, and plan on using the pedestrians to kill him. The ground then begins to rumble, and the Rider's bike busts from the hole it had made in the pavement after the fall. Riding around him in a circle, the bike is used to create a shield from the mob, allowing the Ghost Rider to form a plan. Spinning his chain, he releases it as a hail of sharp metal links, each one hitting a D'Spryte before reforming as the chain in his hand. With each D'Spryte dead, the crowd comes to their senses, unable to recall what had happened. Knowing he is no longer needed, the Ghost Rider rides into an alley and transforms back into Dan. Before he rides home, he sees Jack Weaver sitting back on the sidewalk. He asks Jack if he'd like someone to talk to, to which Weaver replies "yeah...that'd be nice".

Ghost Rider (1990) # 23

"Death Drive"

Cover Date: March 1992; On Dale Date: January 1992

Writer: Howard Mackie; Artist: Mark Texeira; Letterer: Janice Chiang; Colorist: Gregory Wright; Editor: Bobbie Chase; Editor In Chief: Tom DeFalco; Cover Artist: Mark Texeira

Linda Wei reports on the collapse of Deathwatch’s building in Midtown, blaming the destruction on a “Ghost Rider rampage”. Ghost Rider himself is trapped in the rubble beneath the building along with scores of people that were in the basement homeless shelter. While Ghost Rider digs his way through, tormented by the screams of the injured people, Deathwatch revels in the ecstasy all the death has given him. He is joined by two aides, Hag and Troll, to help him clean up the last bits of his organization before leaving the country. 

Deathwatch, Hag, and Troll infiltrate the 75th police precinct, where Michael Badilino is interrogating the ninjas captured during a fight with Ghost Rider. The lights go out and Badilino orders his men to wear night-vision goggles and head to the cells, where they find all of Deathwatch’s men being brutally killed. Badilino manages to hit Deathwatch in the shoulder with his pistol, which prompts the villains to leave, their task completed. 

Back at the destroyed building, Ghost Rider locates the homeless shelter and the people trapped within. His motorcycle arrives and he uses it to clear a path through the rubble to which they can all escape. When Ghost Rider emerges, he’s surrounded by police, but they are stopped from arresting him by the escaping people, who all praise Ghost Rider for rescuing them. Linda Wei attempts to cut the broadcast, but her cameraman says the studio wants them to keep filming, that Ghost Rider might not be a bad guy after all. Just before they board a plane to leave the country, Deathwatch gets news that Ghost Rider survived and tells Hag and Troll that he may have a connection to their “old friend Zarathos”. Ghost Rider goes to the hospital where Snowblind is being held and demands the critically injured villain give him information on Deathwatch, and that he will break his vow to never take a human life. Snowblind informs him that Deathwatch isn’t human

Marvel Comics Presents (1988) # 97

"Servants of the Dead, Part 8: Death's Servant"

Published: March 1992
On Sale Date: January 1992

Writer: Howard Mackie
Artist: Guang Yap
Inker: Bud LaRosa
Letterer: Janice Chiang
Colorist: Fernando Mendez
Editor: Terry Kavanagh
Editor in Chief: Tom DeFalco

Cover Artist: Sam Keith

In the Grateful Undead's Cathedral of the Dead far beneath Cypress Hills Cemetery, the underground race's god has formed a body from the multitude of skeletons on the ground.  Ghost Rider immediately attacks the god, saying that the girl they rescued will live.  As he advances toward the girl, the Undead god tosses Ghost Rider aside and shrugs off Cable's gunshots.  When the sole remaining Warrior of the Dead attempts to intervene, Ghost Rider punches him and Cable holds him at gunpoint.  Ghost Rider punches his fist through the god's chest, but that does nothing to stop him.  The god claims that the girl is one of the dead and is to be his bride.  Ghost Rider attacks again, causing a hairline fracture in the god's skull, which Cable exploits with a bullet to the head.  This reveals the god to be a human man, who stops the fight and wishes to understand why the heroes are attempting to prevent him from paying homage to the dead.  He calls forth the Warrior of the Dead and reads his mind, but is shocked and angry over what he learns.  He was once a necromancer who worshipped the dead; he came underground to live amongst the dead and became like a god to a race of people who lived there.  Unbeknownst to him, his followers have become assassins, misunderstanding what he attempted to teach them.  He tells Ghost Rider and Cable to leave him to his people, and when they ask about the girl the god tells her that her fate is her own.  She chooses to die, prompting Ghost Rider and Cable to escape the Cathedral on Ghost Rider's motorcycle.  They emerge on the surface in Cypress Hills Cemetery.  They depart as allies, aware that no one witnessed their conversation or heroics...no one but the dead.

Marvel Comics Presents (1988) # 96

"Servants of the Dead, Part 7: The Bride"

Cover Date: February 1992

On Sale Date: December 1991

Writer: Howard Mackie
Artist: Guang Yap
Inker: Bud LaRosa
Letterer: Janice Chiang
Colorist: Fernando Mendez
Editor: Terry Kavanagh
Editor in Chief: Tom DeFalco

Cover Artist: Sam Keith

The girl rescued by Ghost Rider and Cable has been revealed to actually be dead, having been stabbed by the Warriors of the Dead, her wounds leaking energy instead of blood.  When the Grateful Undead's leader tells her that only they can help her, she fights back and refuses to go.  Ghost Rider and Cable intervene on the girl's behalf, putting the fight at a stalemate.  The head Warrior explains that the girl is no longer a living human being, instead she is a nameless shell reanimated by their priests during an ancient ritual, and all the memories of their race were placed inside her mind.  Realizing that the Warrior speaks the truth, the girl goes into a rage and attacks him and her two protectors.  She again refuses to go, but breaks down into tears when the Warrior tells her that she has no choice.  Cable protests for her again, saying they will make sure she gets a choice.  Then the room is engulfed with bright light and the floor gives way, with the Warrior stating that "all choice has been taken out of our hands...now our lives are in the hands of my god".  Ghost Rider, Cable, the girl, and the Warriors of the Dead are brought back to the Cathedral of the Dead far underground.  When they land, the all of the Warriors except for the bowing leader are sucked under the ground, and the skeletons around them form themselves into the shape of a man.

Marvel Comics Presents (1988) # 95

"Servants of the Dead, Part 6: Shadows"

Cover Date: February 1992

On Sale Date: December 1991

Writer: Howard Mackie
Artist: Guang Yap
Inker: Bud LaRosa
Letterer: Janice Chiang
Colorist: Fernando Mendez
Editor: Terry Kavanagh
Editor in Chief: Tom DeFalco

Cover Artist: Sam Keith

Ghost Rider, Cable, and the girl they rescued are preparing to fight the Warriors of the Dead, who have tracked them to an abandoned warehouse.  They find and kill one of the assassins, but the other Warriors use what Cable calls "ninja tricks" to evade their attack.  The leader of the Warriors explain that it was they who brought the warrior arts to China centuries ago, then states that they are there to collect the girl, who was to be the bride of their god who dwells beneath the Cathedral of the Dead.  Calling Ghost Rider and Cable valiant warriors, they ask only to take the girl and leave without a fight.  Ghost Rider and Cable both refuse to allow the girl to be taken, and the head Warrior again states that he does not wish to kill them over a mistake as they attempt to protect one who is already dead.  To prove it, the warriors throw knives into the girl, killing her, while Ghost Rider and Cable fight their way through the Warriors.  The battle stops when the girl gets up with energy, not blood, leaking from the wounds in her chest, asking why she isn't dead.

Ghost Rider/Wolverine/Punisher: Hearts of Darkness

"Hearts of Darkness"

Cover Date: December 1991
On Sale Date: October 1991

Writer: Howard Mackie
Artist: John Romita Jr.
Inker: Klaus Janson
Letterer: Joe Rosen
Colorist: John Wellington
Assistant Editor: Chris Cooper
Editor: Bobbie Chase
Editor in Chief: Tom DeFalco

Cover Artist: John Romita Jr.

On a hilltop outside of the town named Christ's Crown, a satanic cult sacrifice a young girl on an altar, which calls forth Blackheart - the demonic son of Mephisto! Blackheart kills the worshippers for their impudence, cursing his father for the hellish life he must endure. He plans to murder Mephisto by corrupting the souls of three men to be his assassins.

Some time later, Dan Ketch arrives in Christ's Crown and rents a room at a boarding house owned by Flo Crumm and Lucy, her young daughter. Lucy immediately takes to Dan, who is also introduced to the two other guests at the house, Frank and Logan. Later that night, Dan sits in his room and reads the mysterious letter that brought him to Christ's Crown, which says the secrets of the Ghost Rider and the Soul Crystal are there for him to learn. Elsewhere in the house, Wolverine and Punisher meet up and compare notes - Wolverine's letter claimed to have knowledge of his missing memories and how adamantium was attached to his skeleton, while Punisher's letter claimed to have the whereabouts of the men who killed Castle's family. Neither hero care about what the letters promise, but they still both want to know how the mysterious sender was able to contact them.

Later, each man is visited in their rooms simultaneously by Blackheart, who speaks of the gray area that the three vigilantes routinely cross. Blackheart offers to give the men power in exchange for killing his father, Mephisto. All three refuse the offer, enraging Blackheart, who disappears from their rooms. Then they hear Lucy Crumm yelling for her mother, and outside they find that the entire town has been mesmerized by Blackheart and are being drawn to the center of town. Only Lucy remains outside of Blackheart's power, and she is kidnapped by Blackheart while the heroes try to fight through the crowd of enslaved people. Dan sees that Blackheart has also taken possession of the Ghost Rider's motorcycle, and as the demon demands that they submit to him and kill his father he holds Lucy into the air, claiming her to be the one innocent soul in the town. Blackheart rides away on the mystical motorcycle, spilling Lucy's blood with a scratch on her arm, blood which splashes on Danny's face. Punisher and Wolverine climb into Castle's van to follow the demon, while Danny breaks into an auto shop to take a motorcycle. Suddenly, the design of the Ghost Rider's gas cap appears on Danny's hands, prompting him to wonder if the transformation comes from inside him and not from the motorcycle. His thoughts are confirmed when he transforms into Ghost Rider, complete with a new mystical motorcycle.

Punisher and Wolverine follow Blackheart to the sacrificial hilltop, which is now surrounded by a thick field of thorns. Frank and Logan start cutting their through the thorns, being cut and torn as they progress, but they're soon given a clear path by Ghost Rider, who burns his way through the thorns while riding to the top of the hill. Blackheart again attempts to sway the vigilantes over to his cause, tempting them with answers to the questions they each have about their lives. All three again refuse and attack Blackheart, who calls forth an army of green spirits to assist him. Blackheart escapes through a portal to Hell with the captive Lucy, but Ghost Rider follows and destroys the demons protecting his enemy. Ghost Rider removes his gloves and beats Blackheart into submission with his hellfire skeleton fists, while the demon finally realizes that this Rider cannot be the same as Zarathos. Blackheart makes a final attempt to kill Lucy, but he is stopped by Wolverine, who cuts off the demon's arm. Punisher then blows Blackheart apart with a grenade launcher, telling him that the "edge" he speaks of them crossing doesn't exist; any soul Castle once had is long gone, and now there is just right, wrong, and punishment. Blackheart attempts to pull his body back together while Wolverine and Punisher take Lucy back through the portal to Earth, leaving Ghost Rider behind to finish off their foe. But the battle is halted by Mephisto, who appears as giant to collect his son and remove the Ghost Rider from Hell, though he promises that they will encounter one another again very soon. Back on the hilltop above Christ's Crown, the heroes see that the town has been freed from Blackheart's control. Punisher wonders if the "edge" Blackheart spoke of really exists within them, to which Ghost Rider answers that it doesn't matter what lines they may cross as long as they protect the innocent from harm. While Lucy takes Ghost Rider's hand in hers, a bloody rose is seen at their feet.

Marvel Comics Presents (1988) # 94

"Servants of the Dead, Part 5: Pursuit"

Cover Date: January 1992
On Sale Date: November 1991

Writer: Howard Mackie
Artist: Guang Yap
Inker: Bud LaRosa
Letterer: Janice Chiang
Colorist: Fernando Mendez
Editor: Terry Kavanagh
Editor in Chief: Tom DeFalco

Cover Artist: Sam Keith

A grave robber witnesses Ghost Rider, Cable, and the girl they've rescued emerge from beneath Cypress Hills Cemetery.  After they've left, the grave robber is then killed by the Warriors of the Dead.  In an abandoned warehouse in Brooklyn, Ghost Rider and Cable have brought the girl, who wakes up and attempts to run away.  Cable convinces her to tell them about the Grateful Undead, who she explains are assassins well-versed in the mystic and warrior arts, at war with countless other subterranean races.  She remembers being taken to a sacrificial place, but cannot remember her own name.  She realizes that they are flesh eaters, they eat the dead.  As she finishes her story, the three realize that the Warriors of the Dead have followed them and are about to attack.

 

Marvel Holiday Special # 1

"Ghost of Christmas Present"

Cover Date: February 1992
On Sale Date: December 1991

Writer: Howard Mackie
Artist: John Hebert
Inker: Al Milgrom
Letterer: Michael Heisler
Colorist: Evelyn Stein
Editor: Renee Witterstaetter
Editor In Chief: Tom DeFalco

Cover Artist: Arthur Adams

On Christmas Eve, a blind child named Willie is running through a snowy forest in Queens, New York. He had been kidnapped from his home by armed men, but was able to escape. As he hears the men searching for him, he prays for Santa Claus to save him and take home. The men had taken Willie to ransom back to his rich father, and are determined to find him. Willie stumbles into a cemetery and one of the men finds him, but he is saved by Ghost Rider. Hearing the rattle of Ghost Rider's chains and feeling his books, Willie mistakenly thinks it is Santa there to rescue him. The other kidnappers approach, but Ghost Rider defeats them all with his Penance Stare. Willie asks "Santa" to take him on, so Ghost Rider carries him to his motorcycle and they ride back to the boy's home with Willie thinking the bike is a sleigh pulled by "hungry reindeers". Willie's parents greet him at their front door, with their son telling them about how Santa saved him. They hear the roar of Ghost Rider's bike and look up to see tracks of flame on their roof.

Marvel Comics Presents (1988) # 93

"Servants of the Dead, Part 4: Nothing to Fear"

Cover Date: January 1992
On Sale Date: November 1991

Writer: Howard Mackie
Artist: Guang Yap
Inker: Bud LaRosa
Letterer: Janice Chiang
Colorist: Fernando Mendez
Editor: Terry Kavanagh
Editor in Chief: Tom DeFalco

Cover Artist: Sam Keith

Ghost Rider and Cable have been pulled beneath the lake of bones in the Grateful Undead's cathedral.  The priests then throw the young girl that the heroes had been attempting to rescue in with them, all of them pulled under into a murky mire by large tentacles.  Ghost Rider and Cable both free themselves from the tentacles and, working together, are able to free the girl as well.  The three burst out of the lake of bones on Ghost Rider's motorcycle and ride out of the cathedral, toward the surface.  When the priest orders his men to follow them, he finds all of them struck dead by the Warriors of the Dead, another sect of the Grateful Undead.  Angered that the priest's actions may have killed their god, the leader of the Warriors of the Dead kills the priest and vows to track down the surface dwellers to slay.

 

Marvel Comics Presents (1988) # 92

"Servants of the Dead, Part 3: In the Cathedral of the Dead"

Cover Date: December 1991

On Sale Date: October 1991

Writer: Howard Mackie

Artist: Guang Yap
Inker: Bud LaRosa
Letterer: Janice Chiang
Colorist: Fernando Mendez
Editor: Terry Kavanagh
Editor in Chief: Tom DeFalco

Cover Artist: Sam Keith

Having fallen from a collapsed bridge, Ghost Rider and Cable are plummeting into a deep chasm. After reaching his falling motorcycle, Ghost Rider uses his chain to form a bridge, allowing he and Cable to cross into a tunnel in the cavern wall. Ghost Rider retrieves his chain and the two heroes make their way through the tunnel to a cathedral with skeletal remains covering the floor. They sense something moving in the remains beneath them, but see nothing. Cable asks Ghost Rider if he serves the dead since he's a Spirit of Vengeance, but they are interrupted by a priest of the Grateful Undead, who calls them blasphemers. The priest's acolytes emerge and engage the heroes in a brief battle. When Ghost Rider and Cable win the fight, the priest calls upon his god that lives beneath the bones to drag them under and claim them as food.

Marvel Comics Presents (1988) # 91

"Servants of the Dead, Part 2: Chase In the Dark"

Cover Date: December1991

On Sale Date: October1991

Writer: Howard Mackie

Artist: Guang Yap
Inker: Bud LaRosa
Letterer: Janice Chiang
Colorist: Fernando Mendez
Editor: Terry Kavanagh
Editor in Chief: Tom DeFalco

Cover Artist: Sam Keith

Having entered the tunnels beneath Cypress Hills Cemetery, Ghost Rider finds Cable trapped to the cave wall and the young girl being dragged away by the Grateful Undead. Ghost Rider frees Cable, and the two heroes are splattered with the girl's blood, thrown by the Undead as a warning for them to stay away. The two men follow the Undead to a huge cavern, where the mysterious underground group have set up an ambush. Using rocket launchers from the cliffs above, they herd Ghost Rider and Cable to a nearby wooden bridge. When Ghost Rider's motorcycle crosses the bridge, it collapses, sending both of them down into the chasm below.

Ghost Rider (1990) # 20

"Sign of Death"

Cover Date: December 1991
On Sale Date: October 1991

Writer: Howard Mackie
Artist: Ron Wagner
Inker: Mark Texeira
Letterer: Janice Chiang
Colorist: Gregory Wright
Editor: Bobbie Chase
Editor In Chief: Tom DeFalco

Cover Artist: Ron Wagner

Ghost Rider and Zodiak are at a stand-off on a subway platform. Thinking that perhaps the Rider will kill him if he takes out Zodiak himself, Chris Daniels (Suicide) attacks the murderer. Zodiak extends his claws, gutting Suicide with one swipe. Realizing that the injury won't kill him, Jenkins rushes again, only to be picked up and thrown in front of an incoming subway train. Zodiak leaps onto the train, but the Ghost Rider refuses to let him escape. The biker extends his chain, which latches onto the back of the train, dragging him down the tunnels behind it. Daniels, meanwhile, climbs from the tracks, mangled but still alive. He pushes his way through to the street, where his wounds begin to heal themselves. He chances across a crowd that surrounds the Rider's bike, giving him the idea to watch and wait. Suddenly, the cycle comes alive, and as it races off, Suicide jumps on for the ride.

Back on the train, Zodiak bails off and heads into a side-tunnel, followed closely by the Ghost Rider. Nothing the killer does seems capable of stopping the Spirit of Vengeance, who finally gets his hands around Zodiak's neck. The Rider removes the man's mask, revealing a face covered with a dozen demonic eyes. Zodiak uses the distraction to break free, and climbs up to the street. The motorcycle approaches, and Daniels bails off as the Ghost Rider emerges. Zodiak enters a movie theater and takes two hostages, telling the Rider that he'll let them go if he's allowed to walk away. He tells his story, saying how he was once an occult bookstore owner, who one day was visited by twelve demons. The demons offered him power, which he accepted, only to become grafted to the demons instead, acting as their puppet. Zodiak throws the hostages and runs, taking a woman in a car hostage in a fit to escape. They make it onto a bridge, where the Ghost Rider finally catches up to them. Suicide jumps the killer, but the woman goes over the side of the bridge. Instead of using the chance to kill Zodiak, Daniels saves the woman. Zodiak stands defeated, but still claims victory since the Ghost Rider will not take a human life. Suicide decides to take matters into his own hands, pushing both Zodiak and himself off the bride and onto a garbage barge below them. The two are impaled on wooden spikes as they hit, but as the Ghost Rider discovers when he makes his way down, only Suicide has survived. Chris Daniels is now a hero, but despite this he still wants nothing more than to die.

Marvel Comics Presents (1988) # 90

"Servants of the Dead, Part 1: Live Underground"

Cover Date: November 1991

On Sale Date: September 1991

Writer: Howard Mackie

Artist: Guang Yap
Inker: Bud LaRosa
Letterer: Janice Chiang
Colorist: Fernando Mendez
Editor: Terry Kavanagh
Editor in Chief: Tom DeFalco

Cover Artist: Sam Keith

In the tunnels that run beneath Manhattan, mutant soldier Cable is investigating the movements of the sewer dwelling Morlocks. When the Morlocks spot him, Cable drops to the floor, only to have the ground collapse beneath him. Elsewhere, at Cypress Hills Cemetery, Dan Ketch is visiting the grave of his sister, Barbara.

Cable makes his way through an underground stream, miles away from his previous location. When he goes further into the caverns he comes across a young woman that's running for her life. She tells Cable that her pursuers are the Grateful Undead, two of whom attack Cable with throwing knives. Cable kills the two assassins, though the girl tells them they are not killed quite so easily. The girl leads Cable through the tunnels, eventually bringing them beneath Cypress Hills. Cable is attacked by two giant hands that come up from the ground, belonging to a "guardian" that Cable swiftly kills. Cable shoots the ceiling with his rifle, hoping to blow a way to the surface. This results in Dan seeing an explosion in the cemetery, followed by the girl's screams. Danny touches the gas cap of his motorcycle, transforming him into Ghost Rider. The Rider descends into the tunnel, where he finds the girl being carried away by the Grateful Undead and Cable pinned to the wall by a net. Cable tells Ghost Rider to cut him down because they're about to be attacked.

Ghost Rider (1990) # 19

"The Deal"

Cover Date: November 1991
On Sale Date: September 1991

Writer: Howard Mackie
Artist: Mark Texeira
Letterer: Janice Chiang
Colorist: Gregory Wright
Editor: Bobbie Chase
Editor In Chief: Tom DeFalco
Cover Artist: Mark Texeira

Chris Daniels, a recent divorcee, sits in his empty apartment with a gun to his head, wanting to kill himself.  He finds that he doesn't have the guts to pull the trigger, and cries that he just wants the strength to kill himself.  At that moment, Mephisto appears in the apartment, offering to make Chris a deal.  Meanwhile, Ghost Rider interrogates a drug dealer that works for Zodiak for information on the villain's whereabouts.  Back in his apartment, Chris makes his deal with Mephisto, who enhances Chris' life force, giving him increased strength and vitality.  Mephisto then gives him the stipulation that while he now has the will to commit suicide, he has become virtually immortal and unable to die except by the Ghost Rider's hands.  Mephisto then departs, leaving an enraged Daniels naked in his apartment.  

The next day, Dan Ketch is spending time with his mother and girlfriend.  When Stacy asks about going out that night on a date, Dan blows her off due to his plans to hunt for Zodiak.  Elsewhere, Zodiak is torturing Tim, the drug dealer that Ghost Rider had interrogated.  Chris Daniels, meanwhile, goes to his neighbor's apartment and asks for clothes.  He experiences a stab of pain in his head and demands the girl drive him to Brooklyn.  Using a police scanner, Dan hears  a police all about Zodiak and transforms into Ghost Rider to confront him.  Daniels is taken into Brooklyn by his neighbor on her motorcycle, but he eventually steals the bike and attempts to kill himself by crashing into a bus.  When that doesn't work, he experiences another headache and decides to keep moving. 

At the scene of Zodiak's latest murder, Ghost Rider observes from a rooftop.  He's attacked by Zodiak and then by Daniels, who demands that Ghost Rider kill him.  Ghost Rider and Daniels fight across the rooftops, with Daniels demanding over and over again that Ghost Rider kill him, with the Rider refusing due to his vow to not take a human life.  Finally, Daniels falls off the building, hopeful that he will die.  Ghost Rider finds Zodiak and unmasks him, revealing him to be the tortured Tim, who Zodiak forced to pose as him.  Daniels attacks again, but is again stopped by Ghost Rider.  The real Zodiak appears with a gun he claims is a "demon-killer" and shoots both Daniels and Ghost Rider with it.  Ghost Rider destroys the gun and when Zodiak attempts to fly away he's knocked out of the sky and falls into the subway, where both Ghost Rider and Daniels follow.

Ghost Rider (1990) # 18

"Lost Souls"

Cover Date: October 1991
On Sale Date: August 1991

Writer: Howard Mackie
Artist: Mark Texeira
Letterer: Janice Chiang
Colorist: Gregory Wright
Editor: Bobbie Chase
Editor In Chief: Tom DeFalco

Cover Artist: Nelson DeCastro

Ghost Rider and John Blaze ride to Cypress Hills Cemetery, where John Blaze says his goodbyes, threatening to return if he learns that the Rider is indeed the demon Zarathos.  Ghost Rider assures him that this is not the case and transforms into his human host, Danny Ketch, who also says goodbye to the departing Blaze.  Danny returns home, worried about his mother, who has fallen in with a shady church leader named Reverend Styge.  Elsewhere in a small farm house in Millbrook, New York, Styge visits his "master", who demands that Styge bring him what he needs.  The master created Styge to be his Sin Eater and reminds him that he can just as easily unmake him.

At their home in Brooklyn, Danny tries to talk to his mother about her inability to deal with the death of his sister, Barbara.  One of Styge's deacons arrives to take her away, and when Danny protests he gets punched in the face by the driver.  His mother apologizes and says that Styge is going to bring Barbara back to life tonight.  Danny follows the car to the cemetery, where he sees Styge welcoming his mother into a small congregation.  Styge leads one of his parishioners into a mausoleum, claiming to be able to reunite the man with his deceased loved one.  The other parishioners outside hear a scream, and then only Styge exits the tomb.  He drops a handkerchief and tells them that the man must be left alone to enjoy his reunion.  Styge and the congregation depart for another part of the cemetery, while Danny investigates the mausoleum.  He finds the parishioner dead and looks at the handkerchief that Styge dropped, covered in blood.  Dan transforms into Ghost Rider.

At the grave of Barbara Ketch, Styge prepares to kill Mrs. Ketch, his hand turning into claws.  Ghost Rider stops him, revealing Styge as the monster he is.  Styge admits to being a cannibal that strips the flesh and energy from his victims to satiate the hunger of his mysterious master.  Ghost Rider beats Styge nearly to death and departs with the unconscious Mrs. Ketch.  Later, in their home, Danny and his mother pack away Barbara's things, having finally come to terms with her death.  Elsewhere, Styge is brought to his master, who removes the preacher's eye for his failure.  However, when Styge mentions the Ghost Rider his master stops and decides to let his servant live, stating "you have stirred a distant memory".

Ghost Rider (1990) # 17

"You've Got to Have Faith!"

Cover Date: September 1991

On Sale Date: July 1991

Writer: Howard Mackie
Artist: Mark Texeira
Letterer: Janice Chiang
Colorist: Gregory Wright
Editor: Bobbie Chase
Editor In Chief: Tom DeFalco

Cover Artist: Mark Texeira

The religiously-crazed Hobgoblin has kidnapped Mrs. Ketch, and both Ghost Rider and Spider-Man are attempting to locate them.  Spider-Man tells Ghost Rider to back-off, believing that he wants to kill Hobgoblin.  Their argument is ended by John Blaze, who interrupts with a blast of hellfire, causing Spider-Man to swing away to find Hobgoblin on his own.  Ghost Rider and Blaze ride to Cypress Hills Cemetery, where Blaze attempts to give the Rider advice on his relationship with his human host, Daniel Ketch.  Ghost Rider transforms back into Danny, who is determined to kill Hobgoblin and rescue his mother.  Unbeknownst to them, Spider-Man is following them since he is unable to sense the spider-tracer he placed on Hobgoblin during their last fight.

Ketch and Blaze go to a local bar, where Danny threatens the owner, who is also an informant, for information on Hobgoblin's whereabouts.  This angers some of the owner's friends, who threaten to kill Danny, forcing Blaze to place his shotgun in the gang leader's face.  Elsewhere, Hobgoblin has taken Mrs. Ketch to his lair, thinking she is someone devout in need of his protection.  She discovers the bodies of people he has killed and throws a candleholder at his glider, reactivating the spider-tracer when it hits.  Hobgoblin decides that Mrs. Ketch is a deceiver just like everyone else he's attempted to "save".  Back at the bar, Danny and Blaze are rescued by Spider-Man, who leaves again when he senses the spider-tracer reactivating.  Danny transforms back into Ghost Rider, and all three heroes head to Hobgoblin's hideout, a mausoleum in Cypress Hills Cemetery.  Spider-Man rescues Mrs. Ketch, trusting Ghost Rider's word that he will not kill the villain.  The mausoleum explodes with Spider-Man, Blaze, and Mrs. Ketch outside, joined quickly by an unharmed Ghost Rider.  Hobgoblin jumps out of the wreckage, but the three heroes hit him simultaneously, knocking him unconscious.  They notice that, just for an instant, Hobgoblin transforms back in to his human form while unconscious.  Ghost Rider is satisfied that vengeance has been served, and Spider-Man offers to take Hobgoblin into custody.

Ghost Rider (1990) # 16

"Changes"

Cover Date: August 1991

On Sale Date: June 1991

Writer: Howard Mackie
Artist: Mark Texeira
Letterer: Janice Chiang
Colorist: Gregory Wright
Editor: Bobbie Chase
Editor In Chief: Tom DeFalco

Cover Artist: Mark Texeira

Ghost Rider is dying from the injuries inflicted on him during his battles with John Blaze and Blackout. He crashes his motorcycle in Cypress Hills Cemetery and transforms back into Danny Ketch, who is also dying from his injuries. Before losing consciousness in front of his sister's headstone, Danny sees a man approaching him. Sometime later, Danny has a nightmare about him and the Ghost Rider being killed by Blaze's hellfire shotgun and awakens in a hospital bed with Blaze at his side. He attacks Blaze, but is restrained by a nurse that enters with Mrs. Ketch and Stacy Dolan. They explain that Blaze found Danny near-death and saved his life by bringing him to the hospital. John whispers to Danny that it was the Ghost Rider he wanted to kill, not him.

A week later, Blaze escorts Danny from the hospital; John is sticking around until he can determine whether or not the Ghost Rider is Zarathos. He also, despite Danny's bad attitude, agrees to show the kid how to handle himself in a fight and how to maintain a motorcycle. After a few weeks of training, Blaze and Dan are outside the Ketch home when a limousine pulls up to escort Mrs. Ketch to church. Suspicious of his mother's behavior, Danny and Blaze follow the limo to a formerly abandoned church that is now active again. Sneaking inside, they see a congregation being addressed by Reverend Styge, who promises to bring Barbara Ketch back to life. Danny and Blaze are discovered and held at gunpoint by Styge's deacons while the Reverend departs, but the gathering is attacked by the Hobgoblin, who is there to kill anyone he sees as "blasphemers". Dan, remembering what the Hobgoblin did to a little boy named Adam, transforms into Ghost Rider and attacks the demonic villain, only to be stopped by the newly-arrived Spider-Man. While Spider-Man attempts to restrain Ghost Rider, the Hobgoblin kidnaps Mrs. Ketch, thinking that it is his holy purpose to rescue the innocent woman from the sinners. Ghost Rider throws Spider-Man off and rides away after Hobgoblin, warning the hero to stay out of his way. Blaze and Spider-Man are left to formulate a plan on how to rescue Mrs. Ketch and keep the Ghost Rider from killing Hobgoblin.

Daredevil (1964) # 295

"Through the Eyes of the Enemy"

Cover Date: July 1991

On Sale Date: May 1991

Writer: D. G. Chichester
Artist: Lee Weeks
Inker: Al Williamson
Letterer: Pat Moretti
Colorist: Christie Scheele
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Editor-In-Chief: Tom DeFalco

Cover Artist: Lee Weeks

A nighttime fight in a playground between Daredevil and ninjas of the Hand is interrupted by Ghost Rider, who is seeking vengeance for deaths caused by the ninjas. The leader of the Hand and his chief enforcer, Izanami, escape and leave their men to face off against the two vigilantes. Daredevil and Ghost Rider easily defeat the ninjas, who disappear as clouds of mist when they die. Ghost Rider attempts to give the last ninja the Penance Stare, which Daredevil interrupts, causing all of them to witness a vision of the Hand coming under the control of Hydra's Baron Strucker. Ghost Rider, shaken by the vision, almost gives the Penance Stare to Daredevil before becoming too weak. He transforms back into Danny Ketch, who collapses in Daredevil's arms. 

Later, Matt Murdock takes Danny to the church where his mother is a nun, and leaves him in the care of the sisters. Danny, weakened by the feedback of the Ghost Rider's Penance Stare, tells Daredevil that the Rider knows that Daredevil will take care of things without him. Murdock whispers "Spirit of Vengeance for a day," before going off to confront the Hand.

Ghost Rider (1990) # 15

"Last Hope"

Cover Date: July 1991

On Sale Date: May 1991

Writer: Howard Mackie
Artist: Mark Texeira
Letterer: Janice Chiang
Colorist: Gregory Wright
Editor: Bobbie Chase
Editor In Chief: Tom DeFalco

Cover Artist: Mark Texeira

Ghost Rider, having been severely injured by John Blaze, attempts to make his way to Central Park to stop Blackout but crashes his bike on the way there. Unable to take the pain, he transforms back into Danny Ketch, who is immediately attacked by a group of punks who cut him with a knife and steal his motorcycle. The punks are stopped by two agents of H.E.A.R.T., who are gathering up all of the bikes in the area to take to their employer, Deathwatch. Dan watches as the women take his bike, but since he can do nothing to stop them he continues on his way to Central Park. Meanwhile, John Blaze experiments with his shotgun, which is now shooting hellfire.

Later that night, the agents of H.E.A.R.T. have brought all the bikes they could find to Deathwatch. On the radio with the women's leader, Tyler Meagher, Deathwatch tells her not to attempt to apprehend the Ghost Rider or to interfere with the killings going on in Central Park. At the park, a woman and her daughter are attacked by Blackout, and the screams are heard by both a severely wounded Danny and the approaching Blaze. When Meagher learns that the serial killer is working for Deathwatch, she orders her two agents to leave immediately; but just then, the Ghost Rider's motorcycle breaks out of Deathwatch's penthouse and makes its way to the park as well.

Danny stumbles across Blackout, who has hidden the young daughter as insurance. Before Blackout can kill Danny, the motorcycle arrives, transforming him again into a still-injured Ghost Rider. Blaze arrives and blasts the Rider with the hellfire shotgun, allowing Blackout to get away. Ghost Rider grabs Blaze and tells him to stop interfering, again telling him that he is not Zarathos. Before he can catch Blackout, Ghost Rider is attacked from behind again, this time by Tyler Meagher. He destroys her weapon and continues his search. He finds Blackout holding the young woman he kidnapped hostage. Black and Meagher arrive, and Tyler shoots Blackout before he can escape with the woman. Ghost Rider grabs Blackout and tells Blaze to shoot them both before he can kill the girl. Blaze fires, blowing off Ghost Rider's hand and further disfiguring Blackout's face. The Rider beats Blackout into unconsciousness, but is stopped from killing the villain by Blaze, who tells him that Zarathos was a murderer. Ghost Rider thanks Blaze, telling him that is not a killer, and leaves just as the police arrive to arrest everyone.

Cloak and Dagger (1988) # 18

"The Heat is On..."

Cover Date: June 1991
On Sale Date: April 1991

Writer: Terry Kavanaugh
Artist: Dave Ross
Inker: Sam DeLarosa
Letterers: Brad K. Joyce
Colorist: Nel Yomtov
Editor: Danny Fingeroth
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

Cover Artist: Dave Ross

Cloak, Dagger, Spider-Man, and a girl named Anna have been brought to Mephisto's dimension as part of his plot to open a doorway between Hell and Earth for his demon army.  Ghost Rider arrives, having traveled through a dimensional doorway on Earth, and Mephisto explains his plot to the heroes before the demons begin to swarm over them.  Mephisto is distracted by events elsewhere and teleports way to meet with Thanos, leaving his demons to subdue the heroes.  Ghost Rider places Anna on his motorcycle, which rides her through a portal and back to Earth, and he then turns his attention toward the demons, joining Spider-Man, Cloak, and Dagger in their fight.  When Mephisto returns he assumes a giant size and swallows Cloak and Dagger whole, while Ghost Rider rides out of Hell with Spider-Man on the back of his bike.  They manage to reach Earth, but Cloak and Dagger are spat out by Mephisto and transported somewhere else entirely.