Ghost Rider (1973) # 12

"Phantom of the Killer Skies"

Cover Date: June 1975; On Sale Date: March 1975

Writer: Tony Isabella; Artist: Frank Robbins; Inkers: Frank Giacoia & Mike Esposito; Letterer: K. Mantlo; Colorist: J. Cohen; Editor: Len Wein; Cover Artist: Gil Kane

Traveling through the Arizona desert, the Ghost Rider comes across an old man that's raving about somebody tormenting him. Johnny grabs the guy and roars off on his bike, just as a World War I biplane strafes the area with machine gun fire. Blaze manages to find cover between two rock outcroppings, but is shocked when the plane pass right through the stone. The Rider pulls the old man into a small cave, just as the sun begins to rise. With the dawn, Johnny transforms back into his normal form, and notices that the ghost plane has disappeared as well. The old man, Hermann Von Reitberger, tells Johnny that he was a German airfighter during WWI, and his greatest enemy was a mystery flyer named the Phantom Eagle. During combat, Reitberger shot down his opponent's plane, but before he died, the Phantom declared that he would stalk him as a ghost until he had his revenge. He'd been tormenting Reitberger ever since, all the way to America. Johnny offers to give the old man a lift to a nearby hanger owned by his grandson, Joel.

That evening, Joel tells Blaze that the Phantom Eagle was actually a German named Karl Kaufman who fought in the war under an alias in order to protect his parents that still lived in Germany. Moments later, the Phantom flies through the hangar, only to land on the other side of the runway. The sun sets just in time, as Johnny's transformation into the Ghost Rider is triggered. He rides out to the Eagle's plane, where the ghost tells him that Reitberger is a liar. On the night of his death, Kaufman had attempted to smuggle his parents out of the country. As they boarded the fighter plane, Reitberger saw them from the sky and mercilessly strafed them, murder both Kaufman and his parents.

Reitberger jumps in Joel's restored biplane, determined to kill the Eagle once and for all. The Eagle takes to the skies, despite the Ghost Rider's attempts to stop him. A brief firefight takes place, but eventually Reitberger's plane is shot down and crashes into the hangar, killing him instantly. With Reitberger dead, the Eagle flies away into the night, his spirit finally able to rest. Johnny looks on, thinking to himself "I hope he has bad dreams."

Ultimate Avengers 2 (2010) # 6

"Crime & Punishment, Part 6"

On Sale Date: October 2010; Cover Date: December 2010

Writer: Mark Millar; Artist: Leinil Francis Yu; Inker: Gerry Alanguilan; Letterer: VC's Cory Petit; Colorist: Dave McCaig; Assistant Editor: Sana Amanat; Editor: Mark Paniccia; Editor-In-Chief: Joe Quesada; Cover Artist: Leinil Francis Yu

Johnny Blaze, the Ghost Rider, attacks Vice-President Blackthorne, who is now also a demonically-powered Vengeance.  Blaze quickly gets the upper hand, saying that he's fantasized about killing Blackthorne for 20 years, but before he can finish the job he is shot down by Hawkeye, the Punisher, and SHIELD.  Blackthorne laughs and takes down the Avengers himself, then turns his attention toward the wounded Blaze.  He's interrupted by Tyrone Cash, who grabs him while driving the Ghost Rider's motorcycle.  Cash drives the flaming bike into a nearby gas station, causing a massive explosion.  However, the explosion does nothing to Blackthorne, who insults the unconscious Cash for thinking fire could harm a demon.  Having recovered, Blaze wraps his chains around Blackthorne and drags him into a church, which begins to sap the strength of both men, but not before Blaze beats Blackthorne into the ground.  The two men continue to fight even as they transform back into their human bodies, with Blackthorne recovering and striking Blaze with a candle-holder.  Blackthorne is then shot and killed by the newly-arrived Punisher, who also has orders to execute Blaze as well.  Johnny gets up and walks away, telling the Punisher that he won't kill him because they have too much in common, namely seeking vengeance for the murders of their loved ones.  Outside the church, Hawkeye arrives and asks Castle where the Ghost Rider is, with Frank replying that he let him go.  Castle begs Hawkeye to tell him where the control implant is inside his body so he can escape to continue his mission of punishing criminals, but Hawkeye just punches him in the face, knocking him out.

In Illinois, Mephisto and Johnny Blaze sit on a park bench, watching Roxanne Simpson play with her husband and daughter.  Mephisto states that he brought her back to life, but if Blaze ever once turns against him she will go right back in the ground.  Johnny says that he'll continue being the Ghost Rider to send souls to Hell if it means Roxanne will have a happy life.

Meanwhile, Nick Fury confronts Hawkeye with the knowledge that the Punisher escaped and the control implant had been hidden in the tooth knocked out by Hawkeye's punch. Later, in Russia, the Punisher has caught up with the "Red Hammer" and prepares to executing him, wondering about the message that was passed along to him by the Ghost Rider.  Who else but his family would tell him to keep up the good work?

Venom: Nights of Vengeance # 1

"Nights of Vengeance, Part 1: Reprisals in Blood"

Cover Date: August 1994; On Sale Date: June 1994

Writer: Howard Mackie; Artist: Ron Lim; Inker: Al Milgrom; Letterer: Ken Lopez; Colorist: Tom Smith; Editor: Danny Fingeroth; Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco; Cover Artist: Ron Lim

A homeless man named Sean Knight is being chased through the back alleys of San Francisco by Michael Badilino, former NYPD and now a government agent.  When Knight is cornered, Badilino is grabbed by Venom, who has taken an oath to protect innocent people.  He knocks Badilino unconscious, Knight passes out, and he takes both men back to the underground city Venom calls home.  There, Knight regains consciousness and tells his story to Venom and a woman named Beck: Knight was a DEA agent who infiltrated a group of mercenaries called the Stalkers.  When the group discovered a wrecked alien ship they stole sets of battle armor, Knight blew his cover, and he's been on the run from them ever since.  Badilino wakes up and confirms Knight's story, saying he thinks the Stalkers may have connections to Anton Hellgate, who Badilino has been trying to find.  The conversation is interrupted by the arrival of the Stalkers, who threaten to blow up the underground city with a bomb if Knight isn't surrendered to them.  Knight goes outside to face them, but the Stalkers are then attacked by Venom, who disables the bomb.  When Venom begins to be overwhelmed by the four technologically superior mercenaries, Badilino transforms into Vengeance and joins the battle.  When the Stalkers are defeated, their armored suits cover them in circuitry, transforming them into hosts for an alien life form that goes from planet to planet looking for lifeforms to hunt.  Believing that Venom and Vengeance are worthy of being hunted, the alien-possessed Stalkers teleport away with the innocent people in the underground city, including Venom's lady friend Beck.  Knight volunteers to help the two "heroes", he knows where the Stalkers have gone.

Fantastic Four (2025) # 13

Cover Date: April 2026; On Sale Date: February 2026

Writer: Ryan North; Artist: Andrea Sorrentino; Letterer: VC's Joe Caramagna; Colorist: Edgar Delgado; Editor: Tom Brevoort; Editor-in-Chief: C.B. Cebulski; Cover Artist: Andrea Sorrentino

The Ghost Rider crashes the wall of home of Nicholas Scratch, supernatural enemy of the Fantastic Four, and confronts him about his recent moves against the famous superhero family. Despite the Ghost Rider's uncharacteristic speech patterns, Scratch ultimately believes him when the Rider threatens him with the Penance Stare. Scratch swears to leave the Fantastic Four alone, and the Rider says that if he goes back on his word he will return to burn the villain's soul. Later, after the Ghost Rider is far enough away, he reveals himself to actually be Johnny Storm, the Human Torch, with his sister Susan Storm, the Invisible Woman, riding on the motorcycle behind him.

Earlier in the day, at the farm that the Fantastic Four are currently calling home, Johnny went over his plan with Sue to team-up to intimidate Nicholas Scratch into leaving them alone. With his flame powers and his sister's ability to turn his skin invisible, he believes that they could convincingly imitate the Ghost Rider, who would be sufficiently scary enough to make Scratch back off. Later, realizing how successful their plan was, Johnny convinces Sue to help him keep up the ruse while they visit other enemies of the Fantastic Four. Everything goes perfectly until they breach the lair of the Wizard, who calls their bluff and arrogantly believes that he would be able to withstand the Penance Stare. The Wizard quickly deduces that the Ghost Rider is actually the Storm siblings in disguise, and subdues them both with power dampening collars before rendering them unconscious.

When the siblings wake up, they find themselves chained to chairs in front of a video camera, where the Wizard is planning to stream their murders online. Before he can kill them, the Ghost Rider bursts into the room on his motorcycle and threatens the Wizard, scaring him into submission. The Thing then punches the Wizard, knocking him unconscious. The Ghost Rider is revealed to be the shape-shifting Skrull teenager Nicki, with Mr. Fantastic using his stretching abilities to make his arms look like chains. Having seen the Wizard's livestream, Mr. Fantastic decided that they too could replicate the Ghost Rider and did so to rescue their teammates. As they're leaving, Johnny Storm continues to want to use the Ghost Rider ruse against their enemies, until the real Ghost Rider arrives and shows that he is not amused and will be watching Storm. Johnny agrees to not use the Ghost Rider's identity anymore, but then immediately starts brainstorming ways to pretend to be other heroes like Wolverine, despite his teammates' protests for him to stop.

Web of Spider-Man (1985) # 96

"Spirits of Venom, Part 3: Enemies: A Hate Story"

Cover Date: January 1993; On Sale Date: November 1992

Writer: Howard Mackie; Artist: Alex Saviuk; Inker: Joe Rubinstein & Dan Panosian; Letterer: Dave Sharpe; Colorist: Bob Sharen; Editor: Danny Fingeroth; Editor in Chief: Tom DeFalco; Cover Artist: Mark Texeira

In the sewers beneath Manhattan, Spider-Man and Father Martin are being overwhelmed by the Deathspawn. Spider-Man is able to escape by breaking open a water main, which washes the Deathspawn away. Elsewhere in the tunnels, Venom is searching for Spider-Man and stumbles upon Demogoblin and Doppelganger, who are torturing Hobgoblin. Doppelganger and Venom fight while Demogoblin prepares to kill Hobgoblin. 

Meanwhile, Ghost Rider and Blaze fight off the Deathspawn and are able to capture one. When Ghost Rider attempts to use the Penance Stare to learn the location of the captured innocent people, the Deathspawn dissolves. Spider-Man and Father Martin find Ghost Rider and Blaze, who are rescuing the kidnapped people from the Deathspawn. When they start to lead the people up to the surface, Spider-Man hears Hobgoblin’s screams and rushes off to save him. Spider-Man arrives in time to defeat Demogoblin, stopping him from killing Hobgoblin, and Demogoblin is dragged under the water by the Deathspawn. Venom attacks Spider-Man but is restrained by Ghost Rider’s chain. Ghost Rider tells Spider-Man to join the others on the surface while he deals with the enraged Venom.

Ghost Rider (1973) # 11

"The Desolation Run"

Cover Date: April 1975; On Sale Date: January 1975

Writer: Tony Isabella; Artist: Sal Buscema; Inkers: John Tartag & George Roussos; Letterer: Joe Rosen; Colorist: Phil Rache; Editor: Len Wein; Cover Artist: Gil Kane

In the most desolate desert area of the United States, a cross-country motorcycle endurance race is preparing to go underway. One of the bikers is Johnny Blaze, who took the Stunt-Master's place in the race as a way to forget his most recent battle with Satan and the departure of Roxanne Simpson. Among the other racers are Terry Fairbanks and Nora Joyce, a divorced couple that were once a riding team but who are now opponents, and Douglas Forester, the man funding the race who is also a competitor. While Blaze checks his bike before the race, the race's starter - a man named Lemuel Driftwood - attempts to strike up a conversation with him. Even though Johnny really doesn't want to talk, he listens as Driftwood tells him about Forester's family dying in a plane crash, and that he sponsored the marathon as a way to forget his pain. Lemuel then says that he himself was raised in an orphanage and was sick a lot as a child - a turn of discussion that causes Blaze to brush off the conversation by saying he needs to check over his bike. Disappointed, Driftwood decides it's time to start the race and fires his pistol into the air, prompting the racers to begin. After a few quick moments, however, Lemuel makes an impulsive decision to prove that he's just as good as the bikers, hopping on a stand-by bike and joining the race himself. 

Unknown to Blaze, among the fans at the race's start lurks the disguised Inferno, who has been charged with the task of making Johnny die while committing an evil act, hence condemning his soul to Hell. Inferno resumes his demonic form as he teleports to another part of the desert, finding the pawn he plans to use to trap the Ghost Rider: none other than the incredible Hulk. Using his fear-inducing powers, Inferno causes the Hulk to be attacked by an illusionary version of the Ghost Rider. The hallucinatory Rider causes the Hulk much pain, but then just as suddenly as he appeared he disappears. The Hulk is now in a furious rage at being attacked, and he leaps off to find Blaze (whose location has been placed in the man-brute's mind by Inferno). Inferno watches the Hulk leave, sure that when the monster attacks the bikers Blaze will run to save himself...and then, after the Hulk kills Blaze, his soul will belong to Satan.

Back at the race, Blaze undergoes the transformation into the Ghost Rider, having forgotten that most of the race takes place at night. While he scrambles for an explanation, Mr. Forester tells him that his ghost tricks won't scare anybody out of the race, and John thanks himself for having the foresight to include the Ghost Rider bit into his cycle act. The six racers continue on until, suddenly, the Hulk crashes down in their path, determined to kill the Ghost Rider. Unable to stop in time, Forester jumps off his bike, allowing it to crash into the Hulk. Annoyed by the crash, the Hulk prepares to kill Forester...but, to the surprise of all, Lemuel Driftwood rides to the rescue, barely pulling Forester away in time before the Hulk strikes. Blaze attempts to lure the Hulk away, but finds that his hellfire does little to harm the rampaging monster. The Hulk attacks, knocking Blaze from his bike, but before the advantage can be pressed, Fairbanks and Joyce manage to distract the goliath while Forester and Driftwood help Blze to his feet. Having regained his senses, Blaze blankets the Hulk with hellfire, burning up all of the oxygen around his head. Eventually, the Hulk passes out due to lack of oxygen and falls to the ground defeated. The bikers celebrate momentarily before Blaze recommends that they leave the area before the Hulk wakes up. Later, after the weary bikers make it to the finish line, the one racer that continued on during the Hulk's attack (and subsequently won the race), asks Blaze why he helped a bunch of losers instead of winning the prize money. Johnny looks back at the four people who helped him and tells the other man that he's got it wrong, "there isn't a loser in the pack".

Marc Spector: Moon Knight (2026) # 6-9

"Midnight Sons", "House Hunting", "Midnight Multitudes", "Demolition"

Cover Date: September through December 2026; On Sale Date: July through October 2026

Writer: Jed MacKay; Artist: Devmalya Pramanik; Letterer: VC's Cory Petit; Colorist: Rachelle Rosenberg; Editors: Devin Lewis & Alanna Smith; Editor-in-Chief: Stephen Wacker; Cover Artist: Paolo Siqueira (# 6-7) & Jose Luis Soares (# 8-9)

A sentient other-dimensional house called the Mansion Ravenous has devoured Moon Knight's friends and allies, and for help Moon Knight has turned the sorceress Clea Strange. She invokes a ritual to summon a new incarnation of the Midnight Sons, who she clarifies are "not a team". Moon Knight then goes out to recruit the three heroes that the ritual identified.  First up is Robbie Reyes, the Ghost Rider, who Moon Knight once encountered to steal his powers. Despite being weary of saving the world, Robbie agrees when Moon Knight says he needs help to save his family. Next up is Blade, the vampire hunter, who agrees to help as soon as he hears the name "Midnight Sons". The final recruit is Daredevil, who refuses until Moon Knight begs him for help saving Tigra, the woman he loves. Later, the four men and Clea meet and pile into Ghost Rider's Hell Charger, which they then use to drive their way through the front doors of the Mansion Ravenous.

As they move deeper into the massive haunted house, the Midnight Sons are attacked by Ginnarr, a dragon made from the wood and nails of the house itself that had once been Moon Knight's ally. After they defeat the dragon the heroes are confronted by the Ravenous Mansion itself, which is possessing the body of Achilles Fairchild. Moon Knight stops his allies from attacking and tells the Mansion that he has fulfilled his part of their bargain: in exchange for his friends he has brought three heroes with a history of being possessed. Realizing they've been betrayed, the three heroes turn on Moon Knight but are imprisoned magically by the Mansion. However, the Mansion then goes back on his deal with Moon Knight and refuses to release his friends as agreed. Having known all along that this would happen, Moon Knight has Clea invoke the spell started by the Midnight Sons ritual, using the power of the three imprisoned heroes to break them and Moon Knight's other friends free. Daredevil, Ghost Rider, and Blade want to settle up with Moon Knight, demanding answers, but they quickly realize that the Mansion Ravenous is still alive. Moon Knight explains that Clea's spell has freed all of the New Yorkers that the Mansion has devoured, and Clea casts a spell that gives every person a mystical weapon to use to destroy the Mansion from the inside, creating the Midnight Militia.

Moon Knight fights his way to the source of the Mansion's power, the Cornerstone of the house, but finds himself lacking the strength to destroy it himself. He's then aided by his enemy, Achilles Fairchild, who has also been freed from the Mansion's enslavement. Fairchild stays behind the destroy the Mansion, while Moon Knight gathers his friends, allies, and the New Yorkers for his escape plan. As the Mansion is destroyed, the heroes are all transported to the Midnight Mission, the sentient house that Moon Knight uses as his base of operations. Daredevil assaults Moon Knight, angered by his manipulation and betrayal, but Moon Knight refuses to fight back. Daredevil, Ghost Rider, and Blade all leave, with the latter explaining that he understands Moon Knight did what he had to do to ensure the kill. 

The Best of the Worst: Deathwatch

I've been batting around ideas for articles to try and beef up content on the blog beyond just the comic reviews (though those are still the bread and butter, don't get me wrong). One of the things I thought might be fun is a deep dive into some of Ghost Rider's best villains in all their awesome and oft-times ridiculous glory.  Ghost Rider has a pretty deep bench of rogues to talk about, though some are certainly more memorable than others. It would be easy to start with one of the big guns, like Mephisto or Blackout, but instead I decided to go with one of my favorites who really gets overlooked despite being a pretty big deal when he was introduced.

Glad he added that qualifier at the end!

DEATHWATCH: WHO HE IS AND HOW HE CAME TO BE

First appearance: Ghost Rider (1990) # 1; created by Howard Mackie, Javier Saltares, and Mark Texeira

Deathwatch was the first major villain created to fight the Danny Ketch incarnation of Ghost Rider, he's right there in the first issue as the major antagonist of the series. In his introductory storyline, Deathwatch is a crime boss with a small army of ninjas at his disposal, and while apparently wealthy enough to have his own business he also takes on jobs from employers in a mercenary capacity. He gets hired to steal and release a set of three canisters, the chemical contents of which will cause a massive death toll when all three are opened together. This brings him into conflict with the Kingpin, the top dog of crime lords in New York City, and their beef ultimately triggers the events that lead the Ghost Rider's rebirth.

He has a pretty interesting power, in that he absorbs the memories of people and gets stronger reliving the murders they commit. He quite literally watches death, then not only gets stronger but also kind of gets off on it. You can tell that he really likes it when people get killed and he gets to experience it vicariously, which now that I think about it is actually a bit of an inverse of Ghost Rider's Penance Stare, which makes you relive all the pain you've inflicted on others.  Huh, that's a neat touch that I've never realized before.  Nice one, Howard Mackie!

X-Men (1991) # 9

"The Not So Big Easy" 

Cover Date: June 1992; On Sale Date: April 1992 

 Writers: Jim Lee & Scott Lobdell; Artist: Jim Lee; Inkers: Jim Lee & Art Thibert; Letterers: Tom Orzechowski & Lois Buhalis; Colorist: Joe Rosas; Editor: Bob Harras; Editor in Chief: Tom DeFalco; Cover Artist: Jim Lee 

In caverns beneath New Orleans, the X-Men are confronted by the Brood and their queen, who has infected Ghost Rider with a Brood embryo. The X-Men go on the defensive against the alien insects, but when Wolverine attempts to kill the queen, the floor gives out beneath them, sending all parties even deeper into the tunnels. Wolverine and Beast are confronted by the possessed Ghost Rider, and the alien presence within him fights with the spirit of Dan Ketch for control. Ghost Rider flees into the tunnels before Wolverine can decapitate him. 

Rogue and Jubilee discover the missing members of the Thieves Guild, held captive by the Brood. While attempting to free them, the two mutants are attacked by Ghost Rider, and the ensuing battle draws the other X-Men to them. Psylocke senses Dan’s presence and goes into Ghost Rider’s mind, where she finds Dan’s soul being attacked by the consciousness of the Brood. Belladonna, Gambit’s psychically powered wife, assists Psylocke in destroying the Brood, freeing Ghost Rider. The cost is high, as the fight costs Belladonna her life. The X-Men are told about the children of the Thieves Guild being held deeper in the tunnels, and Ghost Rider recovers enough to join the X Men in searching for them.

Guardians of the Galaxy (2019) # 2-4

"The Final Gauntlet, Parts 2-4"

Cover Date: March through May 2019; On Sale Date: January through March 2019

Writer: Donny Cates; Artist: Geoff Shaw; Letterer: VC's Cory Petit; Colorist: Marte Gracia; Senior Editor: Jordan D. White; Editor: Darren Shaw; Assistant Editor: Danny Khazem; Editor-in-Chief: C.B. Cebulski; Cover Artist: David Marquez

Aboard the space ship Milano, Star Lord speaks with his ex, Kitty Pryde, about the Black Order taking Thanos' body and Eros wanting to kill Gamora. He checks on two of his new crew members, Moondragon and Phyla-Vell, then hears sounds of a commotion coming from elsewhere on the ship. He finds Groot in a fight with Cosmic Ghost Rider, a fight that's only broken up when Moondragon intervenes. Castle wants to kill Gamora to prevent Thanos returning in her body while Groot and Beta Ray Bill want to help save her. Star Lord refuses to get involved and tells Castle to leave. Meanwhile, Hela and the Black Order interrogate the Collector about the whereabouts of Thanos' head, which he reveals is in the Negative Zone.

Later, aboard a Shi'ar ship, a scarred and paralyzed Eros has gathered his team of Dark Guardians, which includes Gladiator, Wraith, Nebula, and Cosmic Ghost Rider. Determined to find and kill Gamora, Eros asks Nebula how to find her. She replies that they need to find out from Richard Rider, Nova.

While Eros and his Dark Guardians hunt for Gamora, Hela and the Black Order arrive in the Negative Zone to confront Annihilus. He shows them the severed head of Thanos, which Hela takes after quickly defeating Annihilus in combat. The Dark Guardians chase a wounded Richard Rider, Nova and former lover of Gamora, to learn from him her location. Nova stands his ground until he is attacked by Wraith, who is ready to kill Rider. Cosmic Ghost Rider intervenes and tries to talk to Nova, attempting to reason with him and convince him to give up Gamora. Nova flies off, but Nebula has already figured out where he is going. Meanwhile, Star Lord finds himself relieved of command if his ship by Groot and the rest of the Guardians of the Galaxy, who intend to save Gamora from Eros. Star Lord protests but eventually gives in, revealing that Gamora has gone to Halfworld to find Rocket Raccoon.

The Guardians arrive on Halfworld to locate Gamora, who attacks them before Groot intervenes.  Groot takes Gamora onto their ship, stating that they will come back to deal with Rocket Raccoon another time.  Star Lord locks Gamora's hands in cuffs, not willing to belief that she's a victim in Thanos' game.  Nova runs into the ship, crashing his way inside to warn them that the Dark Guardians are after Gamora, not realizing that Gamora is already with them.  The Dark Guardians force Star Lord's ship to crash back onto Halfworld, and the two teams engage each other in battle.  Nebula attempts to shoot and kill Gamora, but Star Lord jumps in front of the blast, seemingly killing him as the rest of the Guardians of the Galaxy are defeated by the Dark Guardians.