The Original Ghost Rider (1992) # 13

"And Vegas Writes In Flame!"

Cover Date: July 1993; On Sale Date: May 1993

Writers: Marv Wolfman & Doug Moench; Artist: Jim Mooney; Inker: Sal Trapani; Letterer: Tom Orzechowski; Colorist: P. Goldberg; Editor: Roy Thomas; Cover Artist: Kris Renkewitz

Roxanne Simpson is held at gunpoint by crooked stock-car promoter Dude Jensen, who had caught her eavesdropping on his plan to assassinate one of his drivers. Before he can shoot her, Jensen's lackey Slifer bursts into the trailer and tells him not to fire, because the area is swarming with police. Jensen laughs, and is then consumed by hellfire, transforming him into the demonic Roulette. He then transforms Slifer into his demonic form and sets the trailer on fire with a point of his finger. The two then teleport away, leaving Roxanne to burn to death in the trailer.

Elsewhere in Las Vegas, the Ghost Rider rides through the city in search of Rocky, but is surprised by the appearance of Roulette in the sky above him. The demon pelts Blaze with blasts of hellfire, but during his bid for escape, Johnny sees a vision of Roxanne trapped in the burning room. Roulette appears again, telling Johnny that he has to make a choice: save Roxanne, or stop him from burning down Vegas. Though he struggles with the choice momentarily, the derogatory remarks thrown out by the Vegas citizens quickly makes his choice for him. Blaze races off to rescue Roxanne, leaving Roulette to begin his assault on the city. The demon sets a large casino on fire, destroying it and killing many of the people inside. Johnny, meanwhile, makes it to the burning trailer and rides right through the wall, scooping up Rocky before plowing through the opposite wall and to safety. Before she can say anything, Johnny sets her down and races back into the city, determined to save it whether it deserves it or not.

Meanwhile, a group of casino owners talk about a note they each received, which says all of them will die and their casinos will be destroyed, signed by Roulette. They realize that Roulette and Dude Jensen are one and the same, recalling how the race promoter had lost twenty thousand dollars at one of the casinos. When he couldn't pay back what he'd lost, they took him into the desert and shot him, leaving his body dumped in a quarry. The Ghost Rider, elsewhere in the city, is then attacked again by Roulette, daring the biker to follow his trail. Blaze tracks the demon down to the desert, where he finds a huge castle floating on a platform of hellfire. Johnny jumps through the castle's doors, quickly finding Roulette in his throne room. Jensen tells his story to Blaze, revealing that after his body was dumped in the quarry he was brought back to life by none-other than Satan himself. He made a deal with the demon-lord, his return to life in exchange for destroying the Ghost Rider. Roulette then downs Johnny with a hellfire blast, then calls upon Satan for the power to destroy their enemy for all eternity. Satan appears and grants Jensen's request, pouring more power into his body. Johnny sees his opportunity, blasting Roulette with his own hellfire, essentially overloading the demon's body. Jensen explodes, leaving only a tattered robe and the victorious Ghost Rider.

"Chasing Phantoms"

Writer: Dan Slott; Artist: Dick Ayers; Letterer: Dave Sharpe; Colorist: Mike Worley; Editor: Evan Skolnick 

Sheriff Brown chases the Phantom Rider through Bison Bend, not realizing that Jamie and William are tricking them to cover for Carter Slade having left town. William leaves the phantom projector when he and Jamie go to the sheriff's office, where Hollis tells them the reward for Angus has been cancelled since Floyd and Red escaped. Meanwhile, Floyd and Red see the Phantom Rider projection and accidentally shoot each other.

Revenge of the Cosmic Ghost Rider (2019) # 5

Cover Date: August 2020; On Sale Date: June 2020

Writers: Dennis "Hopeless" Hallum; Artist: Scott Hepburn; Letterer: Travis Lanham; Colorist: Antonio Fabela; Editor: Darren Shaw; Editor-in-Chief: C.B. Cebulski; Cover Artist: Scott Hepburn

Mephisto drags Cammi's soul to Hell as payment for Frank regaining his own soul from the Cosmic King. Frank jumps through the open portal and falls down into Hell, burning all the way down until he's at the brink of death.  Before dying he realizes that even though he's not a Ghost Rider anymore he still has the Power Cosmic and uses it to charge and heal himself. Mephisto locks Cammi's soul in a vault and then returns to his penthouse in the Hotel Inferno, while Frank finds himself fighting his way through a horde of demons. Castle charges the hotel penthouse on a demonic horse and demands that Mephisto return Cammi's soul. Mephisto offers to return Cammi's soul and bring her back to life if Frank again sells his soul to become the Ghost Rider, though as Mephisto points out he would be damning himself for the girl's life.

Cammi wakes up back on the alien planet Squol, where she finds Cosmic Ghost Rider waiting for her.  She hugs Frank, realizing that he gave up his soul again to save her. However, the alien parasite that had possessed the Cosmic King is still alive, and it grabs Cammi, taking her as its new host.  Realizing that he saved Cammi's soul only for her to become the parasite's newest host, Frank can do nothing but watch and apologize. Months later, a squad of Brood warriors search the ruins of Squol and find Cosmic Ghost Rider's skull. Frank destroys the Brood and uses their energy to reconstitute his body, then flies off on into space on his motorcycle again, hoping to find Cammi and save her from her fate. 

The Ghost Rider Omnibus Wishlist

When it comes to the Omnibus format of collected editions, Ghost Rider hasn't seen a whole lot of love over the years.  To date there have only been five Omnibus editions for the character, with one of which being long out of print:

 

COSMIC GHOST RIDER OMNIBUS

Collecting THANOS (2016) #13-18, THANOS ANNUAL (2018) #1, COSMIC GHOST RIDER #1-5, COSMIC GHOST RIDER DESTROYS MARVEL HISTORY #1-6, GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY (2019) #1-6, AVENGERS (2018) #22-25 and REVENGE OF THE COSMIC GHOST RIDER #1-5; and material from THANOS LEGACY #1 and WOLVERINE: BLACK, WHITE & BLOOD #3.

GHOST RIDER BY JASON AARON OMNIBUS

Collecting GHOST RIDER (2006) #20-35 and GHOST RIDERS: HEAVEN'S ON FIRE #1-6.

GHOST RIDER 2099 OMNIBUS

Collecting GHOST RIDER 2099 (1994) #1-25.

GHOST RIDER: DANNY KETCH OMNIBUS VOL 1

Collecting GHOST RIDER (1990) #1-24; SPIDER-MAN (1990) #6-7; MARC SPECTOR: MOON KNIGHT #25; DOCTOR STRANGE, SORCERER SUPREME #28; PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL (1988) #29-30; GHOST RIDER/WOLVERINE/PUNISHER: HEARTS OF DARKNESS; and material from MARVEL HOLIDAY SPECIAL (1991) #1, and MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS (1988) #64-71 and #90-118.

GHOST RIDER: DANNY KETCH OMNIBUS VOL. 2

Collecting: GHOST RIDER (1990) #25-40, GHOST RIDER/BLAZE: SPIRITS OF VENGEANCE #1-13, MORBIUS: THE LIVING VAMPIRE (1992) #1 and #12, DARKHOLD: PAGES FROM THE BOOK OF SINS #1 and #11, NIGHTSTALKERS #1 and #10, GHOST RIDER/CAPTAIN AMERICA: FEAR, X-MEN (1991) #9, WEB OF SPIDER-MAN (1985) #95-96, MIDNIGHT SONS UNLIMITED #3 and material from MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS (1988) #119-130, MIDNIGHT SONS UNLIMITED #1-2 and MARVEL HOLIDAY SPECIAL (1991) #3

However!  In October Marvel will be releasing not one but TWO Ghost Rider Omnibus volumes to the delight of those of us willing to pay exorbitant amounts of money on books that weigh a metric ton. I personally love the Omnibus format and it's my preferred way of collecting these days, they just look so damn nice on my bookshelf. Here's the details on what's coming in the Fall:

Marvel Comics Presents (1988) # 130

"The Walking Wounded, Part 8: Pay the Maker"

Cover Date: June 1993; Publication Date: April 1993

Writer: Ann Nocenti; Artist: Steve Lightle; Letterer: Jon Babcock; Colorist: Steve & Marianne Lightle; Editor: Terry Kavanagh; Editor in Chief: Tom DeFalco; Cover Artist: Steve Lightle

In the realm of madness, Typhoid has attempted to commit suicide by hurling herself off a cliff, which has resulted in the spirit of Mary Walker to start fading away in the real world.  The innocent souls of Danny Ketch and Eve attempt to revive the dying Mary, while in the madness realm Ghost Rider carries Typhoid's broken body. With the prayers of the people gathered inside the mall giving them strength, Ghost Rider, Typhoid, and Eve rise up through the realm of madness and reappear inside the mall, where each of them merge with their pure souls again. Mary wakes up as her Typhoid persona and tearfully thanks Danny for saving her life.

Dusk, however, has followed from the realm of madness and takes corporeal form inside the mall, creating waves of insanity in his wake. While Typhoid flees in terror, the civilians in the mall fight back against Dusk's manifestations. Dusk focuses on Father Louis, chasing him into a bathroom where he is nearly caught and killed before Ghost Rider arrives to save him. Ghost Rider wrestles with Dusk, who is weakened by being on the mortal plane, but is eventually overwhelmed.  Father Louis refuses to leave and Ghost Rider tells him to bless something to help drive away the demon.  The pastor blesses the water in the toilet, turning it into holy water, and Ghost Rider shoves Dusk's face into the bowl. The holy water destroys Dusk, his threat ending when Ghost Rider flushes him down the toilet. Typhoid, meanwhile, has fled back to her home and the safety of her pills. Ghost Rider muses that it is not madness that drives him, instead it is vengeance. 

Ghost Rider vs. Galactus (2025) # 1

"The Inevitable"

Cover Date: June 2025; On Sale Date: April 2025

Writer: J. Michael Straczynski; Artist: Juan Ferreyra; Letterer: VC's Travis Lanham; Colorist: Juan Ferreyra; Editor: Wil Moss; Editor-in-Chief: C.B. Cebulski; Cover Artist: Terry Dodson

New York City, the late 1970s, the Thing confronts a murderer in the streets. When the killer pulls a gun, Ghost Rider arrives and gives him the Penance Stare, turning him to ash. The Thing invites Johnny to go with him while he picks out a suit for his date with his girlfriend, and Johnny accepts.  While at the tailor, the Thing asks Johnny if his Penance Stare would work on Galactus, who has killed trillions of innocent beings without any consequences.  Johnny expresses doubt and asks how he would even get into space, to which the Thing replies, "you'll figure it out".

Two days later, at Cape Canaveral in Florida, Ghost Rider arrives just as a rocket is being launched into space. He latches his motorcycle onto the side of the rocket and transforms it, riding it into space as it blasts off.  Once he leaves the planet he activates a stargate to transport him deeper into space. 

Later, Galactus destroys and devours the energy of an inhabited world.  He's confronted by Ghost Rider on the rocket, who Galactus calls "a tiny insect". Ghost Rider uses his power to grow in size until he is comparable to Galactus and attacks with hellfire, which Galactus counters with an energy blast of his own.  Ghost Rider grapples with Galactus and looks into his eyes, giving him the Penance Stare, but is shocked when nothing happens. While Galactus turns his back, Ghost Rider is addressed by Uatu, the Watcher, who explains that Galactus feels no guilt or remorse for his actions and that is why the Penance Stare was not effective. When Ghost Rider refuses to accept this, Uatu continues to explain that as a cosmic destroyer Galactus serves a purpose that will be fulfilled when the universe dies and is reborn again. Ghost Rider denies this information and states his determination to make Galactus pay for the deaths he has caused regardless of what will happen in the future.  Uatu teleports Ghost Rider back to Earth, outside of the restaurant where the Thing is on his date.  Johnny is invited to join them in their meal and he accepts. 

Ghost Rider (1990) # 94

"Acabado"

Cover Date: January 2007; On Sale Date: March 2007

Writer: Ivan Velez Jr.; Artist: Javier Saltares; Inkers: Mark Texeira, Javier Saltares, & Klaus Janson; Letterer: Rus Wooton; Colorist: Tom Chu; Editor: Jeff Youngquist' Editor In Chief: Joe Quesada; Cover Artist: Javier Saltares

Dan Ketch sits on his bed and stares at his hand - it has been 33 days and counting since the brand of vengeance disappeared, 33 days and counting since he was freed from the curse of the Ghost Rider. He hears a knock on his door and answers it, finding his brother, John Blaze, standing outside his apartment. John invites himself inside and tells Dan that despite the months of searching with Jennifer Kale - who went home as well - he was unable to locate his missing children. Dan agrees to let John stay with him for a while, and the two decide to go to a bar and talk.

In Hell, Noble Kale sits on the throne and is flanked by his two brides, Pao Fu and Roxanne Simpson-Blaze/Black Rose. They are visited by three other Hell-Lords - Hela of Asgard, Pluto of Hades, and Belasco - who tell Kale that they are the only three to officially recognize him as the rightful ruler of this realm. Ghost Rider questions their offer of friendship, but Hela corrects him by saying that no friendship is offered; they just simply won't take part in the eventual destruction by the other realms. The three demons then disappear, leaving Kale, his brides, and the advisor Skritch. After Skritch explains that Satannish and Dormammu may very well attempt to overthrow him, Kale orders him to assemble the masses so he may speak to his subjects.

Back on Earth, Stacy Dolan stares at a pregnancy test in her bathroom. She shatters her mirror and collapses in tears at the realization that she's going to have a baby. At a local bar, Dan and John talk about Blaze's missing children and how he and Jennifer ran out of money. To get bus tickets home, John had to sell his motorcycle, but that doesn't mean he's given up the search. He stops suddenly and notices that the brand is missing from Dan's hand, and the younger brother happily tells John that he's free of the curse. And not only that, but he also got to speak to their mother.

In Hell's Tower, the spirit of Naomi Kale observes the gathering mass of demons below before being approached by the Ghost Rider. Transforming back into his human form, Noble speaks to Naomi about what she'll do now that her children have been freed from the curse. They're interrupted by Dante, the deceased younger brother of Noble, who tells them that he's come to take Naomi to her final resting place. Dante warns Noble to watch the darkness inside him as they fade away, leaving the Ghost Rider to ask the newly-arrived Vengeance and Doghead about their present choices. Meanwhile, on Earth, Stacy visits Dan's apartment and leaves him a letter and her set of keys - in the letter, she explains to him that she's marrying Ski and begs Dan to forgive her before writing goodbye.

In Hell, Ghost Rider and his lieutenants address the assembled masses of Hell. Noble announces himself as King, their ruler, and then grants them their freedom from Hell. All imprisoned souls will be freed to live as they please, wherever they please, with only one condition and law: do no more evil. After this is said, the angel Uriel appears and condemns Noble's actions, telling him that he cannot allow such a thing. Ghost Rider explains to Uriel that when Mephisto returns, which is inevitable, he will find his kingdom turned into a democracy where evil is outweighed by the good of its denizens' souls...and what better vengeance could he ever conceive. Uriel attempts to force Noble to rescind his decree, but the angel finds himself at the Rider's mercy. Uriel is banished from Hell from this day forward, to the cheering of the masses, and the angel disappears after being humbled. Noble then says that it's time for him leave, handing over the throne to Vengeance to rule by proxy. Doghead, Verminous Rex, and Wallow he leaves as governors to enforce the first law of doing no evil. He promises to return and then asks Roxanne to join him for unfinished business. Noble kisses Pao Fu, then he and Roxanne ride through the portal back to Earth.

In front of their apartment building, Dan helps an obviously intoxicated John down the street. Blaze is upset that he spent so much time hating their mother for leaving and has now found out that she freed them from the curse. Missing his children and wife, John says that he's totally alone now - only to see Roxanne waiting for them at the front of the building. She asks if he is John Blaze and if they are really married with children. John disbelieves this at first, claiming that Roxanne is dead, but quickly realizes that she is truly alive once again. Hearing familiar laughter, Dan looks to a rooftop and sees Noble astride his bike. Transforming into the Ghost Rider, Noble rides into the city, finally able to make a choice concerning his destiny. He is Noble Kale, the Spirit of Vengeance and the King of Hell. He is the Ghost Rider. Back on the street, Dan wonders to himself if this is the happy ending they all deserved, and catches a glimpse of Dante and Naomi waving to them before they fade away.

What the hell, Facebook?

So, Facebook deemed it appropriate to delete the Vengeance Unbound group the day after I created it with no notice or warnings whatsoever.  I'm not sure why, no response from their help department.  I'm not mad. Nope, not one little bit.  It's fine.  Everything is fine.

Midnight Sons: Blood Hunt (2024) # 1

Cover Date: July 2024; Publication Date: May 2024

Writer: Bryan Hill; Artist: German Peralta; Letterer: VC's Cory Petit; Colorist: Arthur Hesli; Editor: Will Moss; Editor in Chief: C.B. Cebulski; Cover Artist: Ken Lashley

Blade the vampire hunter meets at a diner with a squad of soldiers that he had previously trained to kill vampires, having called for them to meet for an important mission. Blade then turns on the soldiers and quickly murders them all. Afterwards, he sheds a tear. 

Later, in Arizona, after the vampires have blacked out the sun and attacked the world under Blade's leadership, Danny Ketch is approached by Blade's former partner Tulip. She explains the situation with Blade and that she needs the Ghost Rider's help to determine if her former friend has truly turned evil or is under the control of someone else. In order to determine Tulip's trustworthiness, Danny transforms into the Ghost Rider and gives her the Penance Stare.  Tulip wakes up hours later to find Johnny Blaze at her bedside, and he explains that he is no longer a Ghost Rider and only has a shotgun that shoots hellfire.  Blaze tells Tulip that he and Danny will help her find Blade, and she states the made a promise to kill Blade if he ever went to the dark side, a promise she intends to keep.  Tulip goes outside and finds Danny, who tells her that if she wants help she will have to help them in turn, and reveals a hidden cache of guns.

On a deserted road in the middle of the desert, Tulip and Blaze attack a vampire convoy protecting an armored car, which was transporting a creature captured from the Darkforce Dimension. The creature attempts to break free and the Ghost Rider destroys it by driving straight through the armored car. Meanwhile, in Iraq, Victoria Montesi arrives at a cave where a holy man has been possessed by a vampiric spirit. Montesi casts a spell to summon Lilith, the Mother of Demons, who exorcises the vampire from the man's body.  Later, Victoria is visited by Johnny Blaze, who wishes to recruit her help in finding Blade.  She replies that she had a vision of what has happened, and if Blade has truly become evil then the Midnight Sons will kill him.

Facebook and Podcasts

Greetings from the pit! Wanted to let everyone know about a couple of things related to the blog.  First up, I've created a new page on Facebook for Vengeance Unbound where fans of the character and the site can talk and comment using this new thing that I think they're calling "social media"? I dunno, it's there if you want to join, I'd love to hear from you!

Vengeance Unbound on Facebook

Also!  I should have posted this a few weeks ago, so please forgive me!  Years ago I used to co-host the Inner Demons podcast, which was a show all about Ghost Rider and reviews of the comics.  Brian Biggie has kept the show alive for the past several years and he had a new episode drop back around the first of the month!  If you're a fan of the character I implore you to go and listen to not just the new episode but the entire backlog, it's a really great way to spend your time!

Ghost Rider Fans...get ready for the blazing return of the very best Ghost Rider Podcast on the net since 2017...Inner Demons!

On tonight's show, we have the recent Spirits of Violence Issues 1-4 by Sabir Pirzada. What happens when Johnny, Danny, Robbie, Kushala, Badilino, Sister Sara, and even Hellverine have to work together to stop Barbara Ketch? But wasn't she dead? Well...she got better and is looking for trouble. She even brought along an old friend too.

Next up is Hellhunters Issue 5 where we see the conclusion of the WWII story. Will our Hunters defeat Bruckner and Calphael in time or will they die in the frozen English channel? Let's hope WWII Ghost Rider remembers how to fly a bomber!

Then we go back in time to review Danny Ketch Addict 3 and 4 to see where things all went wrong for poor Danny.

We end with GR #37 from the 90s and 70s and a great #PostWritersGR segment from fans like you.

-Interact with the Inner Demons show online at Twitter/X...follow us @InnerDemonsGR.

-Like us on Facebook! 

-Check out our long-running Ghost Rider blog Vengeance Unbound...with 25+ Years and well over 666 Reviews spanning five decades of Ghost Rider content!

You can find Inner Demons on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and pretty much any other podcast listening app you can think of!

Ghost Rider Chronology: Part Three

Entering the 2000s, Ghost Rider was essentially a non-entity in the Marvel Universe. His comic had been cancelled in 1998 and there didn't seem to be much interest in the character.  In 2001, however, Johnny Blaze returned as the host for the Spirit of Vengeance, replacing his brother Danny Ketch, and he had a few adventures before being dragged to Hell, where he remained trapped for a period of time.  This began an era where the Ghost Rider mythos expanded both historically and laterally, as Marvel began introducing numerous variations on the character from all over the world.  

This is when it was revealed that the Spirits of Vengeance (yes, plural) were actually creations of Heaven to serve as agents on Earth, as directed by the rogue angel Zadkiel. Danny Ketch made his return as a Ghost Rider and Marvel set up this status quo as THE origin of the Ghost Rider going forward.  You know, until they decided that he actually was a demon after all.  Comics everybody! Blaze and Ketch both appear as Ghost Riders during this period and others are introduced, including Shoba Mizra, Baron Skullfire, the Blood Drinker, and several other Spirits of Vengeance from around the world, all of whom are killed following their brief appearances.