Ghost Rider (1973) # 4

"Death Stalks the Demolition Derby"

Cover Date: February 1974

On Sale Date: November 1973

Writer: Gary Friedrich
Artist: Jim Mooney
Inker: Vince Colletta
Letterer: Tom Orzechowski
Colorist: P. Goldberg
Editor: Roy Thomas

Cover Artist: John Romita

On a deserted stretch of Nevada highway, the Ghost Rider is pursued by a fleet of police officers. Thinking he can lose the patrol cars, Johnny takes his hell-cycle off road, into the desert, but the police are one step ahead of him as they follow in a modified dune buggy. Riding onto a dead end at the top of a plateau, Blaze is forced to give himself up when the sun rises and he returns to his injured, human form. Meanwhile in Carson City, the Attorney General of the state talks to the sheriff that captured Blaze, telling him to make sure he gets the best of care. Roxanne Simpson is in the office with the A.G., and he offers to pardon Johnny for his crimes, as long as he accepts the deal he's laid out. Roxanne tells him that they'll do anything to make sure Blaze's name is cleared.

In Vegas, the bed-ridden Johnny is physically abused by the sheriff that arrested him, but is stopped by the famous stock car promoter, Dude Jensen. Dude offers Blaze a job for when he regains his help, promising to take care of his troubles with the law. The next day, Roxanne visits Johnny in the hospital, where he tells her that Dude Jensen got the charges against him dropped, and that he's going to go to work for him once he's better. Though she says nothing, Roxanne thinks to herself that Jensen is the man the Attorney General is after, but decides to remain silent until she talks to the A.G. first. As the two lovers talk, however, a jealous Linda Littletrees watches from the hallway, wishing she had Blaze for herself.

Two months later, a recovered Blaze is set to debut as the star of the Dude Jensen Demolition Derby in Las Vegas. Roxanne talks with the Attorney General, who tells her that they can't do anything against Jensen until they have evidence. Roxanne goes to Johnny's dressing room, where she finds him talking closely with Linda. Roxanne storms out, slapping Johnny for his effort. Linda then tries to move in, but Johnny tells her to get lost. As she leaves, he notices the sun setting, and undergoes the painful transformation into the Ghost Rider. Blaze creates his hellcycle and rides into the arena, joining the cars, and the demolition derby immediately begins.

Meanwhile, outside, a distraught Roxanne overhears Jensen telling a lackey to shoot the driver Red Thompson, due to the fact that Thompson is an independent driver that's costing his show a fortune. Before she can get to a phone to tell the Attorney General what she's learned, Roxanne is caught by the lackey. Back in the arena, Johnny has managed to survive the derby, but he soon finds himself in the sights of a car that's prepared to run him over. Before the car can hit him, however, Jensen's lackey fires a bullet into the driver's brain, causing him to swerve away and crash. The Ghost Rider chases down the sniper, and promptly fries him with hellfire. In his trailer, however, Jensen has Roxanne tied to a chair. She tells him that she's working for the Attorney General, to which Jensen replies by shoving a pistol in her face.

Ghost Rider Chronology: Part Four

Going into 2020, the character of Johnny Blaze was nearing his 50th anniversary since his creation back in 1972! So there were a good number of Ghost Rider projects around the start of the decade and there were lots of new and divergent iterations of the Spirits of Vengeance concept introduced, for better or for worse.  For the most part these characters were kept separate from each other, and we'll be following several threads that can for all intents and purposes be read independently until things start to merge together a few years later.

This is the section of the chronology that, for the time being, will see changes as new comics are released.  We've essentially caught up to the present day and as new material gets added this chronology will get updated.

Ultimate Avengers 2 (2010) # 3

"Crime & Punishment, Part 3"

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

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

Nick Fury has assembled his team of Avengers, including the "first Hulk" Tyrone Cash and the Punisher, and is going over the details of their target: a flaming-skulled biker who has graphically murdered a philanthropist, a software billionaire, and an oil magnate. Fury has no idea who the killer is working for but they believe he is a genetically altered mutant, and the White House has issued an execution order. When Frank Castle refuses to participate, Black Widow electrocutes him by triggering a neural implant hidden inside his head. This convinces Castle to stay in line as part of the team.

Later, at the estate of the deceased oil magnate, James Rhodes and Tyrone Cash are investigating the corpse, which has been petrified by the Ghost Rider's Penance Stare. They learn that the only connection between the victims is that all of them were in the White House Biker Corps, an exclusive club where rich guys meet up for a charity bike ride. They also find one survivor at the magnate's house, a personal assistant wearing a holy cross around his neck.

At Chicago O'Hare Airport, a white-haired man is working a crossword puzzle with the descriptions of the murdered victims written in the puzzle spaces. Outside on the airfield, Hawkeye leads a SHIELD squad with the Punisher, waiting for another member of the Biker Corps to arrive, a property tycoon named Mr. Warren. As the plane begins the land, the Ghost Rider drives up the field and jumps his bike through the plane itself, grabbing Warren as he blasts through. The plane explodes while the Rider lands on the ground and speeds off with Warren. Hawkeye pulls out a rocket launcher and fires it at the escaping Ghost Rider, blasting the creature off of his bike. Hawkeye, Punisher, and SHIELD then move in to capture their target.

Ghost Rider (1973) # 3

"Wheels On Fire"

Cover Date: December 1973

On Sale Date: September 1973

Writer: Gary Friedrich
Artist: Jim Mooney
Inker: John Tartag
Letterer: Tom Orzechowski
Colorist: George Roussos
Editor: Roy Thomas

Cover Artist: John Romita

Following their rescue from Satan, the Ghost Rider and the unconscious Witch Woman are dropped off in the desert by Daimon Hellstrom, the Son of Satan. Johnny protests that Hellstrom is leaving them to die a hundred miles from civilization, but the Son of Satan leaves them stranded regardless. Linda Littletrees awakens, her soul now free from Satan's influence, and Blaze tells her that they're stranded in the desert. Linda attempts to use her powers to save them, but finds them gone now that her soul has been freed. Johnny tells her that he'll die once the sun comes up, due to the injuries he endured in his human form. Linda tells him that he still has his powers, and with her help he can learn to harness them. Under Linda's guidance, Johnny concentrates and creates a flaming motorcycle from a stream of hellfire. Linda tells him that he must hurry, for the cycle will only exist until he reverts back to Blaze's form, and that she can't ride the bike because she no longer has her Satanic powers - to her, the bike wouldn't exist. So Blaze rides off into the desert, promising to make it to a town and find help for her.

Johnny rides for hours through the desert, desperately looking for signs of civilization. Finally he sees a freeway, with a city just beyond, and he increases his speed to reach it in time. As Blaze rides onto the freeway, however, dawn rises behind him - triggering his transformation back into his injured normal body. As he transforms, the hellfire cycle disappears beneath him, causing him to tumble viciously onto the highway, causing a massive wreck of cars in his wake. As police approach the scene of the accident, Johnny lays unconscious on the concrete. A few miles distant, Roxanne Simpson runs for her life after she, too, had been abandoned in the desert. She sees a light coming down the road, and her heart jumps with hope that she's been rescued - but instead she finds Big Daddy Dawson, her pursuer, bearing down on her. Roxanne attempts to run again, but her legs are caught by Dawson's chain. He captures her again and takes her back to his hideout.

The next evening, Johnny awakens from a nightmare and finds himself in a hospital, watched over by doctors and the police. Dawson reads about Johnny's hospitalization in the newspaper and decides to ransom off the kidnapped Roxanne to him. As night falls, Johnny finds himself transforming once again into the Ghost Rider, and he easily escapes the hospital. He leaves the entrance to the building just as Dawson pulls up with Roxanne, catching the biker by surprise. When Dawson realizes that his bullets are ineffectual against the demonic Ghost Rider, he leaves Roxanne behind and flees on his motorcycle. Blaze again creates his flaming cycle and takes chase, following Dawson onto a crowded highway. Johnny blasts Dawson with hellfire, but accidentally sends his enemy crashing into a truck, killing Dawson and causing another massive wreck that injures countless innocent drivers. In shock, Johnny hears the approaching police sirens and decides to run - to where, he doesn't know.

Marvel Spotlight (1972) # 12

"The Son of Satan!"

Cover Date: October 1973; On Sale Date: July 1973

Writer: Gary Friedrich; Artist: Herb Trimpe; Inker: Frank Chiaremonte; Letterer: John Costanza; Colorist: John Severin; Editor: Roy Thomas; Cover Artist: Herb Trimpe

 

Locked in a cabin at the Indian reservation, a manic Daimon Hellstrom pounds on the door to his prison, promising that he can save the life of Linda Littletrees. Despite the fact that Hellstrom had told them not to release him until morning, no matter how much he pleaded, Sam Silvercloud and Snake Dance open the door and free the man, only to Daimon transformed into the Son of Satan! Garbed in a red cape, golden trident in hand and a pentagram tattooed on his chest, the demon spawn tells the Indians that while by day he is the meek Hellstrom, by night he becomes his father's son, whose elemental trident can produce blasts of searing hellfire. Hellstrom demands to know Linda's whereabouts, sure that she has been possessed by his father. When the two men refuse to tell him, the Son of Satan raises his trident in the air, causing a ferocious thunderstorm. From the clouds, a mystical chariot descends, drawn by two demonic horses. Daimon jumps aboard the chariot and leaves the Indians, determined to find Linda Littletrees.

Meanwhile, in the remote desert, Roxanne Simpson finds herself at the mercy of Big Daddy Dawson and his biker gang after the disappearance of Linda and the Ghost Rider. Before the men can injure the young girl, the Son of Satan appears, demanding to know where Linda and Blaze have gone. Hellstrom quickly defeats the bikers, causing them to run away without Dawson, whom the devil scion has blasted with his trident. Daimon then attacks Roxanne, demanding to know where his father has gone. She tells him that the Witch Woman disappeared with the Ghost Rider, though she doesn't know where they went. Hellstrom knows, however, and departs, abandoning Roxanne once again to the desert.

The Son of Satan makes his way to a desert plateau in the desert, in which is a cavern that doubles as a gateway to Hell itself. He descends into the netherrealm, and when he reaches his father's throne room, finds Satan and his two captives, Linda Littletrees and Johnny Blaze. Not pleased at seeing his son, Satan commands his demon hordes to destroy him, but Hellstrom fights on, destroying the demons with his power. He makes his way to a bridge high above the floor, a bridge that supports the weight of the entire roof of Hell. Daimon threatens to destroy the bridge, thus destroying Hell, unless Satan allows him, Linda, and Blaze safe passage back to Earth. Satan agrees, realizing he has no choice, and Daimon takes the two captives back to Earth. Realizing that the sun is about to come up, and with it a reversion back to his normal self, Daimon sets down his chariot in the desert and leaves Blaze and the unconscious Linda, despite the fact that the two would most likely die. Daimon flies away, stating that their lives are of little consequence to him.

Ghost Rider (1973) # 2

"Shake Hands With Satan!"

Cover Date: October 1973; On Sale Date: July 1973

Writer: Gary Friedrich; Artist: Jim Mooney; Inker: Syd Shores; Letterer: C. Jetter; Colorist: L. Lessmann; Editor: Roy Thomas; Cover Artist: Gil Kane

Still on the road after fleeing from Copperhead Canyon, Johnny keeps experiencing visions of Slade's fiery crash. Roxanne attempts to help him, but Blaze instead loses all hope in their situation. Stopping the truck, Johnny gets out and screams for Satan to come claim his soul, that he's tired of running. As if on command, Linda Littletrees, the Witch Woman, appears in the sky.

Back at the Apache reservation, Daimon Hellstrom has arrived to try and help Linda. Realizing that night would soon be upon them, Daimon asks Sam to bind him and lock him in a room. They are not to release him until morning, no matter how he may plead later on.

In the desert, Linda agrees to take Johnny to Satan, but also decides to take Roxanne as well. Before anything can happen, the scene is interrupted by the roar of motorcycle engines. A biker gang, led by Big Daddy Dawson, surround the three. Linda snaps her fingers and teleports herself and Johnny away, leaving Roxanne in the hands of Dawson.

At the reservation, a hysterical Hellstrom demands that they unlock his door, for if they don't then Linda shall surely die. When Sam opens the door, he sees that Daimon has changed into something horrific. Linda and Johnny, meanwhile, arrive in Hell, where the woman reveals herself to actually be Satan in disguise. His demons hold Johnny down, but the Hell lord is interrupted by some unseen person before he can take Blaze's soul.

Ghost Rider (1973) # 1

"A Woman Possessed!"

Cover Date: September 1973; On Sale Date: June 1973

Writer: Gary Friedrich; Artist: Tom Sutton; Inker: Syd Shores; Letterer: John Costanza; Colorist: George Roussos; Editor: Roy Thomas; Cover Artist: Gil Kane

Following his encounter with Linda Littletrees, the Witch Woman, Blaze races back toward the hospital where he left Roxanne. He encounters a police barricade, which he breaks through easily. Immediately afterwards, however, one of the officers shoots him in the shoulder, causing him to wipe out on his bike.

Meanwhile, Linda has fallen into a strange coma. Her fiancé, Sam Silvercloud, and father, the man once called Snake Dance, are unable to wake her up, realizing that her soul has been stolen by Satan. Sam, unwilling to let his loved one die, dials a number out of a newspaper. The number is for an occult exorcist named Daimon Hellstrom, who agrees to fly to Arizona immediately to help Linda. Back at the hospital, Johnny's road manager, Bart Slade, tells Roxanne that he plans to make the jump over the canyon in Blaze's stead. Elsewhere, Linda is approached by Satan, who takes possession of her body and flees toward the city in search of Blaze.

Night falls, prompting the hospitalized Johnny to transform into the Ghost Rider. With his injuries surprisingly healed in his demon form, Blaze escapes from the hospital and heads for the canyon. He arrives just in time to see Slade attempt the jump, unable to do nothing but watch as his friend crashes into the canyon wall. Blaze hurriedly scoops up the fainted Roxanne, and the two escape in a pickup truck. Back at the reservation, Hellstrom arrives to help Linda.

Web of Spider-Man (1985) # 95

"Spirits of Venom, Part 1: Storm Shadows"

Cover Date: December 1992; On Sale Date: October 1992

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

Spider-Man swings through a stormy Manhattan with the captured Hobgoblin in tow. They are unaware that they’re being hunted by the Demogoblin, and an alien Spider-Man clone called Doppelganger. When they confront Spider-Man, Demogoblin states that he comes from a race of demons dedicated to killing all other demonic creatures and wants to kill Hobgoblin for once sharing a body with him. Spider-Man escapes with Hobgoblin into the city, fleeing into a large church for sanctuary.

Meanwhile, Ghost Rider and John Blaze are in the sewer system beneath the city, hunting for the Deathspawn and the innocent homeless people they have captive. They’re approached by Venom, who is hunting the same villains, Hag and Troll, for their murder of a Guardsman. Hag and Troll arrive with the Deathspawn, and a large battle commences.

At the church, Father Martin hides Spider-Man in the church’s basement, but is captured by Demogoblin, who offers Spider-Man the priest’s life in exchange for Hobgoblin. The battle in the sewer rages on and Blaze blasts a hole through the roof of the tunnel with his shotgun. Venom takes advantage of the situation and swings up through the hole with Hag and Troll, leaving Blaze and Ghost Rider behind to fight the Deathspawn. At that moment, Blaze’s hellfire blast creates a hole in the basement of the church, allowing Venom to climb directly into Spider-Man’s fight with Demogoblin. 

Ghost Rider and Blaze follow, with most of the combatants being dragged back into the tunnels by the Deathspawn. Blaze jumps back into the tunnel willingly to rescue Ghost Rider, leaving Spider-Man to wonder if he should just go home to his wife. However, when the priest is dragged down by one of the Deathspawn, Spider-Man decides that he has to join the fight and jumps down into the tunnel.

Marvel Spotlight (1972) # 11

"Season of the Witch-Woman!"

Cover Date: August 1973; On Sale Date: May 1973

Writer: Gary Friedrich; Artist: Tom Sutton; Inker: Syd Shores' Letterer: John Costanza; Colorist: Glynis Wein; Editor: Roy Thomas; Cover Artist: Rich Buckler

In the abandoned cave ruins, Linda Littletrees, now going by the moniker of Witch Woman, holds the Ghost Rider captive. Binding him to the wall with flaming shackles, the Apache girl tells Johnny that she has been sent by Satan to collect his soul. Using her satanic powers, Linda projects her thoughts onto the cave wall, showing Blaze how she became Satan's thrall.

Less than a year before, she left her family's reservation to attend college in New York City. When she arrived, she met her roommate, a blonde girl named Jennifer Glatzer, who was a practicing devil-worshiper. Linda immediately became friends with the other girl, who eventually convinced the Indian to read some of her occult books. After about six months, Linda fell asleep on her bed while studying. While she slept, Linda crept into the room, her satanic candle lit. She opened the window and called for her master, offering Linda as a bride. When she received no sign of Satan's arrival, Jennifer assumed that he has rejected her gift. When she looked at Linda, however, she saw the pentagram emblazoned on her forehead, a sign of acceptance. Johnny interrupts Linda's story, arguing with her that she was unwillingly duped into satanic servitude. Denying his accusations, the Witch Woman conjures a gag of hellfire around Blaze's mouth, so she can continue her story without further interjections.

The night after Jennifer's secret offering, Linda decided that she would join her roommate for one of her group's rituals. The two dressed in exotic outfits and then covered up in large robes, so as not to draw attention to themselves on the way to the sabbat. Jennifer assured Linda that it's all pretend, easing her nervousness. They arrived  at a large house and descended into the crypt-like basement, where Linda was shocked to see dozens of women with flaming torches surrounding a large altar. Jennifer and the other women surrounded the frightened girl and dragged her to the altar, tying her down as they chanted. Jennifer called out for her master to appear, pulling out a large knife in the process. As the girls continued to chant louder and louder, Jennifer plunged the knife into Linda's stomach, but the girl felt nothing but the essence of Satan pouring into her.

Linda becomes wrapped up in telling her story, breaking the concentration needed to maintain the Ghost Rider's bonds. Realizing he has his chance to escape, Johnny runs from the cave and hops on his motorcycle, his escape finally snapping his enemy back to reality. She fires several bolts of hellfire at the Rider as he navigates his way down the narrow trails of the pueblo. As he makes his escape, Satan appears before Linda, claiming that she has failed in her task. Linda pleads for a second chance, which the demon begrudgingly gives her. Having made his way to the bottom of the caves, Johnny turns back to see the Witch Woman standing at the top of the pueblo. She tells him that because she has failed in her mission, she must now pay the price. Turning her blasts of hellfire back on herself, Linda lights herself afire and falls to the canyon floor. Johnny turns away, unable to watch the girl's death. He rides away just as the sun comes up, transforming him back to his normal self.

Ghost Rider: Kushala (2021) # 2

“Off to See the Wizard”

Cover Date: October 2021; On Sale Date: October 2021

Writer: Taboo & B. Earl; Artist: Guillermo Sanna & Vanessa Del Rey; Letterer: Joe Sabino; Colorist: Jordie Bellaire; Editor: Sarah Brunstad; Editor in Chief: C.B. Cebulski; Cover Artist: Guillermo Sanna

Olivia Obtera returns home to relieve her parents from babysitting her daughter, Heather Rae. At bedtime, Olivia tells the story of Kushala to Heather Rae, Suddenly, two Doombots appear through a portal and attempt to abduct Heather Rae. Olivia finds herself transformed into the Spirit Rider, possessed by the spirit of Kushala in her time of need to save her daughter. However, even though she disables one of the Doombots, the other escapes with Heather Rae through the rift, closing it behind them.

Kushala explains to Olivia that Doctor Doom seeks to find all of the Wands of Watoomb, which originated from the same dimension as Leviathan, the vengeance spirit that possesses her. Kushala has been attempting to stop Doom from uniting all six Wands, but he is targeting her bloodline to attempt to lock her out of existence. Realizing that they need to start with Jeffrey McKraken, whose journals Olivia has been researching, Kushala transports them back in time to meet with him. They arrive in 1923 Peru, where McKraken is being chased by a group of bandits. McKracken tells Olivia to run.