Ghost Rider (1973) # 51

“The Diesel of Doom!”

Cover Date: December 1980
On Sale Date: September 1980

Writer: Michael Fleisher
Artist: Don Perlin
Letterer: Diana Albers
Colorist: Rob Carosella
Editor: Denny O'Neil
Editor In Chief: Jim Shooter
Cover Artist: Bob Budiansky

"Graveyard of the Plundered Dead!"

Writer: Michael Fleisher
Artist: Carmine Infantino
Inker: Mike Esposito
Letterer: Harry Blumfield
Colorist: Rob Carosella
Editor: Denny O'Neil
Editor In Chief: Jim Shooter

On a deserted stretch of mountain highway late at night, Johnny Blaze suddenly finds himself in the path of a diesel truck barreling down on him. When Johnny tries to move over to allow the truck to pass, the large vehicle hits him and knocks him over the guardrail and down the side of the cliff. With only moments to save his life, Blaze transforms into the Ghost Rider, who manages to grab onto a random ledge of rock. The demon then creates his flame cycle and rides back up the mountain, only to find the truck has vanished without a trace. Frustrated and angry, the Ghost Rider allows Blaze to regain control, who then sees a message painted on the side of the cliff in front of him that reads "To all bikers - stay off my road. Or else. - Clement". Johnny looks at his bike and discovers that the fuel tank was ruptured in the crash, so he sets off on foot to find a mechanic that can help him fix it.

Soon, Johnny comes across a young man changing the tire on his expensive sports car. The kid immediately recognizes Johnny and admits that he's a big cycle fanatic. The kid, Frederick William Mathew Mitchell the Third - or just plain "Mitch" - agrees to give Johnny a lift once his tire is changed. Someone had scattered a handful of spikes along the road, giving him a flat tire. At that moment, four armed men on motorcycles pull up, admitting that they put the spikes on the road so they could kidnap Mitch and hold him for ransom. Johnny transforms into the Ghost Rider, who makes short work of the bikers and then returns to Blaze's form, confusing Mitch. Two motorcycle policemen arrive, but Johnny realizes that something is amiss right before he's knocked unconscious. The two cops are with the bikers, and Mitch is kidnapped after all.

Several hours later, Johnny awakens to find all of the men gone and Mitch's car consumed by a fire. A diesel truck then pulls up, and the driver offers Blaze a ride - even though Johnny recognizes the rig as the one that ran him off the road. Johnny tells the trucker, Clem, about Mitch being kidnapped...but Clem tells him that the police won't save him in time and that it's up to the two of them to help. At the biker gang's hideout, the kidnappers speak via radio with Mitch's rich uncle, who refuses to pay the ransom. The gang's leader, Deever, tells his men that if the money isn't theirs by dawn then he'll slit Mitch's throat.

Meanwhile, Johnny rides with Clem, but finds it odd that the truck's radio only plays songs and commercials from several decades ago. The truck also seems able to pass under bridges that are way too low for the vehicle to make it past. When they arrive below the hideout, Clem tells Johnny that he'll have to go the rest of the way alone because he's not able to leave his truck. Johnny agrees, and once out of sight turns into the Ghost Rider, who crashes through the roof of the lodge. Deever is the only one not scared and proceeds to throw a vial of nitroglycerin at the demon. The Ghost Rider catches the vial out of the air and tosses it into his mouth, allowing it to explode with no effect, laughing the entire time. The demon then fries all of the kidnappers with hellfire.

A short while later, Johnny and Mitch herd the men into the back of Clem's truck. Clem then refuses to give the two a ride back to town, and that he has to get going before the sun comes up. Johnny and Mitch then watch as Clem's diesel truck disappears before their eyes as it drives into the sunrise. An hour later at a gas station, Johnny and Mitch are approached by the store owner, who tells them that they must be crazy for riding bike's on "Clem's road". He then tells them a story of a diesel trucker named Clement Barstow, who was clubbed to death by a biker gang 30 years ago and now haunts the highway, killing bikers and helping out good people every now and then. But as the mechanic says he thinks the story is just an urban legend, Johnny and Mitch can only look at each other in disbelief.

Mind = BLOWN!

THE ROADMAP
This issue features a Night Rider back-up story that takes place after the character's appearance in Ghost Rider (1973) # 50 and before The Ghost Rider (1967) # 4.

CHAIN REACTION
To read my review of Ghost Rider (1973) # 51 see my book Wheels On Fire: An Unofficial Guide to Marvel Comics' Ghost Rider: 1972-1983!

Wheels On Fire: An Unofficial Guide to Marvel Comics' Ghost Rider From 1972-1983: Munn, Chris, Ishizaki, James, DeMatteis, J.M.: 9798702991832: Amazon.com: Books

Ghost Rider (1973) # 44

"Cloak of Crimson, Soul of Dust!"

Cover Date: May 1980

On Sale Date: February 1980

Writer: Michael Fleisher
Artist: Carmine Infantino
Inker: Tom Sutton
Letterer: Clem Robins
Colorist: Bob Sharen
Editor: Denny O'Neil
Editor-in-Chief: Jim Shooter

Cover Artist: Bob Budiansky  

Following the separation of the two in the previous issue, the Ghost Rider prepares to kill Johnny with a large wooden spike. Blaze tries to tell the demon that if one dies, the other shall as well, due to the mystic link they still share. The longer they're apart, the weaker they will become. The police interrupt the two, and while they arrest Johnny the Ghost Rider escapes. Elsewhere, Azaziah (the sorcerer responsible for splitting Blaze and the Rider) peers into his mystic orb in order to watch the demon rider's acts of chaos. He is dying, the fading crystal orb the only thing keeping the mage alive. He plans to use the Ghost Rider as his new source of energy, by allowing himself to become its new host and use the power to establish his tyranny over the world.

Meanwhile, Johnny escapes from the police and steals a bike. Despite being very weak, he rides to the old farmhouse owned by Azaziah, determined to confront the sorcerer. He manages to surprise the old man, and while he dodges mystic energy bolts Blaze shatters the magical orb with a rock. He watches as Azaziah withers away, his life force ended with the destruction of the crystal. Desperate, Johnny looks through the mage's book of spells and finds the one he needs to reunite himself with the Ghost Rider. After tracking down the demon, he leads him on a chase back to the pentagram Azaziah had painted on the ground the night before. Blaze turns around to ride toward the demon, and when the two meet in the center of the pentagram they are once again bound to one another. Johnny is unable to keep control, and changes into the demon yet again to ride off into the desert night.

That is one crusty old wizard.

THE ROADMAP

Ghost Rider and Johnny Blaze will be separated again in Ghost Rider (1973) # 81, which again results in them wasting away until being re-merged.

What If...? (1977) # 28 presented an alternate reality diverging from this issue, where Azaziah takes control of the Ghost Rider and attempts to assassinate the Catholic Pope.

CHAIN REACTION
To read my review of Ghost Rider (1973) # 44 see my book Wheels On Fire: An Unofficial Guide to Marvel Comics' Ghost Rider: 1972-1983!

Wheels On Fire: An Unofficial Guide to Marvel Comics' Ghost Rider From 1972-1983: Munn, Chris, Ishizaki, James, DeMatteis, J.M.: 9798702991832: Amazon.com: Books

Very specific wording in that spell, huh?

Ghost Rider (1973) # 43

"Night of the Crimson Mage!"

Cover Date: April 1980

On Sale Date: January 1980

Writer: Michael Fleischer

Penciler: Carmine Infantino

Inker: Ricardo Villamonte

Colorist: Bob Share

Letterer: Jon Costanza

Editor: Dennis O'Neil

Editor-In-Chief: Jim Shooter

Ghost Rider foils a robbery and gives chase after the thieves. The men manage to escape and stumble across the shack home of Azaziah, the Crimson Mage. Azaziah recruits the thieves in his plot against the Ghost Rider, and the next night they Rob an art gallery. The Ghost Rider quickly finds them and begins his pursuit, unaware that he's being led into a trap. Just as the Ghost Rider passes over a painted pentagram on the road Azaziah steps forward and casts a spell. A moment later, Johnny Blaze finds himself separated from and standing before the demonic Ghost Rider. The Ghost Rider tells Blaze that he is a true demon and is now finally free from being trapped inside Blaze's body.  The Ghost Rider departs, leaving Johnny to relish his newfound freedom inside a local bar.  Soon, workers from a nearby refinery enter the bar, telling of a demon that set fire to the fuel-storage depot.  Realizing that the Ghost Rider must be responsible, Johnny steals a car and heads to the depot.

At the depot, Blaze confronts the Ghost Rider, but notices that the demon seems weaker.  The Ghost Rider blasts Johnny with hellfire, and when he awakens he finds himself in the hospital surrounded by police, who believe him to be the arsonist responsible for the depot fire.  Realizing that both he and the Ghost Rider are growing increasingly weaker, Blaze escapes from the hospital and steals a policeman's motorcycle, determined to be reunited with the demon.  Johnny finds the Ghost Rider at a stockyard that he's set ablaze and tries to get the demon to rejoin with him.  The Ghost Rider flies into a rage, knocking Johnny to the ground and preparing to impale him with a broken fence post.  

There it is, the confirmation that GR is a demon from Hell.

THE ROADMAP

This issue confirms that the Ghost Rider is a demon from Hell trapped within Johnny Blaze's body.  The demon's true name, Zarathos, is revealed in Ghost Rider (1973) # 77.

CHAIN REACTION
To read my review of Ghost Rider (1973) # 42 see my book Wheels On Fire: An Unofficial Guide to Marvel Comics' Ghost Rider: 1972-1983!

Wheels On Fire: An Unofficial Guide to Marvel Comics' Ghost Rider From 1972-1983: Munn, Chris, Ishizaki, James, DeMatteis, J.M.: 9798702991832: Amazon.com: Books

Terrorizing cattle, the height of villainy?

What If...? (1977) # 17

"What If... Ghost Rider, Spider-Woman, and Captain Marvel Had Remained Villains?"

Cover Date: October 1979

On Sale Date: July 1979

Writer: Steven Grant
Artist: Carmine Infantino
Inker: Frank Springer
Letterer: Tom Orzechowski
Colorist: Roger Slifer
Editor: Mark Gruenwald
Editor-In-Chief: Jim Shooter

Cover Artist: Gene Colan

 

In the New Mexico desert, the Ghost Rider is confronted by Daimon Hellstrom, the Son of Satan, who has come to end the demon's destructive and murderous rampage. Hellstrom asks the Ghost Rider about the soul of Johnny Blaze, which prompts the demon to think back to how things began for him.

 

Johnny Blaze and Roxanne Simpson learn that Crash Simpson are dying of cancer, which prompts Johnny to turn to Satan - in exchange for his soul, Crash will be spared from the cancer. The next night, Crash successfully leaps his bike over 22 cars. Later, Johnny is visited again by Satan, who transforms him into the Ghost Rider for the first time. Crash enters the dressing room and finds Blaze, who kills his foster father with hellfire. Roxanne arrives and cradles her father's body while Blaze runs away.

 

Months later, Roxanne has tracked Blaze to New Mexico, following the Ghost Rider's murder spree. The demon is headed toward a nearby prison with the police unable to stop him. Two escaping convicts are murdered by the Ghost Rider, who is then confronted by the revenge-seeking Roxanne. Ghost Rider blasts the girl's bike with hellfire, causing it to explode and kill her.

 

Hellstrom sees the tear coming from the Ghost Rider's eye and remarks that part of Johnny Blaze must still exist. The demon denies this and attempts to flee on his motorcycle, but is stopped when Hellstrom uses his trident to draw the hellfire out of the Rider's body. Hellstrom leaves the Ghost Rider in the desert, unable to speak or move ever again while the sand swallows every last trace of him.

So long, Crash!

THE ROADMAP

This story deviates from events in Marvel Spotlight (1972) # 5.

 

In normal continuity, Ghost Rider met the Son of Satan in Marvel Spotlight (1972) # 12.

 

Ghost Rider shouldn't have his skull cycle, as he didn't gain it until Ghost Rider (1973) # 11.

 

This issue also had stories featuring Spider-Woman and Captain Marvel becoming villains as well.

CHAIN REACTION
To read my review of What If...? (1977) # 17 see my book Wheels On Fire: An Unofficial Guide to Marvel Comics' Ghost Rider: 1972-1983!

Wheels On Fire: An Unofficial Guide to Marvel Comics' Ghost Rider From 1972-1983: Munn, Chris, Ishizaki, James, DeMatteis, J.M.: 9798702991832: Amazon.com: Books

So long, Roxy!

The Human Fly (1977) # 2

“Race to Destruction!”

Cover Date: October 1977

On Sale Date: July 1977

Writer: Bill Mantlo

Artist: Carmine Infantino

Inker: Dan Green

Letterer: Irv Watanabe

Colorist: uncredited

Editor: Archie Goodwin

Cover Artist: Carmine Infantino

The masked stuntman known as the Human Fly performs a magnificent stunt for Cyrus T. Barker’s “Daredevil Death-Defiers Show” and afterwards meets Johnny Blaze, who is performing in a later event at the show. Reporter Harmony White, determined to unmask the Human Fly, sees him going into the trailer of Alex Marks, who she believes could be the Fly. Marks tells her that he was a Formula One driver who nearly died in a crash and it was the Human Fly who helped him to walk again. 

The next day, the main event of the show, “The Doomsday Race”, is set to begin with both Johnny Blaze and Alex Marks participating. Unknown to everyone, however, is that the Human Fly has taken Marks’ place in his racing car. When the race starts the participants discover that the desert is trapped with spikes that shoot out of the ground, destroying their cars. Only Blaze and the Fly make it through to the second obstacle, which is a set of bridges that turn to drop the racers into the river. Blaze transforms into the Ghost Rider on his way down, realizing he would never survive the fall otherwise, while the Human Fly is barely able to make it across. When Ghost Rider emerges from the water, the surface ignites due to oil that had been placed there, dooming any survivors to a fiery death. Ghost Rider catches up to the Fly, who tells him that he suspected the race to be rigged, which is why he took Marks’ place. The two make their way through the final trap while Barker watches with binoculars, amazed that they survived. He attempts to run away with the money from the race’s prize and proceeds but is stopped by Alex Marks and Harmony White. Later, the Human Fly and Marks part ways with Johnny Blaze, the three of them having donated their winnings to charity in the Human Fly’s name.