The Champions (1975) # 17

“The Sentinels Hunt Again!”

Cover Date: January 1978

On Sale Date: October 1977

Writer: Bill Mantlo

Artist: George Tuska

Embellisher: John Byrne

Letterer: John Costanza

Colorist: Phil Rachelson

Editor: Archie Goodwin

Cover Artist: Ernie Chan

Three evil mutants – Unus the Untouchable, Lorelei, and the Blob – burst into Champions headquarters requesting sanctuary. Only Black Widow and Hercules are present, and the mutants are attacked by a trio of pursuing Sentinels. Black Widow and Hercules hold off the Sentinels while activating the alert to bring the other members of their team, while the three mutants claim the Sentinels have neutralized their powers. While Black Widow and Hercules fight, they fail to notice another individual watching from the shadows.

Meanwhile, Angel is flying above the city when he sees the alert go off at the team’s headquarters. Iceman and Darkstar in line at a theater to see a new movie that features stunts by Johnny Blaze when they see Angel searching for them. Iceman and Darkstar reveal their powers and are attacked by a mob of mutant hating citizens. Johnny Blaze transforms into the Ghost Rider to aid his teammates, but only gets into an argument with Iceman. The rest of the Champions make their way to their building, with Darkstar realizing that Blaze’s hostility toward her is because he thinks she sees him as a monster. The Champions destroy the Sentinels, but quickly realize that the evil mutants are lying. The heroes are knocked out by a stun blast fired by the Vanisher, who was controlling the Sentinels to find mutants that could lead him to the X-Men, who wanted revenge upon. Darkstar wakes up and controls the destroyed Sentinels, using them to knock all of the evil mutants except the Vanisher unconscious. When the Vanisher attempts to escape by teleporting him away, Darkstar uses her power to try and stop him, accidently freezing him halfway in transition. While she is beside herself with grief the other Champions wonder about Darkstar’s mysterious powers.

Johnny, you are all kinds of screwed up.

THE ROADMAP

This is the final issue of the Champions and effectively the last time the team will be seen together. A flashback in Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man (1977) # 17 reveals that the team disbanded directly after the end of this issue, and that Ghost Rider was the first member to quit. 

Ghost Rider last appeared during the flashback story in Giant-Size Hulk (2006) # 1. Following the flashback appearance in Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man (1977) # 17, Ghost Rider appears next in Ghost Rider (1973) # 26.

CHAIN REACTION

To all things must come an ending, and in the case of the Champions its cancellation was as much a mercy killing as anything else.

That’s perhaps too harsh, because for the past six or so issues the creative team had really fallen into a fairly solid groove. Mantlo and Byrne weren’t turning out anything spectacular or even on par with books like Avengers and Defenders, but it was decent superhero stuff that was working as well as it could with the mismatched team dynamics it had been saddled with. If there were any characters less suited to working together as a team, it was this one, and Mantlo was really leaning into that heavily even here in the final issue. Ghost Rider in particular is just flat-out nasty to his teammates, though there’s an interesting bit where that anger and hostility doesn’t come out until after his transformation. As Johnny Blaze he was all about helping his teammates, and it’s a nice touch that dovetailed nicely with what Jim Shooter had been doing with Ghost Rider in his own series at the time. 

The story for this one isn’t much to write home about outside of those character interactions, though even those were turned up to histrionic levels. The Sentinels and the cast off evil mutants that Chris Claremont hadn’t wanted to use in X-Men were another example of Mantlo’s Champions not having an identity of its own and resorting to tying up plots from other titles. It’s almost purposefully reminding the readers that, hey, two of these heroes were in the X-Men, and isn’t that team much cooler than the Champions? Mantlo did get to delve into Darkstar a little more here, and if anything she was probably his pet character as the series went along.

John Byrne comes back after having left a few issues ago, this time as the inker over former series artist George Tuska. You wouldn’t think those two would mesh well, but they work quite nicely together. It’s almost poetic that the final issue of the series is carried out by two artists who had previously left their marks, much like the returning Bob Hall did last issue. It’s not as solid as when Byrne was penciling, but it certainly doesn’t look bad.

All in all, the Champions was a series handed to Bill Mantlo after its creator left, and he did the best job he could do under the circumstances. There were a few brief moments of brilliance, but it just couldn’t overcome it’s Silver Age trappings to become more than just a bunch of heroes hanging out together for no real reason. 

Iron Man (1968) Annual # 4

“The Doomsday Connection!”

Cover Date: 1977

On Sale Date: May 1977

Writer: Bill Mantlo

Artist: George Tuska

Inker: Don Perlin

Letterer: John Costanza

Colorist: Phil Rache

Editor: Archie Goodwin

Cover Artist: Al Milgrom

Iron Man crashes into an AIM installation looking for MODOK, who has caused a blackout across the West Coast by siphoning away energy for an unknown purpose. After disabling the defenses Iron Man finds the base empty, so he goes to Los Angeles to recruit the new superteam, the Champions, to help in his search. When he arrives he gets into a mistaken fight with the Ghost Rider which is broken up by the Black Widow, who had served with Iron Man in the Avengers. Iron Man suspects MODOK is operating out of one of three AIM testing sites in California, so the heroes split into groups to investigate.

Black Widow, Hercules, and the Angel travel to Redwood National Forest and encounter an AIM strike team. Iceman, Ghost Rider, and Darkstar discover a base full of AIM soldiers beneath San Francisco Bay where sea-creatures are being mutated into monsters. During that battle, Darkstar is injured and knocked unconscious. In a small church in the Mojave Desert, Iron Man encounters Stryke, one of MODOK’s minions. Realizing he’s walked into a trap, Iron Man escapes and contacts the Champions, telling them to join him in Nevada at the first base he investigated. Iron Man arrives and finds MODOK, who had been there the whole time, invisible and still siphoning energy. The Champions arrive, but MODOK escapes in his Doomsday Chair, which triggers a cave-in as he escapes, burying the heroes. Iron Man uses the power from MODOK’s energy batteries to charge up his armor, allowing him to blow a hole through the debris. Iron Man chases after MODOK and fires his repulsor ray at him, causing MODOK to crash into the ground, destroying him. 

The Champions (1975) # 7

"The Man Who Created the Black Widow!"

Cover Date: August 1976

On Sale Date: May 1976

Writer: Tony Isabella
Artist: George Tuska
Inker: Vince Colletta
Letterer: Karen Mantlo
Colorist: Phil Rache
Editor: Marv Wolfman

Cover Artist: Rich Buckler

A missile is shot into the headquarters of the Champions, directly into the room with Iceman, Hercules, and their publicist Richard Fenster.  Iceman is able to direct the missile via an ice tunnel into Hercules' arms, where it is caught harmlessly.  They give the missile to Ivan Petrovitch, who Black Widow claims can take the device apart to find out who sent it.  Across the street, a person from the Widow's past is watching and planning a confrontation.  

Meanwhile, Angel and Johnny Blaze are at the hospital where the recovering villain, Rampage, is being held.  Sensing danger, Blaze transforms into the Ghost Rider in time to see Rampage being rescued by two other villains, Darkstar and the Griffin.  The escape attempt is successful, with Angel and Ghost Rider both being defeated by Darkstar.  Back at their building, Hercules, Iceman, and Fenster are unaware that they are being watched by an intruder.  They find a young boy who asks them to help after sneaking inside, and his appearance allows the intruder - actually Ivan's son - to escape unseen.  Ivan and Black Widow finish examining the missile and find a black pearl inside, which Widow recognizes immediately.  She goes to a nearby rooftop and is confronted by a Russian man named Bruskin, who had been her superior during her time as a Soviet spy.  Before he can tell her why he has contacted her, he is attacked from behind by another Russian villain, the Titanium Man.

The Champions (1975) # 4

"Murder at Malibu!"

Cover Date: March 1976

On Sale Date: December 1975

Writer: Chris Claremont
Artist: George Tuska
Inker: Vince Colletta
Letterer: Irving Watanabe
Colorist: Phil Rache
Editor: Marv Wolfman

Cover Artist: Rich Buckler

During a walk on the beach, Black Widow and Hercules are attacked by an immensely strong opponent, who they quickly realize is actually an elderly mentally ill man.  A group of guards approach to apprehend the old man, Billy, and when the two heroes attempt to stop them they too are captured.  Hercules and Black Widow are brought to the San Marino State Hospital, where they are outfitted with restraints and brought before Dr. Edward Lansing, who has experimented on the patients of the hospital to create the beginnings of a race of "invincible warriors". 

That night, Angel, Iceman, and Ivan Petrovitch are at the beach house worrying about their teammates.  They are attacked by a brainwashed Hercules and Black Widow who, along with Lansing's men, mean to kill the Champions.  Lansing himself is there, using a remote device to control the super soldiers and the two murderous heroes.  Johnny Blaze arrives and transforms into the Ghost Rider, quickly joining the battle, but even he is unable to stop Hercules.  Black Widow attempts to kill Ivan, but is able to free herself from the mental control in time to stop herself.  She then takes down Lansing and destroys his control device, which frees the mutates who quickly turn against and kill Lansing.  Hercules is enraged by the state of the mutates, but Angel calms him down by proposing they use their power to help innocent victims like the mutates.

The Champions (1975) # 3

"Assault On Olympus"

Cover Date: February 1976

On Sale Date: November 1975

Writers: Tony Isabella & Bill Mantlo
Artist: George Tuska
Inker: Vince Colletta
Letterer: Karen Mantlo
Colorist: George Roussos
Editor: Marv Wolfman

Cover Artist: Rich Buckler

Following Pluto's kidnapping of Hercules and Venus to Olympus, the Black Widow, Angel, and Iceman are lounging on the beach contemplating their next move.  They're visited by Johnny Blaze, who reminds them of the ice mountain that Iceman formed over one of the portals to Olympus and was never closed, which could gain them access to Olympus.

In Olympus, Zeus is forced to stand aside while Pluto arranges the weddings of Hercules and Venus to Hippolyta and Ares.  The Huntsman, Pluto's enforcer, walks out toward the mountain of ice, which explodes with hellfire as the Champions burst through.  While Black Widow and Iceman stay behind to fight the Huntsman and his mutant horde, Angel and Ghost Rider go to stop the weddings.  While the heroes make short work of the Huntsman, Ares, and Hippolyta, they are unable to stand against the power of Pluto.  Ghost Rider moves past Pluto and addresses Zeus, calling him out for abandoning Hercules and falling for Pluto's trickery.  Realizing his mistake, Zeus sends Pluto running back to Hades and gives Hercules his blessing to return to Earth with his mortal comrades.  The heroes enter the portal back to Earth, each of them wondering what is going to happen next.

Ghost Rider (1973) # 16

"Blood in the Waters"

Cover Date: February 1976

On Sale Date: November 1975

Writer: Bill Mantlo

Artist: George Tuska
Inker: Vince Colletta
Letterer: Karen Mantlo
Colorist: Janice Cohen
Editor: Marv Wolfman

Cover Artist: Bob Brown

Johnny Blaze takes a well-earned weekend vacation in Baja, Mexico, but finds himself getting shot at while riding his bike along the beach.  In a nearby cabin, Nancy Phillips had been arguing with her father, who was using his rifle to shoot at dolphins in the ocean.  During a struggle for the gun, the shot went wild and struck Blaze's tire, causing him to come to Nancy's rescue.  When the scene calms down, he follows her to the beach, where she tells her story.  When she was a child, her father worked for the government, using dolphin mating calls to direct the animals at targets after having bombs strapped to their backs.  When his daughter fell into the ocean he saw a fin coming at her and assumed it was a shark, not knowing he was firing his rifle at the bomb-toting dolphin who was still nearby.  The explosion killed Nancy's mother and drove her father insane, with him blaming the dolphins for his wife's death.

They hear gunshots from Phillips' boat, and Blaze is able to make his way aboard just as he pulls away from the dock.  The struggle causes Johnny to transform into the Ghost Rider, but Phillips' insanity just allows the man to accept the bizarre occurrence.  Phillips continues to fire at the dolphins, but a wave capsizes the boat, putting the deranged man right in the path of a hungry shark.  The dolphins attack the shark, saving both Blaze and the unconscious Phillips, and one of the dolphins then gives Johnny a ride back to shore on its back.  Nancy is waiting for them, and is nonplussed by Blaze transforming back to his human form.  Phillips apologizes to the dolphins, recognizing that they saved him, and Blaze says that he thinks they heard and understood him.

Ghost Rider (1973) # 14

"A Specter Stalks the Soundstage!"

Cover Date: October 1975

On Sale Date: July 1975

Writer: Tony Isabella
Artist: George Tuska
Inker: Vince Colletta
Letterer: Joe Rosen
Colorist: Phil Rache
Editor: Marv Wolfman

Cover Artist: Ron Wilson

On the Hollywood soundstage for the Stuntmaster television show, Johnny Blaze prepares for his first on-the-job stunt, dressed in a copy of the Stuntmaster's costume. Johnny starts his motorcycle and begins the stunt, but is interrupted when a man rushes in front of him and commands him to stop. Johnny wrecks the bike while avoiding the man, and recovers in time to see the director, Coot Collier, arguing with the newcomer. The man, whose name is Cosgrove, is there for the studio and tells Collier that he can't continue with the stunt because Blaze isn't a member of the stuntmen's union. Johnny tries to attack the accountant, but is stopped by the Stuntmaster. The two bikers walk away just as a tour group passes by...but no one notices the ghostly image of the deceased Orb floating above the tour guide. The guide and the group then attack Johnny, who undergoes his transformation into the Ghost Rider due to the amount of danger. He rings himself and the injured Stuntmaster in a ring of hellfire to keep the crowd back, but he then sees the giant ghostly Orb hovering over the people. The Orb tells Blaze that he's come back from the grave to exact his revenge on the Ghost Rider, and he then orders the people under his mental command to walk through the wall of fire. Before they reach it, however, a blast of water drenches the crowd and awakens them from their spell. The Orb fades away and Johnny returns to normal, while Karen page and her stand-in, Katy Milner, approach with two firehoses. Karen rushes to Johnny's side and acts concerned about him, but then gives him the cold shoulder and walks away. Confused, Johnny talks with Katy, who tells him that in return for running an errand for her she will tell him about Karen's past.

A little while later, Katy and Blaze meet and she asks him to pick up a package from her brother at the UCLA Medical Center. Johnny agrees, and the two go on a motorcycle tour of the studio. Katy tells Johnny that Karen's had her heart broken by a string of men - including the lawyer Matt Murdock - and that she's afraid to let anyone else get that close again. Johnny then mentions that he'll need to find a new place to stay, since he had been crashing in Karen's guest-room. Katy tells him that two of her friends who work for the studio have a beach house with a spare room that Johnny could possibly rent. Katy takes Johnny to meet her friends, Richard and Wendy Pini, on a back lot of the studio, but their meeting is interrupted by another thrall of the Orb, who attacks them with a forklift. While the other three people scatter, Johnny transforms into the Ghost Rider and returns to his cycle, riding circles around the forklift. He's surprised by a laser attack from the Orb's ghost, which puzzles Blaze. The Ghost Rider jumps over the forklift and blasts it with his hellfire, destroying the vehicle and knocking the driver unconscious. The Orb fades away while Johnny returns to human form, just as Wendy, Richard, and Katy make their way back to him. Johnny then asks for directions to UCLA so he can run Katy's errand before they start shooting their next scene.

When he arrives at UCLA, Johnny first encounters the rest of the superheroes that will join together with him as the Champions. After their first adventure, Johnny has returned to Delazny Studios, in despair over the Champions' failure in the mission. During one of his stunts, Johnny catches the falling Katy, but then feels himself transforming into the Ghost Rider. While riding through the air, he looks to his side and sees the Orb appearing above Karen page, who is being ordered by the villain to shoot Blaze with the gun in her hand.

Ghost Rider (1973) # 13

"You've Got a Second Chance, Johnny Blaze!"

Cover Date: August 1975

On Sale Date: May 1975

Writer: Tony Isabella
Artist: George Tuska
Inker: Vince Colletta
Letterer: Irv Watanabe
Colorist: T. Vartanoff
Editor: Len Wein

Following the departure of the Phantom Eagle, the Ghost Rider is left with the mourning grandson of the Eagle's last victim. Joel sees the Ghost Rider's flaming skull, but before he can freak out Blaze transforms back into his normal body. This confuses Johnny, who's used to turning into the Ghost Rider every night, all night. He thinks back to his recent ordeals and believes that he's finally freed himself from Satan's influence and that his curse is over. Realizing that he's broke, Johnny decides to go to Hollywood to take the Stunt-Master up on his job offer.

Two days later, Blaze arrives in the Los Angeles television studio that houses the Stunt-Master TV show. He finds the Stunt-Master, who introduces him to director Coot Collier, stunt-woman Katy Milner, and the show's co-star Karen Page. Blaze is hired on the spot as the new stunt-man, but before any filming could start Karen is grabbed by the Trapster on his flying disc. The Trapster mentions that there's a million dollar bounty on Karen's head, and he means to collect.

Blaze gives chase on his motorcycle, but to his surprise he transforms into the Ghost Rider. He chases the Trapster to a studio back lot filled with prop replicas of famous landmarks, where he forces the villain to crash his flying vehicle. Trapster immediately goes on the attack against the Ghost Rider, throwing every weapon he can against the demon, while Karen recognizes the Ghost Rider as being Johnny. Blaze weathers the assault, but Trapster gets the upper hand with his gravity intensifier weapon. Johnny lets loose one last blast of hellfire, which strikes Trapster's anti-gravity disc on his chest, causing the villain to fly away uncontrollably. Blaze turns back to normal once the Trapster is gone, leading him to believe that he's now turning into Ghost Rider whenever there's danger around. Johnny frees Karen from the paste that's holding her captive, and she gives him a reward kiss for saving her.