Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance (1992) # 23

"An Ending"

Cover Date: June 1994; Publication Date: April 1994

Writer: Howard Mackie; Artist: Henry Martinez; Inker: Bud LaRosa; Letterer: Bill Oakley; Colorist: John Kalisz; Editor: Bobbie Chase; Editor In Chief: Tom DeFalco; Cover Artist: Henry Martinez

In his trailer, a heavily drunk John Blaze hallucinates about the death of his wife, Roxanne, and the disappearance of his children, Emma and Craig. He blames the Ghost Rider for his family's tragic end, saying to a picture of the demon that he should've killed him when he had the chance...and he will, after he finds his kids. A few minutes later, John goes to Clara's trailer and tells her to try again to find his children psychically. She reluctantly agrees, but instead of locating the kids she picks up the location of Centurious, who was believed to be dead. John storms out of the trailer and comes across Quinn and Steel Wind. Blaze tells the woman to leave now that she's been fixed, and if she's still there when he gets back he'll kill her. Just before John rides off on his bike, he tells Steel Wind that Centurious is still alive.

 

Meanwhile, in the sewers beneath New York City, Centurious consumes the life of a derelict. His aide, Carver, asks him if he is well, but Centurious is still recovering his strength after his injuries at the hands of Lilith and her Lilin. He tells his last two Demons of Styge to go out and find him more humans that he can suck the life force from. Centurious' Witch Woman then tells her master that "he with the power of hellfire" is coming. Centurious nods and says that Blaze's arrive was to be expected.

 

John arrives at Wall Street and promptly blows a hole in the street with his shotgun, following Clara's psychic fix on Centurious. As he searches the sewers, he wishes that Clara's vision had been more precise, but that he'll kill Centurious even if he had to spend what's left of his life searching the tunnels. As he thinks back to how his fear of Centurious haunted him even after being freed from the Ghost Rider years ago, Blaze is ambushed by the Styge Demons, who only recognize him as a possible meal for their master. Unknown to them, Steel Wind is watching and waiting.

 

Blaze, minus his shotgun, is brought before Centurious. The villain tells him that he envies Blaze's loss of Roxanne - he in fact envies any heartfelt feelings, for after he gave his soul to Mephisto to save his beloved, Centurious can no longer feel anything. He tells Blaze that he will die with the love of his wife still in his heart, but even the envy he feels is hollow...for it is one of the many emotions a man without a soul cannot experience. Before he can kill John, Steel Wind explodes into the room on her massive motorcycle. Centurious offers her the killing blow against John, but instead turns and shoots her former master. Blaze retrieves his shotgun, and he and Steel Wind easily overcome and kill the two Styge Demons. Wind tells John that Centurious took away her humanity, turning her into a monster, and that she will have her pound of flesh from him. As she prepares to kill Centurious, Blaze stops her, saying that if she does this she'll be giving over her last shred of humanity to him. She has forgiveness inside her, Quinn saw it...and it would be worse to let Centurious live without his soul. Steel Wind acquiesces, saying that John's words have spared Centurious' life. She leaves the cavern, telling Blaze that she hopes he doesn't live to regret what he's done today. John then turns to the defeated Centurious and tells him that while Steel Wind found in it her heart to forgive the villain, he can't. He then shoots Centurious in the face with his shotgun, killing him.

 

The next day, John and his friends gather at Roxanne's grave. John tells his deceased wife that Centurious' death made him realize that it's time to start moving forward. They have decided to put the Quentin Carnival back together, as it's the only life they've known. John vows to find their children, then says goodbye to Roxanne Simpson before leaving the cemetery.

Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance (1992) # 22

"The Children"

Cover Date: May 1994; Publication Date: March 1994

Writer: Howard Mackie; Artists: Henry Martinez & Robert Walker; Inkers: Bud LaRosa & Keith Williams; Letterers: Bill Oakley & Jon Babcock; Colorist: John Kalisz; Editor: Bobbie Chase; Editor In Chief: Tom DeFalco; Cover Artist: Henry Martinez

At a camp site fifty miles north of New York City, John Blaze and the remnants of the Quentin Carnival watch on as the very drunk Miranda Woods unleashes bursts of mystical energy that threaten all of their lives. John tries to talk Miranda down, warning her that she could kill herself, but she doesn't care. She wants her son, Timmy, back, and Blaze tells her that he knows how hard it is to lose a child. They haven't given up looking for him, and eventually they'll find him. John finally talks her down, and she collapses in tears, asking for the pain to stop. Roxanne takes Miranda into their trailer, while John looks in on their kids, who have only recently been found. Later, Clara enters and tells John that she thinks she may have picked up a psychic reading on Timmy when they arrived in New York to retrieve Kody.

 

The next day, John goes to the Child Inc. building in Manhattan, the place that Clara pointed him to. He's confused about how the company could point him to Timmy, since they're an organization that helps unfortunate children across the world. Blaze meets with Ms. Pearl, one of the representatives of Child Inc., and is told that there is really nothing the company can do to help him. Suddenly, the building is attacked by Cardiac, a dangerous vigilante, who declares that the funds raised by the company are not reaching the children they've promised to help. Unexpectedly, several commandos with high-tech weapons attack Cardiac, but the vigilante easily subdues them. Blaze then gets involved, and the two hit each other with their weapons. John is stunned, but Cardiac is forced to make a retreat -- though he vows to return. When John awakens, the security team tells him that he has ten seconds to vacate the premises before they open fire. Blaze agrees to leave, but wonders to himself why a charity organization is using soldiers and has subbasements that he overheard one of the guards mention.

 

A short while later, John meets Michael Badilino - Vengeance - at a police firing range and asks him to help him investigate Child Inc. Badilino begrudgingly agrees to help, and the two start a stake-out outside the charity's building. They see an explosion on the roof of the building, and after Badilino transforms into the Vengeance the two men ride up to find out what's happening. They find Cardiac, who is battling against the security force once again. Vengeance steps in to try and stop Cardiac, but is blasted away by the vigilante's power staff. Cardiac then blows a hole through the roof and descends into the building, leaving Blaze and Vengeance to follow him.

 

When they make their way to the building's subbasements, Blaze and Vengeance find themselves fighting giant robotic guards. Cardiac assists them, apologizing them for mistaking the two for Child Inc. employees. The three make short work of the robots, and Cardiac tells them that Child Inc. has been selling the very children they have claimed to protect, making money at the expense of children in slavery. Finding a prison in the lowest level of the building, the heroes free the children and Blaze finally finds Timmy, who simply asks "what took you so long?". After all of the children are evacuated, Cardiac destroys the building. Vengeance tells John that he'll make sure the rescued kids are taken care of by the police, while John says he has something personal to do. Later, Miranda and Timmy are reunited, and all the mother can say is "thank you" over and over.

Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance (1992) # 21

"Change Is In the Air"

Cover Date: April 1994; Publication Date: February 1994

Writer: Howard Mackie; Artist: Henry Martinez; Inker: Bud LaRosa; Letterer: Bill Oakley & Jon Babcock; Colorist: John Kalisz; Editor: Bobbie Chase; Editor In Chief: Tom DeFalco; Cover Artist: Henry Martinez

Kody, strongman for the Quentin Carnival turned bestial creature, hunts through the woods in Bucks County, Pennsylvania for another beast-man. Their savage fight is interrupted by John Blaze, whose intervention allows the second monster to escape. Blaze demands answers and Kody clarifies that the other creature was his brother.

A week later, Kody has disappeared, and Blaze is wracked with guilt over not being able to help his friend. Clara has a vision of Kody in danger in New York City and offers to lead Blaze to him. Roxanne is upset, realizing that Clara has an attraction toward John and wants John to treat her and their children like family instead of like strangers. Blaze checks on Quinn, who is helping to heal and repair Steel Wind, who Quinn refuses to abandon. Not long after, Blaze and Clara leave for New York on John’s hellfire motorcycle. 

In Manhattan, Kody is attacked by more beast-men, led by his father, Bern. They have come to bring Kody back with them, but he refuses to go. An hour later, when John and Clara arrive, Clara impulsively kisses Blaze. The jealous and lovelorn Kody attacks John and tries to flee with Clara but stops when Blaze says they are there to help him with his family. Bern and the beast-men attack, but when Kody chooses his human friends over his family, Bern exiles him from their clan. John, Clara, and Kody all talk about their feelings toward one another, and Kody agrees to return with them.

Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance (1992) # 20

"Picking Up the Pieces"

Cover Date: March 1994; Publication Date: January 1994

Writer: Howard Mackie; Artist: Henry Martinez; Inker: Bud LaRosa; Letterer: Bill Oakley; Colorist: John Kalisz; Editor: Bobbie Chase; Editor In Chief: Tom DeFalco; Cover Artist: Henry Martinez

John Blaze has returned to the former site of the Quentin Carnival, which has been taken over by the United States military, with the goal of erasing all the data on the supernatural members of the carnival that the government has collected. Once inside the base, John loses contact with his back-up team of Wolf, Quinn, and Kody. He then encounters the ghosts of his deceased friends from the carnival who have something they need him to do for them before they can move on. They lead Blaze to a lab where scientists have been performing tests on some of the Styge demons that survived the destruction of the carnival. While the Ghost Battalion holds off the incoming soldiers with their ghostly weapons Blaze enters the lab and kills the demons, despite the protests of the scientists. As he goes to leave, Blaze discovers the limbless body of Steel Wind, who also survived the carnival’s destruction. She asks him to kill her due to the pain she feels from Centurious’ magic, but Blaze instead chooses mercy and carries her out, hoping to help her. John says goodbye to his dead friends and exits the facility, on his way to rendezvous with Wolf and Kody.

Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance (1992) # 19

"Alone!"

Cover Date: February 1994; Publication Date: December 1993

Writer: David Quinn; Artist: Henry Martinez; Inker: Bud LaRosa; Letterer: Bill Oakley; Colorist: John Kalisz; Editor: Bobbie Chase; Editor In Chief: Tom DeFalco; Cover Artist: Henry Martinez

John Blaze is having a nightmare, in which he watches his younger brother, Dan Ketch, devoured and killed by the demon Zarathos. Blaze's dream-self encounters twisted versions of the Caretaker and Dr. Strange, who he blames for Dan's death as much as he blames Zarathos. The two mystics rip and tear at Blaze's metal casing, until all that's left is a burning pyre of hellfire. John wakes up screaming in an abandoned warehouse, where he'd stopped to rest. Not wanting to return home to the Quentin Carnival, he tears down the New York streets on his mystical motorcycle, eventually ending up at Brooklyn's Cypress Hills Cemetery. Blaze runs across Vengeance, who tells him that he's not going to be around to save John's ass like Dan Ketch had been. The two come across an engraving on Dan's tomb, the mark of the midnight dagger. Vengeance leaves John to sulk, saying it's time to get back in the game.

 

In another part of the cemetery, a young couple make out between the tombstones. The female, Callie, tells her boyfriend that she's not ready to have sex, despite his constant attempts. Suddenly, a strange man picks the boy up by his shirt and digs fangs into his neck. The stranger is Varnae, recently resurrected lord of the vampires. Transforming into a human bat, Varnae takes flight until he comes across Blaze, recognizing him as one of Strange's comrades. The vampire attacks John, managing to dig his fangs into his neck. Instead of blood, however, Varnae gets a mouthful of hellfire. Realizing that he is unable to drain his opponent, Varnae then asks John to join him as a vampire, to end his lonely existence. John refuses, shoving Varnae's face into the mystical symbol of the dagger. The symbol causes Varnae a great deal of pain, forcing him to fly away into the night sky. The Caretaker then appears behind Blaze, who tells John that despite both of them losing their "families", he and Varnae are very different. Whereas Varnae chooses to turn his fear of being alone into blind anger, John will continue to endure until he learns that being alone is nothing to be afraid of.

Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance (1992) # 18

"Siege of Darkness, Part 16: Spirit of Death"

Cover Date: January 1994; Publication Date: November 1993

Writer: Howard Mackie; Artist: Henry Martinez; Inker: Keith Williams; Letterer: Bill Oakley; Colorist: John Kalisz; Editor: Bobbie Chase; Editor In Chief: Tom DeFalco; Cover Artist: Henry Martinez

Ghost Rider leads the remaining Midnight Sons to a crypt, the entrance to Zarathos’ underground lair. Mystical energy prevents all but Ghost Rider, Blaze, and Vengeance from entering, but Stacy Dolan manages to follow behind them. They quickly locate the imprisoned Caretaker, who tells them they’ve been lured into a trap. Zarathos appears and challenges Ghost Rider to a final battle. He teleports the two of them away, but at the last second Stacy jumps into the portal with them. 

They reappear at Glastonbury Tor in England, where Zarathos allows Ghost Rider to usher Stacy to safety inside the castle. Zarathos talks with Ghost Rider about how he has no memory of what happened after his original defeat and that he is a slave to machinations he set into action thousands of years ago. The two battle but Ghost Rider is quickly and easily overpowered, dying as his essence is absorbed by Zarathos. As he does he reverts to Dan Ketch, who tells Stacy that he will always love her. As she cradles his bones, finally realizing why she felt a connection to Ghost Rider, Zarathos claims his fallen enemy’s jacket as his trophy. The other Midnight Sons arrive, ready for the final battle.

Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance (1992) # 17

"Siege of Darkness, Part 8: The End of the World As We Know It"

Cover Date: December 1993; Publication Date: October 1993

Writer: Howard Mackie; Artist: Henry Martinez; Inker: Keith Williams; Letterer: Bill Oakley; Colorist: John Kalisz; Editor: Bobbie Chase; Editor In Chief: Tom DeFalco; Cover Artist: Henry Martinez

After the destruction of Dr. Strange's Sanctum Sanctorum, the Midnight Sons find themselves in the middle of an attack by the Lilin. Managing to find a doorway, Caretaker opens a portal to the Nightclub, and the heroes barely escape. Ghost Rider, Blaze, and Vengeance decide that the best course of action is to take the fight to Lilth and seal off the portal to the Lilin dimension. Caretaker disagrees, saying that even if they stop Lilith they don't have the strength to defeat Zarathos. When he refuses to let the three leave, the Spirits of Vengeance quickly disable Caretaker. The Midnight Sons then leave, deciding to fight without him. After a moment of thought, the Caretaker reluctantly follows them.

 

In the cemetery, Lilith takes advantage of the amnesiac Zarathos, coupling with him in an attempt to father his children. Ghost Rider and the rest attack the portal, and while the Nightstalkers hold off the Lilin, the Spirits of Vengeance approach the source of the evil mist. Zarathos attacks and easily defeats the three, but a repentant Morbius appears and gives them time to regroup. Caretaker shows the three how to tap into the power of the Medallion, which they use to seal up the portal to Lilin's world. The mist is quickly sucked back into the hole, carry with it Lilith and all of her offspring. After this expenditure of power, the Medallion shatters in Ghost Rider's hand, destroyed. The battle is not completely won, however, as the use of the Medallion has brought back Zarathos' minions, the Fallen. Caretaker attacks the demons, telling the other heroes to search for the missing members of the Blood. As the Fallen easily defeat the Caretaker, a joyful Zarathos proclaims that his lost memories have finally returned.

Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance (1992) # 16

"Road to Vengeance: The Missing Link, Part 6: Zarathos"

Cover Date: November 1993; Publication Date: September 1993

Writer: Howard Mackie; Artist: Henry Martinez; Inker: Keith Williams; Letterers: Bill Oakley; Colorist: John Kalisz; Editor: Bobbie Chase; Editor In Chief: Tom DeFalco; Cover Artist: Henry Martinez

Ghost Rider, John Blaze, Vengeance, and the Caretaker all lay defeated at the feet of the newly-reborn Zarathos.  The Spirits of Vengeance are able to escape into the catacombs beneath Cypress Hills Cemetery with the unconscious Mrs. Ketch, while the amnesiac Zarathos is found by Lilith and her Lilin.  Centurious, injured in the battle with Ghost Rider, demands Lilith's help but instead he is attacked and teleported away by the Lilin and Zarathos.  Lilith, seeing an opportunity for power, tells Zarathos that she is his mother. 

At the Blood's mystical Nightclub, Caretaker and Seer tell the Spirits of Vengeance about how they're connected to one another through the Medallion of Power and Mephisto's interference.  While the members of the Quentin Carnival look after Mrs. Ketch, Caretaker teleports them away, but not before Mrs. Ketch demands that Caretaker tell them the whole truth about "her babies".  The heroes arrive back at the cemetery and attack, but only when Ghost Rider taps into the power of the Medallion on his motorcycle gascap is he able to blast Zarathos and Lilth back into the catacombs, which he believes has sealed them away "forever".  With the battle ended, Blaze demands to know what Mrs. Ketch was talking about, and Caretaker reveals that he and Dan Ketch are actually brothers.

Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance (1992) # 15

"Road to Vengeance: The Missing Link, Part 4: Trials by Fire!"

Cover Date: October 1993; Publication Date: August 1993

Writer: Howard Mackie; Artist: Mike Manley; Inker: Tom Palmer; Letterers: Bill Oakley & Jim Novak; Colorist: John Kalisz; Editor: Bobbie Chase; Editor In Chief: Tom DeFalco; Cover Artist: Mike Manley

Ghost Rider and Seer arrive at Quinn's cabin with the gravely injured John Blaze, whose body is being consumed by hellfire. The remaining members of the Quentin Carnival (Wolf, Kody, Miranda, and Clara) all gather around their fallen friend when Ghost Rider brings him inside. Quinn says he can help John and takes him to a hidden room inside the cabin, telling the others to wait outside. Quinn attempts to help John take control of the hellfire burning from within him, saying that it will take Blaze, Ghost Rider, and Vengeance to stand against what's coming next.

 

Meanwhile, in a mountain castle, Vengeance is in battle against a group of warrior monks who are attempting to destroy him. Vengeance escapes from the castle and rides away on his motorcycle to again attempt to kill Ghost Rider. Beneath Cypress Hills Cemetery, Lilith watches as Centurious uses magic and fire to take control of the chain he had stolen from Ghost Rider.

 

Back at the cabin, Blaze wakes up to find Quinn operating on him with a complex array of machines. Quinn tells John that the hellfire never came from his gun but from inside him, laying dormant until Centurious cut him up looking for the Medallion of Power. Using the equipment left by his father, Eli, Quinn has repaired the damage to John's body as best he could. Elsewhere in the cabin, the Carnival members are waiting for word about Blaze when Vengeance rides through the wall. Ghost Rider removes Vengeance from the cabin and the fight rages outside. Blaze hears Clara screaming for help and asks Quinn to give him his gun. Vengeance easily defeats Ghost Rider and the Carnival members, but is stopped by Blaze, who has emerged from the cabin in new clothes and cybernetic plates covering his limbs and half of his face. He shoots Vengeance multiple times, eventually causing the villain to transform back to his human form and fall down. Blaze recognizes him as Michael Badilino, the cop from New York that had been attempting to apprehend Ghost Rider. Blaze kicks Badilino in the face, then tells the others to get ready to go confront Centurious. Later, a naked Badilino makes his way through the forest and is found by the Caretaker, who says he's the only friend Badilino has.

Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance (1992) # 14

"Road to Vengeance: The Missing Link, Part 2: Truth Is Only Skin Deep!"

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

Writer: Howard Mackie; Artist: Mike Manley; Inker: Tom Palmer; Letterer: Bill Oakley; Colorist: John Kalisz; Editor: Bobbie Chase; Editor In Chief: Tom DeFalco; Cover Artist: Mike Manley

At a truck stop along a New York highway, the Lilin named Skinner murders a trucker. Vowing revenge on both Lilith and John Blaze for the death of his children, Skinner begins his hunt. Meanwhile, the Ghost Rider tears down a Pennsylvania road, searching for Blaze. When he comes across the spot that the remnants of the Quentin Carnival have been occupying, he sees them in a vicious battle with the Lilin. The demons are there to kidnap John, alive and unharmed. The Ghost Rider intervenes, forcing the Lilin to retreat through one of Pilgrim's portals. Blaze is reluctant to hear what the Ghost Rider has to say, unwilling to endanger his friends and family any more than he already has. GR transforms back to Dan, who explains that Lilith and another have kidnapped his mother. Blaze asks who the other person was, and upon hearing Centurious' name, angrily agrees to help.

At their secret location, Centurious and Lilith interrogate the terrified Francis Ketch. When she fails to cooperate, Centurious decides to torture her. Elsewhere, Seer arrives at the Nightclub, where she is confronted by the mystic form of one of the Blood. The Blood tell Seer to bring the Ghost Rider to the Nightclub immediately, while they deal with the Caretaker themselves. Back on the highway, Dan and John ride toward a town called Holly, the place where Zarathos and Centurious were locked away in the Soul Crystal. As the two travel toward the small town, they are both unaware that Skinner is following them in a stolen semi-truck.

Three miles outside of Holly, John and Dan stop at a diner to get some food while they have an opportunity. Skinner then attempts to run them over with the semi, but the two manage to evade the truck. After Dan transforms, the Ghost Rider goes to save the people in the diner from the burning semi-truck, leaving Blaze to fight Skinner alone. John is quickly outmatched, and is sliced open several times by Skinner's bone blades. Ghost Rider then returns, allowing John to crawl away. GR quickly defeats Skinner and turns his attention toward Blaze, whose wounds are covered in a strange flame. Before the Ghost Rider can reach his friend, Centurious and Lilith appear between them. Centurious offers to exchange Blaze and Dan's mother for the medallion on GR's motorcycle, which the Rider promptly refuses. Centurious tangles the Ghost Rider in his own chain, then disappears, taking Lilith, Skinner, and Blaze along with him. As Ghost Rider frees himself from his chain, he sees a vision of the Caretaker, who tells him to find Seer and then wait for him. As the vision fades, Seer appears and takes Ghost Rider's hands, promising the answers to his questions.

Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance (1992) # 13

"Midnight Massacre, Part 5: Dead Man’s Tales" 

Cover Date: August 1993; On Sale Date: June 1993 

Writer: Howard Mackie; Artist: Adam Kubert; Inkers: Joe Kubert, Dan Green, Klaus Janson, & Frank Spinks; Letterer: Bill Oakley; Colorist: Gregory Wright; Editor: Bobbie Chase; Editor-In-Chief: Tom DeFalco; Cover Artist: Adam Kubert 

At the Sanctum Sanctorum, home of Dr. Strange, the remaining members of the Midnight Sons arrive to find another of their number, Morbius, dead and the possessed Switchblade attempting to gain access to the building. Blade blasts his way inside and begins his search for the Darkhold, realizing that Strange is not home. Ghost Rider attempts to enter the Sanctum but is unable to get past the protective magical barrier. Blade finds the Darkhold but when he tries to grab it a spell is activated that drags him and the book outside amidst a teleportation vortex. Louise Hastings realizes that Strange’s spell is sending the Darkhold to another dimension and tells Ghost Rider to anchor the book so they can use it to stop Blade. Ghost Rider rushes forward to fight Blade, but is almost immediately overpowered and killed. Upon dying, Ghost Rider’s powers are absorbed by Blade, including the Penance Stare, which causes agony for Blade. Elsewhere, at a mysterious bar called the Nightclub, a member of the Blood named Seer who previously escaped Blade realizes that the Caretaker was right and the Blood need to gather once again. 

While he lay dying Ghost Rider experiences visions of the future that involve him, Blaze, and Vengeance working together against Centurious. Louise Hastings reaches the Darkhold and reads aloud the spell that reverses Blade’s transformation and resurrects all of his victims. Ghost Rider stops Modred from killing Blade and the Midnight Sons go their separate ways. They are unaware that the dimensional walls have started to fall, potentially unleashing terrible evil into the world. 

Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance (1992) # 12

"Obligations"

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

Writer: Howard Mackie; Artist: Adam Kubert; Inker: Bill Reinhold; Letterer: Michael Heisler; Colorist: Gregory Wright; Editor: Bobbie Chase; Editor In Chief: Tom DeFalco; Cover Artist: Adam Kubert

In Dover, New Jersey, a quartet of men sneak through the forest - John Blaze, Ghost Rider, Wolf, and Kody - outside the armed military camp established over the ruins of the Quentin Carnival. The men sneak onto the base and find the large tent that house the dead bodies of their friends. They start soaking the bodies with gasoline, not wanting scientists to start dissecting them like freaks. John recovers the body of his friend, Eli, and tells Wolf and Kody to escape while he and the Ghost Rider provide a distraction. After they leave the tent, John and the Rider are confronted by a battalion of soldiers, who state that they are being taken into custody. Their mystical motorcycles arrive, allowing them to escape as the soldiers open fire, one round clipping Blaze across the shoulder. The bullets then strike the gasoline soaked tent, causing it explode as the two men ride into the forest. Atop a hill overlooking the camp, John says goodbye to his deceased friends. He then says that he has to find out the answers to the questions in Eli's letter, and the meaning of a key inscribed with the same medallion emblem as the Ghost Rider's motorcycle. The two ride off again, planning on leading the army in the wrong direction from their rendezvous point with the others.

At the city limits of Dover, Vengeance enters the town on his own mystical motorcycle, determined to find Ghost Rider despite being slowed down by the Caretaker in New York. Two army helicopters fly over him, ordering him to surrender, but he simply blasts them out of the sky with hellfire. At the opposite border of the city, Wolf's truck is stopped by by a military blockade who have to take a look in the back of the vehicle. Kody rips through the truck door and nearly kills the soldiers until Wolf stops him. Miranda then uses her own mystical power to make the men forget about them.

While the army chase Ghost Rider and Blaze, John comments that his arm feels like its on fire and that they've led the soldiers far enough away. Opening the throttles on their bikes, the two heroes easily outdistance the army. Elsewhere Vengeance, on the other hand, removes the large spikes from his shoulders and tosses them backward, killing the soldiers that were pursuing him. Fifteen minutes later, John and the Ghost Rider arrive at Eli's cabin. Leaving the bike's behind to walk up to the cabin, Blaze says that the bullet that hit his arm must have been an incendiary load. He doesn't notice the bit of flame that is coming from the cut on his shoulder. After they leave, Vengeance finds the bikes and the medallion that Mephisto ordered him to retrieve. Vengeance decides to get it later, instead making his way to the cabin to kill the Ghost Rider. Vengeance attacks Blaze and Ghost Rider, initially overpowering both of them. Nothing the two heroes do seems able to stop Vengeance, who says that he'll keep coming and coming until one day when the Ghost Rider will die. Unexpectedly, Vengeance then disappears into a mystic portal that sends him to a destination unknown. The heroes are approached by Eli's son, Quinn, who teleported Vengeance far away.

Inside the cabin, as the rest of the Carnival arrive, Quinn tells Blaze that his father was a powerful mystic, and that his only desire was to help John before he died. Quinn takes Blaze into a room with a large box, which is opened with the key inscribed with the medallion. John sees a vision of Eli, who gives him a message that he's left him two gifts: the first is in the box and the second is his son, Quinn. "The time of the Blood and the Medallion is coming", Eli says, his final words to John. Later, outside in the forest, John and the rest of his companions bury Eli and mourn the loss of their friends and family.

Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance (1992) # 11

"The Spider's Kiss!"

Cover Date: June 1993; On Sale Date: April 1993

Writer: Larry Hama; Artist: Vince Giarrano; Letterer: Bill Oakley; Colorist: Gregory Wright; Editor: Bobbie Chase; Editor In Chief: Tom DeFalco; Cover Artist: Vince Giarrano

Sitting alone in a motel room, John Blaze is attacked by a giant spider creature. When he fires his shotgun at the monster, it vanishes, leading Blaze outside to find a tractor trailer truck sitting in the parking lot waiting for him. The driver charges the truck at Blaze and runs over his motorcycle, destroying it. Blaze fires his hellfire shotgun at the wreckage and fully restores the bike. While giving chase after the truck, Blaze is found by Ghost Rider, who says that the spider creature attacked him as well and can only be defeated by cold iron over running water. The driver of the truck, meanwhile, picks up a prostitute and attacks her.

Blaze tracks the truck to an empty diner, but he realizes Ghost Rider has disappeared. When he enters the diner, John finds the prostitute, who says the truck driver took everyone in the diner away. She grabs Blaze, but when he sees the shadow of the spider on the wall he shoots the girl, revealing her as a spider-woman wearing the other girl's skin. The spider-woman, Shelob, wraps Blaze in webbing and picks up a waitress whom she bites. The woman's insides liquefied, Shelob sucks down her internal organs and dresses herself in the waitress's skin. Blaze frees himself from the webbing while Shelob escapes to her truck. Chasing behind it, Blaze blows holes in the back of the truck, revealing a stockpile of human skin. Shelob wraps Blaze in webbing again and pulls him inside the truck, leaving his shotgun behind on the road. Shelob attempts to devour Blaze, but Ghost Rider arrives and tosses John his gun, which he uses to blow up the truck. Reverting to her monstrous spider-form, Shelob attempts to escape on the lattice-work of an iron bridge. Using chains and hellfire, Blaze and Ghost Rider kill Shelob, who falls from the bridge into the water. When Blaze questions why she didn't just shoot him full of venom and take his skin, Ghost Rider explains that Shelob wanted him to be the host for her offspring, the eggs of which she would have laid inside his headless corpse.

Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance (1992) # 10

"Carnival of Death, Part 2: A Storm of Vengeance"

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

Writer: Howard Mackie; Artist: Adam Kubert; Inker: Bill Reinhold; Letterer: Michael Heisler; Colorist: Gregory Wright; Editor: Bobbie Chase; Editor In Chief: Tom DeFalco; Cover Artist: Adam Kubert

Steel Wind and her demon horde continue the assault on the Quentin Carnival, while Vengeance watches from a nearby hillside. Steel Wind attacks Ghost Rider directly, prompting Vengeance to finally enter the fray, riding through and killing human and demon alike. Just as Steel Wind is preparing to give the Rider the death blow with her sword, Vengeance grabs her arm and rips it from her cyborg body, claiming that no one is going to kill the Ghost Rider but him.

Meanwhile, Blaze attempts to pull the Carnival people together so they can have a chance of winning. Kody refuses to fight, until the demons invade the tent and grab Clara. Outside, Vengeance attacks the Ghost Rider, while Steel Wind slithers away. She spies Eli, the Carnival's crippled mechanic, a few feet away, whom she then stabs in the back with her blades. Blaze sees this and in a furious rage blows the woman away with hellfire. Eli dies, but not before handing John an envelope. John and Miranda then attempt to find her son, Timmy, but instead see Kody, who has transformed into a savage, bestial creature that is killing the surrounding demons with ease. Miranda finds Timmy's jacket on the ground, and as she cries a green mystical energy begins to pulse from her eyes.

On the other side of the battlefield, Vengeance continues to beat down on Ghost Rider, claiming that the Rider caused some sort of pain against his family. Before Vengeance can kill the Rider, however, a blast of mystical energy erupts from Miranda, obliterating the demon horde and blasting both Steel Wind and Vengeance away. Meanwhile, watching from his lair, Steel Wind's master observes the events at the Carnival. The master is then revealed to be Centurious - the Soulless Man.

Not long after, Blaze and the surviving Carnival members attempt to pull themselves back together. Miranda's son, Timmy, has disappeared and Eli - along with dozens of others - is dead. Wolf comments that they beat the demons, but John fights back tears as he asks what they actually won. All they can do now is bury their dead, their friends and family, and wait and see what tomorrow brings.

Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance (1992) # 9

"Carnival of Death, Part 1"

Cover Date: April 1993; On Sale Date: February 1993

Writer: Howard Mackie; Artist: Adam Kubert; Inker: Bill Reinhold & Klaus Janson; Letterer: Michael Heisler; Colorist: Gregory Wright; Editor: Bobbie Chase; Editor In Chief: Tom DeFalco; Cover Artist: Adam Kubert

In an unknown location, Steel Vengeance is punished by her master while her sister watches patiently. The sisters' master blames the woman for the failure at the Quentin Carnival, despite Mephisto's interference, so as an example he kills Steel Vengeance. He then instructs Steel Wind to return to the Carnival, granting her an eyeball amulet that controls the demons of Styge. He also gives the captured Deathwatch, Hag, and Troll over to another of his minions, Carver, to make some use of.

Blaze and Ghost Rider make their way back to the Carnival ruins, only to find Wolf and the other survivors brandishing guns for protection against the demons that Steel Wind left behind. Clara tells John that Miranda's son, Timmy, is alone out in the woods, prompting Blaze and Ghost Rider to search for him. Before they leave, the cripple mechanic Eli tells John that he has something to give him when he gets back.

Meanwhile, two men have a mysterious meeting. The first man, brandishing a gun, asks about the other man's offer, saying he'd give anything for "him". The other man says that it sounds as if he'd sell his soul for a chance at Ghost Rider, to which the first man agrees. The second man then reveals himself to be Mephisto, who takes the first man's soul and transforms him into a horrific creature. Creating for him a mystical motorcycle infused with the blood of the innocent, Mephisto remarks "As Ghost Rider is so fond of saying 'Vengeance will be ours." and so you are named...VENGEANCE!" This new player will be Mephisto's right arm in the upcoming events, and that his desire for vengeance against Ghost Rider will be all-consuming.

Back in Dover, Timmy walks through the deserted snow-covered streets, unaware that he's being stalked by the cannibal demons of Styge. In the woods on the outskirts of town, Steel Wind implements the eyeball amulet on the Stygian demons, doubling their number. They are to slaughter everyone but Blaze and Ghost Rider, who are to be left for her. In the city, a few of the demons have surrounded Timmy, but the boy is rescued by Blaze and the Ghost Rider. After a brief fight, the demons run away, escaping to attack the Carnival. At the Carnival ruins, Clara begins to have another vision of death, prompting Wolf and the other remaining survivors to run out and meet the demons head-on. Blaze and Ghost Rider return to find the Carnival overrun by the demons and Steel Wind, the people being slaughtered. As the two heroes race down to join the battle, another watches them from a nearby hilltop. Vengeance has arrived, and he declares himself to be the Ghost Rider's death.

Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance (1992) # 8

"Devil Dance"

Cover Date: March 1993; On Sale Date: January 1993

Writer: Howard Mackie; Artist: Adam Kubert; Inker: Bill Reinhold; Letterer: Michael Heisler; Colorist: Gregory Wright; Editor: Bobbie Chase; Editor In Chief: Tom DeFalco; Cover Artist: Adam Kubert

Ghost Rider and John Blaze are transported to a desert wasteland by Mephisto, who seeks to test them against his own agents.  He refers to an upcoming "war of souls" that is building, where forces will attempt to usurp his power, which he will have none of.  Mephisto disappears, and Blaze and Ghost Rider are left to wait for their motorcycles to come pick them up.  Before that can happen, they are attacked by two of Mephisto's demons, the Soulless Ones.  The two demons quickly get the upper hand against the Spirits of Vengeance, nearly killing Blaze in the process.  After a brief battle, the demons are destroyed, and Mephisto reappears.  He directs them to seek out the Soul Crystal, where they will find answers to their questions, and then he disappears.  Later, in Hell, Mephisto tells the Soulless Ones that while he cannot kill the Spirits of Vengeance he can only hope to steal their souls.  However, there is another mortal that will sell their soul to him willingly. 

"The Great Hunt, Part 2"

Writer: Howard Mackie; Artist: Joe Kubert; Letterer: Bill Oakley; Colorist: Gregory Wright; Editor: Bobbie Chase; Editor In Chief: Tom DeFalco

Ghost Rider is dragged into the basement tunnels beneath the Natural History Museum by the Feeders, monsters who have emerged to hunt and eat humans.  Ghost Rider is taken before the oldest Feeder, who explains that they are a race that has lived hidden for centuries and adhere to their racial need to feast on human flesh.  Ghost Rider breaks free and imprisons the Feeders with his chain, all save the leader who he defeats in combat.  The eldest Feeder mocks the Ghost Rider's inability to kill, transforming into a human-like form and saying that his race are an offshoot of humanity.  Ghost Rider instead gives him the Penance Stare, then escorts the kidnapped people back to the surface.

Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance (1992) # 7

"A Day of Vengeance, a Day of Death!"

Cover Date: February 1993; On Sale Date: December 1992

Writer: Howard Mackie; Artist: Adam Kubert; Inker: Bill Reinhold; Letterer: Michael Heisler; Colorist: Gregory Wright; Editor: Bobbie Chase; Editor In Chief: Tom DeFalco; Cover Artist: Adam Kubert

Outside Dover, New Jersey, Ghost Rider and John Blaze ride through a vicious snowstorm on their way to the Quentin Carnival.  Blaze thinks something is wrong at the Carnival and is upset that they wasted so much time looking for Dr. Strange while dragging Hag, Troll, and Deathwatch behind them.  When they arrive at the Carnival, Blaze finds his close friends in Clara the psychic's trailer, caring for her as she's overwhelmed by visions of death.  She tries to warn Blaze about the danger, but it's too late, "they" are here.  Outside, Ghost Rider stands in the blizzard and is taken out with an explosive.  Blaze and his friends head outside, where they find Steel Vengeance and her sister, Steel Wind, in command of an army of demons.  As an act of revenge, the sisters send their "Stygian Horde" to destroy the Carnival while the women attack Blaze.  Ghost Rider emerges from the snow to rejoin Blaze, but the battle is interrupted by Mephisto, who appears as a giant and sets the Carnival on fire.  He transports Blaze and Ghost Rider away to test them, while Steel Wind and Steel Vengeance gather up Deathwatch, Hag, and Troll to take back to their master.

"The Great Hunt, Part 1"

Writer: Howard Mackie; Artist: Joe Kubert; Letterer: Bill Oakley; Colorist: Gregory Wright; Editor: Bobbie Chase; Editor In Chief: Tom DeFalco

During a snowstorm in Manhattan, a group of monsters emerge called the Feeders.  They are starting "the Great Hunt", which involves them kidnapping people off the street and dragging them away.  Dan Ketch and his friend Donna are attacked, and Dan transforms into Ghost Rider to fight the Feeder.  He learns that the Feeders are taking the people away to eat them, and when the monster escapes Ghost Rider follows him to the Natural History Museum.  There, he is confronted by four more Feeders, who welcome him to their great feast.

Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance (1992) # 6

"Spirits of Venom, Part 4: Last Rites" 

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

Writer: Howard Mackie; Artist: Adam Kubert; Inker: Bill Reinhold; Letterer: Michael Heisler; Colorist: Gregory Wright; Editor: Bobbie Chase; Editor in Chief: Tom DeFalco; Cover Artist: Adam Kubert 

Venom, furious that Spider-Man was allowed to escape, attacks Ghost Rider in the sewer tunnels under Manhattan. Ghost Rider attempts to use the Penance Stare, but Venom’s alien symbiote causes a violent chain reaction that knocks Ghost Rider unconscious. John Blaze intervenes to save Ghost Rider but is quickly disarmed by Venom. All three are then dragged into the shadows by the Deathspawn. Meanwhile, at the Quentin Carnival, Clara Menninger is being looked after by other members of the carnival as she suffers from visions of death in the future. 

Back in Manhattan, Spider-Man emerges onto the surface with the rescued people and an unconscious Hobgoblin, who he hands off to the just-arriving Guardsmen of the Vault supervillain prison. Spider-Man then goes back down into the tunnels to find Ghost Rider and Blaze. The assembled Deathspawn, led by Hag and Troll, have imprisoned Ghost Rider, Blaze, and Venom in front of the comatose Deathwatch. They reveal that the Deathspawn are humans who gave part of their life force to allow Deathwatch to cross over from his home dimension. The Deathspawn enter Deathwatch’s body, animating it so he can feed on the heroes’ life forces, starting with Blaze. Spider-Man arrives and tries to use Blaze’s hellfire shotgun but discovers that it won’t fire. When he tosses it to Blaze, however, it works just fine as John uses it to free Ghost Rider. While Ghost Rider attempts to contain the Deathspawn within Deathwatch’s body, Blaze frees Venom to assist in helping Spider-Man, realizing that Venom would go through anyone to get his revenge on Spider-Man. Ghost Rider orders Blaze to fire his shotgun at his chain, which is wrapped around Deathwatch, creating a continuous circuit of hellfire to keep the Deathspawn trapped inside. Blaze incapacitates Hag and Troll before confronting Venom, telling him that they’re not going to let him kill Spider-Man. The Guardsmen arrive and use a sonic weapon on Venom, allowing him to be captured. Later, while Spider-Man helps the Guardsmen load up Venom and Demogoblin in their transport to the Vault, Ghost Rider and Blaze depart with Deathwatch, Hag, and Troll in search of Dr. Strange. Blaze, however, wants to get back to the carnival before the snowstorm gets worse.

Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance (1992) # 5

"Spirits of Venom, Part 2: Chasing Shadows"

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

Writer: Howard Mackie; Artist: Adam Kubert; Inker: Bill Reinhold; Letterer: Michael Heisler; Colorist: Gregory Wright; Editor: Bobbie Chase; Editor In Chief: Tom DeFalco; Cover Artist: Adam Kubert

John Blaze wakes up in the sewers surrounded by the Death Spawn, while around him rages a battle consisting of Ghost Rider, Venom, Spider-Man, Hobgoblin, Demogoblin, the Doppelganger, Hag, Troll, and the comatose Deathwatch.  Blaze also notices an innocent priest that has been pulled into the battle.  Wanting to force the Deathspawn to back off, Blaze shoots a gas main with his hellfire shotgun, causing an explosion that separates the combatants.  When Venom attempts to stop the Deathspawn from taking Spider-Man he gets in the way of Blaze's hellfire, causing the Venom symbiote pain.  A brief confrontation occurs between Venom, Blaze, and Ghost Rider that ends with Venom stalking away to find Spider-Man.  Ghost Rider then points out that Hag and Troll have left Deathwatch's body behind.  They follow the sounds of screams to a hole behind a wall, but lose Deathwatch to one of the Deathspawn that emerges from the hole.  Venom then reappears and shoves Ghost Rider and Blaze into the hole, following the Death Spawn.  Meanwhile, in New Jersey at the Quentin Carnival, blind psychic Clara Menninger has a vision of the carnival being destroyed.

Back in the sewers, Blaze, Ghost Rider, and Venom find a group of homeless people that the Deathspawn have brought to the caverns as food.  They also find Spider-Man, Father Martin, Demogoblin, Doppelganger, and Hobgoblin trapped against a nearby wall.  Hag and Troll appear with the rest of the Deathspawn and another battle ensues.  Once again, the Deathspawn separate, with the innocent people being taken one way and both Spider-Man and Deathwatch being taken another way.  Blaze argues to Ghost Rider and Venom that the people take priority over everything, forcing the three into an uneasy alliance.

Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance (1992) # 3

"Fathers"

Cover Date: October 1992
On Sale Date: August 1992

Writer: Howard Mackie
Artist: Adam Kubert
Inker: Chris Warner
Letterer: Janice Chiang
Colorist: Gregory Wright
Editor: Bobbie Chase
Editor In Chief: Tom DeFalco
Cover Artist: Adam Kubert

Lilith and her two servants, Pilgrim and Blackout, arrive at a small farmhouse in New York that is owned by one of the Lilin named Skinner.  When Pilgrim and Blackout attempt to talk to Skinner, he chases them into the woods, saying that he has left the Lilin behind and now has a human wife and child.  When he sees Lilith he stops, and she tells him that it is his duty and obligation to help her; she is his mother and the humans inside the house are not his family.  Skinner reluctantly agrees and goes inside his house; minutes later he exits dressed for the hunt.  Lilith sends him after John Blaze, who had shot her in the arm during their last battle.  When asked about his human family, Skinner alludes to the fact that he has killed them.

Elsewhere, Ghost Rider and Blaze are on the trail of another Lilin, Nakota, who they think will lead them to Lilith.  While Ghost Rider continues tracking her, Blaze splits off to get some food.  Skinner is teleported to the area and he begins the hunt for Blaze, which ends at a small diner with Skinner crashing through the window and immediately taking a hostage.  He tells Blaze that he doesn't want to just kill him, he wants to hunt him, and gives him a head start to run without his mystical motorcycle.  Blaze finds a regular motorcycle and steals it from a biker, then rides to a nearby hilltop and sends the motorcycle crashing off the cliff as a signal fire.  Meanwhile, Ghost Rider has almost caught Nakota when Pilgrim appears to tell her that he is sending her to Boston, then teleports her away.  Ghost Rider overheard the obvious trap, and now knows that Lilith is in Boston. 

Skinner tracks down Blaze, who is waiting for him on the hill.  Skinner blames Blaze for being dragged back to his old life, though John says that he should be angry with Lilith and not him.  Blaze shoots Skinner with hellfire, catching him on fire, and as he burns he tells Blaze that his children were halfbreed Lilin, like Blackout, and to keep Lilith from using them he killed his entire family in their sleep.  Blaze turns to walk away, but Skinner attacks, now a skeleton completely stripped of flesh.  The skin on his body came from his victims, and he had been wearing the skin of his family as his only memento; now their flesh is gone, burned away by Blaze.  Ghost Rider arrives and saves Blaze, pinning Skinner against a tree while John blasts hellfire at the Lilin repeatedly, calling him a monster for murdering his own children and wearing their skin as a trophy.  Believing Skinner to be dead, Ghost Rider and Blaze leave for Boston to find Lilith.  After they leave, Skinner crawls from the ashes and vows vengeance on both Blaze and Lilith.