Marvel Comics Presents (1988) # 99

"Fallen Spirits"

Cover Date: February 1992; On Sale Date: December 1991

Writer: Dan Slott; Artist: Jimmy Palmiotti; Letterer: Steve Dutro; Colorist: Fred Mendez; Editor: Terry Kavanagh; Editor in Chief: Tom DeFalco; Cover Artist: Sam Keith

Falling to the ground after being overwhelmed by the army of D'Sprytes, the Ghost Rider watches as his motorcycle hits the pavement. With only seconds to spare, he releases his chain, catching it on a streetlight, and swings himself into a fruit stand. The D'Sprytes make their way to the street while the Rider digs himself free of debris. Catching a few of them in his hands, he is unable to keep from being attacked by the rest. On the sidelines of the battle watch a group of pedestrians who see the Rider fighting with an invisible enemy. Suddenly, the crowd turns violent, each person under the thrall of a D'Spryte. Jack Weaver, the homeless man who first saw the demons, tries to convince the crowd that their being manipulated, but the enthralled crowd ignore him, calling him "just a bum".

 

The crowd then turns on the Ghost Rider hurtling bricks and other things at him. The D'Sprytes know that the Rider will not harm an innocent, and plan on using the pedestrians to kill him. The ground then begins to rumble, and the Rider's bike busts from the hole it had made in the pavement after the fall. Riding around him in a circle, the bike is used to create a shield from the mob, allowing the Ghost Rider to form a plan. Spinning his chain, he releases it as a hail of sharp metal links, each one hitting a D'Spryte before reforming as the chain in his hand. With each D'Spryte dead, the crowd comes to their senses, unable to recall what had happened. Knowing he is no longer needed, the Ghost Rider rides into an alley and transforms back into Dan. Before he rides home, he sees Jack Weaver sitting back on the sidewalk. He asks Jack if he'd like someone to talk to, to which Weaver replies "yeah...that'd be nice".

Marvel Comics Presents (1988) # 98

"D'Spryte Times, D'Spryte Measures"

Cover Date: March 1992

On Sale Date: January 1992

Writer: Dan Slott
Artist: Jimmy Palmiotti
Letterer: Janice Chiang
Colorist: Fred Mendez
Editor: Terry Kavanagh
Editor in Chief: Tom DeFalco

Cover Artist: Sam Keith

On a snowy winter night in New York City, a homeless man named Jack Weaver sits on the sidewalk and appears to have a conversation with himself. Unseen by everybody but Weaver, however, is a small demon sitting on his shoulder talking with him. The demon points out to Jack that the man coming toward them will give at least a dime. When Weaver asks him for any spare change, the man spits in his change can and tells him to get a job. The demon tells Jack that all he has to do is say the word and he'll "get 'im good". After a moment of goading, Weaver gives in and asks the demon to get the man back for him.

 

Half a block away, Dan Ketch rides through the streets, thinking about all the things going on in the Ghost Rider's life. Ahead of him he sees a crowd of people all looking up at a man on the ledge threating to jump. The man - the same one that refused to give money to Weaver - is being coerced by the small demon into jumping because he's a "horrid, pathetic little man". Seeing this, Dan thinks that the Ghost Rider could get the man down safely. But, since the Rider will only come out when innocent blood has been spilt, Dan buts his own palm with a knife and slaps it down on his mystical motorcycle's gas cap. To his surprise, nothing happens. Dan continues to furiously slap his bloody hand against the gas cap, desperate to make the transformation. On the ledge, however, the demon has successfully convinced the man that he should commit suicide. Under the demon's influence, the man jumps from the building to his death...causing a splatter of blood to land in the snow next to Dan. Because of this, the transformation finally triggers and Dan transforms into the Ghost Rider. The Rider makes his way to the ledge, where the small demon is laughing hysterically. Ghost Rider grabs the demon in his hand and declares that vengeance must be served. The demon tells him that he is D'Spryte, a servant of D'Spayre. "Wherever there is a broken will where pleas are voiced into the ether, there will be a D'Spryte," he tells the Rider, "my kind is legion". Ghost Rider hears a flapping noise behind him, and when he turns he sees thousands more D'Sprytes heading toward him. Overwhelming him, the vigilante tries to fight back, but the ledge beneath him crumbles, causing him and his motorcycle to fall to the ground below.