October 31, 2006
Happy Halloween 2006: Our Favorite GR cover
We hope you've enjoyed our look back at Ghost Rider. Visually speaking, you just can't go wrong with a skull surrounded by flames. Whether Roy Thomas or Gary Friedrich or Mike Ploog came up with the idea, it's genius, and it's inspired many comic book covers, paintings, and tattoos. Our favorite Ghost Rider cover of all time was Ghost Rider V2 #15 by Texeira (scanned here from a beat-up copy). This cover was great because it actually glowed in the dark! It was so popular that Marvel actually did two printings with different backgrounds. Now if only they would make a glow in the dark t-shirt with that image. Nuff said.
Ghost Rider Part 6: Escape From Hell
Marvel has tried several times to revive Ghost Rider during the past five years. There were two mini-series, one written by Devin Grayson (Hammer Lane) and the other by Garth Ennis (Road to Damnation). Both mini-series used Johnny Blaze as the Ghost Rider. Grayson tried to portray Johnny as a family man getting overtaken by the Ghost Rider curse once again, while Ennis simply put Blaze in Hell, with no explanation to past continuity. Ennis' mini-series had fantastic painted artwork by Clayton Crain, but the story was utterly incomprehensible to me.
In the new Ghost Rider series, written by Daniel Way, Johnny Blaze escapes from Hell and into a whole new series of adventures. Comic Book Resources just put out this nifty interview with Way which summarizes Ghost Rider #1-4 and gives you an idea of what will happen in Ghost Rider #5-8. How Johnny Blaze made it into Hell in the first place will be explained later, and Way will put his own spin on why Blaze is the Ghost Rider. Blaze's new raison d'etre is to capture the 666 pieces of Lucifer that have shattered over the Earth and destroy them. The problem is that everytime Blaze kills one of them (hosted in a human body), the other remaining pieces get stronger. Is it just me or does this sound a lot like Highlander? And like the 70s series, there will be a dual nature aspect to the Ghost Rider--Johnny Blaze will once again fight for control over the Spirit of Vengeance.
Way's dialogue is actually very funny in many scenes dealing with Satan. Dr. Strange makes an attempt to stop Ghost Rider, just like he did in the 80s comic, but this time he should be "cursed for a novice" because he acts like a buffoon. Having the 80s Ghost Rider art team (Javier Saltares and Mark Texeira) return to the character was a very good idea, as they are better than ever. While this series is about Johnny Blaze, Ghost Rider is visually styled after the Ketch version, with the spiked jacket and chain. Blaze can also utilize Ketch's powers, like the Penance Stare. There's a lot to quibble about, but it's still a fun book to read for mindless entertainment. I suspect I'll stay with it for a while. One of my favorite horror artists from Warren magazines, Richard Corben, is slated for a two-parter in issues 6-7. Nuff said.
Posted by Kid Flash at 3:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)October 30, 2006
Ghost Rider Part 5: Vengeance in the Year 2099
Marvel has always sought ways to bolster their line of comics with new properties. The 1970s horror line, the 1980s New Universe line, and the 1990s lineup of futuristic heroes in the 2099 universe were all attempts to gain new marketshare. For a while, it looked like the 2099 universe was a goldmine: Spider-Man 2099 was a huge seller for the first couple of years. After the initial 2099 lineup, Marvel turned to other well known characters that could be fast-forwarded into the future, and the smokin' hot Ghost Rider was an obvious choice. While the very notion is gimmicky, Ghost Rider 2099 (at least in the first 8 or so issues) was my favorite 2099 title next to Spider-Man.
Written by Len Kaminski and drawn by Chris Bachalo and Mark Buckingham, Ghost Rider 2099 didn't have anything to do with horror. It was all about youthful rebellion against a culture dominated by mega-corporations. I'll always remember Ghost Rider 2099 as a symbol for the Gen-X movement, as I sped down Seattle's 520 bridge, listening to Beck's Loser ("I'm a loser baby, so why don't you kill me?") on the stereo, with the first issue of GR 2099 waiting to be read in the seat next to me. Although I've never found any interviews with Kaminski on the subject, I'm sure he was into the popular culture of that time period.
Zero Cochrane is a young hacker in the Stephenson-Gibson mold, who runs with a hacker gang called the Hotwire Martyrs. After stealing encrypted data from a corporate database, Cochrane is pursued by the Artificial Kidz, who have been contracted to retrieve the data at all costs. Cochrane gets shot with a poisoned flechette (2099 style bullet-knife) and rampages against corporate media in a television store, just before jacking into cyberspace to burn out his headware and escape his pursuers.
Cochrane finds himself among a group of bizarre, ever changing AIs called the GhostWorks. The GhostWorks believe that humanity is heading for a downfall: "Greed and stupidity are, in effect, information viruses that are corroding the foundations of your civilization. We want you to be…an anti-viral agent." It's uncertain why they chose to use Ghost Rider as "a cultural myth-figure" other than they want to strike terror in the hearts of evil corporations. Cochrane replies, "I was born ready", and GhostWorks uses an automated factory to create a new cybernetic body that resembles the Terminator as much as it does the 20th century Ghost Rider.
The head of Cochrane's cybernetic form resembles a skull, with a holographic flame effect surrounding it, almost like a halo! Besides being linked to the Net, Cochrane's body is loaded with so many weapons that he only discovers them when he's in jeopardy. He rides a hover bike instead of a motorcycle, which is adorned with graffiti. The design work on all of these visual elements by Chris Bachalo (who was coming over to Marvel after a long stint on Vertigo's Shade) was utterly fantastic. There's a neat little chase scene in the beginning of Ghost Rider #1 where he hunts down members of the Artificial Kidz on a highway and kills all of them, save for one survivor who tells him that Jeter (their leader) negotiated the contract on Cochrane's life.
Cochrane rides into the middle of the Kidz base camp using a "stealth mode" that renders both him and his cycle invisible to the naked eye. It made this Ghost Rider seem even more ghostly than usual, but with a severe power limitation, it was not overused. After tearing apart the Kidz, Cochrane finally comes face to face with Jeter. Jeter tells him that it was the D/Monix Corporation who ordered Cochrane's death-the same company that Cochrane's father works for, as we discover later on. But this is all a setup to the last page, to give us a link between Ghost Rider 2099 and his earlier counterparts. "What more do you want?" Jeter asks. Cochrane replies: "One word, pussbag…"
"VENGEANCE!" Cochrane screams as a giant chain saw erupts out of his arm chamber. The look of hatred from that Terminator-like skull was chilling and I couldn't wait for the second issue. The first five issues of this series comprised a wonderful story arc for Ghost Rider 2099. There was a terrific two-issue battle where he clashed with the police, fought a corrupted hacker buddy named Warewolf, and eventually faced his father at D/Monix Corporation. After the fifth issue, my interest in the series began to wane, due to Bachalo and Buckingham's departure. Their artwork really captured the counter-culture spirit of the times. Buckingham did return to draw Ghost Rider 2099 #9, a nice story where Cochrane, morphing into his human form (a very Terminator 2-like trick) visits his old neighborhood at the same moment a cybernetic-enhanced version of Jeter is hunting him down.
I've always felt that Ghost Rider 2099 is a little gem in Marvel's stable of lost heroes. The first story arc would make for a terrific science fiction movie, and I think it would actually work better for the general public than the Johnny Blaze story. I encourage you to find Ghost Rider 2099 1-5 in back issue bins if you can…they should be cheap! Nuff said.
See also:
Ghost Rider 2099 article at Wikipedia
Continue reading "Ghost Rider Part 5: Vengeance in the Year 2099" »
Posted by Adam Warlock at 9:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)October 27, 2006
Ghost Rider Part 4: Who is Daniel Ketch?
When Ghost Rider rode back into comic book stores in 1990, fans welcomed the character back as they never had before. Written by Howard Mackie and drawn the art team of Javier Saltares and Mark Texeira, this all-new Ghost Rider became one of Marvel's highest selling series. Whereas previous writers made an intricate story between the Ghost Rider and Satan, Mackie abandoned that approach to portray a character stripped down to his minimalist roots, encapsulated by the slogan: Spirit of Vengeance!
In the first few pages of Ghost Rider Volume 2 #1, we meet the host for the vengeful demon: Daniel Ketch. (Readers of the Busiek-Ross MARVELS book may remember that Ketch shows up on the last page of the story.) We know nothing of this fellow other than he's walking through a graveyard at night with sister, Barb. They run into a gang of criminals fighting each other (one group belongs to the Kingpin) and Barb gets critically wounded. Daniel backs into a junkyard, where he discovers a mysteriously abandoned motorcycle with a glowing gas cap. After touching the gas cap, Daniel gets imbued with a powerful energy.
The Ghost Rider emerges a few panels later, having possessed Daniel's body. It was clear from the start that Daniel and the Ghost Rider were separate entities, given that Daniel remembered little of Ghost Rider's nocturnal activities. All of these elements made Daniel Ketch less interesting as a person for me. I couldn't believe the way that he accidentally stumbled into these powers, which was so unlike a typical Marvel hero! Worse, I could never get a grip on Daniel Ketch's personality, his aspirations, fears, love interest, his family or friends. All the supporting characters belonging to the Daniel Ketch character all seemed too bland, too indistinct. I could never tell his girlfriend from his sister!
That said, this new Ghost Rider had a very strong visual appeal that made me buy the book as long as Saltares and Texeira drew it. While Ploog's original costume had elements in cowboy mythology, the new Ghost Rider's dark spike-laced jacket told us this was one mean motherfucker. There was a new weapon, a chain, that he could use to capture his enemies. The new Hellcycle was a cool mixture of metal and flames that defied gravity on a regular basis. Combined with the fact that the artists mostly set the Ghost Rider scenes at night (with colorists supplying the appropriate highlights), gave the new Ghost Rider an incredible visual flare.
And then there was the new power: the Penance Stare. Ghost Rider could inflect the guilty with the pain of their victims, torturing them with memories for years to come. For a Spirit of Vengeance that exists to punish the guilty, it's a fantastic power to have. All these elements that made Ghost Rider V2 a mega-hit will probably also be found in the 2007 Ghost Rider movie.
It's no coincidence that the Ghost Rider's success was surpassed only by the Punisher during this same time period. The Punisher was so popular that it took two monthly series to chronicle his pursuit of wickedly bad dudes. Naturally, Ghost Rider and Punisher teamed up often and contrasted their different means of accomplishing the same goal. The Punisher-craze ended in 1995, but Ghost Rider V2 cruised along until 1998. Like his predecessor, Ghost Rider survived by adapting into the superhero world: one arc had Ghost Rider getting captured and analyzed by S.H.I.E.L.D.
To Mackie's credit, he didn't forget about Johnny Blaze. Blaze came roaring back when he discovered a new Ghost Rider was running amok. After kidnapping Daniel Ketch, Blaze nearly killed the Ghost Rider with a hellish shotgun capable of wounding the demon. Their antagonism didn't last for long. Soon Ketch and Blaze became friends and eventually became co-stars in the spinoff title Spirits of Vengeance in 1992 (which lasted for 18 issues).
Mackie left Ghost Rider with issue #69. In all that time, he had never written a backstory explaining the connection between Ghost Rider and Daniel Ketch. Who was the demon that possessed Daniel Ketch? Mackie's Wikipedia entry provides some interesting insights into this question. It could be that like Wolverine, Mackie felt Ghost Rider's origin was best left shrouded in mystery. The writer who took over Ghost Rider, Ivan Velez, explored this territory in detail. His stories indicated that Daniel Ketch and Johnny Blaze were brothers and became Ghost Riders because of a terrible event that befelled their ancestor, Noble Kale. This origin is detailed fully in the Ghost Rider Wikipedia article. I don't quite like this origin, as it mutes the impact of Marvel Spotlight #5. By making Johnny Blaze's mother responsible for becoming the Ghost Rider, it makes Johnny's self-sacrifice totally worthless. It's very unclear whether Velez' Noble Kale origin is canon or not. Ghost Rider V2 #93 ended with Daniel Ketch dying. Mackie brought him back in Peter Parker Spider-Man #93 and claimed the Noble Kale story was a lie. With the new Ghost Rider series underway, Marvel is actually going to publish the long lost Ghost Rider #94. Perhaps Daniel Way will explain all of this mess in his version of Ghost Rider. Nuff said.
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Posted by Kid Flash at 9:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)October 26, 2006
Ghost Rider Part 3: From Satan to Mephisto
Marvel's horror-craze only lasted a few years, beginning in late 1970 (with Marvel Spotlight #2 featuring Werewolf by Night) and ending during the first half of 1975 (the last issue of the black and white monster magazines). The longest lasting characters to survive the horror boom were Werewolf by Night (43 issues), Tomb of Dracula (70 issues), but Ghost Rider beat them all with 81 issues and numerous comebacks. Part of his survival is due to writer Tony Isabella (taking over when Gary Friedrich left the series) deciding to usher Johnny Blaze into the superhero population. The dramatic event occurred in Ghost Rider #9. The cover proclaimed: This is it! The final fearful Showdown with Satan!
As Tony Isabella said in his interview with Alex Ness at Pop Thought: "When I was assigned to write GHOST RIDER, two things were obvious to me. Without artist Mike Ploog, the supernatural-based stories weren't working as well as they had during his stint on the book, leading me to consider whether or not that book might sell better if I emphasized the super-hero aspects of the title. The second thing was that there were plenty of Satan avatars active in the Marvel Universe, but precious little evidence of the loyal opposition. I hit a point in the extended storyline where it made wonderful sense to have Jesus Christ prevent Satan from claiming Johnny Blaze's soul."
From that point forward, Johnny Blaze became more of a superhero and less of a demonic figure. Issue #11 featured him holding his own against the Hulk. Ghost Rider made numerous appearances in Marvel Team-Up and Marvel Two-In-One, then joined a west coast superhero team called The Champions. He teamed up with Daredevil and even dated Matt Murdock's old girlfriend, Karen Page.
After a few years of superhero oriented stories, horror themes crept back into the series. Jim Starlin wrote and drew a memorable single issue story in issue 35 ("Death Race"), where Johnny Blaze must outrace the personification of Death (a Starlin favorite). Death rides a Harley and Johnny must cheat in order to win! While this issue was set in a flashback, it makes a point in the opening caption: "A memory of another time, another desert...a time when the curse of the Ghost Rider was less consuming, more under control". Writers like Roger McKenzie and Michael Fleisher had started writing the Ghost Rider with his own distinct personality. Johnny Blaze suddenly had no control over the Ghost Rider, but it was something the writers failed to explain.
Roger Stern fixed that when he came onboard as regular writer with Ghost Rider #68. He retold the classic origin story from Marvel Spotlight #5, but with a difference: Satan was replaced with Mephisto. In the Marvel Comics that existed in 1982, there was no room for Satan any longer. Despite this revision, the handful of issues that Stern wrote were a breath of fresh air. Stern also explained that Blaze lost control of the Ghost Rider after his initial adventures. We see that now the Ghost Rider exists to punish the guilty--in this issue he scares a Catholic priest to the point of insanity. Issue 69 has the Ghost Rider screaming "I am VENGEANCE!" to his latest victim. Later, Ghost Rider proclaims himself to be "the Spirit of Vengeance", which became the subtitle for the Daniel Ketch character.
By the time Ghost Rider's final issue #81 was published, we had a name for the demon possessing Johnny Blaze: Zarathos. Blaze and Zarathos battled for the right to stay on Earth, with the loser getting exiled to Hades. Like she did in the very first Ghost Rider tale, Roxanne Simpson saved Johnny with the strength of her love. With Zarathos trapped inside Mephisto's realm, Blaze rode off into the sunset with his sweetheart, free at least from the nightmare of Ghost Rider. It seemed appropriate at the time, in the Shooter-era Marvel Comics, with Secret Wars and Alien Symbiote costumes--was there any room for a supernatural hero? We thought we had seem the last of that flaming skull...but his most popular days were yet to come. Nuff said.
See also:
Mike Ploog's Classic Ghost Rider
Ghost Rider Part 2: The HellCycle
Continue reading "Ghost Rider Part 3: From Satan to Mephisto" »
Posted by Kid Flash at 2:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)October 25, 2006
Ghost Rider Part 2: The HellCycle
In the beginning, Johnny Blaze rode an ordinary motorcycle on his nightly excursions. But when your skeletal body is shooting fire Every Which A Way But Loose*, how practical is that really? Your bike could explode at any given moment! Not to mention that Johnny Blaze was getting sucked into Hell regularly and when he came back to Earth, his bike couldn't be found! Well, after Johnny Blaze shook hands with Satan in issue #2, issue #3 had the answer.
In "Wheels of Fire", Gary Friedrich concluded his epic tale that introduced the Son of Satan to the Marvel Universe. Daimon Hellstrom had rescued both Johnny Blaze and Linda Littletree from Hell. Linda had been possessed by the Devil and had become "Witch Woman", givin' Johnny Blaze nothin' but red hot pants trouble for three issues. When the Son of Satan dumps Johnny miles away from the nearest city, he realizes he's in a mess of trouble.
His human body had taken on critical injuries and without goin' to a hospital, Johnny would be stuck in Satan's realm for good. Linda teaches Johnny to focus his Hellish powers and concentrate on the image of a motorcycle! "Brain's about to burst!" Johnny yells, which is how I feel readin' a Grant Morrison comic!
Out of the ether, Johnny creates the flamin' HellCycle! It took an incredible effort the first time, but later Johnny would be able to recreate the cycle with ease. Now he could ride anywhere without settin' his gas tank on fire! The only restriction is that when the Ghost Rider becomes Johnny Blaze at dawn's early light, the HellCycle disappears as well. Linda reminds Johnny of this fact twice before he takes off for the nearest city. Hint, hint, what's comin' next?
Friedrich and Jim Mooney show us the consequences of not listenin' to a wise woman! Ghost Rider reaches the outskirts of the city by dawn. He reverts to Johnny Blaze just as he's leapin' onto a freeway, and the HellCycle evaporates in mid-air!
There's a massive pile-up on the freeway as trucks and cars collide into each other. Johnny lays injured on the side of the freeway, but at least he gets medical attention as soon as possible! I think this is a legal case that only She-Hulk could handle: drivin' your HellCycle within 30 minutes of dawn is a felony offense in the Marvel Universe! Nuff said.
* Forgive Dick from referencing this Clint Eastwood trucker movie. -- Kid Flash, Ye Editor.
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Posted by Cousin Dick at 9:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)October 24, 2006
Mike Ploog's Classic Ghost Rider
1972 was a banner year for Marvel Comics horror characters. With Monster of Frankenstein and Werewolf by Night successfully launched in their own titles, editor Roy Thomas decided it was time to "horrify" an old western character called Ghost Rider. I had already fallen in love with Ploog's artwork, but his work on the first three Ghost Rider tales made me his eternal worshipper. I had anticipated the debut issue ever since I had seen that flaming skull in the Marvel Bullpen Bulletins.
Like the previous monster series, Marvel once again turned to writer Gary Friedrich and artist Mike Ploog, who said in this interview: "When I first heard of Ghost Rider, I thought it was a Western, going back to the Frazetta-drawn Ghost Rider riding around on the white horse."
Ghost Rider was different from most of the Marvel horror series. Whereas Dracula, Frankenstein, and the Werewolf were Marvel-ized version of popular horror characters, Ghost Rider was completely original. Not even Man-Thing could claim to be totally unique, having had a famous predecessor in the Heap.
Surely the concept of making Ghost Rider a motorcycle bound hero came from the popularity of Evel Knievel, who set world records jumping over cars, buses, and had spectacular wipeouts that shattered almost every bone in his body. As Ploog recalled: "I think my first reference point was Evel Knievel, who was popular at that time. I went through some magazines and did a little bit of research, but not a whole lot. What I saw about Knievel wouldn't work for someone who just sold part of his soul to the devil."
In the debut issue, we first see Ghost Rider emerging from a street at night. After taking down some two-bit thugs, he turns back into his human alter ego-Johnny Blaze. We find out that Ghost Rider is a bit like the Werewolf-he becomes the Ghost Rider at night (every night) and returns to Johnny Blaze (who runs a Knievel-like motorcycle show) during the daytime. Unlike the Werewolf or the Hulk, he doesn't have a dual personality-Blaze is fully in control as the Ghost Rider, though later writers, most notably Roger Stern, would change this later on.
Besides an ability to cast hellfire and invulnerability to bullets, Ghost Rider didn't have many other powers. In the beginning, the sight of his flaming skull made almost any weak-willed thug pee in their pants. Johnny Blaze figured out that speaking in biblical terminology would throw the fear of God into anyone. Again, the writers who came on board later twisted this around, making it the speech of the demon (Zarathros) that possessed the Ghost Rider to speak in this manner.
What makes a Marvel character the most noble? A combination of tragedy plus the capacity for self-sacrifice. Ghost Rider had both qualities in his origin. When Johnny Blaze was a young boy, his father (Barton Blaze) died in a stunt motorcycle show. The show's owner, Crash Simpson, adopts Johnny as his own son. Johnny learns how to ride motorcycles and perform daredevil stunts along with Roxanne Simpson (Crash's daughter), who would become Johnny's girlfriend. One day while training, Johnny's bike surges out of control and kills his adopted mother. On her deathbed, she makes Johnny promise never to ride in the show again. Johnny makes good on his promise until discovers that Crash is dying of cancer-at the very moment their motorcycle show gets booked into Madison Square Garden. What's a boy to do? Johnny summons Satan and sells his soul in return for sparing Crash's life from cancer.
But here's what ya gotta appreciate about Satan: he knows the loopholes in any deal! Crash attempts a world record breaking jump in Madison Square Garden, misses the ramp, and dies in the end. Johnny, furious with rage and sorrow, jumps on his bike and successfully makes the jump on his own. Roxanne, pissed because Johnny could have done it earlier and spared Crash's life, walks out on him (the first of many times). Then Satan comes calling to claim Johnny's soul: "From this day forth…you will walk the earth as my emissary in the dark hours…and in the light, you will join me in Hades!" But before Johnny gets sucked into the netherworld, Roxanne appears and saves him with the purity of her love. Corny ain't it?
There's something of a goldmine here for future tales of Johnny Blaze. How did he summon Satan so easily in the first place? How did Roxanne manage to blunt the edge of Satan's curse and keep Johnny earthbound? She claims she read Johnny's Satanic verses behind his back and knew what to do at the right moment. Daniel Way has mentioned some of these elements in an interview regarding the current Ghost Rider series. If you read this Wikipedia article on Ghost Rider, you will see that various writers tried to explain away Satan (replaced with Mephisto) and concocted a link between Johnny Blaze and Daniel Ketch (the 80s Ghost Rider), making them brothers and ancestors of a long line of Ghost Riders. I put these retcons in the same bucket as the Son of Satan revisions. Sadly, the 2007 movie will go the Mephisto route-one can only assume this is to make the film palatable for evangelicals! Personally, I feel like they replaced Dr. Doom with Paste Pot Pete.
The film version will probably be a blend of the Johnny Blaze Ghost Rider along with the 80s Daniel Ketch (Spirit of Vengeance) version. I'll always prefer Ghost Rider Classic, which really only existed in Marvel Spotlight 5-8. The first appearance, which had Ploog doing both pencils and inks, stands right up there with Berni Wrightson's work on Swamp Thing #1. Who could resist Mike Ploog's rendition of this ghostly figure, especially in this panel where Johnny Blaze goes to sleep in a cemetery? Nuff said.
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Posted by Cousin Dick at 10:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)July 24, 2006
Gary Friedrich Interview on Ghost Rider
I've been browsing the videos on YouTube, looking for Comic Con 2006 stuff, and stumbled upon this cool interview with Gary Friedrich, the original writer on Ghost Rider when it debuted in the 1970s. It's a substantial piece that lasts just over 9 minutes and covers many topics. Friedrich doesn't really care for Cage as Johnny Blaze, nor does he put much stock in the director of Daredevil. Beyond the Ghost Rider, Friedrich goes over the early Marvel Bullpen days. Nuff said.
