Story Title: “Ghost Rider”
Published: 30 May 1972 (cover date: August 1972)
Writer: Gary Friedrich
Artist: Mark Ploog

The Background:
In 1967, Marvel Comics’ Dick Ayers, Gary Friedrich, and Roy Thomas introduced readers to Carter Slade/Ghost Rider, a Western gunslinger heavily based on Ray Krank and Dick Ayers’ horror-themed character of the same name. The character later took the moniker of the Phantom Rider and was surpassed by his successor, the entirely different but similarly named Spirit of Vengeance. A few years later in 1972, Thomas (then editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics) wished to introduce a villainous Ghost Rider as a foil for Matt Murdock/Daredevil; it was Friedrich who convinced Thomas to expand on the character, artist Mike Ploog asserts that he gave the character his trademark flaming skull, and the legendary Stan Lee dreamed up the name Johnny Blaze for the character’s alter ego. By 1973, this strange supernatural anti-hero had been upgraded to his own self-titled comic and, over the years, the mantle has passed to numerous others; Ghost Rider has been involved in many high-octane, demonic adventures: he’s battled the hordes of Hell, been split in two, aligned with other supernatural characters as the Spirits of Vengeance, and even flirted with mainstream success thanks to cameo appearances in Marvel’s nineties cartoons, two poorly-received live-action adaptations, and even featuring in a semi-prominent role in the fourth season of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2016 to 2017).

The Review:
I should note first and foremost that I’ve had very little experience with Ghost Rider’s comics; hell, my experience with the character in general is pretty much exclusively from what I’ve seen in movies, cartoons, videogames, and the odd Marvel crossover here and there. Yet, I find the character visually and thematically appealing thanks to my love of the gothic and the macabre and I’d love to read more stories of the character if Marvel ever get their fingers out their asses and make his classic tales more readily available in print. His debut story opens on the rainswept streets and finds the titular flame-headed demon riding through the night; the first thing you might notice here is that the Ghost Rider is riding a fairly standard chopper rather than his iconic Hellcycle, but his visual appeal is hardly diminished because of this thanks to his tight leather outfit and his flaming skull for a head! Another thing that sticks out is that the Ghost Rider happens to pass by as a couple of thugs are gunning a man down in the streets but he chooses not to intervene or punish the gunmen, instead preferring to stay on the move to keep anyone from seeing his gruesome visage. However, fate has other plans for the demonic rider and the thugs give chase, determined to ensure that there are no witnesses to their crime. Interestingly for me, someone with little knowledge of how the Ghost Rider’s transformation and symbiosis works, the Ghost Rider’s internal monologue is that of a desperate man looking for solitude and privacy rather than conflict, and he only stops to confront the gunman when he’s left with no other option. Startled by the rider’s appearance (yet convinced that he’s simply wearing a flashy helmet or pulling some kind of trick), the thugs load up to face off with their ghastly witness, only to find the Ghost Rider is capable of spawning flames from the ground to cut them off and summoning Hell-fire to boost over their heads and escape to safety. Finally free from persecution, the Ghost Rider finds further relief in the rising of the sun, which dispels his demonic appearance and returns him to the agonised human form of Johnny Blaze.

Desperate to take his mind of his nightly curse, Johnny tries to focus work; as one of the world’s most celebrate stunt cyclists, he is due to attempt the “world jump record” at Madison Square Garden that afternoon, but his thoughts continuously drift back to the past and how he was struck by his demonic dual life. His father, Barton Blaze, was also a daredevil motorcyclist and, after he died in an explosive accident, Johnny was adopted by fellow stunt cyclist Craig “Crash” Simpson and his beautiful daughter, Roxanne (or “Rocky”, as she’s affectionately known). Over the years, young Johnny overcame his fear of motorcycles and ended up taking to the sport like a fish to water; unfortunately, when he was fifteen, he watched his adopted mother die in a freak accident involving an exploding motorcycle. Heartbroken, he vowed to follow her last request and never ride again, though apparently never told this to Crash and Rocky as both of them believe he’s simply afraid to ride and shun him for it into his adulthood. Although he’d promised not to ride before an audience, Johnny secretly keeps up the hobby in his spare time, and he and Roxanne have an emotional reconciliation when she discovers how good he is and the promise her made to her mother. Taking solace in the life of a grease monkey now that he has the beautiful Roxanne by his side, Johnny and Rocky are overjoyed to learn that their show’s been booked for Madison Square Garden; unfortunately, this elation is short-lived as the cantankerous Crash drops the bombshell that he’s only got a month to live, at best, thanks to “the disease”. When Johnny refuses to go back on his vow and take Crash’s place, both his adopted father and Rocky brand him a coward and disown him; desperate for a solution to this problem, Johnny does the only logical thing possible and turns to occult tomes to call upon the dark powers of Satan!

Performing a macabre ritual and speaking ancient incantations, Johnny successfully summons the crimson devil and willingly agrees to serve Satan for all eternity if Crash is cured from his disease. Ol’ Scratch agrees to the deal and, the next day, Crash insists on performing the death-defying stunt, despite Johnny and Rocky’s desperate pleas. Sadly, Barton’s killed in his courageous and pig-headed attempt to ride his bike over twenty-two cars, and so outraged, so brief-stricken by the sudden and explosive death of another father, Johnny randomly decides to make the jump after all. However, Rocky is infuriated that he would steal her dad’s thunder like that mere moments after his death and spitefully walks away, leaving Johnny with only his regrets…and the Devil, arriving to claim that which was promised to Him and cursing Johnny to transform into his flame-headed alter ego as Satan’s emissary whenever night falls. Rocky happens to walk in on him during this ghoulish spell and, conveniently, is also well versed in the occult and is able to ward Satan off. Although Rocky’s presence is enough to quell Johnny’s woes during the day, his dark transformation is unstoppable at night and, agonised by his fiery transformation and monstrous visage, the Ghost Rider flees, bringing us full circle. Tormented by his nightly curse, Johnny struggles with his newfound duality, which sees him rearranging his work and social schedules to explain his nightly disappearances and exhausting himself through fear and worry. When he reads a newspaper headline stating that the gunmen he captured fingered a “Ghost Rider” for their plight, Johnny prepares to leave New York City to avoid being hunted by the police but is compelled to transform into his demonic other half when he loses track of time and distraught by the Faustian bargain that has doomed him to forever carry the burden of being the Ghost Rider.

The Summary:
It’s interesting finally reading the Ghost Rider’s debut appearance and origin story after primarily being familiar with the character from the Nicolas Cage movies. I can see why the films simplified Johnny’s origin to have him sell his soul in exchange for Barton’s life as it was a little convoluted to have young Johnny witness his dad die, only to grow up wary of motorcycles and then swear off them after his adopted mother’s death, and then have to watch another father perish in a blaze of tragedy. The flashbacks to Johnny’s past are quite weak in a lot of ways; it’s weird that we don’t find out what disease Crash is suffering from, and that he’s not really said to have actually been cured before he dies in a motorcycle accident, and it’s even weirder that Johnny was compelled to complete the jump before Crash’s body was even cold. Strangest of all, though, is that Johnny (and Rocky) have a keen interest in the occult; the story very much hand waves this as though it was some passing fancy of his, but he has books and scripture that detail the exact rituals and incantations to summon Satan. Not Mephisto, but Satan Himself! So, in his original depiction, Johnny makes a conscious decision to seek out dark forces and willingly offered his soul to cure his adopted father; there was no deception, no underhanded deal, no manipulation or anything like that. Hell, Johnny’s assumption that Crash’s accident was a result of Satan’s influence, however right he may be (and it’s not explicitly said that he is), is quite the leap here so his shock at Satan going back on His word doesn’t have the same impact as it does in other depictions of the story where Mephisto preyed on Johnny’s desperation and played him for a fool.

Ironically, if you’re looking for some classic, bad-ass Ghost Rider action, you won’t find it in “Ghost Rider”. I’ve often wondered how the character works when he’s transformed; like, is Johnny merely a puppet for a demon to use? Is he conscious or in control of his actions as the Ghost Rider or is he merely a passenger from the demon that dwells within him? Here, it very much seems as though Johnny is fully aware of himself when transformed; when he scares the gunmen with his flames and theatricality, it’s said to be him putting on a show to terrify them (though I guess you could infer that the demon is influencing his speech and actions here), but we don’t really get a sense of what the Ghost Rider can actually do. In the context presented here, the Ghost Rider is more of a nightly affliction; Johnny is forced to become a gruesome flaming skeleton at night, transformed into a monster for Satan’s amusement, rather than being the Devil’s bounty hunter or seeking out evil do-ers or whatever. He exhibits some control of Hell-fire to conjure flames and give his bike a boost, but he doesn’t oppose criminals or seek vengeance or retribution against the wicked; instead, he simply tries to avoid being seen when transformed, something he would achieve much easier if he simply stayed inside rather than riding off every time he transforms. Ultimately, then, “Ghost Rider” is presented more as a fantastical twist on the classic Faustian tale of a desperate man bargaining his soul to the Devil and coming to regret it; a macabre, dark tale of a flawed man trying to save the only family he has and ultimately driving away the few loved ones he has left and being cursed to become a monster every night. It’s an intriguing tale, but one sadly lacking in action, visual spectacle (a huge appeal of the Ghost Rider is his unique appearance and he’s barely in this story), and littered with a number of oddities that keep it from being as appealing as it could be.

My Rating:

Could Be Better

What are your thoughts on Ghost Rider’s debut story? Did the character impress you with his appearance or were you put off by how convoluted his backstory was? What did you think to Johnny’s summoning of Satan? Were you disappointed that we didn’t get to see more of what the Ghost Rider is capable of? Which incarnation of the Ghost Rider is your favourite? What are some of your favourite Ghost Rider stories or moments? Whatever your thoughts on Ghost Rider, share them below and be sure to check out my other Ghost Rider content.