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3 Responses to “Essential Ghost Rider, Vol. 1”

1. Rylee
   October 27th, 2009 at 8:00 pm

   The Ghost Rider was one of those quasi-horror/superheroes of the 1970’s similar to The Son of Satan. The comics code, while still in effect had been relaxed allowing for comics to depict things like demons although I wonder just what type of restrictions they had. The Ghost Rider was Johnny Blaze, a stunt motorcyclist for a traveling who sells his soul to Mephisto to save his father’s life and is then bound with the demon Zarathos which allowed him to transform into the skull-headed, hellfire wielding avenger who could bring pain to criminals with his penance stare. He would make his first appearance in Marvel Spotlight #5 and appear there through issue # 11 before getting his own title in 1973. Remarkably, Ghost Rider would actually run for 10 years and 81 issues which is quite an incredible run given that he was a rather minor character, all things considered. Ghost Rider would also for a time be a member of the defunct super team called the Champions in the mid-1970s. This massive essential book reprints those issues of Marvel Spotlight along with the first 20 issues of the Ghost Rider series. The Marvel Spotlight books were all written by Mike Freidrich with art by Mike Ploog and then Tom Sutton, both very good artists. Once the regular series began things got dicey. Part of the series’ inconsistency was in the revolving door of writers who worked on the titles including Freidrich, Marv Wolfman, Doug Moench, Tony Isabella, Bill Mantlo, Gerry Conway, and Jim Shooter. . . all of them within just the first 24 issues of the regular series. I’d love to ask Roy Thomas, who was editor-in-chief at the time, why the book seemed to be passed around like a hot potato. Things were not much better in regards to the artists. Ploog would be replaced by the VERY average Jim Mooney who was one of those long-time staff artists whose style was still early 60′ish. Mooney does most of the issues in this book although Ploog does return for #10 where Ghost Rider battles the Hulk and Sal Buscema does issues #11 which completes the two-part Hulk story. After that, we get the horrible Frank Robbins on most of the next several issues. Robbins was another one of those old Golden Age artists who style never really progressed and doesn’t fit this type of book at all. John Byrne does the pencils for issue #20. It is this inconsistency that makes the book somewhat maddening. Some writers such as Freidrich and Isabella concentrate more on the horrorific aspects of the character and his battles against demonic foes while others played the character strictly as a super hero. The review by John Q. Public is completely ridiculous. He claims Ghost Rider’s villains are poor takes on DC’s Vertigo characters yet these books were written in the mid-1970’s, more than 15 years or so before DC even started the Vertigo line of comics. All in all though, it’s still fun to read these books again after so many years. Reviewed by Tim Janson

2. Winka
   October 27th, 2009 at 9:20 pm

   When I found out that the Ghost Rider was getting the “Essential” treatment, it made this Marvelite’s day. I’ve been a fan of old skull-head since childhood, although the Rider I grew up with was the Dan Ketch version. As I got older, I became more curious about the original Ghost Rider, Johnny Blaze, and as I read those comics I found him even more to my liking. It seemed like Ketch was in a coma or something all the time, while Blaze was very much aware of (and tormented by) the demon within him. This essential volume collects the Hell-spawned biker’s earliest adventures. You know the plot if you’ve read the summary: to save his dying stepfather, stunt cyclist Johnny Blaze makes a deal with the devil that goes terriby awry. Now, not only has Blaze lost his stepdad, but he periodically turns into a flaming-skulled spirit of vengance! The plot expands from there as Ghost Rider squares off against the likes of the devilish Son of Satan, the seductive Witch Woman, and even Satan/Mephisto himself. The biggest complaint by far in the above reviews has been the comic’s insconsistency. This can be traced back to the fact that Marvel really didn’t know what they wanted to do with Ghost Rider for a while. They first played him strictly as a horror character like Werewolf by Night or Dracula (especially during the Marvel Spotlight comics, in my opinion the best part of this collection). Soon, though, they decided to try writing him as a semi-traditional superhero like Daredevil or Spider Man. Whether or not this worked out is up to debate, but it DOES make an interesting read. For what it’s worth, they later returned the Rider to his horror roots, and the segment of Ghost Rider from around issue 50 to the end is (in this reviewer’s opinion) the best comic run ever published. I can only hope they collect this segment in future “Essential Ghost Rider” volumes. Back to this volume, though. . . It has quite a bit to brag about, too. The quality of the artwork remains high throughout; I only wish it were in color (we have to take the good with the bad, I guess). The plots are great, too, even though there were one or two stinkers toward the end. Overall, however, I couldn’t be happier with this book. Although “Tomb of Dracula” might have been more popular in its day, and “Werewolf by Night” and “Monster of Frankenstein” may be more emblematic of the horror genre, the fact remains that “Ghost Rider” has outlasted all of them. The original comic lasted longer than they did (10 years versus TOD’s 7), and it has managed to spawn a new series (the afore-mentioned Dan Ketch Ghost Rider) and an upcoming movie. Although this “Essential” doesn’t contain the BEST part of the Rider’s adventures, it is still essential reading for those who wish to discover what this whole “motorcycle-riding demon from Hell” thing is about. Besides, it’s a rollicking good read. ^_^ Try it, then buy it. I doubt you’ll be disappointed.

3. Yanenowi
   October 27th, 2009 at 11:48 pm

   I’ve been a fan of Ghost Rider only for about five years now, but it only took one issue of the 90’s series for him to become my favorite superhero. I ate up the 90’s series like an addiction, finding back issues anywhere I could. I quickly sold out every store in town, and with my stash exhausted, I decided to turn to the original. Ghost Rider is more than just a guy with a flaming skull and a motorcycle that’s about a thousand times cooler than the guys at O. C. Choppers could ever deam of. He’s also a tragic hero. The first Ghost Rider (to appear in the comic books, anyway) was born when an orphaned stunt cyclist named Johnny Blaze made a deal with the devil to save his guardian and cycling mentor from cancer. The plan went sour, however, when his mentor decide to beat cancer and go out with a bang by attempting an impossible jump, which resulted in his sudden death. Though cheated and overwhelmed with grief, Blaze had no time to mourn, for the devil came to claim his due: Blaze’s soul. Blaze’s girlfriend, Roxanne Simpson, managed to ward the devil away with a chant from an old spell book of Blaze’s, but before he was sent back into the abyss, he fused Blaze’s soul with a demon named Zarathos. From then on, Blaze became the Ghost Rider every night, forced to battle the forces of hell, avenge the innocent, and evade Satan until the day would come when the devil would finally take him. Instead of hiding in fear and scorning fate, Blaze uses the Ghost Rider in attempts to do good. He battles the evils of men and monsters, protects the innocent, and when necessary, avenges them. Though despite his righteous efforts, eternal damnation awaits him in the afterlife, and it all came to be out of love for his family. Well, sorry for the backstory tangeant (once I get going on Ghost Rider, it’s hard to stop). Returning to this product, anyone who picks it up will quickly notice the black and white, newspaper-like pages. This is a turn off to many, but when you consider that this series came out in the 70’s when comics looked like four-colored vomit, the B&W is a definite plus. I’ve heard many complain about the binding on Essential volumes, but I haven’t noticed anything wrong with my copy. Then again, this is a recent release, so maybe Marvel decided to put a little more effort into this one. In short, old fans and newcomers alike should have no trouble enjoying this collection. Even those who aren’t particularly into comics can appreciate the dramatic and tragic nature of the chronicles of Johnny Blaze. Pick it up. Read it. If you find I’m wrong, then feel free to give the 90’s run a try.

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