Ghost Rider (comics) - Johnny Blaze

Johnny Blaze

After the western comics character who originally used the name, the next known Ghost Rider appears in the Marvel comic book Marvel Spotlight #5 (Aug. 1972), where the story and characters are credited as being created by Gary Friedrich, aided and abetted by writer-editor Roy Thomas, with artist Mike Ploog.

Johnny Blaze, a motorcycle stunt performer in a traveling circus, sold his soul to one whom he believes to be Satan but actually is the demon Mephisto (a retcon), in order to save his stepfather, "Crash" Simpson, from cancer. Crash later dies in a motorcycle accident and Mephisto attempts to take Blaze's soul, only to be thwarted by Crash's daughter Roxanne, who had learned of the deal and had prepared a counter-spell based on selfless love. Since Roxanne interrupted in the middle of the pact, Mephisto could only bind half the soul of a demon with Blaze, making him transform only at night when around evil.

Blaze then finds himself transforming into a demonic entity at nightfall, during which times he wields strange powers. He is called the Ghost Rider for his strange appearance. As time goes on, he is able to call on his demonic abilities whenever he wishes, not just at night. Eventually, he seems to have a different personality as Ghost Rider and it is finally revealed that Mephisto has forced Blaze to share his body with a demon rival named Zarathos.

Originally, Zarathos was stripped of his memories and so Blaze was in control whenever they transformed into Ghost Rider. But now, Zarathos' true personality has resurfaced and from then on it is a continuing battle for dominance between him and Blaze. Being a demon, Zarathos craves the punishment of sinners and so Blaze at times willingly releases him when criminals or other threats are nearby. However, it is always a struggle to force Zarathos back so that Blaze can resume his control and his human identity. At times, Zarathos tries to find ways to destroy Blaze's soul so that he may be free to enjoy complete physical existence.

The character received his own series in 1973, with Friedrich penning the first several issues, until writing was taken over by penciller Jim Mooney Several different creative teams mixed-and-matched until penciller Don Perlin began a long stint with #26, eventually joined by writer Michael Fleisher through #58. Tony Isabella wrote a Ghost Rider story arc where Johnny Blaze became a Christian and thereby freed himself of the curse. Isabella said that "Johnny Blaze accepts Jesus Christ into his life. This gives him the strength to overcome Satan, though with more pyrotechnics than most of us can muster. He retains the Ghost Rider powers he had been given by Satan, but they are his to use as his new faith directs him." However, the story was apparently rewritten at the last moment.

Towards the end of the run, a villain named Centurious was introduced. Centurious was a man without a soul, making him immune to Ghost Rider's hellfire, and he had a history with Zarathos. Thus Ghost Rider's career ended when Zarathos fled Blaze's body in issue #81 (June 1983), the finale, in order to pursue Centurious. Now free of his curse, Blaze went off to live with Roxanne.

In the next Ghost Rider series, it would be revealed that Roxanne and Johnny eventually got married and had two children.