In the 70's Ghost Rider was Johnny Blaze and was a bit of an Evel Keneval homage as he was a stunt rider who was turned into the Spirt of Vengeance and his adventures generally took place across the American Southwest. There were times when the book felt a bit like a dusty 70's exploitation movie but, generally, it felt like a pretty standard super hero comic. Some of it was good, some of it looks a little silly in hindsight. You know what doesn't look silly? Ghost Rider. The flaming skull on a motorcycle is always awesome.
Somewhere in here Ghost Rider joined a team called The Champions. I can't tell you anything about them. Ask Dave about them, I'm sure he's read every comic they ever appeared in.
The first series died after 80 issues or so. There's a story that the comic sold well on newsstands, better than expected and no one knows why. I know why: Because it had a badass dude with a flaming skull riding a fiery motorcycle on every cover. Did Superman have that? No. Because Superman is lame.
In the 90's Ghost Rider was reborn as Danny Ketch and moved to Brooklyn. His look was a bit more heavy metal (leather and chains) and the stories had a little more supernatural action involved. In fact, as the series got popular it spun off a whole line of mediocre super hero action books under the banner of 'Spirits of Vengeance.' Johnny Blaze showed up too but he was angry and had long hair. He wasn't happy that Ghost Rider was back. Eventually they teamed up, though, that's how comics worked in those days.
The Ghost Rider never had the best rogues' gallery, I mean, other than SATAN. But he did have The Orb who was another bike rider who had a helmet that was a giant eyeball. I think he's horribly disfigured under his helmet. They don't make super villains like they used to, my friends. I have an Orb t-shirt, mostly to impress the ladies.
The second Ghost Rider series died off too, as did all the Spirits of Vengeance books. Lots of things got cancelled in the 90's. Marvel relaunches Ghost Rider from time to time but he doesn't always catch on. Deep down, it's probably Nicholas Cage's fault. Ghost Rider did appear on "Agents of SHIELD" but it wasn't Johnny Blaze or Danny Ketch so I have trouble giving a shit.
Without further rambling, here is my list of my 10 favorite Ghost Rider covers ...
The older ones are mostly by Don Perlin or Bob Budiansky, the second series ones are mostly by Mark Texeira. I could be wrong on a couple, but those two did most of the Ghost Rider heavy lifting.
10. GHOST RIDER #46 When your alter ego calls you a loser, it's time to rethink your superhero adventures.
9. GHOST RIDER 16: YES. Ghost Rider is fighting a SHARK. And his head is still on fire even under water. Why? Because it takes more than salt water to put out the flames of Satan.
8. GHOST RIDER #6 (Series 2): Remember how HOT this book was in the 90's? People were dropping $20-$30 to see Ghost Rider crossover with the Punisher. Do you know how many Ghost Rider comics you can buy today with $30? All of them.
7. GHOST RIDER #15: This cover has it all: Ghost Rider. The Orb. A hot chick.
6. GHOST RIDER #51: Do my eyes detect an evil truck? And aren't I always a sucker for evil vehicles? YES and YES.
5. GHOST RIDER #15 (Series 2): The best part about this cover is it GLOWED IN THE DARK. That was a thing in the 90's, that people complained about. The 90's were stupid because people complained about comic book covers that glowed in the dark. There was a Spectre series and like every cover glowed in the dark. That should have been the best-selling comic of them all.
4. GHOST RIDER #34: I love these melodramatic covers. "THE DEMON WITHIN." I have no idea what this comic is about. I haven't read it in like 30 years.
3. GHOST RIDER #54: The second appearance on our list of The Orb. I thought I knew evil before I met The Orb but this cover informed me that I was incorrect.
2. GHOST RIDER #1 (Series 2): The iconic cover that started the second Ghost Rider series.
1. GHOST RIDER #38: Now this cover REALLY has it all: Ghost Rider, a satanic leader, a hot damsel in distress. This is how comics were sold in the 70's, my friends. Or, in my case, as back issues in the late 80's. Crass exploitation is what sells comic books, my friends. Never forget.
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