New Ghost Rider on-going!!!

[the goddamn batman]

I just read that Javiere Salteres, and Mark Texeira will be doing the art on the new Ghost Rider on-going. I loved the first 25 or so issues of the Dan Ketch Ghost Rider from the 90's. But when Mark Texeira left the series so did I.


I'm just in fan-boy heaven right now, having my dream team return to a character that they made cool in my mind. The original Ghost Rider just wasn't my cup of tea, but if Mark is doing the art, I'm there. This is going to own, and I'll be buying Ghost Rider again for the first time in over 10 years.

[Uncensored]

Don't get too excited; Daniel Way is writing it.

[the goddamn batman]

I don't care who writes it, it's MARK TEXEIRA back on Ghost Rider!!!!! :D

Frank Miller could write it as the goddamn ghost rider and I would still buy it.

[XPac]

Hmmm... I wonder if the Ghost Rider is Danny or Blaze. I think they're both Ghost Riders right, though I'm not sure how Blaze suddenly became one again.

[bd2999]

Hmmm... I wonder if the Ghost Rider is Danny or Blaze. I think they're both Ghost Riders right, though I'm not sure how Blaze suddenly became one again.

Marvel is kind of ignoring the Ketch GR, and now they seem to be doing it more so because the movie is the Blaze GR, though has the Ketch GR look and uses the Pennance star so its a hybrid. Anyway, it will probably be Blaze and they will more than likely ignore the Ketch series ever happened and if they maintain continiuity at all it will probably be from the start of the end of the original series. If they start up and maintain what happened in the Ketch run I will ahve a new respect for Marvel that could never again be matched.

Anyway, they are both GR. Blaze was merged with the demon Zarathos by Mephisto when he sold his soul to save a friend. The friend lived through cancer but died in a crash not long after. Anyway Mephisto, the devil at the time, could not take away the soul because Blaze was being protected by a pure women or something like that. Anyway, the start of the original series was terrible beyond words, because Blaze had full control and would have trouble fighting a biker gang, but would then be able to defeat Hulk. Anyway later on Zarathos took over when the GR form was on, a demon who at one point was so powerful that he challenged Mephisto for control of the underworld, but he lost. So the GR became an out of control engine of destruction and Blaze started to regret it because GR did some bad things, even though he got vengeance for the innocent, after the main deed was done he may find something wrong with the bistanderds and show them what hellfire was. The series got good around then. that GR ended when Zarathos separated from Blaze, he could not really exist without a host so he needed Blaze due to a curse or something from Mephisto, but he battled Cenntarous the souless man into a crystal and that was the end of the series. If you read the end of it, its very good.

The Ketch one is mixed with the older series, at least the last bunch of issues but deals, not with Zarathos, but a being called Noble Kale as the new SoV who takes control of Daniel Ketch. Ketch is aware that he does not have control but when GR comes out he is different and is obsessed with vengeance, The GR did not know anything about himself except what he was supposed to do. Now this is my favorite Marvel character, in this form, so I could keep going but am going to stop. Blaze was in it and at first tried to kill GR and later allied with him. Zarathos popped up later, along with old GR villans. So it was very cool. The first 50 issues are sweet, but then the art started to fall through, I think that most of the stories were still good but the art got really bad in the middle. The series end had good art but was cut short by Marvel. The script is online and is good but it never got released. Ketch died in the end of the book, but Marvel ignored that and later had the Ketch GR pop up in Spectacular Spider man one more time and he showed up one more time. So again, Marvel ignored his own series on what happened.

If they maintained continuity they could just say that Zarathos got out from his stone prison, GR volume 2, and was so weak that he needed to find a host again for a time. But he finds that he cannot bind to just anyone so he is forced to go with Blaze again. GR is reborn, at least the Blaze one. (Note in the Marvel handbooks they say that the Blaze GR is not "the Ghost Rider", but a Ghost Rider. Because Mephisto's curse on Kale resulted in the first GR long before Blaze was even born)

I digress though. I had heard nothing of this at all. does not matter which GR it is for me, as long as it is one. I will start picking this up. Any word on when its starting or just the fact that there is going to be one? I dont know who Daniel Way is so I cannot comment on his writting ,but the art looks like it will be good. I ahappy either way.

[innocentboy]

will be interesting to see how this is.
Texeria's previous Ghost Rider work looks cool.
hopefully we'll get another glow in the dark cover while that at it, the 1st one looked dope.

but isn't there a thread on this already?

[the goddamn batman]

yes, I started this before I saw that one.

it's coming out in july. It will deal with alot of continuity issues, including the blaze/ketch issues, but this GR will be Blaze...read the article over at NEWSARAMA.com

anybody know what issues Mark Texeira drew for the GR vol 2 series. I know he left at 24, but he came back at some point later in the series, anybody know what those issues were? Mark is one of my favorite artists, and it was his work on GR that introduced me to him. I would love to get the latter issues he came back and did. any help is awesome. thanks.


p.s. the glow in the dark cover still rules.

[XPac]

it's coming out in july. It will deal with alot of continuity issues, including the blaze/ketch issues, but this GR will be Blaze...read the article over at NEWSARAMA.com

anybody know what issues Mark Texeira drew for the GR vol 2 series. I know he left at 24, but he came back at some point later in the series, anybody know what those issues were? Mark is one of my favorite artists, and it was his work on GR that introduced me to him. I would love to get the latter issues he came back and did. any help is awesome. thanks.

Hmmm... I gotta admit I'm a little disappointed it's going to be Blaze (though I totally saw that coming since he was the movie GR). I actually preferred the Ketch Ghost Rider character and series more to be honest. Ah well.

[the goddamn batman]

me too. well until issue 25, then it got silly, and the art wasn't TEX, so I bought until about #40 and never even read most of them, I wish the Dan Ketch run didn't go so far south, it started out awesome. I love those first 25, but Dan dies there in my continuity.

[Young Avenger]

Don't get too excited; Daniel Way is writing it.

Daniel Way is the reason I'm avoiding the series. If Garth Ennis couldn't make Ghost Rider good I doubt Way can. It will take Blaze 3 or 4 issues to actually do something.

[Lord_Archive]

This series will officially be teh suck.

Unfortunately, they are going off the sales of the latest Ennis 6-part series and I don't think Marvel realizes how disappointing that final issue was with the fans. Eventually they will realize it. Then the quality of the magazine will drop faster than the final three issues of Blaze did in the 90's and Ghost Rider will be put back onto the shelf for another 7-10 years.

This is how I would run the series:

1. Ignore the Blaze/Ghost Rider. Blaze found his kids in the final craptacular episode of the Blaze series until it was retconned in the waning issues of Ghost Rider. Blaze has no character of his own. The whole sideshow carny thing might have sold big in the days when Tales from the Crypt was still in print and "Devlin" was still on the air, but its a whole new ball game now. Blaze needs a new storyline and the character needs need to stay out of the mainstream of the current Ghost Rider. Maybe if they he was in some old sideshow retirement home out around the rocky mountains.. kinda of a cross between The Hills Have Eyes and Something Wicked This Way Comes.. then it might work.

2. Focus on the Ketch/Ghost Rider but ignore the last 50 issues of the 90's Ghost Rider. It was good up until right after the whole Midnight Sons ordeal. After that they started pushing characters in the worst directions and throwing in all these stupid rules about what the Spirit of Vengeance can and can not be. All useless. I wouldn't even bother to retcon it. I would just pass out a memo and say "It never happened". Stacy never sold out her newly ressurected boyfriend to further her own career. Vengeance never blew up. Blackheart was not taken out by the Atomic Ghost Rider. Ghost Rider never wore day-glo battle armor. Noble Kale never existed.

3. Toss out the Christian mythology. Oh please. If I wanted to read Spawn, I wouldn't have stopped collecting after issue #102. There are plenty of good demons in the Marvel universe without needing to resort to either promoting or needlessly bashing the christian mythos.

4. Bring back the great villains of the Ketch era: Blackout, Scarecrow, Skinner, and Madcap (the immortal masochist that he was) and definitely Deathwatch. I always felt Vengeance was little more than a Venom-ized version of Ghost Rider, but then again he DID kick the Hulk in the yarbles with those spiked boots of his and Badlino was a fairly decent character.. so the jury is still out on that one.

5. Clue in the rest of the cops. Either have a secret sect of police officers who are occultists that understand the nature of the Ghost Rider and his mission or something else, but I would toss out 'Ski' and the rest of the keystone cops that used to back up Badlino. Literary speedbumps, all of them.

6. Take all the other mystic characters running around the Marvel Universe (Blade, Morbius, Brother Voodoo, Hellstrom, etc) and form a separate Mystic Avengers title.

7. Beat Ennis with baseball bat if he ever enters a Ghost Rider creative meeting.

[The Wayner]

It's Blaze, and I can dig Daniel Way... I'll be picking it up.

[BlackKnight]

Marvel is kind of ignoring the Ketch GR, and now they seem to be doing it more so because the movie is the Blaze GR, though has the Ketch GR look and uses the Pennance star so its a hybrid. Anyway, it will probably be Blaze and they will more than likely ignore the Ketch series ever happened and if they maintain continiuity at all it will probably be from the start of the end of the original series. If they start up and maintain what happened in the Ketch run I will ahve a new respect for Marvel that could never again be matched.

Anyway, they are both GR. Blaze was merged with the demon Zarathos by Mephisto when he sold his soul to save a friend. The friend lived through cancer but died in a crash not long after. Anyway Mephisto, the devil at the time, could not take away the soul because Blaze was being protected by a pure women or something like that. Anyway, the start of the original series was terrible beyond words, because Blaze had full control and would have trouble fighting a biker gang, but would then be able to defeat Hulk. Anyway later on Zarathos took over when the GR form was on, a demon who at one point was so powerful that he challenged Mephisto for control of the underworld, but he lost. So the GR became an out of control engine of destruction and Blaze started to regret it because GR did some bad things, even though he got vengeance for the innocent, after the main deed was done he may find something wrong with the bistanderds and show them what hellfire was. The series got good around then. that GR ended when Zarathos separated from Blaze, he could not really exist without a host so he needed Blaze due to a curse or something from Mephisto, but he battled Cenntarous the souless man into a crystal and that was the end of the series. If you read the end of it, its very good.

The Ketch one is mixed with the older series, at least the last bunch of issues but deals, not with Zarathos, but a being called Noble Kale as the new SoV who takes control of Daniel Ketch. Ketch is aware that he does not have control but when GR comes out he is different and is obsessed with vengeance, The GR did not know anything about himself except what he was supposed to do. Now this is my favorite Marvel character, in this form, so I could keep going but am going to stop. Blaze was in it and at first tried to kill GR and later allied with him. Zarathos popped up later, along with old GR villans. So it was very cool. The first 50 issues are sweet, but then the art started to fall through, I think that most of the stories were still good but the art got really bad in the middle. The series end had good art but was cut short by Marvel. The script is online and is good but it never got released. Ketch died in the end of the book, but Marvel ignored that and later had the Ketch GR pop up in Spectacular Spider man one more time and he showed up one more time. So again, Marvel ignored his own series on what happened.

If they maintained continuity they could just say that Zarathos got out from his stone prison, GR volume 2, and was so weak that he needed to find a host again for a time. But he finds that he cannot bind to just anyone so he is forced to go with Blaze again. GR is reborn, at least the Blaze one. (Note in the Marvel handbooks they say that the Blaze GR is not "the Ghost Rider", but a Ghost Rider. Because Mephisto's curse on Kale resulted in the first GR long before Blaze was even born)

I digress though. I had heard nothing of this at all. does not matter which GR it is for me, as long as it is one. I will start picking this up. Any word on when its starting or just the fact that there is going to be one? I dont know who Daniel Way is so I cannot comment on his writting ,but the art looks like it will be good. I ahappy either way.

If you read the interview, you will notice that Way is planning on dealing with the Zarthos/Noble Kane idea, also he plans on dealing with Ketch. He is going to fill in the gaps in continuum that Ennis's version left will still continuing from the end of Ennis's version.

If this is done right, I think it should be the poster boy for how to write new stuff will still keeping the history of the charaters.

[SlightlyMad]

Can someone tell me what Daniel Way has written before as I have no frame of reference?

Saltares & Tex is cool, although I preferred the art when it was just Tex.

This series will officially be teh suck.

Unfortunately, they are going off the sales of the latest Ennis 6-part series and I don't think Marvel realizes how disappointing that final issue was with the fans. Eventually they will realize it. Then the quality of the magazine will drop faster than the final three issues of Blaze did in the 90's and Ghost Rider will be put back onto the shelf for another 7-10 years.

This is how I would run the series:

1. Ignore the Blaze/Ghost Rider. Blaze found his kids in the final craptacular episode of the Blaze series until it was retconned in the waning issues of Ghost Rider. Blaze has no character of his own. The whole sideshow carny thing might have sold big in the days when Tales from the Crypt was still in print and "Devlin" was still on the air, but its a whole new ball game now. Blaze needs a new storyline and the character needs need to stay out of the mainstream of the current Ghost Rider. Maybe if they he was in some old sideshow retirement home out around the rocky mountains.. kinda of a cross between The Hills Have Eyes and Something Wicked This Way Comes.. then it might work.

2. Focus on the Ketch/Ghost Rider but ignore the last 50 issues of the 90's Ghost Rider. It was good up until right after the whole Midnight Sons ordeal. After that they started pushing characters in the worst directions and throwing in all these stupid rules about what the Spirit of Vengeance can and can not be. All useless. I wouldn't even bother to retcon it. I would just pass out a memo and say "It never happened". Stacy never sold out her newly ressurected boyfriend to further her own career. Vengeance never blew up. Blackheart was not taken out by the Atomic Ghost Rider. Ghost Rider never wore day-glo battle armor. Noble Kale never existed.

3. Toss out the Christian mythology. Oh please. If I wanted to read Spawn, I wouldn't have stopped collecting after issue #102. There are plenty of good demons in the Marvel universe without needing to resort to either promoting or needlessly bashing the christian mythos.

4. Bring back the great villains of the Ketch era: Blackout, Scarecrow, Skinner, and Madcap (the immortal masochist that he was) and definitely Deathwatch. I always felt Vengeance was little more than a Venom-ized version of Ghost Rider, but then again he DID kick the Hulk in the yarbles with those spiked boots of his and Badlino was a fairly decent character.. so the jury is still out on that one.

5. Clue in the rest of the cops. Either have a secret sect of police officers who are occultists that understand the nature of the Ghost Rider and his mission or something else, but I would toss out 'Ski' and the rest of the keystone cops that used to back up Badlino. Literary speedbumps, all of them.

6. Take all the other mystic characters running around the Marvel Universe (Blade, Morbius, Brother Voodoo, Hellstrom, etc) and form a separate Mystic Avengers title.

7. Beat Ennis with baseball bat if he ever enters a Ghost Rider creative meeting.

I agree with all of these point except #1, I think Blaze should return as an infrequent guest star like he was in the beginning of the old ongoing series, who drops in to check up on GR/Dan & helps out on the odd mission.

Also, I'm a little unsure of the "Mystic Avengers" idea (6) as the last time that happened led to the whole Midnight Sons mess, but think the charcters you mentioned would make good guests who could spin off into their own (mini)series should they prove popular enough (or are a part of any upcoming movie/TV deals).

Other than that though, great points!

[Lord_Archive]

I agree with all of these point except #1, I think Blaze should return as an infrequent guest star like he was in the beginning of the old ongoing series, who drops in to check up on GR/Dan & helps out on the odd mission.

I agree with "as an infrequent guest" but I know they need to create a better back story for him.


Also, I'm a little unsure of the "Mystic Avengers" idea (6) as the last time that happened led to the whole Midnight Sons mess, but think the charcters you mentioned would make good guests who could spin off into their own (mini)series should they prove popular enough (or are a part of any upcoming movie/TV deals).

Thats exactly the reason I want them to get their own series, so they don't all take turns coming in and out at fan-based intervals and interfere with the Ghost Rider's overall development. I'd much rather them have their own team and then come team up with Ghost Toasties at once. That way, it wouldn't be the convoluted mess that Midnight Sons was at the end.

[Lord_Archive]

If you read the interview, you will notice that Way is planning on dealing with the Zarthos/Noble Kane idea, also he plans on dealing with Ketch. He is going to fill in the gaps in continuum that Ennis's version left will still continuing from the end of Ennis's version.

If this is done right, I think it should be the poster boy for how to write new stuff will still keeping the history of the charaters.

You guys do realize that the character's name was NOBLE KALE.. not Kane. Kane was a 7 ft goofball in the WWE in red spandex.

Riiight.. they're gonna explain it and make it all better... and they can't even get the character's name right.

[josh straightedge]

I like a lot of the books that Way does. Texiera's art was made for a character like Ghost Rider. Loved the old series a lot.

[abyss]

Can someone tell me what Daniel Way has written before as I have no frame of reference?

Nighthawk
Hulk
Bulleyes Greatest Hits
Bullseye VS Punisher
Wolverine
Wolverine Origins
Gun Theory
Venom
Agent X

[bd2999]

What worries me after reading that is the fact they ask two questions really. Did the original GR series happen. Answer: Yes. Did the Ketch GR exist: No answer. If they retcon him out of existence I will be more pissed off than anyone could ever imagine. They stole his look, and he was by far more interesting in terms of villans and fitting into the MU. Oh this has me worried.

[XPac]

Is there a reason why in theory anyone might want the Ketch GR story to be ignored? I didn't follow that series towards the end... did anything happen that was problematic to some writer that might want to pick up the GR series?

[Uncensored]

I don't care who writes it, it's MARK TEXEIRA back on Ghost Rider!!!!! :D

Frank Miller could write it as the goddamn ghost rider and I would still buy it.

And this, ladies and gentlemen, is why Image Comics began the way it did.

[Uncensored]

Daniel Way is the reason I'm avoiding the series. If Garth Ennis couldn't make Ghost Rider good I doubt Way can. It will take Blaze 3 or 4 issues to actually do something.

Well, I sorta liked the Ennis/Crain Ghost Rider mini, though with most Ennis stories, it went on for an issue or two longer than it should have.

My only experience with Daniel Way is the Wolverine arc (I actually jumped onto the book for that arc, expecting something to happen; silly me), and after three issues I've had my lifetime fill of his [Way] work.

[onizuka]

well i think way is a talented writer and he has enough respect for continuity that as far as i know he won't murderize gr's.

i'll probably give the first story arc a whirl.

[Lord_Archive]

Is there a reason why in theory anyone might want the Ketch GR story to be ignored? I didn't follow that series towards the end... did anything happen that was problematic to some writer that might want to pick up the GR series?

Well to be honest, the final 25-50 issues of the Ketch storyline was a major screw up. It began when Blaze's wife and kids blew up in a ball of fire and it snowballed from there. First Stacy sold out her newly resurrected boyfriend to further her own career. Then they blew up Vengeance. Then they stuck GR in day-glo armor, then they separated GR from Ketch and called him Noble Kale, then they tried making him into a Fabio clone, then they said that there "could be only one" Ghost Rider even though the Blaze entity was an entirely different demon... blah, blah, blah.

And if that wasn't enough to drive away the fan-base, some numbnut thought it would a great idea to bring Howard the frikkin' Duck, Devil-dinosaur and Moonboy into the series. Must have been part of that whole nostalgia backwash thing in the late 90's.. I don't know.

After the series finally, and mercifully, died, a few months later they showed a reunion of the spirit of GR and Ketch where they blamed everything that happened in those last 2-3 years on Mephisto's lies... even though it was Blackheart that made them. Go figure.

It was a convoluted mess. A gordian knot of bad plot devices that not even the greatest true-believer could hack through.

But even still.. it was better than the Blaze series that took place after Spirits of Vengeance went bye-bye.

Plus, there is also a GR movie coming out.. eventually.. with Nicholas Cage playing John Blaze. Its already been pushed back from a summer 2006 release to a mid-February 2007 release. This means it probably wont be bringing many readers swarming into the comic book stores. Even still, Marvel is going to try and up its readership by focusing on the Blaze/Ghost Rider since that is the character they are using in the movie. Also, the the build of the bike is almost identical to the one they are using in the movie.

[Taskmaster]

This series will officially be teh suck.

Unfortunately, they are going off the sales of the latest Ennis 6-part series and I don't think Marvel realizes how disappointing that final issue was with the fans. Eventually they will realize it. Then the quality of the magazine will drop faster than the final three issues of Blaze did in the 90's and Ghost Rider will be put back onto the shelf for another 7-10 years.

This is how I would run the series:

1. Ignore the Blaze/Ghost Rider. Blaze found his kids in the final craptacular episode of the Blaze series until it was retconned in the waning issues of Ghost Rider. Blaze has no character of his own. The whole sideshow carny thing might have sold big in the days when Tales from the Crypt was still in print and "Devlin" was still on the air, but its a whole new ball game now. Blaze needs a new storyline and the character needs need to stay out of the mainstream of the current Ghost Rider. Maybe if they he was in some old sideshow retirement home out around the rocky mountains.. kinda of a cross between The Hills Have Eyes and Something Wicked This Way Comes.. then it might work.

2. Focus on the Ketch/Ghost Rider but ignore the last 50 issues of the 90's Ghost Rider. It was good up until right after the whole Midnight Sons ordeal. After that they started pushing characters in the worst directions and throwing in all these stupid rules about what the Spirit of Vengeance can and can not be. All useless. I wouldn't even bother to retcon it. I would just pass out a memo and say "It never happened". Stacy never sold out her newly ressurected boyfriend to further her own career. Vengeance never blew up. Blackheart was not taken out by the Atomic Ghost Rider. Ghost Rider never wore day-glo battle armor. Noble Kale never existed.

3. Toss out the Christian mythology. Oh please. If I wanted to read Spawn, I wouldn't have stopped collecting after issue #102. There are plenty of good demons in the Marvel universe without needing to resort to either promoting or needlessly bashing the christian mythos.

4. Bring back the great villains of the Ketch era: Blackout, Scarecrow, Skinner, and Madcap (the immortal masochist that he was) and definitely Deathwatch. I always felt Vengeance was little more than a Venom-ized version of Ghost Rider, but then again he DID kick the Hulk in the yarbles with those spiked boots of his and Badlino was a fairly decent character.. so the jury is still out on that one.

5. Clue in the rest of the cops. Either have a secret sect of police officers who are occultists that understand the nature of the Ghost Rider and his mission or something else, but I would toss out 'Ski' and the rest of the keystone cops that used to back up Badlino. Literary speedbumps, all of them.

6. Take all the other mystic characters running around the Marvel Universe (Blade, Morbius, Brother Voodoo, Hellstrom, etc) and form a separate Mystic Avengers title.

7. Beat Ennis with baseball bat if he ever enters a Ghost Rider creative meeting.

You've got some good points, but I definately disagree with Blaze having no character (as well as how many people hate the second half of Ketch's run considering I prefer that half). I think he just hasn't been written right in far too long, his personality is well defined and expanded upon in Ghost Rider (v2), Blaze and Spirits of Vengeance, too bad we haven't seen the real Blaze since then

[Young Avenger]

Well, I sorta liked the Ennis/Crain Ghost Rider mini, though with most Ennis stories, it went on for an issue or two longer than it should have.

My only experience with Daniel Way is the Wolverine arc (I actually jumped onto the book for that arc, expecting something to happen; silly me), and after three issues I've had my lifetime fill of his [Way] work.

I thought that the Ennis/Crain Ghost Rider mini had a great start. Everything started to fall apart halfway though. Ghost Rider had become a supporting character in his on book and worst of all he didn't be anything at all. The chick with the glasses was the one who turned back to normal, Kazaan was the one of killed the fat guy. Ghost Rider didn't get to do anything. That took away from the book IMO.

I first experience Daniel Way with the Sabretooth mini he did with Bart Sears. It had a slasher movie vibe to the whole thing. Sabretooth killed a whole bunch of people in a village in Canada just so he can fight Wiengo and take his fur. I felt cheated with such a crappy ending. His Venom ongoing sucked as well. If you thought his Wolverine arc sucked, you should have read his Hulk. It was a snorefest. Nothing happened in 2 issues of his 4 part arc and his characterization of Hulk was just awful.

I read enough from Way. I stay away from anything the guy writes now.

[the goddamn batman]

And this, ladies and gentlemen, is why Image Comics began the way it did.

blah blah, whatever. I like comics as a visual medium. If I want a story I'll read a book, without pictures. :rolleyes:


My point was that Mark Texeira is who I'm interested in. Give me any other team, and I'll pass. Say Mark Texeira, and I'm interested. I'm going for the art alone.


p.s. what are you, the host of the show?

[Cash Lone]

But even still.. it was better than the Blaze series that took place after Spirits of Vengeance went bye-bye.

Plus, there is also a GR movie coming out.. eventually.. with Nicholas Cage playing John Blaze. Its already been pushed back from a summer 2006 release to a mid-February 2007 release. This means it probably wont be bringing many readers swarming into the comic book stores. Even still, Marvel is going to try and up its readership by focusing on the Blaze/Ghost Rider since that is the character they are using in the movie. Also, the the build of the bike is almost identical to the one they are using in the movie.

I never read the Blaze solo series but Johnny Blaze in the original GR series was a great character. He really wrestled w/ the issues of punishment and vengence. He also provided an emotional contrast to the Ghost Rider who laughed manically while punishing evil doers.

Blaze who showed up in the Ketch series was a victim of wolverine-ism. Smoking all the time, gritting his teeth - basically, not behaving like Johnny Blaze.

Blaze served his time as a host and should now have a happy farewell into the sunset. Its the Ghost Rider im more concerned about - The version that appearred in the Ketch series was dull and lacked personality. Bring back Zarathos, who was a real S.O.B. and scarred the daylights outta anyone who crossed his path.

And theres one thing that all GR fans agree on - NO MORE ENNIS EVER.

[Lord_Archive]

Blaze who showed up in the Ketch series was a victim of wolverine-ism. Smoking all the time, gritting his teeth - basically, not behaving like Johnny Blaze.


Not wolverine-ism.. more like Cable-ism. They encased half his body in steel armor and made him look like the Terminator. Also they gave him the ability to channel the hellfire in his blood into any weapon he uses. Then, after the SOV series, they plopped him back in charge of his circus and then systematically shredded the potential from every character they introduced - except for Icebox Bob.. that guy was effed up.


Blaze served his time as a host and should now have a happy farewell into the sunset. Its the Ghost Rider im more concerned about - The version that appearred in the Ketch series was dull and lacked personality. Bring back Zarathos, who was a real S.O.B. and scarred the daylights outta anyone who crossed his path.


Perhaps a new host outside the Ketch/Blaze scenario would be better. But I prefer the personality-less Ghost Rider. The one that stalked down Zodiak in the sewers like a living nightmare - no words, no dialogue except for the same thing repeated over and over... "Vengeance!" The one that, emotionlessly, broke all the bones in Scarecrow's body and then held them crooked so they would heal that way and thus he would never walk or kill again.

The Ketch Ghost Rider was like Jason Voorhees or Michael Myers, only slightly more vocal, but only when needed. No snappy banter to humanize him. No origin given. None needed. Just a relentless force of nature.

Thats the Ghost Rider I remember.

[bd2999]

Well to be honest, the final 25-50 issues of the Ketch storyline was a major screw up. It began when Blaze's wife and kids blew up in a ball of fire and it snowballed from there. First Stacy sold out her newly resurrected boyfriend to further her own career. Then they blew up Vengeance. Then they stuck GR in day-glo armor, then they separated GR from Ketch and called him Noble Kale, then they tried making him into a Fabio clone, then they said that there "could be only one" Ghost Rider even though the Blaze entity was an entirely different demon... blah, blah, blah.

Actually the Noble Kale thing was one of the more interesting turning points, but most people were expecting more from it. We knew from the start he was not the old GR, but it was something of a let down to find out it was just a person type being. The bright suit was a terrible idea and I agree, but the series end was pretty much the best part of the series sense it started. They brought it together better than I thought they could and it made sense in terms of the story they were going with. I dont see why there is a problem with the two being different demons. Zarathos appeared long before we found out who the Ketch GR was.

And if that wasn't enough to drive away the fan-base, some numbnut thought it would a great idea to bring Howard the frikkin' Duck, Devil-dinosaur and Moonboy into the series. Must have been part of that whole nostalgia backwash thing in the late 90's.. I don't know.

Yeah those issues were terrible, but in all honesty that was an all over Marvel event. If you look at the other issues out during the same time they have those characters in there at some point. I think they were trying to create new interest in some dumb characters.

After the series finally, and mercifully, died, a few months later they showed a reunion of the spirit of GR and Ketch where they blamed everything that happened in those last 2-3 years on Mephisto's lies... even though it was Blackheart that made them. Go figure.

Yeah, but Mephisto never died he was manipulating things even then, so its hard to say for sure.

It was a convoluted mess. A gordian knot of bad plot devices that not even the greatest true-believer could hack through.

I have seen some great fan sites were they do a good job at it. The problems are when the suddenly start up now with the blaze GR up and out again with no rhyme or reason for him being there at all or no explanation for how he became the GR again, That always ticks me off.

But even still.. it was better than the Blaze series that took place after Spirits of Vengeance went bye-bye.

Oh I agree, that series was bad.

Plus, there is also a GR movie coming out.. eventually.. with Nicholas Cage playing John Blaze. Its already been pushed back from a summer 2006 release to a mid-February 2007 release. This means it probably wont be bringing many readers swarming into the comic book stores. Even still, Marvel is going to try and up its readership by focusing on the Blaze/Ghost Rider since that is the character they are using in the movie. Also, the the build of the bike is almost identical to the one they are using in the movie.

This, at least to me, seems to be the most logical reason they are doing this. It makes sense for them to do it sense Blaze is in the movie. The only thing that gets me is they take the Ketch GR look and stick it on the Blaze Rider.

I never read the Blaze solo series but Johnny Blaze in the original GR series was a great character. He really wrestled w/ the issues of punishment and vengence. He also provided an emotional contrast to the Ghost Rider who laughed manically while punishing evil doers.

Actually if you read the first bunch of books in the series he is a shallow 2D character with nothing but cliches about super powers and satanic stuff. Nothing special really happens and GR is the same as Blaze except he has a flaming skull for a head, can shoot fire and is somewhat stronger and more durable than a normal person. Later in the series you are very much right. When we had the Zarathos/Blaze Ghost Rider it was a very cool contrast of wills. That is the one most people remember and was a cool character. I just think people forgett the first part of this series was bad.

Blaze who showed up in the Ketch series was a victim of wolverine-ism. Smoking all the time, gritting his teeth - basically, not behaving like Johnny Blaze.

Thats true in more ways than one, but in the story it made some sense too. He was older and had been through hell, he was harder and somewhat dead inside. People change, even comic characters. Plus its hard to maintain as strong moral determination when you dont have a polar opposite against you all the time.

Blaze served his time as a host and should now have a happy farewell into the sunset. Its the Ghost Rider im more concerned about - The version that appearred in the Ketch series was dull and lacked personality. Bring back Zarathos, who was a real S.O.B. and scarred the daylights outta anyone who crossed his path.

I disagree with the fact that the Ketch GR was uninteresting. He just did not remember and only had his mission. Nothing else. Zarathos was driven by different things, revenge being one of them. I dont deny Zarathos was not cool and if that was the GR we were going to see again than I dont think I have a problem with it. My problem is just that Marvel would want to ignore this. I mean I know alot of people didn't like the second volume but it many ways it was superior to the first series, GR was very popular and was in everything in the 90's. I mean I know its opinion and I dont care if the Ketch GR comes back or not, though I would like to see him again, but I just dont want to suddenly have a large chunk of my comic collection be worthless and my favorite character gone because some Marvel editor decides, "Oh him...Just a dream or something. Never happened.". Thats nor fair to any character, no matter how much anyone hates them.

And theres one thing that all GR fans agree on - NO MORE ENNIS EVER.

That is a truth if I ever heard one. The art was interesting but the story was so bad. The worse part is Marvel is going to make it in continuity. People talk about having trouble getting the Ketch GR to fit in. The Ennis thing has less to do with the Marvel Universe than a DC comic does.

[CaptainAwesome]

I think GR deserves a "cable-treatment", but not the same one mentioned before. Cable has had one of the worst histories in comics since his start in the early nineties. Yet Cable & Deadpool is one of the best books on the market IMO. Not because it ignored the continuity, but partly because it included the continuity. Ghost rider is magic, meaning it doesnt have to make sence all the time.

Also, on the issue of the Ennis series making GR a supporting character, I still think this was intentional. I think the whole point of the series was to show how insignificant we all were, even angels and demons, in the grand scheme of things. That is why it ended the way it did. So making GR a supporting character IMO was actually pretty cleaver. :)

[RabidWolfe]

Not that Marvel's asking, but here's how I'd set it up:

Ketch goes to Hell to rescue Blaze. Ketch saves Blaze and then vanishes, leaving Blaze as the only active GR in the MU (where Ketch goes can be explored in a later arc).

Caretaker arrives and reveals he is the only one of the Blood alive. (This takes care of the messy Blood backstory by getting rid of them all). He has a mission for Blaze, but Blaze doesn't want to hear it and leaves, trying to figure out what's going on, why Ketch rescued him, and what his purpose is.

He finds out his kids are still alive, and goes in search of them. I probably wouldn't let him find them for a long time (maybe around issue 50 or 75).

In the meantime, I think Blaze would work best as the drifter, moving from spot to spot, wreaking vengeance on the guilty. There's ample room in that format for extended story arcs and single issue tales, as well as the occasional crossover.

At some point (issue 100 or so, if it ever got that far), I might have a "Crisis on Inifinite Blazing Skull heads" and have Ketch, Vengeance, the Blazing Skull and Soulfire (bonus points for anyone who knows who this is) and a few other types like that duke it out.

The Midnight Sons might return, but not until after that.

Or something.

[bd2999]

I think that is the most intriguing concept I have heard on the matter. That would make for some good stories.

[Bedlam66]

Don't get too excited; Daniel Way is writing it.
I like his writeing and besides if Mark Texeira draws it I'm buying it. I don't care if it's the new adventures of Doo Doo man.

[Lord_Archive]

Yeah, but Mephisto never died he was manipulating things even then, so its hard to say for sure.

Mephisto most certainly did die at the end of Hearts of Darkness II (Wolverine, Punisher, Ghost Rider). Murdered by his son, Blackheart. They later brought him back with even less of a storyline than they did for reuniting Ketch and the Ghost Rider.

[Taskmaster]

Not that Marvel's asking, but here's how I'd set it up:

Ketch goes to Hell to rescue Blaze. Ketch saves Blaze and then vanishes, leaving Blaze as the only active GR in the MU (where Ketch goes can be explored in a later arc).

Caretaker arrives and reveals he is the only one of the Blood alive. (This takes care of the messy Blood backstory by getting rid of them all). He has a mission for Blaze, but Blaze doesn't want to hear it and leaves, trying to figure out what's going on, why Ketch rescued him, and what his purpose is.

He finds out his kids are still alive, and goes in search of them. I probably wouldn't let him find them for a long time (maybe around issue 50 or 75).

In the meantime, I think Blaze would work best as the drifter, moving from spot to spot, wreaking vengeance on the guilty. There's ample room in that format for extended story arcs and single issue tales, as well as the occasional crossover.

At some point (issue 100 or so, if it ever got that far), I might have a "Crisis on Inifinite Blazing Skull heads" and have Ketch, Vengeance, the Blazing Skull and Soulfire (bonus points for anyone who knows who this is) and a few other types like that duke it out.

The Midnight Sons might return, but not until after that.

Or something.

Some cool ideas here, I really like the idea of Blaze getting rescued by Ketch. Not that anybody wants to hear them, but my ideas would include Blaze/GR escaping hell, but becomming more and more violent (and discovering that his wife is alive and well (as was intended at the end of the Ketch series) living with their kids and a new husband) and showing powers and actions that Ghost Rider would never do in the past (just like in Ennis series, but really play it up). After a Hulk like rampage as Ghost Rider (after trying to contact Dan) Ghost Rider (Ketch), Vengeance, Caretaker and Jen Kale would show up to stop him. In the end it would be revealed what demon is posessing John (it's not Zarathos!) and with the help of the other Spirits of Vengeance, Kale and Caretaker they would cleanse Blaze of the demon, but he would still have his old powers, if he had to remain being Ghost Rider, it would be because he had to be repossessed by Zarathos in order to stop the greater evil and they would contain the demon.

Blaze would go off on his own for a while, but eventually he'd have to track down Ketch and Vengeance to help him against Blackhearts Spirit's of Vengeance in a 'War of Vengeance' with Soulfire as a wild card in the deal. I'd also establish a connection between Blazing Skull and the SoV and bring back the Midnight Sons, but not until the second or third year of the book. I'd have Blaze/GR fight threats that no other heroes would even believe exists, but i'd also have to have on issue where he goes up against the Ringmaster, because come on the circus-carnival connection is too much fun to resist, but it would just be a one shot. I'd also have a large supporting cast of carnival folk hired by Blaze, but not too much like that in his solo series because I was really getting sick of that chick without eyes

[Cash Lone]

Not wolverine-ism.. more like Cable-ism. They encased half his body in steel armor and made him look like the Terminator. Also they gave him the ability to channel the hellfire in his blood into any weapon he uses. Then, after the SOV series, they plopped him back in charge of his circus and then systematically shredded the potential from every character they introduced - except for Icebox Bob.. that guy was effed up.



Perhaps a new host outside the Ketch/Blaze scenario would be better. But I prefer the personality-less Ghost Rider. The one that stalked down Zodiak in the sewers like a living nightmare - no words, no dialogue except for the same thing repeated over and over... "Vengeance!" The one that, emotionlessly, broke all the bones in Scarecrow's body and then held them crooked so they would heal that way and thus he would never walk or kill again.

The Ketch Ghost Rider was like Jason Voorhees or Michael Myers, only slightly more vocal, but only when needed. No snappy banter to humanize him. No origin given. None needed. Just a relentless force of nature.

Thats the Ghost Rider I remember.

LOL Cable! ha ha yeah, just in general Marvel trying to update Blaze by cloning him to what was popular at the time.

I think a new host for GR would be the way to go. Start from scratch. I like the idea of the Faustian deal gone awry, instead of a family cursed to become the next G.R.

My concept for a new G.R. is a cauldren that conjures up a spirit of vengence to do their bidding. The cauldren uses the spirit more and more for their own personal gain until they get careless and the G.R. posses one of the cauldren members and takes them all out. This last cauldren member would then be stuck w/ the spirit of vengence and over time we would see his character develop from selfish to selflessness.

[PunisherXFP]

I'm new here and I'm a huge Ghost Rider fan. I was completely unaware that they were making an on-going series. I was told by my local comic book shop that the new limited series was all we were gonna get. Does anyone know where I can see pictures or find info on the ongoing series? When was it announced? I'm officially wetting my pants over Texeira working on it.

[Expletive Deleted]

Does anyone know where I can see pictures or find info on the ongoing series? When was it announced?At last weekend's New York Comic-Con (http://www.newsarama.com/marvelnew/GhostRider/Grider.htm).

[Dooby Doo!]

I hope this GR ongoing sticks.

[Joe Acro]

I just hope that the stories within this series aren't the utter crap we got within the last Ghost Rider story.

[Dooby Doo!]

^ Ditto.

I personally think Marvel needs to start from stratch with GR, he's one of Marvel's characters (In my opinion.) who can benefit from a new person in the Ghost Rider role. Blaze has to much baggage and frankly is a bore.

Give me a totally unrelated character from the Blazes' or Ketch's or Kales', A new face maybe a X-games type guy or even a real cowboy/rancher type.

[Lord_Archive]

Give me a totally unrelated character from the Blazes' or Ketch's or Kales', A new face maybe a X-games type guy or even a real cowboy/rancher type.
BROKEBACK GHOST RIDER!!

just kidding. That did give me an idea though. I would love to see an recurring GR villain based on the Headless Horseman. One ghostly rider versus another. One riding for vengeance, the other riding for mayhem.

[Dooby Doo!]

BROKEBACK GHOST RIDER!!

just kidding. That did give me an idea though. I would love to see an recurring GR villain based on the Headless Horseman. One ghostly rider versus another. One riding for vengeance, the other riding for mayhem.


Nah! no Brokeback GR! god that'd be hilarious though.

[Lord_Archive]

Nah! no Brokeback GR! god that'd be hilarious though.

It would give new meaning to the term "flaming homosexual"

[Dooby Doo!]

It would give new meaning to the term "flaming homosexual"


LMAO! oh **** that's sooo not right, but funny all the same.

[bd2999]

Mephisto most certainly did die at the end of Hearts of Darkness II (Wolverine, Punisher, Ghost Rider). Murdered by his son, Blackheart. They later brought him back with even less of a storyline than they did for reuniting Ketch and the Ghost Rider.

I know he did if we go by the end of that book, I always liked that series. Though I forget the series I think the death was sort of retconned in a strange way. It was like he died but just became part of his plane again and then reformed over time or something like that. I think it happened in a somewhat obscure comic so I will have to dig for it. Thats kind of the basis for my statement. So you are more correct than I was, but still with him its hard to tell.

[XPac]

^ Ditto.

I personally think Marvel needs to start from stratch with GR, he's one of Marvel's characters (In my opinion.) who can benefit from a new person in the Ghost Rider role. Blaze has to much baggage and frankly is a bore.

Give me a totally unrelated character from the Blazes' or Ketch's or Kales', A new face maybe a X-games type guy or even a real cowboy/rancher type.

I'm not a big fan of starting from scratch for the same characer multiple times.

They already did that once with Ketch, and that worked out fine. But then they brought back Blaze and I believe he's a Ghost Rider again. Vengeance was even Ghost Rider for a while. If they bring back a new one in addition to Ketch that's potentially like 3-4 Ghost Riders.

It's kind of like what DC does with the Flash. There's Jay and Wally, with Bart suppossedly there to take the mantle when he grows up (though he'll probably never grow up since comic aging is weird), and there's always the possibility of Barry coming back.

I don't need the Ghost Rider Corps forming. I'd rather they just ose the one of the ones they've got since they have plenty as it is.