Marvel Knights

In a court of law Edsel Mohr and his motorcycle-producing company Maxa Corp. are found not culpable for a series of apparent malfunctions that caused their motorcycles to explode, killing at least one young man. Reading about this in the newspaper, Johnny Blaze becomes Ghost Rider, rides to the Maxa Corp. headquarters and bursts inside. Unfazed by the gunfire of several security guards, he rides an elevator up and confronts Edsel Mohr.

Without ever saying a word, Ghost Rider lassoes the screaming man by the neck with his chain and rides through a window and up the side of the building. On the roof, Mohr admits he signed off on a faulty product because it was cheaper to deal with a few lawsuits than to recall and re-design the motorcycle. But then he chastises Ghost Rider, saying if he kills him the Vice President will simply take over and do the same thing. He says Ghost Rider’s problem is not with him but with capitalism. Hearing this, Ghost Rider throws him off the building and tells his associates to do better.

The next morning the new President of Maxa Corps officially recalls the dangerous motorcycle and vows in a press conference to take the company in a new direction. Waking up on a park bench nearby and being mistaken for a vagrant by a policeman, Johnny Blaze says things have gotten out of control.

In a corporate office building, Johnny Blaze is working in a cubicle when his co-workers recognize him as the former stunt motorcyclist Johnny Blaze. He refuses to talk to them about his past. When his boss commends him on three years employment with the company, Blaze walks out of the building, depressed. Pondering his motorcycle in the building’s parking garage, he suddenly becomes the Ghost Rider and rides away in broad daylight.

Far away from the city Blaze comes back to consciousness near a biker’s bar; he apparently has no control over the transformations. He staggers inside the bar, where the locals mock him as a “suit.” As he nurses a beer, a woman rushes in saying her husband was the victim of a hit-and-run. As the locals gather comfort her and pledge to find the culprit, Blaze turns into Ghost Rider and storms out.

Johnny Blaze calls up his girlfried Chloe to assure her he’s ok, but she is upset at his refusal to provide more details. He visits a mechanic who tells him the location of Emmett’s warehouse; Blaze then becomes Ghost Rider and rides there, bursting through a back door and confronting Emmett’s son who runs things. He sets the office on fire, but Emmett says he was only pushing the drivers so hard because another evil man, Corbal, is above him and demands money. Ghost River leaves as the whole building explodes behind him.

At a leather shop Blaze picks up some new biker clothes when he is recognized by two brothers who remember his stunt riding career. These two turn out to be the Corbal brothers that Ghost Rider is hunting, and before Blaze can warn them he transforms into Ghost Rider. He grabs up one as the other flees; GR pursues him on his motorcycle but just then Gunmetal Gray swoops in and opens fire on him. Gunmetal causes his motorcycle to explode and overturn and then blasts him point blank in the head with his shotgun, shattering his skull.

When Gunmetal turns to ride away, the headless Ghost Rider stands back up and his skull re-forms as all the shattered fragments re-assemble together. Ghost Rider takes his shotgn but otherwise leaves him alone and rides away. Gunmetal makes a phone call.

Ghost Rider follows the Corbal brother who escaped to a rest area and confronts him. Corbal says his life went sideways when a certain detective killed his father and gives GR his name. As GH is leaving Gunmetal Gray returns driving a liquid nitrogen truck; he drives into the rest stop and slams directly into Ghost Rider.

Gunmetal sees Ghost Rider leave unscathed and a minute later, Blaze appears, asking if he succeeded in killing Ghost Rider. Blaze is shocked and appalled to learn how much devastation and murder Gunmetal caused trying to kill GR, and tries to call off the contract. Gunmetal realizes that Blaze is Ghost Rider, and puts a gun to his head.

As Gunmetal held his gun to Johnny's head, he was unable to transform into the Ghost Rider. When the police attempted to apprehend them, Gunmetal escaped, while a man named Juneau helped Johnny escape and took him to his father Merril, who claimed to know what was wrong with his bike. After meeting Merril, Johnny transformed into Ghost Rider before he went to Chicago to find Detective Harlan Smith, although he asked to be avenged after Gunmetal beat him up.

cover by Trent kaniuga & danny miki devingrayson/trent kaniuga/danny miki Gunmetal Gray, the killer biker, has set his sights on Ghost Rider ? and the best way to get to our skull-headed hero is through his mortal side, Johnny Blaze! Now Johnny's got two big problems: a mad biker on his tail and the Spirit of Vengeance in his head! "This (pardon me) bare-bones approach gets back to the basics ? it's a cool-looking flaming-skull guy on a motorcycle serving out vengeance... this is really, really good. Grade: A" - Comics Buyer's Guide Cover price $2.99.

cover by Trent kaniuga & Danny Miki, written by Devin Grayson, penciled by Trent kaniuga, inked by Danny Miki . THE SCOOP: The skull-headed warrior roars even faster into a gut-wrenching conclusion! ? THE STORY: Expect no sidekicks, no scruples, and no mercy in this tire-burning, bone-breaking, final confrontation between Ghost Rider and the homicidal biker called Gunmetal Gray! Has Johnny Blaze's final insight into the nature of his relationship with the Spirit of Vengeance unleashed a champion... or a catastrophe? ? THE BUZZ: "This is a slam-bang start to this series, packed with more crazy action than a truckload of summer blockbusters. Devin Grayson's able pen grabs frantic hold of us and never lets go, and Trent Kaniuga's pencils perfectly suit this character. Buy it!" -IGN.com ? THE FORMAT: 32 pages, with ads. Printed on glossy stock.

In Hell, Johnny Blaze, the Ghost Rider, rides to escape, with the hordes of Hell hot on his trail. But they catch him, and rend him limb from limb, as they always do every night. On Earth, Daniel and Malachi, two angels, are going over their plan to save Malachi from something he did. And now Kazann is loose on Earth, and they need to Ghost Rider to help. Too bad he's in Hell.

In Hell, Johnny Blaze, the Ghost Rider, rides to escape, with the hordes of Hell hot on his trail. But they catch him, and rend him limb from limb, as they always do every night. On Earth, Daniel and Malachi, two angels, are going over their plan to save Malachi from something he did. And now Kazann is loose on Earth, and they need to Ghost Rider to help. Too bad he's in Hell.

In Hell, Johnny Blaze, the Ghost Rider, rides to escape, with the hordes of Hell hot on his trail. But they catch him, and rend him limb from limb, as they always do every night. On Earth, Daniel and Malachi, two angels, are going over their plan to save Malachi from something he did. And now Kazann is loose on Earth, and they need to Ghost Rider to help. Too bad he's in Hell.

In Hell, Johnny Blaze, the Ghost Rider, rides to escape, with the hordes of Hell hot on his trail. But they catch him, and rend him limb from limb, as they always do every night. On Earth, Daniel and Malachi, two angels, are going over their plan to save Malachi from something he did. And now Kazann is loose on Earth, and they need to Ghost Rider to help. Too bad he's in Hell.

Earl Gustav of Gustav Petroleum is a bitter and diseased man. Paralyzed in a drunk driving accident, he hates the world. And wants to raise the arch-demon Kazann here on Earth. To do that, he sacrifices his entire board of directors to give Kazann a body. In Hell, Ghost Rider thinks he's finally escaped, but it's not true. Malachi reveals himself and shows Johnny that the demons chasing him are now chasing an illusion so that they can talk freely. Malachi offers him complete redemption, to live out the rest of his days free of the Ghost Rider, if he will defeat Kazann and return him to Hell before Hoss or Ruth do. Johnny agrees, and the Ghost Rider roams the Earth once more.

Written by GARTH ENNIS Art & Cover CLAYTON CRAIN 'THE ROAD TO DAMNATION.' Hot on the heels of the rogue demon, Kazaan, the Ghost Rider has his first run in with another bounty hunter from the other side: a demon named Hoss whose neck is redder than his soul is black. But it's the sultry archangel named Ruth who both had better worry about. Cover price $2.99.

Ghost Rider and Hoss decide to team up, with both their endgoals being Kazann sent back to Hell. Ruth, having stolen Ghost Rider's bike, makes it there before them, and begins working her way towards Kazann. Meanwhile, Father Adam is on a train bound for Texas to carry out his part for Hell. But all three are too late, Gustav's drill has made it through to Hell, and now demons are entering the physical plane.

Mr. Gustav, Kazann, and unwittingly Miss Catmint have set loose demons on Earth, so that they can form a new Hell. Ruth is in the building going after Kazann, and Ghost Rider and Hoss are trying to get in. Ghost Rider finally finds his bike again and lets loose his own hell on the demons of the pit. Ghost Rider goes after Kazann while Hoss and Ruth face off against each other, and Ruth comes out on top. Ghost Rider runs into Kazann, and the demon teases him with a touch of the truth as to why he's there. Father Adam is on a crane next to the building, and using bullets anointed with holy water, hopes to redeem himself in the eyes of God so that he can be forgiven, but he misses and the Ghost Rider lights him up.

Ghost Rider faces off against Kazann, and manages to destroy his physical form. Miss Catmint works up the courage to face Mr. Gustav and forces him to recite the spell of recall, closing the gate and sucking the demons and Kazann back to Hell, or she will push him over the ledge. He does so, but Ruth startles her and she drops him anyway. Ghost Rider rejoices in his victory that Kazann is back in Hell, and then Father Adam puts a bullet through his head, then dies himself. Father Adam wakes up in a pure white place, with Jesus telling him that his sins are forgiven, when he asks if it's really true, Jesus changes into Hoss and tells him "No, not really", and Father Adam begins to burn. Ghost Rider wakes up in Hell, just as Mr. Gustav goes rolling by with his head on fire. Malachi arrives and tells him that he was used by him. Malachi tells him to take comfort that he managed to do a little good in his time on Earth, and just then Ruth rips his wings off from behind and the stumps begin to burn. Hoss arrives and tells Ghost Rider the entire truth. Malachi and Kazann are really brothers, and Kazann used to be an angel, but sided with Lucifer during the rebellion. They still kept in touch and fed each other information so that they could both rise in ranks on their respective sides. Hoss tells him he's sorry, but there's nothing he can do, so he gives him some advice, to take his pleasures where he can. Later, we see the Ghost Rider racing through Hell like we saw him before. Only this time, he's dragging Malachi behind him the whole way.