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ow pages
1st app of Ghost Rider (Johnny Blaze); Mike Ploog cvr/art; 1st app of Roxanne Simpson


Back in the Golden Age, the character of Ghost Rider was a Western hero who, cloaked in a white outfit and a matching mask, starred in horror-themed tales in Tim Holt and other Magazine Enterprises properties until the publisher let the trademark lapse.

Dick Ayers, the original artist behind the cowboy iteration, then revived the idea of Ghost Rider when he moved to Marvel, who quickly snapped up rights to the character's name. Reimagined in the early 70s as a motorcycle daredevil with a flaming skull and powers granted from the Devil himself, the new-look Rider (and his tormented human alter-ego Johnny Blaze) became an instant fan favorite and popular superhero with lasting power.

Ghost Rider also benefited from the loosening of the Comic Code Authority's ban on horror-based characters at the beginning of the '70s. None of their macabre new creations was more successful than Ghost Rider. It all started with Marvel Spotlight #5 featuring the first appearances of both Johnny Blaze Ghost Rider, as well as the demon's origin story. The book has spent decades as a beloved Bronze Age key that remains fairly easy to find on the market. Appearing in films, TV shows, video games, cartoons, and tons of comic reboots, this antihero has proven his lasting power and is all gassed up and ready for a return in the MCU.