Source: CBR
CBR reports that the Ghost Rider ongoing series is the latest title from the House of Ideas to bite the bullet. This makes it the 7th title canceled in recent months, joining the likes of other recently euthanized comics such as "X-23," "Alpha Flight," "Victor Von Doom," "Destroyers," "Iron Man 2.0" and "All-Winners Squad."
Debuting under the "Fear Itself" event, and written by Rob Williams, this version of "Ghost Rider"featured a new female version of the hell rider and putting long time rider Johnny Blaze in the sidecar. With "Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance" from Columbia Pictures set to "[frick] your shit up in 3D" this February, I'd say the odds are strong that we'll get a new Ghost Rider series with Blaze back in command of his hell powers.
To me this all screams of a new, revised strategy by Marvel to counteract the recent success of DC. Basically, Marvel was content to stay the course and continue on with business as usual while waiting to see how successful "the new 52" would be. Now that it appears that the DcnU is indeed a hit, Marvel is now streamlining their releases and will be gearing up for something big, in an effort to recapture their market share lead. I'm sure we'll be getting a big announcement from Marvel before the end of the year. Hear's hoping we'll get another Civil War and not another Heroic Age.
Ghost Rider is the name of several fictional supernatural antiheroes appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Marvel had previously used the name for a Western character whose name was later changed to Night Rider and subsequently to Phantom Rider.
The first supernatural Ghost Rider is stunt motorcyclist Johnny Blaze, who, in order to save the life of his mentor, agreed to give his soul to "Satan" (later revealed to be an arch-demon named Mephisto). Instead, his soul bonded with the entity called Zarathos. When utilizing Zarathos' powers Blaze's flesh is consumed by hellfire, causing his head to become a flaming skull. He rides a fiery motorcycle and wields trademark blasts of hellfire from his skeletal hands. He starred in the series from 1972-1983.
The subsequent Ghost Rider series (1990–98) featured Danny Ketch as a new Ghost Rider. After his sister was injured by ninja gangsters, Ketch came in contact with a motorcycle which had somehow been mystically enchanted to contain the essence of a "Spirit of Vengeance".
Johnny Blaze reappeared in this 1990s series as a supporting character. In mid-2000s comics, Blaze again became the Ghost Rider, succeeding Ketch.
Nicolas Cage and Matt Long played Johnny Blaze in the 2007 film Ghost Rider.
In May of 2011, Ghost Rider placed 90th on IGN's Top 100 Comic Book Heroes of All Time.
During the Fear Itself storyline, a Nicaraguan woman named Alejandr ends up becoming a Ghost Rider through a ritual performed by a man named Adam at the time with Sin (in the form of Skadi) attacks Dayton, Ohio alongside Deathwatch and the half-demon version of Blackout. This Ghost Rider dispatches Deathwatch and Blackout before engaging Skadi. But when she touches Skadi's hammer, she is incapacitated and reverted to human form because according to Skadi, touching the hammer was akin to touching fear itself. Later she show us how many unknown powers the ghost rider has.