Next year marks the 50th anniversary of Ghost Rider, one of Marvel Comics' most iconic characters. To mark the occasion, it's been announced today that Johnny Blaze, the original Ghost Rider, is finally set to return in an all-new ongoing series written by Benjamin Percy with art by Cory Smith.
Known for his work on titles such as Wolverine and X-Force, it's said that Percy will put his own devilish spin on the Ghost Rider mythos, evoking all the frightening elements of Ghost Rider’s most classic stories while driving the Spirit of Vengeance towards a new age. Cory Smith (Conan the Barbarian), meanwhile, promises to bring the scorching action and hellish horror that only Ghost Rider can deliver.
In the series, Johnny Blaze has the perfect life: a wife and two kids, a job at an auto repair shop and a small-town community that supports him. But Johnny isn’t doing well. He has nightmares of monsters when he sleeps. And he sees bloody visions when he’s awake. This life is beginning to feel like a prison. And there’s a spirit in him that’s begging to break out!
"I’m a horror head. I grew up reading Stephen King, watching John Carpenter, and listening to Black Sabbath, and when it came to comics, I always reached first for the dark and weird which means I read a hell of a lot of Ghost Rider," Percy says. "That flaming skull. That spiked leather jacket. That monstrous bike coughing out clouds of sulfurous exhaust. To this day, the sight of the character blazing along a midnight highway makes my heart rev like a four-stroke engine."
"Ghost Rider is arguably the best designed, but inarguably, the most heavy metal character in all of comics. It would be badass to write this series at any point in my life, but launching on the 50th anniversary feels especially (un)holy," the writer adds. "Cory Smith is killing it on art, and we're going to honor the past while burning rubber into a terrifying future packed with mystery, action, and shadow-soaked emotion. Prepare yourself for the ultimate in road horror."
Ghost Rider #1 arrives next February. Check out some badass cover art for the series below: