Marvel Comics has revealed the new creative team behind Ghost Rider #1 and it’s Benjamin Percy and Cory Smith. The new series launches this February with the return of Johnny Blaze as Ghost Rider. That’ll make Percy the writer of two Marvel badasses with Wolverine already under his belt.
Percy said in a statement sent to AIPT he’s a horror fan growing up with Stephen King, watching John Carpenter, and listening to Black Sabbath. “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. 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.”
So what’s Ghost Rider about?
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!
Percy added, “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. 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.”
“I’m incredibly excited to be riding shotgun with Ben Percy as we bring Ghost Rider screaming into his 50th anniversary,” Smith added. “As a comic nerd and a horror nerd, Ghost Rider has always been a favorite of mine so this project is a dream come true. Johnny Blaze, the Spirit of Vengeance is BACK. We’re firing on all cylinders and I can’t wait for everyone to see the hellfire we’re bringing! It’s about to get crazy!”
Check out the cover by Kael Ngu below.
For more on this news, read the official press release below.
New York, NY— October 27, 2021 — Next year marks the 50th anniversary of one of the most iconic characters in comics—GHOST RIDER! To celebrate this milestone, Johnny Blaze, the original Ghost Rider, will be returning this February in an all-new ongoing series written by Benjamin Percy with art by Cory Smith.
Known for his thrilling work on titles such as WOLVERINE and X-FORCE, 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. And Cory Smith, known for his brutally beautiful artwork on titles such as CONAN THE BARBARIAN, is eager to bring the scorching action and hellish horror that only Ghost Rider can deliver! Together, this team of creators are hellbound to make this Ghost Rider’s most explosive era yet!
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!
Here’s what Percy had to say about taking the reins:
“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. 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. 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.”
“I’m incredibly excited to be riding shotgun with Ben Percy as we bring Ghost Rider screaming into his 50th anniversary,” Smith added. “As a comic nerd and a horror nerd, Ghost Rider has always been a favorite of mine so this project is a dream come true. Johnny Blaze, the Spirit of Vengeance is BACK. We’re firing on all cylinders and I can’t wait for everyone to see the hellfire we’re bringing! It’s about to get crazy!”
Start your engines and be there when GHOST RIDER #1 hits stands in February! For more information, visit Marvel.com.
GHOST RIDER #1
Written by BENJAMIN PERCY
Art by CORY SMITH
Cover by KAEL NGU
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