The Who's-Who of Ghost Rider

Feb 13, 2007

Few things scream terror like a man with a burning skull for a head straddling a demonic motorcycle and wielding a chain-whip. To be certain, Ghost Rider is one of Marvel Comics' most iconic anti-superheroes, and his is a tale of most deserving, supernatural revenge. And you better believe it won't be served cold.

Johnny Blaze, a.k.a. Ghost Rider: A talented stunt motorcyclist, Johnny Blaze, is the human namesake and face of the Ghost Rider comic book series. He first appeared back in 1972 in an unrelated Marvel comic; however, it wasn't until the following year, 1973, that Ghost Rider was given his own series.

Blaze trades his soul to a being he thinks is the biblical devil in order to save the life of his father. In doing so, he parts way with his childhood sweetheart and goes about his business in the knowledge that he saved his pop's life but is ultimately doomed. Years later, the demonic being that Blaze first encountered offers him a kind of twisted redemption: the return of his soul if he agrees to avenge wrongdoers each night as the burning hell-flame biker known as Ghost Rider.

Now bonded with the demonic being Zarathos, Blaze transforms into the Ghost Rider after nightfall. His alter-ego is much more aggressive and prone to violence - which shouldn't come as any surprise - you'd be angry too if your head was on fire for hours on end.

Although you wouldn't know it if you were going by the film and game alone, Johnny Blaze was the first of two characters to inherit the demonic powers; Johnny's long-lost brother, Danny Ketch, would eventually don the spiky leathers that have become more iconic than past designs - reflected in its adoption for the film and game. Moreover, his powers in the film and game seem to have been heavily borrowed from the later iteration of Ghost Rider.

Mephisto: Often mistaken for the devil, Mephisto is practically everything but. He is a tempter and corruptor of the good and just, and collects the souls of the dead. He is the one who initially takes Blaze's soul, and offers it back in exchange for use of Blaze's abilities.

His demonic son, known as Blackheart, is one of Ghost Rider's main nemeses. He plans to dethrone his own father, which ultimately forces Mephisto to act against him and unleash Ghost Rider. Talk about biting the hand that feeds you.

The Motorcycle: The Hell Cycle is about as notorious and severe as Ghost Rider's burning skull. In the comic books, traditionally the bike had wheels made entirely out of flames - and later, Ghost Rider could actually generate a flame bike through mastery of his abilities. However, this was later changed for the film and some comic sub-series, where the wheels are more traditional rubber, but are perpetually on fire and give the heavy-metal frame a little more weight and substance.

The Powers: Originally, Ghost Rider's powers were limited. What - like being a flaming skeleton riding a kick-ass chopper isn't enough? Well, apparently not. Initially, Ghost Rider could generate balls of flame that he could propel at his foes, ala Super Mario. He also had his trademark bike and chains; however, that wasn't enough to strike terror into the hearts of dark-minded creeps. Oh no.

More recent iterations of Ghost Rider imbued him with the very cool 'Penance Stare' ability - the power to dish out pain equal to the amount that his target has dealt to others in the past. He was also Marvel's equivalent to the Angel of Death and had the ability to destroy the undead.

Across all visions and versions of Ghost Rider, the character has always possessed superhuman strength and durability. Fisticuffs and noogies will not weary him. Of course, we'd imagine that, like the aliens in Signs, he might not be too fond of seasonal showers. Just a hunch. He could also travel between dimensions, which came in handy when fighting trans-dimensional villains, such as Mephisto.

The Writers: A few years ago, when The Punisher hit big screens, a game for slightly smaller screens was released. Although the quality was debatable, one thing it was hard to fault was the authenticity of the story and dialogue. This success can be attributed to two gentlemen, both comic book writing heavy-hitters: Garth Ennis and Jimmy Palmiotti.

Ennis is a household name for comic fans. His work is generally credited as being some of the finest, tightest and generally most violent and adult in the industry. His 'Preacher' series is one of our all-time office favourites. So, when it was announced that he and Palmiotti would be teaming up once again to pen the plot for the Ghost Rider game adaptation, we were as keen as ever to sample their handiwork.

The Future: There was another spin-off, beyond the upcoming film and game. As part of Marvel's '2099' series, which included the likes of Spider-Man, The Hulk, X-Men and others, Ghost Rider was given a 2099 variant. In it, he was possessed by AI that reproduced the mind of the traditional human Ghost Rider, and the plot played heavily off of the concept of virtual reality. In that sense, the series owed much to sci-fi author William Gibson. Well worth a read for fans of great cyber-punk, by the way.

The Games: To coincide with the movie, three versions of the game are planned for release - a PS2 version and two portable ones on PSP and Game Boy Advance. Obviously, the most sophisticated graphically is the PS2 version, while you can't discount the attraction of portable action. The gameplay is a mix of hand-to-hand combat and motorcycling, and the story sticks pretty close to that of the film and comic series. However, you can expect to see a more in-depth review from IGN in the coming weeks.

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