Cover by John Romita, Jr. (W) Mark Millar (A) John Romita From Marvel Comics.
Hit-Girl spins off into her own blood-soaked series by the sales-busting creative team of Mark Millar and John Romita Jr. This story takes place between Kick-Ass Volumes 1 and 2 as Mindy McCready tries to settle into life as a regular school-girl, but wants nothing more than to be dispensing hot justice to the scum of New York City. Her mother and step-father think she's doing her homework, but in reality she's taken Kick-Ass on as her sidekick and is training him up to punch, shoot and stab ... just like Daddy would have wanted.
Cover price $2.99.
"The Menace of the Mind-Melder!" Script by Tom DeFalco. Pencils by Mark Bright. Inks by Jose Marzan. Cover by Bob Layton and Jackson Guice.
While Hawkeye is battling the Bob-Cat and his henchmen, the Mind-Melder takes possession of the ace archer's body! Will that spell victory or defeat for Hawkeye? Second story: "A Farewell With Arms" Script by Bob Layton. Art by Bob Layton (breakdowns) and Jackson Guice (finishes). Hercules tries to prevent a depressed Dionysus from detonating a nuclear warhead that would destroy Olympus! But the god of wine won't listen to reason and recruits Sgt Butcher T. Washington to battle the Prince of Power!
32 pages Cover price $0.75.
"The Menace of the Mind-Melder!" Script by Tom DeFalco. Pencils by Mark Bright. Inks by Jose Marzan. Cover by Bob Layton and Jackson Guice.
While Hawkeye is battling the Bob-Cat and his henchmen, the Mind-Melder takes possession of the ace archer's body! Will that spell victory or defeat for Hawkeye? Second story: "A Farewell With Arms" Script by Bob Layton. Art by Bob Layton (breakdowns) and Jackson Guice (finishes). Hercules tries to prevent a depressed Dionysus from detonating a nuclear warhead that would destroy Olympus! But the god of wine won't listen to reason and recruits Sgt Butcher T. Washington to battle the Prince of Power!
32 pages Cover price $0.75.
"Taste of Power!" Written by Howard Mackie. Art by Chris Bachalo and Mark Buckingham.
Three gangsters roust and apparent vagrant in a park, only to find he is a vampire. The vampire kills his assailants, but is suffering from memory loss. Realizing he absorbs memories when he drinks blood, he leaves to seek his identity. Danny Ketch and Seer ride nearby but Seer directs him to the park. Riding in alone, Dan is attacked by the vampire, triggering his transformation into Ghost Rider. The vampire flees and Ghost Rider trails him to Lincoln Center, where the vampire finds an underground office in a nondescript building.
In the basement office of a shadow intelligence agency, the employees are alerted by the vampire's arrival, identifying him as their operative, Night Terror. Night Terror kills the agency security officers, but Ghost Rider arrives and attacks him. The agency employees trigger the office's self-destruct, but Night Terror evades Ghost Rider by becoming mist and begins killing the employees. Ghost Rider spears Night Terror to the wall and rides the sole survivor of his onslaught out of the building seconds before it explodes. Ghost Rider reunites with Seer, but fails to notice a cloud of mist rising out of a sewer grate....
64 pages, FC. Cover price $2.95.
"You Can't Go Home Again!" Written by Ivan Velez, Jr. Art by Salvador Larroca.
Will the Spirit of Vengeance save Melissa's life or pursue the men that gunned her down? Meanwhile, Johnny Blazes makes a startling discovery. Weapons capable of destroying Ghost Rider have been stolen!
32 pages, FC. Cover price $1.95.
"Blue Shadows!" Written by Ivan Velez, Jr. Art by Salvador Larroca.
A very dangerous Ghost Rider foe from the past returns! Plus, the Spirit of Vengeance has an omnious warning for overzealous police that would open fire with innocent bystanders in the area.
32 pages, FC. Cover price $1.95.
"Darkness Falls!" Written by Howard Mackie. Art by Salvador Larroca.
In order to stop Blackout once and for all, will Ghost Rider finally cross the line?
32 pages, FC. Cover price $1.95.
In Chains: Part 3 of 4 - "Countdown!" Guest-starring the Avengers and Nick Fury. Written by Howard Mackie. Art by Salvador Larroca.
Spook makes an unholy alliance with Scarecrow. Meanwhile, Earth's Mightiest Heroes attempt to quell the chaos at the Black Hole compound. 32 pages,
Cover price $1.95.
Betrayals: Part 1 of 4 - "Love and Betrayal!" Guest-starring Nick Fury. Written by Howard Mackie. Art by Salvador Larroca.
Ski Sokoloski gets SHIELD training. Meanwhile, Danny Ketch and the Ghost Rider have a battle of wills for control. But their dual could leave them open to destruction...
32 pages, FC. Cover price $1.95.
"Where to Life?!" Guest-starring Wolverine and Nick Fury. Written by Howard Mackie. Art by Salvador Larroca.
Nick Fury makes Sokolowski an offer the Ghost Rider isn't going to like. But when Next Wave shows up to arrest the Spirit of Vengeance, a certain feral X-Man is on hand to help out.
32 pages, FC. Cover price $1.95.
"The Next Step!" Written by Howard Mackie. Art by Salvador Larroca.
Shriker shows up with a warning. Will Ghost Rider heed? Plus, Stacy makes a decision that will change her relationship with Danny forever!
32 pages, FC. Cover price $1.95.
Die-Cut cover enhancement (cover price and barcode text may vary). "Reborn - Again!" - Written by Howard Mackie. Art by Ron Garney and Al Williamson.
Vengeance and Johnny Blaze arrive at Cypress Hill Cemetery to witness the resurrection of Ghost Rider! Plus, Hellgate delivers a shocking blow to our heroes that may send one of them over the edge.
32 pages, FC. Cover price $2.95.
Midnight Massacre: Part 2 of 5 – "Hunters!" Guest-starring Frank Drake. Written by Howard Mackie. Art by Ron Garney and Christopher Ivy.
Story continued from Nightstalkers (1992) # 10. Empowered by the Darkhold, Blade becomes Switchblade and begins a quest to eliminate all supernatural entities, killing Hannibal King and Johnny Blaze, and absorbing their supernatural abilities. In the Bronx, Switchblade slays a witch, while elsewhere, Demogoblin runs down a sorcerer who barters for his life by revealing the Demogorge has possessed Blade. Demogoblin tortures him for more information before killing him, the sorcerer's screams drawing Drake and Ghost Rider's attention.
Coveting the Demogorge's power, Demogoblin escapes, but Drake adjusts his gun Linda to detect supernatural energies, allowing them to track Blade. At a club, Switchblade tracks down Seer, but before he can kill her Demogoblin appears to propose an alliance. Switchblade only wants to kill him, but the distraction allows Drake and Ghost Rider to catch up to them. Still hoping to broker a deal, Demogoblin takes Switchblade and Seer to the World Trade Center, with Ghost Rider close behind. Switchblade stabs both Ghost Rider and Demogoblin, slaying the latter. Seer teleports a way to warn the others of the Blood while Switchblade overpowers Ghost Rider; Drake arrives in time to rescue him, and, aware they cannot best Switchblade alone, sends Ghost Rider away to recruit allies. Story continues in Darkhold (1992) #1.
32 pages, FC. Cover price $2.25.
"Vengeance!" Written by Howard Mackie. Art by Ron Garney and Chris Ivy.
After slaying muggers in Brooklyn, Vengeance checks in with Mephisto, who orders him to find Caretaker, whose blood will reveal Ghost Rider's location. Following a battle with demons that destroyed the Quentin Carnival, Johnny Blaze takes Ghost Rider and carnival workers Kodiak, Clara Menninger, Wolf and Maranda Woods to Dan Ketch's apartment, where they ponder the mysterious note left Blaze by the slain Eli McIntyre. Ketch goes to a market to buy food, but transforms into Ghost Rider when a robbery starts.
At Cypress Hills Cemetery, Caretaker and Francis Ketch, clearly old acquaintances, talk about the fate of her children. They Vengeance attacks Caretaker, who leads him to the market. Vengeance battles Ghost Rider and gains the upper hand before Caretaker takes him down. Blaze arrives and Caretaker orders him and Ghost Rider to flee, spouting a cryptic message about the future. Vengeance recovers and Caretaker vanishes.
32 pages, FC. Cover price $1.75.
"Forward to the Shadows!" Guest starring Archangel. Written by Howard Mackie. Art by Bret Blevins and Fred Fredericks.
Seeking to stop the Firm's rash of attacks against him, Ghost Rider flushes out Heart Attack and a squad of Firm agents at Cypress Hill Cemetery. Ghost Rider learns that the Firm seeks to make him into their killing machine. As he watches the fight from the Firm's headquarters, Stern reports to his shadowy boss, who insists on being addressed as Stern's master. Realizing that it was the Firm, not Ghost Rider, who killed her people, Heart Attack leaves the battle, intent on killing Stern.
The X-Man Archangel spots the fight and helps Ghost Rider rout the Firm agents, who retreat to their hospital-base, leading the heroes right to Stern. Ghost Rider gives Stern the penance stare and leaves him incapacitated. Once they depart the Firm's master appears on a monitor, claiming the Firm agents' souls and killing Stern. Heart Attack arrives in time to witness this act, angry that her vengeance was denied, and the Firm's master takes her too, sending out tendrils of blackness that pull her through the monitor screen.
32 pages, FC. Cover price $1.75.
"Victims of Our Past!" Written by Howard Mackie. Art by Bret Blevins and Al Williamson.
In Cypress Hills Cemetery Ghost Rider stops a man from murdering a woman, disabling him with the penance stare. The man, a serial killer, is left reeling as he experiences his victims agonies, but moments later is slain by a raggedly clothed ninja; a gang vandalizing the cemetery later suffers the same fate. Dan is at home reassuring his mother that his decision to move out is unrelated to his recently learning he was adopted, when he catches Linda Wei reporting the discovery of the gang's bodies. Scared Blackout may be back, Dan goes out hunting, passing by chance under an elevated train where the ninja is slaughtering his latest targets. Alerted by blood pouring down, Dan tries to change, but nothing happens
Dan rides up onto the tracks, and, as the train passes by Cypress Hill Cemetery, he jumps from his bike onto the train, watching the motorcycle fall to the cemetery below. Encountering a wounded commuter, Dan spontaneously transforms into Ghost Rider and he confronts the ninja, learning his opponent is the Deathwatch agent seemingly slain long before; as they fight, the ninja reveals he really serves another master, he promises is coming for Ghost Rider. The flaming-skulled hero punches the ninja off the train, which runs over the killer. Dan returns to the cemetery for his bike, and finds it held by the mysterious Caretaker; to Dan surprise, the Caretaker knows of his alter ego, and tells Dan that he is wrong to believe innocent blood needs to be spilled to trigger his transformation. Promising they will see more of one another in coming days, the Caretaker departs, leaving Dan desperate answer.
32 pages, FC. Cover price $1.75.
"What does It Matter?!" Written by Howard Mackie. Art by Bret Blevins and Al Williamson.
Danny Ketch reflects on how his life has changed since becoming Ghost Rider, until his mother interrupts him. Blackout's recent attack has made her consider the possibility of losing him, prompting her to admit something she never had the courage to tell him before: He and Barbara were adopted. Not sure what to think, Dan goes out for some air. Meanwhile, the Firm raids HEART's HQ, killing all the mercenaries except Meagher, who they take prisoner. Elsewhere, the insane Madcap, unable to feel pain since the accident that killed his family and mutated him, decides to show others that life is meaningless.
Going to Grand Central Station, he uses his lunacy – introducing gazes to send several bystanders on reckless, life-threatening rampages. Driving by, Danny witnesses one victims death, triggering his transformation; he catches Madcap, and deploys the penance stare, making Madcap feel pain for the first time since his accident. However, after he departs, Madcap recovers, overjoyed at ceiling the long-lost sensation, and desperate to experience it again, no matter how much innocent blood he needs to spill to do so. Dan returns home, deciding to find his birth parents, convinced they must somehow be tied to Ghost Rider. Space 32 pages,
FC. NOTE: The letters page of this issue includes an illustration of Ghost Rider mourning the then-recent demise of DC Comics Superman, and promising to seek vengeance for him.
Cover price $1.75.
"Fight for Life!" Guest-starring Doctor strange. Written by Howard Mackie. Art by Bret Blevins.
In New York University's medical center, temporarily closed to the public for renovations, Johnny Blaze and trauma surgeon Frank Bruckner watch as Dr. Strange tries to mystically cleanse Danny Ketch's spirit of Lilith's taint and reunite it with Ghost Rider's body. Spotting them, a corrupt security guard calls the rule Firm, whose board order Agent Caulder to retrieve Ghost Rider for their labs; however, Caulder sends the retrieval squad without him, falsely informing them it is an easy mission. Soon after, the Firm's deposed director Stern arrives, meeting with Caulder and other men secretly loyal to him. At the University Blaze and Ghost Rider defeat the retrieval squad. Dr. strange merges Dan spirit into Ghost Rider; the demon biker transforms back into Dan, and Bruckner quickly operates to restore Dan's severed jugular.
32 pages, FC. Cover price $1.75.
"Nightmares of Truth!" Written by Howard Mackie. Art by Andy Kubert and Joe Kubert.
The nearly dead Dan Ketch's mind has entered Nightmare' s dream realm; Nightmare torments him with visions of the Lilin and his dead sister Barbara, and uses Dan's link to Ghost Rider to pull the burning biker' s mind there too. Ghost Rider futilely attacks Nightmare, who reveals he has learned Ghost Rider is not Zarathos (the spirit that possessed the original Ghost Rider Johnny Blaze), and that he wants Dan and Ghost Rider dead so that Lilith and her children will be able to spread fear for Nightmare to feed on.
Ghost Rider and Dan try to escape Nightmare's realm but discover that Nightmare has brought Dan's friends and family into the dream realm, and is attacking them with allusions of the Lilin. Ghost Rider destroys the illusions, and when Nightmare attacks them, Ghost Rider and Dan share a portion of their power with each other, giving them the strength to free Dan's friends an escape Nightmare's realm. As they leave, Ghost Rider and Dan part ways on the psychic plane, allowing Dan to find his way back to life on his own while Ghost Rider prepares to use his strength in the impending battle against the Lilin.
32 pages, FC. Cover price $1.75.
"Biting the Hand that Feeds You!" Guest-starring Wolverine and Beast. Written by Howard Mackie. Art by Andy Kubert and Joe Kubert.
A trio of hoodlums attempts to rob Ghost Rider and Johnny Blaze, but is easily subdued. The Beast and Wolverine, the latter following Ghost Rider after noticing his sent was different, give careful chase as Ghost Rider carries the muggers off. Nearby, mercenary Agent-X fails to negotiate a higher profile percentage and level of control with his employer, Frederick Penner. Agent-X returns to his Next Wave cohorts, Snare and Turk, to deliver the news, and the three respond by attacking Penner's mansion headquarters. Ghost Rider drops the muggers off with the police and, as he ponders recent events, Dan Ketch's spirits continues his journey through the void.
Ghost Rider spots the mercenaries' attack on the Penner estate and, when Turk kills Penner's neighbor for calling for help, Ghost Rider intervenes, but is ensnared in Snares omnium net. Wolverine and the Beast arrive, free Ghost Rider, and join his battle against the mercenaries. Next Wave initially overwhelm the X-Men and blow Ghost Rider apart, but he regenerates, defeats them, and gives them all the penance stare. Wolverine cautions Ghost Rider that his link to Dan is slipping, and Ghost Rider leaves. Wolverine and the Beast also leave, ignoring Penner's offer of employment.
32 pages, FC. Cover price $1.75.
X-/Ghost Rider Crossover – Part 2 of 4 - " Blood Feud!" Guest-starring the X-Men. Written by Howard Mackie. Art by Ron Wagner and Mike Witherby.
Story continued from X-Men (1991 1st Series) #8. In New Orleans, a black clad assassin kills Bernard le Branche. Ghost Rider arrives in New Orleans seeking Johnny Blaze's help in healing Dan Ketch, but ruminates on his lack of self-knowledge and the fragility of his tether to humanity. Outside the city, the X-Men, en route to prevent a bloody war between the Thieves' and Assassins' Guild, are pulled over by Deputy Sheriff. Wolverine and Jubilee subdue the deputy, while Cyclops and Gambit destroyed his car.
While riding in through the citys alleyways, Ghost Rider witnesses the assassin's murder of another Guild thief and his pregnant wife. The assassin lures Ghost Rider underground where he is surrounded by Guild Assassins, who transform into Brood drones and restrain him. The X-Men reunite with Bella Donna Boudreaux and Rogue, who arrived ahead to perform recon. The X-Men and Bella Donna find the murdered Thief couple, but Wolverine's senses direct them to the assassins underground layer. The Brood then attacks the X-Men, who are horrified to see that one of the Brood has taking Ghost Rider as a host.
Story continues in X-Men (1991 1st Series) #9.
32 pages, FC. Cover price $1.75.
"You Can't Go Home Again!" Written by Howard Mackie. Art by Ron Wagner and Mike Witherby.
Stern announces to the Firm's technicians that Blackout will deliver Ghost Rider to them, in return for restoring his facial features. That night, the Firm releases Blackout from Evergreen Hospital. After killing a Firm surveillance team, Blackout calls Dan and taunts him, threatening to kill someone close to him, and if Ghost Rider shows up, all his loved ones will die. Elsewhere, angered over Blackouts release, the Firm orders Stern to return with Blackout, or suffer excruciating pain.
Dan arrives at Stacy's too late to protect the Dolan's, and Blackout lures him back home, where he has also captured Francis and Jack. Their fight leads to the cemetery, where blackout slits Dan's throat. Dan's spirit watches his body transform into Ghost Rider. Blackout panics and runs, but Ghost Rider pursues. Stern appears and attempts to recapture Blackout, but Ghost Rider arrives, ready to punish both villains. When the task force's helicopter arrives, Ghost Rider leaves, with Stern and Blackout in tow. The next morning, a police search fails to find Ghost Rider, who is hiding in a crypt with the Cypress Hills Joker' s help. He uses part of his chain to seal Blackout and Stern in a coffin. Afraid to risk Dan's life by transforming, he decides to leave for New Orleans, and seek the help of Johnny Blaze.
32 pages, FC. Cover price $2.75.
Part 4 of 4 - "Youve Got to Have Faith!" Guest-starring Spider-Man. Written by Howard Mackie. Art by Mark Texeira.
Spider-Man wants to bring the Hobgoblin to justice. Ghost Rider just wants vengeance. Something has to give.
32 pages, FC. Cover price $1.75.
