Richard Corben guest pencils these issues, which alternates between a present-day fight and a flashback to tell the story of Johnny Blaze being sent to Hell.
In the past, Johnny Blaze gets arrested and ends up being tested by an angel and a demon. They put Johnny in a situation where his own desire for mortal vengeance overtakes him, and he chooses to become Ghost Rider–at which point, the demon shoots him. Once dead, Blaze goes to Hell.
The Devil has absorbed several of the fragments destroyed by Ghost Rider, so he’s more powerful now–strong enough to rip off Johnny’s leg and beat him with it.
Nice!
In order to win the fight, Blaze has to release the Zarathos from inside him. After destroying the body occupied by Satan, Ghost Rider reverts to Johnny Blaze form with no memory of what happened during the fight.
I have to admit that the flashback sequence that is supposed to be a big “reveal” of how Johnny ended up in Hell–a story we haven’t seen yet–was confusing. I kept waiting for some big reveal to happen and it just didn’t.
Still, overall, this was a solid Ghost Rider story. The second in a row for Mr. Way. Well done.
Outside in the limo, Bedelstraum tells Johnny that the gun was used to kill a bartender a few nights ago, while Clay admits that Bedelstraum gave the gun to him to give to Blaze. Johnny’s eyes widen as he starts to put the pieces together, and his fears are confirmed when Clay announces that they set him up. Bedelstraum goads Johnny into releasing the Ghost Rider, but Blaze fights the transformation, angry and confused at what’s happening. Johnny asks why they did this to him, that they had a deal…and Bedelstraum replies, “you’re right, we did have a deal.” Just as the transformation into the Ghost Rider begins, Blaze turns to find Clay’s pistol pointed at his face – and then the back window of the car is shattered by a gunshot. Blaze falls into darkness, and when he awakens the Ghost Rider is in Hell, greeted by Lucifer, who tells him it’s “time to pay up”. Back in the limousine, Clay sticks the pistol in his mouth and pulls the trigger, moving on to his final reward. Bedelstraum receives a call on his cell phone and, later, attends a meeting with Strahorn. The two discuss a proposition, while their casting shadows reveal Bedelstraum as a demon and Strahorn as an angel.