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Publication history
COMIC BOOK
HISTORY
Ten volumes of the main title, a dozen spin-offs and a publishing life that mirrors every fashion in American comics from the 1970s horror boom to the 2020s event machine.
The main title, volume by volume
| Vol. | Dates | Issues | Lead | Notable creators |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Feb–Nov 1967 | 7 | Carter Slade (Western) | Gary Friedrich, Roy Thomas, Dick Ayers |
| — | Aug 1972–1973 | Marvel Spotlight #5–11 | Johnny Blaze | Friedrich, Mike Ploog, Jim Mooney |
| 2 | Sep 1973–Jun 1983 | 81 | Johnny Blaze | Friedrich, Tony Isabella, Jim Shooter, Michael Fleisher, Roger Stern, J.M. DeMatteis; Gil Kane, Don Perlin, Bob Budiansky |
| 3 | May 1990–Feb 1998 | 93 (+#94, 2007) | Danny Ketch | Howard Mackie, Ivan Velez Jr.; Javier Saltares, Mark Texeira, Ron Garney, Salvador Larroca |
| 4 | Jul 2001–Jan 2002 | 6 | Johnny Blaze | Devin Grayson, Trent Kaniuga (Marvel Knights) |
| 5 | Nov 2005–Apr 2006 | 6 | Johnny Blaze — "Road to Damnation" | Garth Ennis, Clayton Crain |
| 6 | Sep 2006–Jul 2009 | 35 | Johnny Blaze; Danny Ketch | Daniel Way, Jason Aaron; Mark Texeira, Javier Saltares, Roland Boschi, Tan Eng Huat |
| 7 | Aug 2011–May 2012 | 9 (+0.1) | Alejandra Jones | Rob Williams, Matthew Clark |
| 8 | Jan–May 2017 | 5 | Robbie Reyes | Felipe Smith, Danilo Beyruth |
| 9 | Dec 2019–Sep 2020 | 7 | Johnny Blaze & Danny Ketch — King of Hell | Ed Brisson, Aaron Kuder, Juan Frigeri |
| 10 | Apr 2022–Feb 2024 | 21 (+Annual) | Johnny Blaze | Benjamin Percy, Cory Smith |
THE 1970s
Horror comes to Marvel
The 1971 revision of the Comics Code re-admitted vampires, ghouls and werewolves, and Marvel built a horror line overnight. Ghost Rider debuted in Marvel Spotlight #5, moved to his own book in 1973 and stayed there for a decade — through the Champions (1975–78), team-ups with Spider-Man, Daredevil and the Thing, and a steady drift from monster-of-the-month stories toward the character study that ended the run.
J.M. DeMatteis's closing issues (#77–81, 1983) named and expelled Zarathos and gave Johnny Blaze a rare thing in superhero comics: a real ending.
THE 1990s
Ketch, Midnight Sons and the boom
The 1990 relaunch by Mackie and Saltares hit at the peak of the speculator market. Ghost Rider vol. 3 was a top-selling book; it spawned Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance (1992–94), Blaze (1994–95), Ghost Rider 2099 (1994–96), Midnight Sons Unlimited, and the whole Midnight Sons imprint of supernatural titles. The 1992 Rise of the Midnight Sons crossover and 1993's Siege of Darkness were line-wide events.
By the late 1990s the market had collapsed; the series ended in 1998 with its final issue unpublished for nearly a decade.
THE 2000s
Marvel Knights and the Ennis reset
A six-issue Marvel Knights series in 2001 (Devin Grayson, Trent Kaniuga) and Garth Ennis's painted Road to Damnation (2005) and Trail of Tears (2007) with Clayton Crain restored the character's horror credentials just as the first film arrived. Daniel Way's 2006 ongoing and Jason Aaron's run from #20 (2008) rebuilt the mythology — Zadkiel, Heaven's design, an army of Riders — and remain the most acclaimed modern stretch.
THE 2010s
New hosts
Marvel tried a new host twice in three years: Alejandra Jones (2011) and Robbie Reyes (2014). All-New Ghost Rider ran twelve issues; Robbie returned for a 2016–17 series, then joined Jason Aaron's Avengers in 2018. Cosmic Ghost Rider (2017) became an unexpected hit, headlining three miniseries. Damnation (2018) put Johnny Blaze on the throne of Hell, and the 2019–20 series dealt with the consequences.
THE 2020s
Percy, Pirzada and the Violent Era
Benjamin Percy's Ghost Rider (2022–24) was the longest Blaze-led run since the 1970s, extended by the Weapons of Vengeance crossover with Wolverine, Final Vengeance (2024) and Vengeance Forever. Sabir Pirzada's Spirits of Vengeance (2024–25) and Spirits of Violence (2025–26) gathered every Rider into one story. Marvel's collected-edition programme — Omnibuses, Epic Collections and a Percy Omnibus scheduled for 2026 — has meanwhile put the whole history back in print.