Ghost Rider: Cycle of Vengeance Vol 1 1

Johnny Blaze, the Ghost Rider, rides through the streets of New York City and accidentally witnesses two men killing another. Wanting no part of what's happened, he rides on, but is then chased by the killers. Upon trapping him in an alley, the men are shocked to see Blaze's flaming skull. The Ghost Rider points his finger, causing flame to erupt on the ground. The men make a run for it, and Blaze rides back to Madison Square Garden, where he transforms back into his human form. He thinks back to try and remember what happened, hoping to find some answers in the past.

Johnny's father, Barton Blaze, died in a motorcycle accident when his son was very young. Johnny was then adopted by Crash Simpson, another stunt rider that ran his own cycle show with his wife Mona and daughter Roxanne. Johnny grew into adolescence, and had followed his step-father's footsteps by taking up cycle riding. When he was fifteen, his motorcycle caught fire during a practice session. Though he attempted to save his family, Mona Simpson is killed in the bike's explosion. Before she dies, she makes Johnny promise her that he'll never ride in the show due to the danger, which he agrees to. Five years later, Johnny is discovered riding in secret by Roxanne, who tells him that she is in love with him. Later on, Crash tells the two that he has cancer,and that the show's performance at Madison Square Garden will be his last, if he lives to even see that.

Determined to keep his step-father from dying, Johnny researches some occult books, finally using them to summon "Satan" (actually the demon lord Mephisto, in one of his many forms). In exchange for Johnny's soul, the devil will spare Crash Simpson from the cancer that's killing him. Three weeks later, Crash tells Johnny that he plans to try and break the world's cycle jump record at the Garden. Johnny knows he'll be fine, due to the deal he made with Satan. When Crash attempts to jump it, he doesn't make it, and dies in the resulting accident. Furious at what happened, Blaze suits up, mounts a bike, and does the same stunt... and makes it, breaking the world record. That night, Satan returns to claim Johnny's soul, claiming that he only said he'd spare Crash from the disease and nothing else. As Mephisto prepares to take Johnny to Hell, Roxanne enters and banishes the demon with the pure essence of her soul. She tells Johnny that she read his books behind his back, and learned how to send the devil away. The next night, however, Johnny begins to burn with fever, until his head suddenly transforms into a flaming skull. Every night since, he has undergone the transformation into... the Ghost Rider!

After a seven year absence from comics, the Ghost Rider returns in a new role as the Spirit of Vengeance. The reemergence occurs on Halloween night in the Cypress Hills area of Brooklyn, New York. The new beginning of the Rider in Marvel Comics starts with Barbara Ketch dragging her younger brother, Daniel into the Cypress Hills Cemetery to visit Harry Houdini's grave. Daniel continues to try and talk Barbara out of the excursion as he follows along with the camera bags. Cypress Hills is known for its cemeteries, this cemetery, however, is one of the most notorious for tales of witchcraft, cults, and religious fanatics; child abductions have been attributed to all the above. One year previous, five kids from Ridgewood disappeared here and Daniel is, rightfully, scared.

Ignoring Daniel's pleas, Barbara insists on seeing the psychics attempt to contact the magician, Houdini, from beyond the grave-with pictures for proof. While walking through the graves, a group of masked teenagers calling themselves the Cypress Pool Jokers jump from behind the tombstones and scare Barb and Danny. After making fun of Danny and the fact he almost jumped out of his skin because of silly masks, they attempt to steal the camera bag strapped over his shoulder, but Barb is too quick for them and fights off the teens. Daniel was no help and he knows it. The Jokers run off and Barb and Danny continue toward the gravesite until a gunshot and scream stop their trek. Barb thinks it is something exciting and she has a camera, Danny does not have her enthusiasm and wants to leave. Barb is older. Barbara Ketch does not need her brother's help. Barb wins.

Following the sound of the gunshot, Danny, going along with his big sister, finds himself at the edge of the graveyard staring down into Gallagher's Junkyard next door. The Cypress Pool Jokers are also watching the events in the junkyard unfold. Unfortunately for both the Ketches and the Jokers, they stumbled on the beginnings of a war between Deathwatch and the Kingpin. Deathwatch killed one of Kingpin's couriers (the gunshot) and Kingpin's men are in a heavily armed showdown with the masked villain. The courier was carrying a briefcase and both parties want it. Kingpin’s henchman appreciated the new player in the New York game, but killing a courier is frowned upon, and rules are rules in the underworld... They aimed their weapons. Deathwath, expecting this turn of events, snaps his fingers calling forth masked assassins who take out one of Kingpin's men, Deathwatch kills another.

In the ensuing battle, Barb screams as Deathwatch breaks his opponent's neck. It was the last sound she made. Seeing visitors in the graveyard, an unnamed masked assassin fires a crossbow arrow through Barbara Ketch's chest. The firefight continues and the Jokers steal the briefcase thinking it may be drugs or money. Daniel drags his sister away from the assault and carries her deeper into the junkyard. The Jokers run off with their prize. Deathwatch splits up his men to acquire the briefcase and to eliminate all witnesses.

The masked assassins found the Joker, Paulie, with the briefcase, near the spot where Daniel was trying to hide his injured sister. Scared and telling himself he would save Barbara, Daniel pulls her into a large pile of wreckage. The assassins try to coax him out by telling him they only want to help, but Daniel is scared; so much blood, Barb's blood, is on his hands. The assassins have the young Joker, Paulie, with a katana at her throat; Barbara is dying, Danny is scared, and the junkyard starts to light up. Headlights from dead cars light the blackness and Daniel sees a motorcycle in the heap. The bike is pristine. It should not be there, but Daniel drags his sister to the bike. So much blood. Innocent blood. He touches the medallion on the bike. The ground shakes and a light pours from the junkyard as the assassins throw grenades into the wreckage. The Ghost Rider emerges.

The Spirit of Vengeance hosted by Danny Ketch comes out of the wreckage on a bike with flaming wheels to match the hellfire on Ghost Rider's skull. He takes out the assassins, giving one the Penance Stare making the assassin’s soul feel all the pain he has ever caused in his life. New York's finest show up on what they think is a routine public disturbance call. They surround the Rider thinking him to be in a Halloween costume. The arrest did not go to well. The Rider says the girl (Barbara) needed medical attention and fought off the police. Several cruisers chased him but were not able to catch the hell fired motorcycle.

Later that night, in the Salem Fields area of the Cypress Hills Cemetery, another transformation takes place as the Ghost Rider became Daniel Ketch once more. Daniel, still with blood on his hands, ran. He left the motorcycle in the graveyard and ran in a daze to St. John's Hospital. He came through the emergency room doors, covered in blood, into the arms of his mother, Mrs. Ketch, his girlfriend, Stacy Dolan, and her father, Captain Dolan of the NYPD.

Meanwhile, Deathwatch and Kingpin both learn of their henchmen’s failures, Deathwatch through his ability to read others minds by looking through their eyes, and Kingpin through his assistants, who are always present and informed. Both are after the Rider and the Cypress Pool Jokers.

The Cypress Pool Jokers meet in their hideout in Salem Fields and discover neither drugs nor money in the suitcase. They find three canisters. Instead of just ditching the briefcase and its contents, Paulie and the Jokers decide to hide the three canisters in different areas of the cemetery so no one will find them.

Daniel, recovering in the hospital, goes to talk to Barbara. She was brought in by the police with serious injuries and is in a comatose state. He explains how he wanted to help her, protect her, and that he needs her. He leaves on his new bike hoping the "magic" in the motorcycle will save her.

Still later that night, Deathwatch's assassins and Kingpin’s men track down the Jokers on Jamaica Avenue. An attempted interrogation of the Jokers results in another shootout between the rival gangs, and Ralphie, a Joker, is stabbed in the chest with a katana. Again, Danny Ketch turns into the Ghost Rider to help the Cypress Pool Jokers. When the Rider shows on Jamaica, he handles both gangs and tells the children (the Jokers) not to be afraid. He then takes the injured teen to the same hospital where Barbara lays in a coma.

The next day, the Daily Bugle gave the Ghost Rider the front page. Was he a deadly criminal who fought off the police with a flame wheeled motorcycle, or a hero for saving a kid's life? The Kingpin nor Deathwatch cared, they wanted the canisters, the Cypress Pool Jokers, and the Ghost Rider. Danny Ketch, on the other hand, sat in the hospital and listened to his sister's heart monitor wondering why he could not save her and what he had become.

Ghost Rider is trapped in Hell. He is being tormented by Lucifer, with the hope of escape from Hell. When he finally starts to lose his nerve he starts pounding on the ground and uncovers the demon, Greexix. He believes that Greexix is a spy of Lucifer when a group of Lucifer's soldiers ride towards them, Ghost Rider prepares to battle but they grab Greexix with a whip and flee. As they ride off Greexix yells to Ghost Rider that he knows the way out of Hell. At Lucifer's castle, Greexix is brought before Lucifer and is sentenced to punishment for leaving "the pit", Greexix tells him working in the pit has caused him blindness but Lucifer decides to have him tortured, one of his men informs Lucifer of Greexix's conversation with Ghost Rider. A little later, Ghost Rider bursts in, with no plan, and picks up Greexix with his chain. He jumps over the pit on his bike as the army of Lucifer goes around. They run into a cave in a mountain where they discover water, Ghost Rider makes a deal with Greexix saying that they will escape Hell together, but Johnny really plans to leave the demon behind. As they shake hands, Greexix reveals himself to be Lucifer in disguise and Ghost Rider sinks into the water. Back on Earth an army of souls rises from the sea, amongst them is Ghost Rider.