By Matt Powell
For Daniel Way and Ghost Rider, the ride has come to an end.
Writer Way caps off a year and a half long run on GHOST RIDER alongside artists Javier Saltares and Mark Texeira with January 9's issue #19 and the conclusion of the appropriately titled "Revelations." Looking back on his journey, the writer has plenty of his own secrets to reveal.
"['Revelations'] was supposed to be the first arc of the series," explains Way. "Because of the revelations in the story, it was decided to hold off until after the [Ghost Rider] film. So, give or take a few months, I've been working on 'Revelations' for about two years."
Between startling story reveals and the major motion picture of the flame-headed hero portrayed by Nicolas Cage, Way still had plenty of time to fine tune his overall arc on GHOST RIDER. Rather than begin his take on the fiery biker with a surprising boom, the scribe took the route of bringing Ghost Rider and his alter-ego, Johnny Blaze, back to their roots.
"Ghost Rider is a power," sums up Way of the series' supernatural star. "A force made into shape by its human host. It only wants one thing: vengeance. It's a constant."
"Johnny also is a constant," the writer continues. "He always wants to do the right thing; which, in many cases, is not the same as what Ghost Rider wants. At the root, Johnny's character is that of a wide-eyed innocent."
Although Johnny Blaze may have hit the road with wide eyes, Way's kept his own pupils on the prize. Prior to GHOST RIDER, the writer gained steam and acclaim penning the prelude to the stellar "Planet Hulk" storyline in INCREDIBLE HULK as well as with a stint on WOLVERINE and to launch the current WOLVERINE: ORIGINS series.
Even with brutal arcs on gritty series like WOLVERINE under his belt, Way's still amazed with what he got away with on GHOST RIDER, including gory violence and even Immaculate Conception!
"Isn't there someone at Marvel who's supposed to censor stuff like that," jokes Way.
Blood-soaked violence and miraculous pregnancies aside, the scribe made sure his time writing GHOST RIDER proved as wild as the series' star's brawls with the devil. When comics legend Richard Corben came knocking to guest pencil the "Hell To Pay" arc revealing the death of Johnny Blaze, Way couldn't contain his glee or eagerness to work with the living legend.
"I own one 'classic' comic," deadpans Way. "One. It's a second printing of [Corben's] Rowlf #1. I cannot wait to work with Corben again! [It] may be sooner than you think."
Literally playing Devil's Advocate, Way's brought his vengeance-seeking protagonist through hell and back, with a legion of devils incarnate and a rampaging Hulk thrown in for good measure.
Looking back, the scribe holds "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Illinois" arc as his personal favorite story, and fondly recalls the 'tombstone zombie coaching' by the arc's foe, Jack O'Lantern, as one of his favorite lines. As for the writer's favorite throw down? It's one you might expect, but haven't seen:
"My favorite fight is the final one between Ghost Rider and Lucifer."
Moving forward, if you're chomping at the bit to find out what the conclusion of "Revelations" means for Ghost Rider's world, you're going to have to wait a little longer since Way reminds fans, he "spent two years on this story" and isn't about to spill the beans about his status quo-altering tale now.
Way will admit one thing: his experience with the Spirit of Vengeance has exceeded his expectations.
"From working with Javier and Tex to meeting the Ghost Rider fans to hopefully adding something meaningful to the character—it's been awesome," concludes a grateful Way.
But don't expect the Rider to go off into to sunset without Way at the wheel. February's issue #20 will mark the debut of the new creative team of writer Jason Aaron and artist Roland Boschi, and promises to deliver revelations all its own.
GHOST RIDER #19 motors into stores on January 9. In the mean time, check out the very first issue of Daniel Way's GHOST RIDER plus much more at Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited.
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