Issue(s): Ghost Rider #50
Cover Date: Jun 94
Title: "Reborn -- again / A lover's eyes"
Credits:
Howard Mackie - Writer
Ron Garney / Roger Cruz - Penciler
Al Williamson / Troy Hubbs, Andrew Pepoy, & Mike DeCarlo - Inker
James Felder - Assistant Editor
Bobbie Chase - Editor

Review/plot:
I love how even the title of this issue (the main story) is bored with Ghost Rider's deaths and resurrections.

At the start of this issue, Ghost Rider is already back and stopping crimes. Michael Badilino bumps into Johnny Blaze at the Cyprus Hill cemetery and they go into the mausoleum where Danny Ketch's remains were kept, and indeed find Ghost Rider. Ghost Rider says that he's bound to Zarathos in some mysterious way and that eventually they'll have to deal with that, but "not tonight". Ghost Rider initially refuses to change back into Danny, but Badilino convinces him. Johnny then takes Danny home. Badilino stays behind, and is attacked by Hellgate - who is somehow partially responsible for Ghost Rider's return - on the way out. Hellgate has analyzed data from Badilino's fights with his minions and is able to prevent Badilino from transforming into Vengeance. Badilino runs to where Johnny and Danny are meeting with their families. During the subsequent fight, Hellgate seemingly kills Blaze's wife and kids.

Ghost Rider then tears off Hellgate's hand...

...and gives him the penance stare. But Hellgate still manages to escape. And he's captured Badilino and says he'll use him to fight Ghost Rider.

Johnny Blaze says that his Roxanne is definitely dead, but he can find no evidence of his kids' remains. He also blames Blaze for his family's death and breaks off relations with him.

In a 10 page bonus story, Danny and Stacy Dolan come to grips with Danny's return and the fact that he had been hiding his secret ID from her. Then they fight some armored goons who are kidnapping an electrical worker for Flag-Smasher (the target had the access codes for the entire east coast's power grid).

"He fascinates me."

Imagine thinking this was promoting your next issue:

Quality Rating: D

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: Ghost Rider's return means he can appear in other books again. This takes place before Blaze #1. Vengeance is captured in this issue and shouldn't appear elsewhere until Ghost Rider #52.

Johnny Blaze's kids somehow wind up held by Ba'al-Hadad after this, despite no such indication in this story. The MCP list him as behind-the-scenes, and i've tagged him as "appearing". I'm also listing Flag-Smasher, since the goons are said to be reporting back to him.

References:

• Ghost Rider seemingly died in Spirits of Vengeance #18. That's also when Stacy learned Danny's secret ID.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

One thing that needs to be made clear about Hellgate- his powers are scientific, not magical. For example, although he has wings like a demon, he got them through genetic engineering. He helped bring Ghost Rider back by bombarding Cypress Hill Cemetery will every known spectrum of energy.

All these years later I still have no clue what the point was in killing Ghost Rider off just to bring him back five months later.

I found Hellgate to be boring right from the start. I also think it's lazy writing to bring in a new villain and try to show how evil and powerful he is by having him kill a long-time member of the supporting cast.