What do you think?
Rate this book
Ghost Rider (2006) (Collected Editions) #5
Ghost Rider, Vol. 1: Hell Bent & Heaven Bound
Through the years, Johnny Blaze has lost everything to the curse of the Ghost Rider - his family, his life, even his soul. But now, at long last, Johnny finally knows who's responsible for turning him into a flame-headed horror-show on wheels, and he's hitting the road, looking for vengeance and answers - but mostly just vengeance! Collects Ghost Rider #20-25.
141 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 12, 2008
About the author
Jason Aaron
2,364 books1,709 followersJason Aaron grew up in a small town in Alabama. His cousin, Gustav Hasford, who wrote the semi-autobiographical novel The Short-Timers, on which the feature film Full Metal Jacket was based, was a large influence on Aaron. Aaron decided he wanted to write comics as a child, and though his father was skeptical when Aaron informed him of this aspiration, his mother took Aaron to drug stores, where he would purchase books from spinner racks, some of which he still owns today.
Aaron's career in comics began in 2001 when he won a Marvel Comics talent search contest with an eight-page Wolverine back-up story script. The story, which was published in Wolverine #175 (June 2002), gave him the opportunity to pitch subsequent ideas to editors.
In 2006, Aaron made a blind submission to DC/Vertigo, who published his first major work, the Vietnam War story The Other Side which was nominated for an Eisner Award for Best Miniseries, and which Aaron regards as the "second time" he broke into the industry.
Following this, Vertigo asked him to pitch other ideas, which led to the series Scalped, a creator-owned series set on the fictional Prairie Rose Indian Reservation and published by DC/Vertigo.
In 2007, Aaron wrote Ripclaw: Pilot Season for Top Cow Productions. Later that year, Marvel editor Axel Alonso, who was impressed by The Other Side and Scalped, hired Aaron to write issues of Wolverine, Black Panther and eventually, an extended run on Ghost Rider that began in April 2008. His continued work on Black Panther also included a tie-in to the company-wide crossover storyline along with a "Secret Invasion" with David Lapham in 2009.
In January 2008, he signed an exclusive contract with Marvel, though it would not affect his work on Scalped. Later that July, he wrote the Penguin issue of The Joker's Asylum.
After a 4-issue stint on Wolverine in 2007, Aaron returned to the character with the ongoing series Wolverine: Weapon X, launched to coincide with the feature film X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Aaron commented, "With Wolverine: Weapon X we'll be trying to mix things up like that from arc to arc, so the first arc is a typical sort of black ops story but the second arc will jump right into the middle of a completely different genre," In 2010, the series was relaunched once again as simply Wolverine. He followed this with his current run on Thor: God of Thunder.
Aaron's career in comics began in 2001 when he won a Marvel Comics talent search contest with an eight-page Wolverine back-up story script. The story, which was published in Wolverine #175 (June 2002), gave him the opportunity to pitch subsequent ideas to editors.
In 2006, Aaron made a blind submission to DC/Vertigo, who published his first major work, the Vietnam War story The Other Side which was nominated for an Eisner Award for Best Miniseries, and which Aaron regards as the "second time" he broke into the industry.
Following this, Vertigo asked him to pitch other ideas, which led to the series Scalped, a creator-owned series set on the fictional Prairie Rose Indian Reservation and published by DC/Vertigo.
In 2007, Aaron wrote Ripclaw: Pilot Season for Top Cow Productions. Later that year, Marvel editor Axel Alonso, who was impressed by The Other Side and Scalped, hired Aaron to write issues of Wolverine, Black Panther and eventually, an extended run on Ghost Rider that began in April 2008. His continued work on Black Panther also included a tie-in to the company-wide crossover storyline along with a "Secret Invasion" with David Lapham in 2009.
In January 2008, he signed an exclusive contract with Marvel, though it would not affect his work on Scalped. Later that July, he wrote the Penguin issue of The Joker's Asylum.
After a 4-issue stint on Wolverine in 2007, Aaron returned to the character with the ongoing series Wolverine: Weapon X, launched to coincide with the feature film X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Aaron commented, "With Wolverine: Weapon X we'll be trying to mix things up like that from arc to arc, so the first arc is a typical sort of black ops story but the second arc will jump right into the middle of a completely different genre," In 2010, the series was relaunched once again as simply Wolverine. He followed this with his current run on Thor: God of Thunder.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
June 13, 2021
This feels more like a Vertigo book than a Marvel one. Maybe that's because it's basically Preacher masquerading as Ghost Rider. An angel has rebelled and is besieging Heaven. The same angel turns out is also responsible for the Spirit of Vengeance and he's got his minions running around getting Johnny Blaze to chase himself in circles for 6 issues.
Roland Boschi and Tan Eng Huat's art isn't great. Boschi's is sketchy and while Huat's is out of proportion making everyone look like they are ghosts with wavy limbs.
Roland Boschi and Tan Eng Huat's art isn't great. Boschi's is sketchy and while Huat's is out of proportion making everyone look like they are ghosts with wavy limbs.
December 14, 2014
“You know how many people God kills in the Bible? I mean, if you add up all the floods and plagues and fire ‘n’ brimstone. All the ‘God Smote’ this, ‘God Smote’ that… you know how many people he kills? Millions. And what about the Devil? The big scary Devil. What do you think his body count comes to? A paltry TEN. The seven sons and three daughters of Job. And that’s only after making a bet with God. Look it up. Kinda raises a big question. Between Heaven and Hell… which one should we really be afraid of?” - Johnny Blaze aka Ghost Rider
If there’s one character type Jason Aaron can write the shit out of, it’s the mean surly type with a major chip on his shoulder. The Punisher, Wolverine, Dash Bad Horse all fit the bill as does Johnny Blaze the Ghost Rider who, in this book, is after the guy who made him the Spirit of Vengeance’s host. And wouldn’t you know it, it’s the supposed good guys: an angel called Zadkiel!
Blaze fires up his wheels and sets out to find a way to get to Heaven and settle the score. And what better place to start looking than Aaron’s favourite location in the world: the American South.
Aaron’s first Ghost Rider book is a bit of a product of its time. It was published in 2008 during the great Grindhouse revival which today is well worn out but back then was still very much in. So there are machine-gun toting nurses galore, cannibal ghosts, and lots of crazy stunts gleefully peppering the book.
But as played out as Grindhouse is, this book is still so much fun to read. It’s a quintessential Jason Aaron book from the Southern setting to the angry loner lead to the excessive violence and joyful blaspheming throughout; if you’re a big fan of Aaron’s like I am, you’re gonna take to this like BBQ and beer.
The art is the only real weakness of the book. Roland Boschi’s work is fine but nothing special. It’s a bit too sketchy with the pencils and doesn’t really live up to the rock’n’roll script Aaron delivers. Tan Eng Huat draws a couple issues too and his art again is acceptable for a Marvel comic but I wanted some real fire on the page and I wasn’t feeling it with Huat’s pages.
It’s loud, silly and ultimately throwaway but Jason Aaron’s first Ghost Rider book is an enormously enjoyable read. It’s an energetic start to his run and I love the indicators for where he’s taking the story. Definitely worth checking out if you’re a fan of the writer or the character.
If there’s one character type Jason Aaron can write the shit out of, it’s the mean surly type with a major chip on his shoulder. The Punisher, Wolverine, Dash Bad Horse all fit the bill as does Johnny Blaze the Ghost Rider who, in this book, is after the guy who made him the Spirit of Vengeance’s host. And wouldn’t you know it, it’s the supposed good guys: an angel called Zadkiel!
Blaze fires up his wheels and sets out to find a way to get to Heaven and settle the score. And what better place to start looking than Aaron’s favourite location in the world: the American South.
Aaron’s first Ghost Rider book is a bit of a product of its time. It was published in 2008 during the great Grindhouse revival which today is well worn out but back then was still very much in. So there are machine-gun toting nurses galore, cannibal ghosts, and lots of crazy stunts gleefully peppering the book.
But as played out as Grindhouse is, this book is still so much fun to read. It’s a quintessential Jason Aaron book from the Southern setting to the angry loner lead to the excessive violence and joyful blaspheming throughout; if you’re a big fan of Aaron’s like I am, you’re gonna take to this like BBQ and beer.
The art is the only real weakness of the book. Roland Boschi’s work is fine but nothing special. It’s a bit too sketchy with the pencils and doesn’t really live up to the rock’n’roll script Aaron delivers. Tan Eng Huat draws a couple issues too and his art again is acceptable for a Marvel comic but I wanted some real fire on the page and I wasn’t feeling it with Huat’s pages.
It’s loud, silly and ultimately throwaway but Jason Aaron’s first Ghost Rider book is an enormously enjoyable read. It’s an energetic start to his run and I love the indicators for where he’s taking the story. Definitely worth checking out if you’re a fan of the writer or the character.
June 3, 2021
This is not the real Johnny Blaze, and that’s not how his powers work. The Ghost Rider’s Penance Stare doesn’t fail because a person is fine with their sins, or it would never work on the psychopaths and demon-ridden. It works regardless of how you feel. It burns your soul to the same degree that you trespassed against others, because there is an absolute right and an absolute wrong, and the Spirit of Vengeance has the ability to judge you for your sins.
Misunderstanding this means fundamentally not getting the character. It’d be like writing Iron Man who didn’t invent things, or the Invisible Woman who can’t turn invisible.
Aside from that, this is mostly just a Preacher riff with inconsistent art. Read Preacher, Volume 1: Gone to Texas instead.
Misunderstanding this means fundamentally not getting the character. It’d be like writing Iron Man who didn’t invent things, or the Invisible Woman who can’t turn invisible.
Aside from that, this is mostly just a Preacher riff with inconsistent art. Read Preacher, Volume 1: Gone to Texas instead.
May 27, 2023
Jason Aaron takes over the reins as writer for this volume, and so far I'm impressed. I personally think the Ghost Rider lore has gotten way too complicated, I liked it better when he was just the spirit of vengeance dealing out punishment to wrongdoers. Now hes actually an angel(?) and battling Heaven..it's just a little much for me. That being said, it's still an entertaining read, particularly if you try not to think too much about the baggage and just concentrate on the current storyline. Also, this volume seems to be taking GR back into horror rather than just "super hero" fiction, so that's a definite plus. The art is fitting as well. Not great, but good.
I'd recommend this volume to Ghost Rider fans for sure.
I'd recommend this volume to Ghost Rider fans for sure.
September 21, 2019
So this is apparently the start of the back half of Ghost Rider v6. Having learned that an angel was manipulating his transformation into Ghost Rider, Johnny Blaze decides to seek him out. Beginning a six-issue snipe hunt.
That's perhaps a bit unfair to the book, but the plot really does spin its wheels. Instead, the story's all about mood, which is one part Garth Ennis style violence and one part straight-up horror. It's not a bad look for Ghost Rider, other than the fact that the violence gets pretty long in the tooth pretty quickly.
Still, this is an intriguing volume, mainly for the question of where it's going. I wouldn't mind having a nice omnibus of the run on the shelf next to a few of Marvel's other top horror comics.
That's perhaps a bit unfair to the book, but the plot really does spin its wheels. Instead, the story's all about mood, which is one part Garth Ennis style violence and one part straight-up horror. It's not a bad look for Ghost Rider, other than the fact that the violence gets pretty long in the tooth pretty quickly.
Still, this is an intriguing volume, mainly for the question of where it's going. I wouldn't mind having a nice omnibus of the run on the shelf next to a few of Marvel's other top horror comics.
May 3, 2024
With the new author comes a fresh take on the Ghost Rider. And, oh, it's a dream! A southern drawl, zombies, hot nurses and, most importantly, a new adversary who might be worse than the devil. The artwork is a bit iffy, but the covers are gorgeous.
Johnny is aiming to have stern words with the angel Zadkiel who is responsible for him becoming the Ghost Rider. The only issue is he has to get to heaven somehow. His break comes when he finds out about a man named Lucas who died before being brought back to life by paramedics. Lucas claims that, while dead, he saw angels in heaven, but the scary kind. The hospital where he in being held in run by followers of the angel Zadkiel.
Johnny is aiming to have stern words with the angel Zadkiel who is responsible for him becoming the Ghost Rider. The only issue is he has to get to heaven somehow. His break comes when he finds out about a man named Lucas who died before being brought back to life by paramedics. Lucas claims that, while dead, he saw angels in heaven, but the scary kind. The hospital where he in being held in run by followers of the angel Zadkiel.
June 12, 2016
My only complaint is that the handlebars on Johnny Blaze's v-twin are damned ridiculous. Everything else: the sexy machine-gun toting nurses, the fifth generation cannibal guy, and of course the anti-hero with the flaming-skull head, were freaking awesome.
April 11, 2010
I love the character the Ghost Rider,
and I usually love the writing of Jason Aaron.
This book?
Meh.
and I usually love the writing of Jason Aaron.
This book?
Meh.
December 24, 2017
The starting point of Jason Aaron’s Ghost Rider run, this is the slightly grittier beginning to what winds up being a story with the highest possible stakes. Aaron’s writing is fantastic here, mixing gritty road stories and occult action and eschatological superhero weirdness into a heady, spicy stew that I adore every second of. His art team follows suit, giving the Rider some truly amazing visuals to go with the bizarre plot (though I will say they are often guilty of me not fully understanding what is going on in some panels). If you like old EC horror comics or the 90s and 00s Prophecy/End Of Days type of Biblical thrillers, and thought they might need some noir sensibilities and superhero high-concept mixed in, you have found your comics match.
October 24, 2019
My first ghost rider book. Exciting writing. Reminds me of dusk till dawn or Buffy the vampire slayer, fun horror. The artwork is great. The ghost rider is such a compelling image; flames, motorcycles, and skulls are just cool. And nurses with guns are sexy fun. I’m not very into the character of Johnny blaze. I suspect the ghost rider would be cooler if he couldn’t speak. Loved the Bible thumping ending.
What I learned: There are multiple towns in America named Bucksnort.
What I learned: There are multiple towns in America named Bucksnort.
June 5, 2022
Pretty easy reading - doesn’t take much of a breath in the first couple of issues, and is forgiveably introspective-ish in the rest - but not quite as hardcore/heavy-metal as I was expecting from the man who soaked us in the sweat and misery of Scalped, or the hair-metal madness that followed in Thor.
Still, a far better & unapologetic emissary of vengeance than I’ve seen a lot of other versions of Blaze in. No question this is a dude with lead flowing through his veins.
Still, a far better & unapologetic emissary of vengeance than I’ve seen a lot of other versions of Blaze in. No question this is a dude with lead flowing through his veins.
August 30, 2025
Jason Aaron ha uno stile decisamente diverso da Daniel Way, ma devo ammettere che finora non mi dispiace.
Nonostante le premesse di questa run (), ci sono dei momenti in cui la trama pare quasi non prendersi troppo sul serio, con elementi al limite del caricaturale (uno su tutti: ) o momenti di humour che però non stonano, in quanto comunque ben calibrati all'interno della narrazione e dell'atmosfera, pur sempre macabra, della storia.
Nonostante le premesse di questa run (), ci sono dei momenti in cui la trama pare quasi non prendersi troppo sul serio, con elementi al limite del caricaturale (uno su tutti: ) o momenti di humour che però non stonano, in quanto comunque ben calibrati all'interno della narrazione e dell'atmosfera, pur sempre macabra, della storia.
February 2, 2018
Jason Aaron takes over the book and keeps it moving into the nutty, Vertigo-ish direction. I found myself laughing out loud during action beats and ridiculous one liners. It's like a grindhouse picture with a budget.
August 10, 2019
Not great. This is what happens when writers run out of ideas so they go back and expand the origin story at the expense of continuity. As a huge fan of the Midnight Sons, the idea that an angel set all the spirits of vengeance stuff to take over heaven is pretty lame.
May 6, 2019
Interesting artwork that does not seem traditional to marvel books. Classic Ghost Rider heaven versus hell, morality themes are played out here.
March 23, 2020
20-23, Hell-Bent and Heaven-Bound, ☆☆☆☆☆
24-25, God Don't Live on Cell Block D, ☆☆☆☆☆
24-25, God Don't Live on Cell Block D, ☆☆☆☆☆
October 24, 2021
I thought this volume much better than the Daniel Way Ghost Rider series.
It still urks me how the art style of Blaze and his motorcycle will suddenly change between issues.
It still urks me how the art style of Blaze and his motorcycle will suddenly change between issues.
August 6, 2024
I liked the horror and religious undertones, but the art was janky in some places.
January 27, 2009
Jason Aaron takes over writing chores of G.R. and makes the book crazy awesome! Ghost Rider is a biker with a fiery skeleton for a head. You can't take him seriously and Jason Aaron doesn't. In this book, GR looks for a way to go to Heaven and kick some serious rogue angel ass. Blocking his way are a group of sexy nurses who serve said angel. Sexy nurses with sniper rifles.
February 11, 2009
Great writing by Jason Aaron. Shame the art is not at the same level.
March 2, 2009
Who knew a Ghost Rider comic would be so much fun? Jason Aaron proves once again how capable of a writer he is.
February 3, 2012
Everything you could want in a Ghost Rider book. Reminds me at time of some Ennis writing and has a serious grindhouse feel, especially with the killer cult of nurses.
November 10, 2015
Another great volume.
Again, I own the individual comics and not the trade paperback versions.
Again, I own the individual comics and not the trade paperback versions.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews