Warning: SPOILERS for Marvels X #1
Johnny Blaze has worn a lot of hats in the Marvel Universe. He’s been a stunt rider, a Ghost Rider, and currently, the King of Hell. In the Earth X prequel Marvels X #1, however, Johnny Blaze showed he has taken a surprising career move – to that a semi-truck driver!
Marvels X #1, written by Alex Ross and Jim Krueger with art by Well-Be and covers by Ross, is set a decade before the events of Earth X, which presents a dystopian future where everyone in the world has powers. The world isn’t too much better off ten years prior, as New York City is in a state of chaos after everyone in the world gained the X-gene. Everyone, that is, except a young man named David.
Hitchhiking to NYC, David’s picked up by a trucker, who mentions how David’s “innocence” stood out, dropping some hints to his identity. When a hungry, superpowered mob attacks the eighteen-wheeler, the trucker’s head explodes, revealing a flaming skull beneath. As fire shoots out from the truck, the crowd flees – but unfortunately, so does David. Ghost Rider communicates with “Ears” – later revealed to be Daredevil – as David descends into the dystopian New York.
While Ghost Rider is most famous for his motorcycle, the comics have made it clear he is capable of embuing other vehicles with supernatural properties. The Avengers of 1,000,000 B.C. included Ghost, the Rider who rode upon – what else – a fiery wooly mammoth. Ghost Rider: Trail of Tears featured a Ghost Rider on horseback. Robbie Reyes, the current Ghost Rider drives a ’69 Dodge Charger. Reyes has even possessed the massive body of Celestial with his infernal powers.
Seeing Johnny Blaze a semi-trucker was a great means of introducing the reader to Earth X, delivering key exposition through a fan-favorite character. Hopefully, this won’t the last time Johnny Blaze pops up in the series. Honestly, the idea of Johnny Blaze using the powers of the Ghost Rider as a semi-truck driver, righting wrongs across the lost highways of America, already writes itself. It helps that Ghost Rider is depicted in an unexpectedly humble and self-effacing way, trying (and failing) to convince David he’s (more or less) one of the good guys before shuffling into the shadows and complaining how no one remembers his super-team the Champions. This is a far cry from the hellfire-and-brimstone attitude the Ghost Rider normally delivers, and his down-to-earth appearance (complete with a trucker’s fleece) makes the character extremely entertaining. Hopefully, this is far from Johnny Blaze’s last ride in the mini-series.
Marvels X #1 & #2 are on sale now!
