Warning: Contains potential spoilers for Ghost Rider #20!The Demon Rider returns as Ghost Rider teams up with an unforgettable predecessor. Throughout history, there have been many Spirits of Vengeance, but perhaps none more memorable than Kushala, the Spirit Rider. Both a Spirit of Vengeance and a Sorcerer Supreme, Kushala is a formidable force, and in Ghost Rider #20, Johnny Blaze will join forces with Kushala for the first time.
In its November and December solicitations Marvel shared more information about Ghost Rider #20 by Benjamin Percy, Cory Smith and more, revealing that the titular hero and the Spirit Rider would meet in a backup story. The solicitation did not offer any details on the story, including the writer and artist, nor did it reveal how Kushala would meet Johnny Blaze. The solicitation for Ghost Rider #20 reads as follows:
GHOST RIDER #20 Benjamin Percy & More! (W) Cory Smith & More! (A) Cover by Björn Barends
VARIANT COVER BY Elizabeth Torque
KNIGHT’S END VARIANT COVER BY Paul Azaceta HERITAGE VARIANT COVER BY TBA
• On the trail of the Cult of Mephisto, Talia Warroad and Johnny Blaze discover a town emptied of adults.
• What happened, what will become of the children left behind and how does it connect to Talia’s own childhood?
• He may not be the nurturing type, but these children’s only hope is the Ghost Rider!
• Plus: A backup story featuring Ghost Rider and Kushala, the Spirit Rider!
The book will include a main cover by Björn Barends and a variant cover by Elizabeth Torque, shared below. In addition, there will be a Knights End variant cover by Paul Azaceta and a heritage cover by an as-yet unnamed artist.
Johnny Blaze is Far From the First Ghost Rider
For more than 50 years, Ghost Rider has traveled the highways and byways of the Marvel Universe, keeping it safe from a variety of supernatural menaces. As the character’s mythos has grown and progressed, creators have revealed that Johnny Blaze is far from the first person to be bonded to a Spirit of Vengeance; in fact, there have been Ghost Riders stretching back to prehistory. Kushala, the Spirit Rider, is unique among the Ghost Riders; not only is she bonded to a Spirit of Vengeance, but she is also her era’s Sorcerer Supreme. Kushala is an Indigenous woman, living during the era of the Wild West in America. Her ability to control both magic and a Ghost Rider makes Kushala one of Marvel’s most powerful supernatural characters–and now she is on a collision course with one of her most famous successors.
Ghost Rider and Kushala’s Team Up Will Be Epic
The forthcoming meeting of Johnny Blaze and the Spirit Rider is sure to be a memorable one. Kushala lives in the 1800s, and while the solicitation did not reveal how the two would meet, she has traveled through time to the present before, fighting alongside contemporary heroes. The villain that Ghost Rider and Kushala will be fighting has not been revealed either; any foe who can draw the attention of these two and take them down to the wire is a powerful one indeed.
Kushala’s powers and skills make her a worthwhile addition to the Ghost Rider mythos. Kushala is the first Ghost Rider fans have met who is also a Sorcerer Supreme. Access to these two power sets make Kushala not only a powerful Rider, but also a cool character overall. Likewise, Johnny Blaze is the most powerful Ghost Rider of his era, and when he meets his predecessor, it promises to be one of the most explosive team-ups of the year.
Ghost Rider #20 is on sale November 15 from Marvel Comics!
