Howdy, pardners! I have some real spooky tales to tell y'all. They're all about a scary cowboy hero with a name you've all probably heard of. His real name is Marshal Rex Fury, and he also went by the name of The Calico Kid. However, as life changes so does one's destiny. Rex Fury was slated to become the masked hero The Ghost Rider. He was created by artist Dick Ayers and published in issues of "Tim Holt" (yes, a comic named after the actor) by Magazine Enterprises. Eventually this frightening hero got his own comic book, which lasted 14 issues.
Here is The Ghost Rider's first origin story (there are two of 'em) from "Tim Holt" #11 (November 1949). The character Sing-Song is a racist portrayal of an Asian, so if this offends you, please don't read it.
This story doesn't really explain why Rex Fury is all white or where he got his white horse. Stuff like that had to be saved for the alternate origin story in "The Ghost Rider" #1 (August 1950)! For those who enjoy monsters mixed with The Old West you won't be able to resist the next story. It features a guest appearance from the Frankenstein monster!
Here is "The Ghost Rider Vs. Frankenstein" from "The Ghost Rider" #10 (November 1952).
If that didn't give ya the willies, then maybe this next one will! The Devil himself stars in "The Devil Deals in Death!" from "The Ghost Rider" #12 (May - June 1953).
And here's a super neato ad for a Ghost Rider mask!
I hope y'all enjoyed these tall tales. When The Ghost Rider was revived by Marvel Comics in the late 1960s, they got original artist Dick Ayers to draw a nearly identical character with a different secret identity. Then when a new Ghost Rider appeared, this time as a Satanic-influenced motorcycle riding character, the Western character was first renamed Night Rider, then Phantom Rider. Marvel has a habit of waiting until a character name is in public domain so they can use it and elements from that character to create a new character that doesn't have the charm of the original. In my opinion, anyway. This, unfortunately, is why it's hard to find good information on Golden Age comic characters that have been revived by modern comics companies. If you do a search for a character you will always get results for the modern versions.
Again, thank you to all the scanners and uploaders who were kind enough to share these stories. Y'all have a right nice day, ya hear?
Here is The Ghost Rider's first origin story (there are two of 'em) from "Tim Holt" #11 (November 1949). The character Sing-Song is a racist portrayal of an Asian, so if this offends you, please don't read it.
Here is "The Ghost Rider Vs. Frankenstein" from "The Ghost Rider" #10 (November 1952).
If that didn't give ya the willies, then maybe this next one will! The Devil himself stars in "The Devil Deals in Death!" from "The Ghost Rider" #12 (May - June 1953).
And here's a super neato ad for a Ghost Rider mask!
I hope y'all enjoyed these tall tales. When The Ghost Rider was revived by Marvel Comics in the late 1960s, they got original artist Dick Ayers to draw a nearly identical character with a different secret identity. Then when a new Ghost Rider appeared, this time as a Satanic-influenced motorcycle riding character, the Western character was first renamed Night Rider, then Phantom Rider. Marvel has a habit of waiting until a character name is in public domain so they can use it and elements from that character to create a new character that doesn't have the charm of the original. In my opinion, anyway. This, unfortunately, is why it's hard to find good information on Golden Age comic characters that have been revived by modern comics companies. If you do a search for a character you will always get results for the modern versions.
Again, thank you to all the scanners and uploaders who were kind enough to share these stories. Y'all have a right nice day, ya hear?
No comments:
Post a Comment