GHOST RIDER REBORN

 

This is a chapter from The Unrealized Isabella, a book that will collect a great many pitches and sometimes full plots for comics and other projects I wanted to create, but which, for one reason or another, never happened. I’m just beginning to work on this book. That work will go much faster if I can find a publisher who wants to publish it.

In June 2018, having been given the go-ahead by the Marvel brass to submit pitches. I came up with three limited series, two of them featuring characters I created back in the 1970s and the third featuring a novel concept for a character who had been part of the Marvel Universe since the early 1960s.

I’m currently taking a look at two of the series to ascertain if I can remove all the Marvel Universe elements from them and make them their own creations. When and if I have accomplished that, I will use my social media to offer them to publishers and other partners. I won’t be posting free ideas, just enough to give any interested parties an inkling of what I’m pitching. If they want to see the actual pitches, they’ll have to sign an NDA. I have had enough of my ideas stolen by a former publisher to risk that happening again.

This brings us to the remaining June 2018 pitch. There’s no way to remove its Marvel Universe elements without draining all the life out of it. So you get a glimpse of what might have been if the Marvel editors had shared my vision for a continuation and alternate take on a character I wrote for two years.

GHOST RIDER REBORN

by Tony Isabella

pitch for twelve-issue series

Background. In the 1970s, I wrote a two-year Ghost Rider story line intended to free Johnny Blaze from Satan’s power and change the title to more of a super-hero stuntman in Hollywood series. In the finale of this story, Blaze accepted (albeit in Marvel speak) Jesus as his savior. This was approved by three editors: Roy Thomas, Len Wein and Marv Wolfman. During the chaos of Marv leaving, an assistant editor said this finale offended him and took it upon himself to rewrite and have redrawn several pages of what turned out to be my last issue. In his version, Jesus, who was only ever called “the Friend” in the comic, was revealed to be a demon. This made no logical sense. I’ve been answering questions about it ever since and that individual has been lying about it ever since.

In this alternate universe series, we’d pick up Johnny’s story with the finale I originally wrote. Freed of Satan’s power, Johnny would have more control over his supernatural abilities and become the modern-day equivalent of a “white hat” cowboy. Over twelve issues, skipping entire years as we go along, we’d see the effect of Johnny’s redemption on himself and others.

Johnny would have intervened when Karen Page became a drug-abuser. He would have steered the Champions to achieve their original goal of being heroes for the common man. He would have married Roxanne and started a family. The religious aspects of his character would not overwhelm his stories. Much as in the critically-acclaimed Black Lightning TV series and my own Black Lightning comics, we would see Johnny attending church from time to time, seeking advice from his pastor and doing good works.

I feel strongly that diversity in comics should mean that all our readers see themselves in our stories. I have met countless people of faith who read comic books. All too often, when they are portrayed in comic books, they are portrayed as bigots and villains. If we’re truly committed to diversity, this should not be the norm.

Time-jumps and all, this will be an exciting and meaningful super-hero book. Just a bit different. Which is what Marvel at its best has always been about.

I’ll conclude today’s bloggy thing by letting the Marvel editors of 2024 know that, if they would like me to write this series, I'm still very open to it. I’m easy like that.

Thanks for reading. I’ll be back soon with more stuff.

© 2024 Tony Isabella