Ghost Rider: Vengeance Unbound

THE ORIGINAL GHOST RIDER # 16

SYNOPSIS
After his defeat of Aquarius, Satan himself appears before Johnny Blaze, declaring that he is tired of the stunt rider constantly defying his power. The Ghost Rider attempts to flee, but Satan blasts him to the ground with hellfire. Though he cannot claim Johnny's soul, the demon states that will make his life os painful that he will give it over of his own free will. Crumbling before the Hell-Lord's onslaught, Johnny calls out Roxanne's name. Satan gets even more angry, as the mere thought of someone pure in heart is painful to him. Satan then turns the tables, saying that while Roxanne protects Johnny, there is nothing to protect her . Blaze attempts to fight the devil, but Satan merely fades away, telling Johnny that everything he is stems from Hell itself. Moments later, dawn breaks, transforming Johnny back into his normal self. He rides away, eventually coming to the hospital that houses the injured Stuntmaster, who offers him a job as a stuntman on his television show. Johnny declines, due to his commitment to the cycle show. At that moment, Roxanne comes into the room, wrapping her arms around Blaze, telling him how worried she was about him. Johnny begins to complain about how the cycle show is on it's last leg, and the Stuntmaster tells him about a cycle race coming up that's got a huge cash prize. Before she can hear anymore, however, Roxanne is given a vision of her father burning in a lake of fire. Nearly fainting at the grusome sight, Johnny asks her why she screamed, but Roxanne lies and says it was nothing. Meanwhile, in Hell, Satan watches the scene and comments that the vision he gave the girl resulted in more than he hoped, having caused her to tell a "little white lie".

That evening, on a bridge overlooking San Francisco, Johnny and Roxanne have a long discussion about their lives. As the sun sets, however, Blaze once again falls victim to his curse, transforming into the Ghost Rider. Immediately after, a ghostly image of Crash Simpson appears, causing Roxanne to run toward it despite Johnny's warnings. Realizing too late that it's a trick of Satan's, the vision vanishes in a burst of light, taking Roxanne with it. Not sure what to do, Blaze decides to try and contact Daimon Hellstrom - the Son of Satan - for assistance.

In Hell, Roxanne appears before Satan, who tells her that he has no desire to harm her. He opens a door, revealing Crash Simpson, who is trapped in a never-ending loop of reliving the death of his wife, Mona - his own personal Hell. Roxanne faints after seeing this, forcing Satan to call forth the demon Slifer. Giving him one more chance to defeat the Ghost Rider, Satan transforms him and sends him to Earth, where as the newly-christened Inferno he appears before Blaze. Johnny avoids the demon's mystical bolts, but fails when he tries to turn the battle into a physical one. Inferno bats the Rider away, and then a wave of power begins to emit from the demon - energy of pure fear, driving the onlooking citizens to take up arms and destroy the thing they fear, namely the Ghost Rider. Johnny gets back on his hellfire-cycle and attempts to ride away, but finds himself completely boxed in by the insane crowd.

Back in Hell, Roxanne confronts Satan with the knowledge that the mysterious Messenger took her father to safety from the demon realm. Satan merely laughs at this, revealing that the Messenger was in fact him . Roxanne refuses to believe this, but Satan tells her that there is only one way he will relinquish his hold on Crash's soul. Roxanne must renounce her protection of the Ghost Rider, for while he could still fight his way free of Satan's grasp, her father could not.