U.K.

Issue # 1

"In the Spirit of Vengeance, Part One"

Written by Barry Reese
Part of the Pendragons Universe

New York City, One Year Ago

Daniel Ketch moved through the frightened crowd, his heart hammering in his chest. So much was confusing, so much uncertain. The one thing that he knew beyond a doubt was that something was simply not right about this scene.

Before him were two colorful individuals, each of whom was as different from the other as night from day. The amazing Spider-Man held a bomb in his hands, one that had been liberated only moments before from a group of Millenium nuts. At his side, in obvious pain and confusion, was the Ghost Rider. The leather-clad spirit of vengeance whispered, "Too weak... can't...."

Daniel pushed forward, unsure of how or why he was here, doing these things. "Noble Kale? What are you doing here? You're supposed to be trapped in Mephisto's realm...."

"I am not."

"Look, Noble, this is Dan you're speaking to. Dan Ketch. Your descendant? The guy to whom your soul was grafted to for a couple of years. Any of this ringing a bell?"

"I am not HE!"

Dan caught the Ghost Rider as he stumbled forward. It was strange to see him so weak, so out of sorts. But Dan could sympathize. The last thing he remembered about himself was the sacrifice he'd made so that Noble Kale and all his descendants could be free of their curse, the blood bond that made them eternally bound to the spirit of vengeance. "What are you talking about?"

"There have been lies. Mephisto, Blackheart... They are both lords of the lie. The Truth is not yet known."

Dan stared into the empty eyesockets, flames flickering around the bone.

Lies.

More lies.

Always lies.

Daniel Ketch felt something small and frightened within himself turn to ash.

The nightmare was beginning again.

(The preceding is a slight retelling of the climatic scene in Peter Parker : Spider-Man # 93.)

London, England. 12:15 AM. The Present.

"You have defiled the bodies of children. For those sins and more, you must be brought to justice." The Ghost Rider strode forward, ignoring the bullets which ripped at his clothing. His bones chipped here and there as the force of the attacks threatened to knock him askew. But he would not be denied, not when so much innocent blood had been spilled.

Rory Jackson felt his bladder give way, soaking the front of his trousers. He backed up against the wall of his small flat, toppling a stack of photographs to the floor. He'd run a lucrative little business acting as a go-between for Asian child pornography smugglers, making sure their goods ended up in the right hands. Along the way, he'd even been rewarded by getting to sample a few of the kids himself....

Thoughts of such pleasures were far, far away at the moment, however. He lowered his gun, still pulling the trigger, though all it produced now was the dull clicking of an empty chamber. "Bugger off... I didn't do nothin' wrong. The kids liked it. It was fun."

Ghost Rider reached forward, sinking his fingertips into Rory's throat. For a moment, he felt the intense desire to kill this pedophile, to paint the walls red with his blood. The urge passed, however, as the spirit of vengeance reconsidered. "Death is too easy, too quick. You should live with the shame... live with the horrible memories... just like your victims. There can be no escape from vengeance!"

Ghost Rider held the frightened man's gaze, his eyesockets glowing with an eldritch light. The terrible power of the Penance Stare reduced Rory Jackson to a whimpering, crying little worm. His howls of horrified shame and regret echoed throughout the district in which he lived.

Many a man and woman locked their shutters tight against the sound.

When it was done, the Ghost Rider stepped back out onto the city streets. It was chilly and damp, but the hellfire that adorned his head and shoulders flared bright. He looked upwards, into the unfamiliar skies and felt a yearning for home, or at least the place that had served as such for the past few years. Cypress Hills... It calls to me. But I cannot return there, not until the threat here has passed. So many innocent lives are at stake -- and so many have already perished. To turn my back on them before I even uncover the true threat that has brought me here... it would be a disservice to my mission, and to those poor innocents who need me.

Ghost Rider clenched his fist, feeling the almost overpowering compulsion to seek out and punish the guilty. He would continue to ride, all through the night, searching for those in need of Penance.

It was his reason for existence.

The Next Day, 10 Downing Street

Clive Winthrop stared out the window, carefully staying out of the view of the protesters outside. Their placards amused him - Winthrop Today, Hitler Tomorrow was his personal favorite. "So many of them, so eager to hate me. I've barely been in office a month and they've already lumped me in with the great tyrants of history."

"Don't let it concern you, Mr. Prime Minister. The rabble often fail to recognize the needs of the state." Henry Gyrich, looking lean in his black suit, ran a hand over his short red hair. He was seated before Winthrop's desk, a briefcase sitting open in his lap. "I've brought over a number of files relating to Project : Wideawake. Since you expressed an interest in tailoring many of our projects to your own nation, I felt it best if I arrive in person to go over the details. I'll be honest with you, Mr. Prime Minister. I'm quite enthused to have England as our allies in this endeavour."

Winthrop smiled. He liked this Gyrich, whose every move in life was cloaked in some form of secrecy. Deception was something near and dear to Winthrop's true nature. "The English people has so much to fear, Mr. Gyrich -- the meat upon their tables, the safety of their homes, the value of their currency. I don't want them worrying about the true nature of their own children, or of their neighbors."

"I quite understand. I've brought over a few prototypes for you to enjoy. Scanners that can detect a mutant within a five mile radius."

"Excellent. I hope to--"

"Mr. Prime Minister? Someone's here to see you. He says it's quite urgent."

Winthrop frowned at his secretary. She was an attractive brunette with a very pliant will, which suited him just fine. He'd already made it clear to her that her duties extended far beyond the norm -- for her to interrupt him in this fashion meant it must be serious, indeed. "Show him into my study. I'll join him in a moment."

The Prime Minister made an apologetic exit from Gyrich's company, leaving the American to wait for him. Winthrop came to a stop in his study, staring at the pale-skinned man who stood confidently in the center of the room. The stranger was pale almost to the point of albinism, his eyes pink and bloodshot. His long, white hair hung loose down his back and his wide-brimmed hat was pulled low.

"I love this overcast weather you Brits have all the time. Saves wear and tear on my delicate skin." A quick smile gave a flash of elongated canines.

Winthrop squared his shoulders. "I told you to be discreet, Blackout."

"I always am." The pseudo-vampire moved through the room, letting his sharp nails trail along the expensive furniture. "I understand you're having a special problem?"

"Yes. Over the last few weeks, I've heard more and more reports about a fiery motorcyclist dishing out his own brand of justice. You have a bit of a past with the Ghost Rider, I believe."

"Oh yes. He ruined my face, once upon a time. It's better now... but I don't think I'll ever stop hating him. For the right price, I'll bring you his skull on a pike."

"How charming." Winthrop looked past the vampire, his eyes locked on his unseen enemy. Ghost Rider could ruin everything, force him to tip his hand far too soon. It seemed that leaving his other pawns to deal with the Pendragons was a wise move... it might free himself to destroy Ghost Rider, if it came to that. "Mr. Blackout... I believe we have ourselves an agreement."

The human host for the Ghost Rider woke up to a dry, bitter taste in their mouth. He was lying across his bed, still fully dressed, several days worth of stubble lining his face. With a groan, he rolled off the mattress and made it to his feet.

Downstairs, he could hear Mrs. Prathers washing the dishes. Her husband had already left for work, no doubt. Splashing water on his face while standing before the mirror, he wondered again how he'd manage to repay their kindness.

He paused as his reflection caught his eye. He saw a young man turning prematurely gray, whose dark eyes were ringed with shadow. His thin beard was unkempt, his hair longish and in need of brushing. "If you could see me now, mom. You wouldn't let me out of the house without taking a long, hard scrubbing."

Daniel Ketch tidied himself up as best he could and went downstairs. Mrs. Prathers was waiting for him as he entered the kitchen. "Keepin' late hours again, Daniel?"

"Afraid so." He grabbed a piece of toast and took a bite while heading towards the door. "I'll get you some money by the end of the week, I promise."

"Don't worry about that, my boy. Your brother took in my Susan when she ran away from home, gave her a place to stay and a family to belong to. My sister was never so happy as when she worked with the Blaze Carnival. The least I can do is let you stay a bit while you're on holiday."

Dan paused. He owed Blaze big for this, calling in on old debt in this way. It reinforced Daniel's notion that he'd become a freeloader, sponging first off his mother for years, and now off his long-lost brother and Mrs. Prathers. That was going to change.

Dan stepped out after thanking his host once more. He saw a newstand not far down the road and walked towards it. The newspapers, especially the tabloids, were alive with various reports of the supernatural. There were rumors that the Pendragons had done battle with a necromancer, while the Black Knight's home was rumored to be haunted. And, of course, there were reports of the Ghost Rider.

"Miss! Are you all right?"

Dan turned as a sudden commotion began behind him. He absentmindedly set a few coins down for the paper and moved through the crowd that was forming a semi-circle around the doorway to the Prathers' home. Memories of his family being attacked by Ghost Rider's enemies made him shove past those who were blocking him.

He came to an abrupt stop. There, lying half-crouched on the lowest step to the apartment, was a stunning young woman. Her eyes were rolled back in her head, the whites showing. Her lips were parted somewhat and her chest heaved dramatically. Dan knelt beside her, drawing her to him. If she were having a seizure, he wasn't sure what to do -- but there was something odd about this seizure, as if it weren't of the Earthly variety.

His touch seemed to stir something in her, for she became more lucid immediately. She turned her eyes to him and murmured, "It's you... After all this time, I've found you."

"Maybe we should get you to a doctor...."

"No! I lost control briefly, but I'm not sick. I've come to help you, Noble."

"My name's not Noble... I'm Daniel. Are you saying you know Noble Kale?"

"I know a great many things... Forgive me. My name is Topaz, and I'm an associate of the man you know as Dr. Strange."

Daniel helped her to her feet, noticing that the crowd was beginning to disperse now that the damsel in distress was showing signs of recovery. "Okay. I trust the Doc. Did he send you?"

"No. I came on my own. Stephen has been... injured. We don't have much time -- there are great forces of darkness massing here in England. And only Noble Kale and the Ghost Rider can end this!"

Next Issue : "In the Spirit of Vengeance" continues! Blackout is on the loose, eager to draw Ghost Rider into a bloody confrontation. Meanwhile, the surprising appearance of Topaz heralds a dark new era of Dan Ketch's life... Will the full truth about Ghost Rider finally be revealed? And, if so, will Daniel be able to cope with what he learns?

AUTHOR'S COMMENTS

I like Ghost Rider.

There, I said it.

Yes, he was over-merchandised to death in the 1990s, but there was something in the character's basic concept that was, and still is, very appealing.

He punishes the guilty. But he wasn't as bloodthirsty as the Punisher.

While he did sometimes kill, he always tried to leave his victims alive. In some ways, perhaps, this was far crueler as the after-effects of the Penance Stare were never kind.

To me, this made him an interesting character -- he was very much a part of the "dark anti-hero" movement in comics, but he still retained the basic "superhero code" -- i.e., that killing his foes would make him almost as bad as they.

So here was an urban vigilante I could root for and not feel too guilty over it. I couldn't root for the Punisher -- he was almost as bad as those he hunted down. Plus, he seemed to enjoy it all a bit too much for my tastes. Seeing him working side-by-side with Spider-Man? Ugh.

But Ghost Rider? I could see that, though their partnership wouldn't be a smooth one.

Anyway, I hope to restore the "cool" elements to Ghost Rider, without getting bogged down by, pardon my French, crap. The death of Daniel Ketch in the final issue of Ghost Rider, then his inexplicable resurrection in Peter Parker # 93, will be dealt with here, I promise.

Now, here's some comments on the recent Black Mass oneshot, which introduced Ghost Rider U.K. :

Hello,

I've been checking your page for a long time now, hoping for more Pendragons and/or Black Knight, so it was great to see a new installment -- even if it *is* more of a teaser than anything else! <g>

However, as before you include both many of my perennial but seldom-seen favorites (Romany, Union Jack, the London hfc, Dane himself of course, and even Jennifer Kale!) plus intriguing new players -- i'm really curious about this new prime minister (and 'Neil Gow' <snicker>)

Luba Kmetyk

Thanks for writing, Luba! Hopefully you'll see a few more Pendragons Universe stories from me in the future, now that I'm back on track. Prime Minister Winthrop will play a really big role in this series, so you'll get lots more of him as time goes by. As for Neil's cameo, what can I say? The man's work on Marvel Volume One's Crusaders is definitely an inspiration!

See all of you next issue,

Barry