MARVEL NOW! HEAR THIS: GHOST RIDER

Since the announcement that Robbie Reyes will appear this fall on “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” on ABC, many fans have wondered when the character will return to comics. Wonder no more—GHOST RIDER rides again this November, as writer Felipe Smith returns for a new volume of stories starring Robbie Reyes.

Artist Danilo Beyruth joins the title, and Tradd Moore, who co-created Robbie Reyes with Smith, will draw a back-up story in the first issue, colored by Val Staples. 

We spoke with both Smith and Beyruth on what to expect from GHOST RIDER!

It feels great to bring Robbie Reyes back to an ongoing series!

I think readers have been really hoping for his quick return to comics—thanks for all the tweets, guys—but no one’s more excited to see it happen than myself!

Since we last saw him in issue #12 of ALL-NEW GHOST RIDER, Robbie has adjusted to his new life as the Legend of Hillrock Heights, and more importantly, to his eternal bond with the spirit of Eli Morrow, his serial killer/Satanist uncle.

Though not a conventional deal-with-the-Devil-making Spirit of Vengeance—and in reality, only an honorary Ghost Rider thanks to the guidance of predecessor Johnny Blaze—Robbie has still made a pact with an evil force that clearly does not have his well-being in its best interest.

It’ll be interesting to see how Robbie makes the best out of this hellish situation.

Marvel.com: What can we expect, story wise, from the new volume?

Felipe Smith: Without giving away any specific story points, I’d say that we can expect: more high-octane racing, pedal to the metal action, [and] some high caliber guest appearances that’ll broaden the scope of Robbie’s storyline as well as his outlook on life.

As always, his relationship with his little brother Gabe and his role as a “big bro” and legal guardian will hold an important place in the development of this new volume.

Marvel.com: You’ve worked with several artists on Ghost Rider thus far, and even drew a couple issues yourself. What does Danilo Beyruth bring to the title? And can you talk about the back-up story you’re working on with Tradd Moore?

Felipe Smith: As a first time collaborating writer on ALL-NEW GHOST RIDER, having only written and drawn my own comics before Marvel, I must say I’ve been very fortunate to work with some extremely talented artists.

Danilo Beyruth is yet another outstanding addition to this list of amazing collaborators!

His attention to detail, dynamic layouts, and strong visual depiction of physical space within a panel are some of his strong suits when illustrating this new chapter in Robbie’s adventures. When editor Mark Paniccia showed me some samples of his action pages, I thought, “Hell yeah!” but when I saw his characterization in dialogue scenes, I knew we could definitely tell a good story!

For our debut issue we’ll also have a short story written by me, drawn by action [artist] extraordinaire Tradd Moore and colored by palette madman Val Staples! It’s our original ALL-NEW GHOST RIDER debut team and we’re pumped to buckle in and give this baby another blazing run!

Marvel.com: One of the things I personally loved about the previous two series was the Robbie/Gabe relationship. What are things like between the two brothers in the new series? Is Gabe suffering any repercussions from being possessed by Eli at the end of the last series?

Felipe Smith: Things are well in the Reyes household right now. Without the antagonistic intervention of the spirit of Eli—who is now locked up inside Robbie—the two brothers are doing quite well.

Robbie has also realized something that makes him both extremely happy and very proud: Gabe is showing great interest and considerable aptitude in the field of auto mechanics!

His lil’ bro might be a gear head, too!

Marvel.com: At the end of the previous series we saw Robbie and Eli coming to terms with their current situation, as Robbie agreed to stop fighting Eli as long as they hunted “the worst scum on the planet.” How are things between the two as the new series begins?

Felipe Smith: Robbie is known for his rock-solid, unwavering moral compass, and he’s partnered up with the worst example of the kind of scum he’s promised to hunt down.

It’s not quite a partnership made in heaven, but rather…you know. Somewhere else way hotter.

Things seem to be working out pretty well as our series begins…