Auction Name: 2026 February 27 - March 1 Comic Art Signature® Auction

Lot Number: 92016

Shortcut to Lot: HA.com/7462*92016

Mike Ploog Marvel Spotlight #5 Ghost Rider First Appearance Issue Story Page 8 Original Art (Marvel, 1972). Here's a rare page from the first appearance of Johnny Blaze as Ghost Rider, and pages from this origin story simply don't surface often. From the 22-page debut, we can count on one hand how many pages we've offered over the years -- just three. This one drops you right into the opening beats of the legend as Blaze flashes back to that fateful day when his motorcycle ignited and destiny caught fire with it. For the future Spirit of Vengeance, it was his first encounter with the flames, but far from the last. Ghost Rider proved an immediate breakout in the Marvel Spotlight tryout format, quickly spinning into his own series and later riding alongside Marvel's darker corner as part of the Legion of Monsters. He surged again in the '90s when "bad" became cool, and eventually burned his way onto the big screen. Modern twists like Cosmic Ghost Rider show how far the concept has traveled, but it all traces back to this ignition point. And it can't be overstated how much Mike Ploog contributed to that success, an artist who helped launch several of Marvel's key '70s horror heroes with the same fluid, haunting energy, including Werewolf by Night, Frankenstein's Monster, and Ghost Rider himself. This page originally appeared in Marvel Spotlight #5 and was later re-designated as Ghost Rider #10 in the upper margin for the story's reprinting, with the page number and "Continued..." paste-ups added at that time. Ink over blue pencil and graphite on Bristol board with an image area of 10" x 15". Slight toning, production oil staining, tape over page number and "Continued..." paste-ups, tape residue and discolored tape on edges, smudging, whiteout correction with minor wear, production-trimmed edges, marginal story notes, pulled-tape abrasion on top edge, minor edge/corner creasing, and handling wear. In Very Good condition.


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