Ghost Rider #4

Feb 1974 · Marvel · 0.20 USD

📊 ~59,678 copies sold its debut month

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“Death Stalks Demolition Derby”

★ 1st appearance — Inferno

About this Issue

Ghost Rider #4 (February 1974) is a key transitional issue in the early Bronze Age run, notable for introducing the villain Dude Jensen — better known as Roulette — alongside his associate Slifer, two characters tied to the Las Vegas demolition-derby underworld that Gary Friedrich was mining for morally grounded street-level antagonists during the series' establishment phase. The issue also represents a pivotal character beat in the Linda Littletrees/Witch-Woman arc: having been purged of Satan's direct possession in the preceding issues, she reappears here as a recovered but emotionally complicated figure who pursues Johnny Blaze romantically, creating a genuine love-triangle tension with Roxanne Simpson that added human drama to what had been a largely supernatural storyline. It is one of the earliest issues to treat Ghost Rider's supporting cast as agents with their own agendas rather than mere bystanders, a storytelling shift that gave the '73 series its lasting character depth. The story 'Death Stalks the Demolition Derby!' was considered representative enough of the run to be selected for multiple collected-edition reprints across several decades.

writer Gary Friedrich · artist Jim Mooney · inker Vince Colletta · colorist P. Goldberg · letterer Charlotte Jetter · letterer Gaspar Saladino · cover Gil Kane, Frank Giacoia, Mike Esposito

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta

Raw (Fine) $23

CGC 9.8 · 25 in census $646

CGC 9.6 · 33 in census $345

CGC 9.4 · 40 in census $135

CGC 9.2 · 43 in census $106

CGC 9.0 · 27 in census $101

CGC 8.5 · 26 in census $81

Show all 16 grades ▾

CGC 8.0 · 21 in census $69*

CGC 7.5 · 25 in census $64

CGC 7.0 · 10 in census $55*

CGC 6.5 · 13 in census $50*

CGC 6.0 · 13 in census $49*

CGC 5.5 · 5 in census $38*

CGC 5.0 none in existence

CGC 4.5 · 4 in census $33*

CGC 4.0 · 2 in census $31*

CGC 3.5 · 1 in census $26*

* estimate — limited direct-sales data at this grade

Our model’s value — refined as new sales data arrives · CGC census counts shown where available

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History

The issue was written by Gary Friedrich, penciled by Jim Mooney, and inked by Vince Colletta, with coloring credited to Petra Goldberg (also listed as Petra Scotese) and lettering split between Charlotte Jetter and Gaspar Saladino on the splash page — the same core creative team that had been shepherding the series since its launch. Roy Thomas served as editor, maintaining the continuity-conscious editorial hand he had applied to the Ghost Rider property since its Marvel Spotlight origins. The cover was painted by Gil Kane with inks by Frank Giacoia, part of the strong cover-art investment Marvel made in the title during its first year. Friedrich's script drew on demolition derby's contemporary pop-culture visibility in early-1970s America as a crowd-pleasing spectator sport, grounding a supernatural character in a recognizable working-class setting.

Trivia · 7 facts

Story title: 'Death Stalks the Demolition Derby!' Written by Gary Friedrich; pencils by Jim Mooney; inks by Vince Colletta; colors by Petra Goldberg; edited by Roy Thomas.
Cover art by Gil Kane, inked by Frank Giacoia — the same Kane/Giacoia pairing used on several early issues of the series.
First appearance of Dude Jensen (alias Roulette) and his associate Slifer, both introduced as demolition-derby villains plotting murder under cover of the sport.
Witch-Woman (Linda Littletrees), a returning antagonist-turned-complicated ally first introduced in Marvel Spotlight #10 (June 1973), appears here in a civilian capacity; she romantically pursues Johnny Blaze, causing friction with Roxanne Simpson — a character-driven subplot that distinguished the issue from a pure action story.
The issue explores a key story beat established in Ghost Rider #3: Linda, freed from Satan's direct possession, uses her recovered hellfire knowledge to help Blaze, having previously taught him how to conjure a hellfire motorcycle — a power that became one of Ghost Rider's most iconic abilities.
The story was reprinted in The Original Ghost Rider #12 (Marvel, June 1993), Essential Ghost Rider Vol. 1 (Marvel, 2005), Marvel Masterworks: Ghost Rider Vol. 1 (Marvel, 2019), and Ghost Rider Epic Collection Vol. 1 — Hell on Wheels (Marvel, 2022), confirming its place as part of the canonical early run.
The issue also appeared in foreign reprints: the Danish anthology Vampyr (Interpresse, 1972 series) #13–14 (1974) and the French anthology Étranges Aventures (Arédit-Artima) #44–45 (1975), the latter in black-and-white with reframed panels.