Kushala called in to save Johnny Blaze's soul in Spirits of Vengeance: Spirit Rider #1

Spirits of Vengeance: Spirit Rider
(Image credit: Marvel Comics)

Kushala rides again in the upcoming Marvel Comics one-shot Spirits of Vengeance: Spirit Rider. Black Eyes Peas' Taboo is working with long-time friend/co-writer B. Earl on this special one-shot, with art from Paul Davidson and Jeffrey Veregge.

In August 4's Spirits of Vengeance: Spirit Rider, the 1800s Sorcerer Supreme/Ghost Rider will come to modern times to team up with her successors - Johnny Blaze/Ghost Rider and Doctor Strange. Check out this nine-page preview:

Kushala has been called forth to the present to help Blaze deal with his connection to the Spirit of Vengeance, which has somehow been corrupted. Kushala, as both a Ghost Rider and a Sorcerer Supreme, is the best expert around to help him sort it out - if he'll let her.

Kushala (also known as Demon Rider) was created in 2016 by Robbie Thompson and Javier Rodriguez for their short-lived ongoing series Doctor Strange and the Sorcerers Supreme. As revealed in that series, Kushala is an early 19th century Apache warrior who, after asking for vengeance for the murder of her parents by the U.S. Army, became bestowed with the spirit of vengeance, Ghost Rider. 

She took that mantle, but found it to be a curse - and traveled the world to find a cure. Along the way, she attained magic abilities and eventually became that era's Sorcerer Supreme - although even it couldn't rid her of the Ghost Rider persona. 

Spirits of Vengeance: Spirit Rider will have a primary cover by Takashi Okazaki, along with variants from Bill Sienkiewicz and the character's co-creator, Javier Rodriguez. Take a look at them all:

Originally teased in late 2020, this title was announced in January 2021's Werewolf by Night #4 (written by Taboo and B. Earl) for a debut later this year. It was described as a "series" in that announcement, but when Spirits of Vengeance: Spirit Rider was formally solicited for release, it was reduced to a one-shot. It could be a series of one-shots, as the book is described as the beginning of a "brand-new era of vengeance!"

Spirits of Vengeance: Spirit Rider goes on sale on August 4.

Spirit Rider debuted in 2016 but wasn't the biggest Marvel character to debut that year. Find out who it was in Marvel Yearbook: The '10s. 

Chris Arrant

Chris Arrant covered comic book news for Newsarama from 2003 to 2022 (and as editor/senior editor from 2015 to 2022) and has also written for USA Today, Life, Entertainment Weekly, Publisher's Weekly, Marvel Entertainment, TOKYOPOP, AdHouse Books, Cartoon Brew, Bleeding Cool, Comic Shop News, and CBR. He is the author of the book Modern: Masters Cliff Chiang, co-authored Art of Spider-Man Classic, and contributed to Dark Horse/Bedside Press' anthology Pros and (Comic) Cons. He has acted as a judge for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, the Harvey Awards, and the Stan Lee Awards. Chris is a member of the American Library Association's Graphic Novel & Comics Round Table. (He/him)