Columbia Pictures is looking at making a sequel to Ghost Rider, according to Variety.   Variety also runs down activity at all the studios now focusing on keeping their Marvel superheroes employed, and that includes a new version of Daredevil.   Fox is said to be “quietly developing” a new version of the blind superhero.

At Fox, Fantastic Four is getting a reboot, and “Silver Surfer” remains in the works, as do various X-Men spinoffs and sequels.   Sony has James Vanderbilt writing Spider-Man 5 and 6.  Universal has “Sub-Mariner” in development.    And Paramount’s distribution deal including “Iron Man 2″ and planned “Avengers”-based films continues for now.

If the studios let the properties lag in development limbo, Marvel can reclaim them – much like it reclaimed “Iron Man” from New Line, Variety writes.

As far as Ghost Rider is concerned, writer David Goyer (”Batman Begins”) is in talks to write the sequel.

Mark Steven Johnson was the director of both “Daredevil” and “Ghost Rider.”  While “Daredevil” took a bit of a beating from critics and some fans, the director’s cut is actually a pretty decent take.  And I like “Ghost Rider,” despite some of its cheesiness.  I think they did about what you could expect with that character.  It’s not been reported if Johnson will be involved with either of the sequels.   It appears  Cage would return as Johnny Blaze/Ghost Rider, while it seems unlikely that Ben Affleck would return as Matt Murdock/Daredevil.

- Matt Price

The only “Ghost Rider” issues that I was ever into were the 1990s issues featuring Danny Ketch.  Since then, I’ve gone back and read some of the Johnny Blaze stuff, and it has its moments, but for me, the best Ghost Rider was reluctant hero Danny Ketch.

At first, his origin was simple – mystic motorcycle makes him the Ghost Rider.  Then, it got infinitely more complicated. Somewhere along the line I stopped reading.  The book got canceled.  Johnny Blaze came back.  Then, recently, in “Ghost Rider,” writer Jason Aaron brought back Danny Ketch.  He seemed to have become a bad guy in the time since we saw him last, which didn’t thrill me.

Now, writer Simon Spurrier and artists Javier Saltares and Tom Palmer explain what happened to Danny Ketch to get him to that point in “Ghost Rider: Danny Ketch.”  In the miniseries, Ketch is down on his luck. He finally managed to free himself of the Ghost Rider curse, but now finds himself empty.  He craves adventure, and maybe something else.  He calls the technomancer who freed him from the curse, and begs her to give it back. But it’s beyond her power.

As the issue concludes, Danny gets a taste of power from a mysterious benefactor, but not enough to quell his craving, or to keep him safe from harm.

It seems like Spurrier and crew will set up some reasonable motivation for Ketch in this series, and allow readers to empathize with him despite some of his questionable actions in the main “Ghost Rider” series.

The art by Saltares is reminiscent of his 1990s run on Ketch’s series, and is a welcome addition to the miniseries.  Saltares’ presence makes this feel like the official successor to the 1990s “Ghost Rider” run.  But you don’t have to have read that run to fit in here; Spurrier recaps what’s necessary, and moves into the modern-day story.

While it’s too early to decide whether I’ll be sold on the new Ketch status quo, it’s nice to see the character revived and not left on the dustbin of history.  As it is, it’s a promising start.  (On a selfish note, if the series does well, it’d be more likely to spur reprints of the Howard Mackie-Saltares-Mark Texiera issues, which I’d like to see.)

– Matt Price

Here’s the full content of the Q&A I did with Gary Friedrich, the creator of “Ghost Rider.”  Friedrich is appearing at this weekend’s SoonerCon at the Biltmore Hotel in Oklahoma City. For more information, visit www.soonercon.com.

Matt Price: You’re possibly best-known for creating “Ghost Rider.”  What were your influences in creating the character?   How did the character come about?  

Gary Friedrich: The first flash of an idea for Ghost Rider came when I was still a kid and saw Marlon Brando in “The Wild One.”  I loved the movie and began to think about a superhero on a motorcycle. 

     As time went by, I was also influenced by the cycle gang movies of the  fifties and  sixties with Fonda, Hopper, Nicholson, etc.  I could see America had a passion for guys on cycles and thought a superhero on a cycle would be popular.  Evel Knievel  and his exploits were also an inspiration.

     The ideas began to come together in the late sixties during a period when I was away from Marvel and worked for another company for a time.   But as I began to lean toward a supernatural connection,  I realized the Comics Code Authority probably wouldn’t accept anything like that.  So although I  had the concept pretty much together by 1970, I had to wait until the Code eased its standards for horror-type comics in 1971 to attempt to get the character published.

     In ‘71 I took the completed idea (characters, origin story, costume design, etc.) to Stan Lee at Marvel Comics, and he agreed that Marvel would publish Ghost Rider.  The first appearance of the character came in Marvel Spotlight #5 in early 1972.

Matt Price:  Tell me about breaking into comics and about the early days at Marvel.

  Gary Friedrich: I could write a book.  In fact, maybe I will.

       Roy Thomas, who brought me to New York and got me my first job at Marvel, and  I grew up in Jackson, Mo., a small town about a hundred miles south of St. Louis.We worked together at the local movie theatre through high school where we continued our childhood interest in comics, especially after DC Comics began to revive their old superheroes of the forties like Hawkman, the Flash, Green Lantern, etc. in the late fifties.

     While in college, Roy began to edit and publish Alter Ego fanzine with another fan from Michigan, Jerry Bails.  It became a hit, and Roy’s interest in comics became much greater.  I helped out with odd jobs on the early issues of Alter Ego which is considered by many the best fanzine ever and which Roy continues to edit todayl

     All of this led to Roy being offered a job at DC in 1964 as an assistant editor on Superman Comics.  He took the job and moved to New York, but a short time later he moved over to the fledgling Marvel Comics operation as assistant editor to Stan Lee.

     In Nov. of 1965 Roy invited me to come to New York and take a shot at breaking into the comics field.  And since, at the time, I was working for a couple of bucks an hour making waffle irons in a factory, it didn’t take me long to accept his offer.,

     I should back up a second at this point and say that my interest in comics and I’m sure Roy’s as well really picked up with the appearance of Stan Lee’s first Marvel books in 1961 and 1962.  I’ll never forget the excitement I felt reading the first issue of Fantastic Four after Roy brought it by the theatre one afternoon.  We both recognized Stan’s writing and characters as something new and exciting in the world of comics and were big fans almost immediately.  We continued to follow the Marvel line as it slowly grew and expanded through the early sixties and the time when Roy finally went to work there.

     I arrived in New York in November of 1965 with about fifty bucks in my pocket and a roof over my head thanks to Roy and his friend Dave Kaler, a fan who played a large roll in the birth of comic book conventions in New York.  I got by for the first three months or so through a combination of Roy’s generosity, panhandling in Greenwich Village where we moved a short time after my arrive in New York, and working part-time at a record store in Queens.

      My first break came when a friend, Len Brown, offered me a part-time job at Topps Chewing Gum where I did my first professional work in the comics field, writing a series of Superman bubble gum cards.  And a short time later I learned a small company in Connecticutt, Charlton, was looking for writers. 

      After an interview with Charlton Editor and later comics legend-to-be Dick Giordano, I was assigned to write some romance scripts for Charlton on a freelance basis  at the princely rate of $4.00 per page.  And my comics-writing career was born.  I wrote lots of romance scripts as well as a couple of superhero stories for Dick over the next few months, including a few Blue Beetle  stories with Spider-Man co-creator Steve Ditko.

     In Sept. of ‘66, there was an editorial opening at Marvel.  Roy got me an interview with Stan, and I was hired as an assistant editor.  I was actually hired  without taking Stan’s famous writer’s test, because the company was growing and they needed help.  But I did later have to take the test before I was allowed to start writing comics on a freelance basis.  The test consisted of writing captions and word balloons on four pages of Spider-Man artwork.  I guess I passed it, because Stan didn’t fire me.

      The Marvel Bullpen, as the staff was called in those days, consisted of a handful of the most talented artists and writers in the business, among them John Romita, Marie Severin, production manager Sol Brodsky, do-everything secretary Flo Steinberg and production assistant Morrie Kuramoto.  Believe it or not, that was the Marvel in-house staff in late 1966.

      In short order over the next year, seats around the bullpen would be filled by comics greats John Verpoorten, Bill Everett (creator of Sub-Mariner), Frank Giacoia, Herb Trimpe, Tony Mortellaro and many many more.  And what a crew they were to work with.

     The bullpen was a beehive of activity as a usually few people worked to make the publication deadlines from day to day and managed to have a wonderful time clowning around and having a ball in the process. 

      And of course there was the hall-of-fame parade of artists coming in and out every day to drop off work and pick up assignments, great talents like Jack Kirby, Gene Colan, Gil Kane, John Buscema, Dick Ayers, and many, many more.   At no time in my life have I ever been surrounded by a greater array of talent than I was in those sixties Bullpen days.  It was the time and job of a lifetime. which I foolishly left for a time in the late sixties to seek my fame and fortune in California.

  Matt Price:  You also had a long and successful run on Sgt. Fury. Tell me about your take on that character.

Gary Friedrich:  There was an order of titles through which new writers would progress at Marvel.  You’d start out with Millie the Model, then progress to western titles like Kid Colt and Two-Gun Kid, then came Sgt. Fury.  But after I’d gone through that progression and written a few issues of Fury and was deemed ready to move on to the superhero big time, I didn’t want to let go of Fury and his Howling Commandos.  I’d grown fond of the ol’ Sarge as well as of working with Dick Ayers and inker John Severin, so I talked Stan and Roy into letting me continue writing the title, which I did for several years and probably more than 50 issues.

      I was wrapped up in the anti-war movement at that time, and I’d use the Fury title to espouse my anti-war sentiments from time to time, which I enjoyed.  It made me feel like I was doing something to carry the message. 

       So I’d have to say Fury and the Howlers were simply characters I was able to mold and have a lot of fun with over the years.  I also got to write several issues of Nick Fury Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., a present-day telling of the continued episodes of Fury after the war in a James Bond-like setting.  Being a big Bond fan, I got a real kick out of that, too.

    Matt Price: What’s the most interesting about meeting fans at comic book conventions?

     Gary Friedrich:  I love meeting people, so the conventions give me the chance to hook up with new friends and fans.  And of course it’s gratifying to learn that work I did so long ago is still important to people. 

      I particularly enjoy talking to young fans who weren’t even born when I was writing comics and finding out how they discovered my work and what they like about it.

     Matt Price:  You’re from Missouri.  Have you ever been to Oklahoma before ?  Do you have any thoughts or stories relating to the state?

     Gary Friedrich: Not really.  I’ve been through a few times but haven’t ever really visited in your state save for an appearance a few weeks back at a comics convention, which I really enjoyed.  I found the fans and local professionals especially warm and friendly, and I learned a lot about the history of country and rockabilly music in Oklahoma from one of the guests at the con.  So, being a fan of both, I really enjoyed that.

     Matt Price:  What are your upcoming plans?

  Gary Friedrich:  I’d really like to get  back to writing comics, but it’s not easy breaking in after being away for more than thirty years.  The business has changed a lot, and most of the people I knew are retired.  So I’m dealing with convincing new editors that I still have what it takes.  Hopefully I’ll be successful soon.

       I’m also going to be doing a lot of comics conventions.  I’ll be in Tulsa for Defcon in August and hope to make a lot of friends from all over Oklahoma there.

From  Friday’s The Oklahoman: 

By Matthew Price
Assistant Features Editor

WORD BALLOONS

The creator of the motorcycle-bound supernatural hero “Ghost Rider” comes to Oklahoma City this weekend for SoonerCon. Gary Friedrich will visit with fans at the annual science fiction convention, held today through Sunday at the Biltmore Hotel, 401 S Meridian Ave.

Friedrich talked to The Oklahoman about his comic-book experiences with “Ghost Rider” and other comics in a recent interview.

“The first flash of an idea for Ghost Rider came when I was still a kid and saw Marlon Brando in ‘The Wild One,’” Friedrich said. “I loved the movie and began to think about a superhero on a motorcycle.”

As time went by, Friedrich said he was influenced by the cycle gang movies of the 1950s and 1960s, as well as daredevil Evel Knievel.

“The ideas began to come together in the late sixties during a period when I was away from Marvel and worked for another company for a time,” Friedrich said. “But as I began to lean toward a supernatural connection, I realized the Comics Code Authority probably wouldn’t accept anything like that. So although I had the concept pretty much together by 1970, I had to wait until the Code eased its standards for horror-type comics in 1971 to attempt to get the character published.”

The Ghost Rider first appeared in “Marvel Spotlight” No. 5 in early 1972.

Friedrich worked on several titles for Marvel Comics in the 1960s, including “Captain America,” “The Incredible Hulk” and “The Amazing Spider-Man.” His longest run as a writer came on “Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos.”

“There was an order of titles through which new writers would progress at Marvel,” Friedrich said. “You’d start out with ‘Millie the Model,’ then progress to western titles like ‘Kid Colt’ and ‘Two-Gun Kid,’ then came ‘Sgt. Fury.’ But after I’d gone through that progression and written a few issues of ‘Fury’ and was deemed ready to move on to the superhero big time, I didn’t want to let go of ‘Fury and his Howling Commandos.’ I’d grown fond of the ol’ Sarge as well as of working with Dick Ayers and inker John Severin, so I talked Stan and Roy into letting me continue writing the title, which I did for several years and probably more than 50 issues.”

From Friday’s The Oklahoman:

By Matthew Price
Assistant Features Editor

WORD BALLOONS

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — Three creators with close ties to Marvel Comics’ Ghost Rider talked about their experiences at Planet Comicon last week.

At a panel focusing on “Ghost Rider,” writers Gary Friedrich and Jason Aaron and artist Javier Saltares discussed the character with moderator Jai Nitz.

Friedrich created the motorcycle-riding Ghost Rider with Mike Ploog and Roy Thomas in “Marvel Spotlight” No. 5 in 1972.

In the comics, stunt rider Johnny Blaze made a deal with the devil to save his adoptive father. Blaze was cursed to become Ghost Rider, the spirit of vengeance.

Friedrich followed his childhood friend Thomas to Marvel Comics.

“Roy and I went to school together in Jackson, Missouri. We’d been comic fans as kids,” Friedrich said. “We discovered the ‘Fantastic Four’ when the first series came out and got really into Marvel Comics.”

Friedrich worked with Thomas on his “Alter Ego” fanzine, then, after Thomas went to work for Marvel, Friedrich joined him in New York in 1964 and began working for Marvel in 1965. Besides “Ghost Rider,” Friedrich is probably best-known for his run on “Sgt. Fury,” which won fan awards as “best war comic” during his run.

Friedrich has been working as a courier in St. Louis for about 14 years, having left comics about 30 years ago. He said he’s now kicking around some ideas for a return to comics.

The first “Ghost Rider” series, which spun out of “Marvel Spotlight,” lasted until 1983. The character would lie dormant for seven years.

In 1990, writer Howard Mackie revamped “Ghost Rider” with artists Saltares and Mark Texiera. This Ghost Rider was Danny Ketch, who became the Ghost Rider when he touched a medallion on a motorcycle he found.

Saltares, who got his start at Marvel as one of John Romita’s art correction assistants, said “Ghost Rider” changed his career.

“(Ghost Rider) was my first big gig,” Saltares said. “I loved that character when I was a kid in the 70s. I loved the whole idea, and I couldn’t believe they were bringing him back, and I really couldn’t believe they were asking me to do it, which was great. That really was a big break for me, made my career, actually.”

The 1990 series of “Ghost Rider” became a best-seller for Marvel. The series ran through 1998.

Johnny Blaze came back as Ghost Rider in 2001 in a series written by Devin Grayson. But it wasn’t until Garth Ennis repopularized the character with a miniseries in 2005, that another ongoing series was green-lit. Writer Daniel Way began Ghost Rider’s third ongoing series in 2006.

Jason Aaron started as the writer with issue No. 20 of the current arc of “Ghost Rider” in February.

“I was very excited, mainly for the chance to try to do something a little different with the book,” Aaron said. “I think it’s going to be a really exciting year to be a ‘Ghost Rider’ fan. There’s a lot of big things coming up in the next few months.”

The Kansas City-based Aaron talks about his upcoming projects and his history, as well as this interesting bit about his influences:

 Yeah, I’ve been reading them for as long as I’ve been able to read (and no jokes about that, just because I’m from Alabama). Back when I was first getting into comics, buying them off the spinner rack at the local drugstore, my favorite books were New Teen Titans, Blue Devil, Atari Force, Swamp Thing and Fantastic Four. These days, my all-time favorites include Grant Morrison’s Doom Patrol, From Hell, EC’s Frontline Combat, Lone Wolf And Cub, Stray Bullets, Kirby’s Fourth World titles and virtually everything that Steve Gerber did for Marvel in the ‘70s. I also love Michael Fleisher, Timothy Truman, Garth Ennis, Azzarello, Brubaker, Bendis, Adrian Tomine, Rick Veitch… I could go on and on. My biggest influences as a writer would be James Ellroy, Elmore Leonard, Cormac McCarthy, David Simon, Stanley Kubrick and my late cousin Gustav Hasford. These days, I’m also heavily influenced and inspired by the amazing group of comic creators we have here in Kansas City – guys like Matt Fraction, Ande Parks, Tony Moore and B. Clay Moore.

So – someone influenced by “Blue Devil,” James Ellroy and 1970s  Steve Gerber on “Wolverine”? Sounds worth a shot.

– Matt Price