Just yesterday, I talked about the popularity of the red-hot addition to the Marvel Universe, Cosmic Ghost Rider.

While practically everyone is clamoring for Thanos #13 and is anxiously awaiting Thanos #16 when the full origin will be revealed, don’t forget about Johnny Blaze who was revived in the Marvel Legacy titles.

With the popularity of Cosmic Ghost Rider, I am predicting this will renew the interest in the old Johnny Blaze Rider, and that will give the Ghost Rider keys a bump in value. On that note, let’s take a closer look at the current market for those particular issues.

MARVEL SPOTLIGHT #5

As I said in the previous post, sooner or later, Cosmic Ghost Rider will come face-to-face with the Ghost Rider of the modern timeline. When that happens, fans of both versions will lose their minds, and that issue will sell out. It’s also going to give sales of Marvel Spotlight #5 a boost, not that it needs one. After all, this is the first appearance of the modern Ghost Rider.

If you’ve got an extra $1,000 or more to spend, then go ahead and get one of the higher grades while you can. But for the rest of us on tighter budgets, we’ll look closer at the mid-grade sales. A CGC 6.0 sold for a reasonable $250 back in August, and a 5.0 sold for the same price earlier this month. So at the moment, those mid-grades are still in the fair price range, but I foresee them rising when the cosmic counterpart makes his way into the normal Marvel timeline.

GHOST RIDER #1 (1973)

In 1973, Ghost Rider had gained enough popularity to warrant Marvel giving him a self-titled series. While this was not the first Ghost Rider series (more on that later), it was the first with the new Johnny Blaze Rider.

Virtually every grade of Ghost Rider #1 has increased in average sale price compared to 2016. The biggest difference jump over these two years has been a CGC 7.5. In 2016, it sold on average for $169. Over the past 90 days, it is currently averaging $248, and I expect that amount to keep going up by the end of the year.

GHOST RIDER #1 (1967)

For those curious about the Ghost Rider history, you’ll want to be on the lookout for the previous Ghost Rider, Carter Slade, who made his debut in the 1967 Ghost Rider #1. This version was a spectral cowboy who was based on the 1950s Ghost Rider who appeared in various horror comics. When the rights to the name lapsed, Marvel made their own version minus the horror elements. By the 1970s, the Rider was reimagined as the motorcycle-riding spirit of vengeance we know today. Instead of trashing Carter Slade, he was given the title of the Phantom Rider and even appeared in the first Nicolas Cage Ghost Rider movie.

True Ghost Rider fans will want a copy of the previous Ghost Rider #1 as it is integral to the evolution of the character. Best of all, it’s relatively cheap. A CGC 9.0 sold for $231 last June, and a 7.0 averaged $152 last year.