Danse Macabre (Help!)

[moonmaster]

The other day I was thinking about how much I dislike Ghost Rider and I was trying to think of a way of reinventing him. I began with the simplest thing, his appearance. I decided to drop the motorcycle/leather bar look.

The first thing that struck me was something based off of the Danse Macabre. Here's a design I came up with in MS Paint:

So I got the look down...and then I stalled. I cannot for the life of me figure out how to create fresh, new version of the Ghost Rider's origin. I'm so bored with the Faustian "Deal with the Devil", but every idea I've had either turns into a stupid gimmick or a tired story about Johnny Blaze "inventing his own demons" in order to punish himself, with some sort of metafiction twist.

The visual aspect just makes me so interested in doing this but I'm having serious trouble with the story. Does anyone have any ideas?

 

[Iceshadow]

Hmm, thats a tough one. Well I think that it would be interesting if the purpose of Ghost Rider wasn't to punish evil, but to warn mankind of the coming apocalypse/end of days, or some other big event. My thinking is that is what riders did in the old days (think Paul Revere warning of the British). The fact that GR has a flaming skull means that something big is coming.

Eventually, he would realize that his efforts are having little effect, that there are too many to warn, but what else can he do?

 

[Gideon Stargrave]

I, too, HATE Ghost Rider and know very little of the character. I can think up a million generic, goth-demon-hell-satan plots, but nothing good. Maybe I'll be able to come up with something tomorrow, while in science class.

 

[moonmaster]

Hmm, thats a tough one. Well I think that it would be interesting if the purpose of Ghost Rider wasn't to punish evil, but to warn mankind of the coming apocalypse/end of days, or some other big event. My thinking is that is what riders did in the old days (think Paul Revere warning of the British). The fact that GR has a flaming skull means that something big is coming.

Eventually, he would realize that his efforts are having little effect, that there are too many to warn, but what else can he do?

I was thinking of something like that. He'll ride on horseback rather than motorcycle, so that would definitely fit him pretty well with the Four Horsemen.

 

[Entropy]

Ok, shooting from the hip stuff. Since this is for fan fiction, if I come up with something I think might be useable in an original fiction I'm gonna retain the right to use it. I just wanna be fair and say that up front.

Danse Macarbe is meant to kind of envoke the peace and equality of death, as well as inevitability. You get all the different types and caste's dancing in the same way. Ok, lets run with that.

Now, I like the dichotomy idea of Ghost Rider and Johnny Blaze as separate entities joined as one. Let's explore that. What if Johnny Blaze is a regular guy who is literally haunted? Say an entity, this ghost, becomes enamored with Johnny for some reason and decides to attach itself to him, to "ride" along in his life? Now, what if it's something like a philosophical struggle between the two? Johnny is jaded, but has this devout faith that there are such things as second chances, if not in this life than in the next. The ghost on the other hand knows death to be humdrum and drab eternity (at least HIS death) and argues that the life Johnny takes for granted should be lived for all it's worth as it's the only one worth living.

Ok, that's all fine and dandy, so now let's throw in the rest of the story. Johnny and the Ghost, while still separate entities, share part of the others nature, are a bridge between both worlds. So while the ghost is off in the netherworld, he still has one foot on Earth, and no matter where Johnny goes he still has one foot in the grave. Now, suppose because of this, they are assaulted by entities on both sides that want to use them? Also, because of their nature, they are capable of helping beings in both worlds. People questioning their mortality, or a little girl ghost that's lost. At the heart of everything though, always remains the ghost and Johnny's debate with one another on what is the truly important life, and how each event affects them.

Just an idea to toss out there.

 

[moonmaster]

Thank you Entropy, your thoughts really got my mind working. I now have a basic story worked out:

John Blais (Name is subject to change) is a poet whose life has recently been turned upside down. After a series of deaths, he's been left emotionally shattered and his poetry has taken a dark turn. Something else has happened also - After a series of strange, vaguely religious experiences, he has found that he's being followed by The Pale Rider, a skeletal apparition that warns of the coming Apocalypse. The Rider's usual purpose is to warn people of doom on an individual scale, but he has been "reassigned" as a Harbinger of Worldly Doom.

I should point out that this will not be an ongoing series, this will mostly be a short story split into 3 parts. Also, as a whole, it's so much of a departure from the actual comics and so different in tone that I'm thinking about changing Blais' name and cutting all ties with the character.