Phantom Rider
Phantom Rider is the name of several fictional characters, Old West heroic gunfighters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character name was originally called Ghost Rider, and was changed following the introduction of Marvel's motorcycle-riding character.
Publication history
Marvel's first Ghost Rider look was based on the Magazine Enterprises character Ghost Rider (Rex Fury), created by writer Ray Krank and artist Dick Ayers for editor Vincent Sullivan in Tim Holt #11 (1949). The character appeared in horror-themed Western stories through the run of Tim Holt, Red Mask, and A-1 Comics up until the institution of the Comics Code.
After the trademark to the character's name and motif lapsed, Marvel Comics debuted its own near-identical, horror-free version of the character in Ghost Rider #1 (cover-dated Feb. 1967), by writers Roy Thomas and Gary Friedrich and original Ghost Rider artist Ayers. (Ghost) Riders in the Sky: A Cowboy Legend, being popular at the time, inspired the comics. The song was also the inspiration for the Magazine Enterprises' horror-Western comic-book character the Ghost Rider.