WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for Ghost Rider #1, available now from Marvel.
Johnny Blaze has just made a fiery return to action as the Spirit of Vengeance, though he hardly did so on his own. In fact, the Ghost Rider may have never seen the light of day again if not for the timely intervention of the especially helpful, and menacing, Zeb. This dark wanderer may seem like nothing but trouble at first glance, but from his introduction it is clear that there is far more than meets the eye when it comes to Johnny's latest ally. In fact, if Zeb had not lost his life already, he might be on track to become the Marvel Universe's very own John Constantine.
Ghost Rider #1 (by Benjamin Percy, Cory Smith, Bryan Valenza, and VC's Travis Lanham) sees Johnny Blaze living what might be his best life ever. With a loving family sharing a beautiful home in an idyllic neighborhood, things have never been so easy going for the former stunt performer, though the memory of a near-fatal crash has kept him off the road as of late. Of course, none of what he has experienced was ever real, as he is informed by the demonic Zeb. This clawed stranger has sowed death and discord throughout Johnny's new hometown from the moment he arrived, all before revealing the truth to the Ghost Rider himself. As Zeb tried to explain what is really happening to Johnny, the townspeople do everything in their power to keep the two apart. Even being crushed with a car can't keep Zeb down, however, and it is all but certain that readers haven't seen the last of him.
From introducing himself with a literal calling card to unlocking Johnny's mind before escaping in the form of a black bird, all signs point towards Zeb being the next most important Master of the Mystic Arts. While he certainly isn't as benevolent as someone like Doctor Strange, none of the carnage wrought by Zeb harmed anyone remotely human. In fact, for all of the darkness that seems to envelop him, his actions have all been heroic. And although he is an entirely new character to the Marvel Universe, there are some clear analogues between Zeb and DC's very own John Constantine.
First introduced in 1985's Swamp Thing #37 by Alan Moore and Rick Veitch, John Constantine has been the DC Universe's premier mystic antihero ever since he arrived on the scene. In his first appearance, John proved to be an enigmatic yet invaluable ally to Swamp Thing. Over the years since then, he has played the lead in multiple series of his own, as well as an important role in a myriad of other DC stories across the comics and small screen. Cunning, calculated, and occasionally cruel, few beings from any dimension have ever been able to pose a threat that John Constantine couldn't overcome, and from the looks of things Zeb will be taking on much the same role within the pages of Ghost Rider.
Hopefully, Zeb will prove to be more of a help than hindrance to Johnny Blaze in the coming months. The fact that he went to such great lengths to break the Spirit of Vengeance out of his picturesque prison speaks volumes about which side of the fight he stands on, yet that alone doesn't illuminate what battle it is that Johnny is riding into. Just because Zeb brought the Ghost Rider back doesn't mean he has anything good in mind, only that there is vengeance to be dealt that he is somehow a part of. Assuming Zeb is truly on Johnny's side, the fiery hero may have just met his next greatest ally without realizing it. If not, then the situation really is more complicated than anyone could have guessed.