'Ghost Rider' faithful to comic book

To get an expert opinion of how well the Marvel Comics creation translates to the big screen, I asked comic-book enthusiast Sarah Walker, a 24-year-old sales clerk at R-Galaxy, 2420 N. Campbell Ave., what she thought of the movie.

I don't know much about the "Ghost Rider" comic and thought the film was pretty awful.

Walker is a fan who had studied up in the week leading up to the film screening by reading 10 "Ghost Rider" issues and scouring the Internet for the character's history. She thought the film was exciting and captured the essence of the character, even as it's evolved over the years. I caught up with her by phone to ask these questions:

Tell me what you thought about the movie.

"I liked it. It had some pretty good acting, and there were some really cool scenes in there, too. Probably the most iconic scene was the part where both Ghost Riders were riding through the desert — the original Ghost Rider that was on the horse, along with Johnny Blaze."

What did the film get right from the comic?

"The original Ghost Rider — the one that was on the horse — was there. That was cool. He was the very first one before Johnny Blaze. Most of the characters were right, and the stunts were cool, too."

Were there any noticeable changes from the comic to the film?

"I'm pretty sure from what I've read that in the comic he sold his soul to the devil to save his stepfather, and in the film he did it for his dad. For the villains, they changed Mephisto's name to Mephistopheles, instead of Me-phisto like it is in the comics. He didn't look the same. In the comic, he's a lot bigger and more red."

What about Ghost Rider? Was he similar to what he is in the comic?

"I think for the most part he's pretty much the same, and he has pretty much the same bike. The costume's a little different. It's more of a racing costume in the comic than it is the biker costume in the movie. I think what they did is combine all the different Ghost Riders."

So there have been a bunch of different Ghost Riders?

"The first one had a horse. The second one was Johnny Blaze, the third one was Daniel Ketch, and now it goes back to Johnny Blaze."

What's your favorite comic-book adaptation?

" 'The Punisher.' I liked how it drew you in emotionally. There was really good acting in it, and it stuck to the story line of the comics."

Any comic-book recommendations for readers who want to know more about Ghost Rider?

"I would say just start as early as you can. That's what I've been doing. In the older ones, the art is a lot different and the story lines are a lot more cheesy, but it's cool to flash back to what it was like for our parents when they were that age."

If you're involved in filmmaking and would like to be featured in a Q&A, write to pvillarreal@ azstarnet.com.