This is the second of 3 concept sketches Ian Bederman did of Cosmic Ghost Rider in 2015 at the request of Donny Cates - 2 years before the character first appeared in Thanos #13 on November 22, 2017. These sketches are from Ian's personal sketchbook, where these sketches had resided for the past 7 years. It brings me incredible joy to welcome these amazing pieces of comic history to my Cosmic Ghost Rider collection and display them alongside the greatest published images of the character.
There is so much to say about this page. This page is the embodiment of everything I love about Cosmic Ghost Rider - an ode to a fan's passion for the ultra stylized and over-the-top 90's goodness. This is the first piece documenting the character's origin as the Punisher, a herald, and a ghost rider. It's the first piece depicting the iconic skull in the character's design. It's the first pencil to paper brainstorming by Cates and Ian of what a Cosmic Ghost Rider comic may look like. There is just so much I love about this piece. I'm not sure I've ever seen a piece which so well documents a character's ideation so many years in advance of the character's appearance. Donny Cates has often said Cosmic Ghost Rider was the book he wanted to pitch to get into Marvel, and this piece is the physical evidence of that statement.
The reverse is a fantastic sketch from Mad Max: Fury Road. The sketch also solidifies the date of the piece's creation as Mad Max: Fury Road released May 2015. You can see on the reverse of
another of Ian's sketches where the front of this page has rubbed off some over the last 7 years.
