Ghost Rider, Vol. 1 (1973-1983)

The Clown once again leads the Circus of Crime, driven back to crime by the need to pay his father's medical bills - his father, who was injured BY the Circus of Crime! Sneaking up to see where Eliot Franklin had gone, Johnny learned he was the Clown - just in time to be kayoed by the Strongman! Now, the Circus means to take over the Quentin Carnival, and with Johnny unconscious and the Ghost Rider trapped inside him, they might just do it! Clown asks for a moment alone to convince Quentin, who then tells the carnival that... he's not going to give in! And Clown agrees! He knows who hurt his father, and he thinks the carnival can take the Circus! And maybe they can! Several Circus members fall... Meanwhile, despite goading, Johnny refuses to set the Rider free - until he sees the carnival on fire, and jumps to the wrong conclusion! Ghost Rider interrupts a battle between Fire-Eater and Clown, forcing Fire-Eater to flee. Ghost Rider does not care that Clown was trying to stop the Circus; his soul-searing cold flame forces Clown to relive his life of failure again and again, a personal hell from which there is no escape! But Red Fowler appears, and makes Johnny see the truth. Once again, Ghost Rider is forced back inside, but for how long?