The Ghost Rider himself rolled into the Comic-Con on Saturday. Nicolas Cage, sporting some funky hair extensions, turned up with his Ghost Rider director, Mark Steven Johnson, and co-star Eva Mendes, and – after debuting a brand-new trailer which showcased some heavy-duty action scenes and an awesome single-shot transformation sequence which will surely push the boundaries of a PG-13 – he talked about his obsession for the flaming-skulled, hellcycle-riding character; an obsession that dates back to his childhood.

“I enjoyed the image of the skull on fire when I was a boy,” he drawled. “And the mythology of it, the Faust-like storyline was so original for a Marvel Comics character. There really isn’t anyone quite like Ghost Rider and that’s why it’s fresh, that’s why it’s time for a new kind of superhero.”

Cage, a huge comic book nut who famously took his adopted surname from the Marvel character, Luke Cage, has been trying to make a comic book movie for some time, flirting with the likes of Superman Lives, Spider-Man (he would have played the Green Goblin), an aborted version of Iron Man and Constantine. And finally he’s scratched that itch.

“It’s been a long time I’ve been trying to do it but I’m a big believer that the right character is the one that ultimately happens,” he continued. “I absolutely think that Ghost Rider is the right choice for me to play. It’s a better match for me.”

Being the wonderfully idiosyncratic actor that he is, Cage has brought his own quirks to both the character of Johnny Blaze, the stunt rider who sells his soul to Mephistopheles (Peter Fonda), a deal that goes wrong and entraps him into becoming the spirit of Vengeance, by night, and the Ghost Rider himself. “As Mark was writing, we would talk, and even when we were filming in , we would come up with ideas,” he added. “There are little habits that he has. He has a fetish for jellybeans, and he reads a lot but he’s something of a cowboy. And Ghost Rider is a Karen Carpenter fan!”

Cue much laughter from the assembled press, but Cage – and Johnson – are adamant that it will all make sense when Ghost Rider opens next February. “Well, the way I see it when I’m in a dental chair, they always play these very soft, soothing types of music and Johnny Blaze is literally sitting in a dental chair every second of the day wondering when the Devil is going to come and claim his purchase, so I think he’s constantly trying to relax. So instead of the bourbon-drinking, chain-smoking badass, I think he’s such a badass that he needs to calm down with Karen Carpenter and jellybeans!”

And yes, we did ask about Cage's Ghost Rider tattoo, that he's had for years... and no, he wouldn't show it to us. Spoilsport.