—Blue Blade (Roy Chambers)I've got something to tell you. Something nobody knows. Not even you. Something that's maybe even worth somebody's life. Maybe mine. Maybe yours. So...you interested?
Appearing in 1st story
Featured Characters:
- Twelve (Unnamed)
- Phantom Reporter (Dick Jones)
- Black Widow (Claire Voyant) (Main story and flashback)
- Fiery Mask (Dr. Jack Castle) (Main story and flashback)
- Electro
- Blue Blade (Roy Chambers) (Main story and flashback)
- Master Mind Excello (Earl Everett)
- Laughing Mask (Dennis Burton)
- Rockman
- Dynamic Man (Curt Cowan)
Supporting Characters:
- Zog Industries
Other Characters:
- Deborah "Debbie" Voyant (First appearance; dies) (Only in flashback) (Claire Voyant's Sister)
- Lester Maddox (First appearance) (Only in flashback)
- Louise Brooks (Named only)
- Alice Roberte (Named only)
- Fritz Kortner (Named only)
- Karl (Named only)
- Satan (Main story and flashback)
- NYPD
- Lt. Detective David Rose
- Three unnamed police officers
- Zombie Master (Mentioned)
- Unnamed Man (Only in flashback)
- Philo Zogolowski (Referenced)
- God (Mentioned)
- Nazis (Mentioned)
- Bill (Only in flashback)
- Batty Bat (First appearance; drawing)
- Scarlet Sabre (Mikhail Volga) (First appearance; drawing)
- Tsar Pavlovich (Named only)
- Maria (Named only)
Races and Species:
- Humans (Main story and flashback)
- Demons (Main story and flashback)
- Zombies (Only in flashback)
- Robots
- Abysmians
- Horses (Drawing)
- Androids
Realities:
- Earth-616 (Main story and flashback)
- Earth-20007 (Drawing)
Locations:
- Earth-616 (Main story and flashback)
- Earth (Main story and flashback)
- North America (Main story and flashback)
- United States of America (Main story and flashback)
- New York
- California (Only in flashback)
- Los Angeles County (Only in flashback)
- Los Angeles (Only in flashback)
- Los Angeles County (Only in flashback)
- United States of America (Main story and flashback)
- Berlin, Germany, Europe (Named only)
- North America (Main story and flashback)
- Earth (Main story and flashback)
- Earth-20007 (Drawing)
- Earth (Drawing)
- Europe (Drawing)
- Russia (Drawing)
- Saint Petersburg (Drawing)
- Russia (Drawing)
- Europe (Drawing)
- Earth (Drawing)
Items:
- Zombification Machine (Only in flashback)
Events:
- World War II (Mentioned in narration or thoughts)
Synopsis for 1st story
The Phantom Reporter believes the the Black Widow may be responsible for the murder of a number of patrons at a local gay bar, as such, he confronts her at gunpoint. Though she isn't afraid of his gun, the Black Widow relates the origin of her superhuman abilities to the Phantom Reporter. Years ago her sister travelled to Los Angeles to become a star, but instead got tangled up with the wrong people and was murdered. Standing at her sister's grave, Claire vowed that she'd do anything to avenge her sister's death. It was at this time that an unnamed demon promised her vengeance in exchange for becoming his vessel. In this way she convinces the Phantom Reporter that she was not the one who committed the murders at the bar. The police bring the Fiery Mask in for questioning in the murders due to scorch-marks found at the scene of the crime and is told that the police have investigated the story of how he acquired his powers, but can't find anything to corroborate it in the records of the time, but he is released for lack of evidence.
In order to boost ratings for his faltering show, the Blue Blade enlists the help of Ms. Zogolowski and Electro. He connects his mind to that of the robot, inadvertently downloading the robot's memory backups of his physical activities into his own mind. Later on that night, he goes out and meets Dynamic Man, telling him that he knows a secret that may be worth someone's life, maybe even his own. Meanwhile, Master Mind Excello has put his own plans in action, creating a new costume for the Phantom Reporter that included bulletproof Kevlar, he bailed out the Laughing Mask while he awaited trial and went to Rockman in a dream and told him that his people had heard his cries and that he would never be alone again.
Solicit Synopsis
Notes
Continuity Notes[]
- Deborah Voyant's gravestone shows her year of death as 1928, but she has a poster in her room for the film Pandora's Box, which was not released until 1929.