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Spectre Vol 2 19

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"Hellbound Creeps": Kranik, a death row prisoner guilty of several murders in the past, escapes from his prison cell by mystical means.

A killer many times over-- must be stopped!
— Spectre

Spectre (Volume 2) #19 is an issue of the series Spectre (Volume 2) with a cover date of October, 1988.

Synopsis for "Hellbound Creeps"

Kranik, a death row prisoner guilty of several murders in the past, escapes from his prison cell by mystical means.

Meanwhile, Jim Corrigan learns that he has come back to life thanks to Spectre's sacrifice, but now they are both doomed to share the same body as they did in the past, which further extends Corrigan's torture and conflict with Spectre's actions. After learning the ugly truth, Corrigan shouts Kim Liang and Peter Quarral out of his office and once he is alone, he grabs his gun to end his life, but Spectre takes control of half of Corrigan's body, bringing their struggle to a whole new level. Spectre convinces Corrigan to drop the gun and continue with his life while a defeated and reluctant Corrigan, drops back on his seat.

At that moment, Madame Xanadu senses evil lurking on the streets of New York City and she contacts Spectre telepathically to inform him of the impending doom. Spectre hears the calling and Corrigan's body soon turns into the spectral mist, much to the horror of Kim Liang, who returned to the office to inform Corrigan of Quarral's departure.

Not far from there, a hooker walks the deserted streets of New York and realizes that the night has gotten worse thanks to the mist. She walks past a subway entrance, unaware that Kranik is lurking downstairs, hoping to get a chance to suck the life of another victim as he did in the past. The hooker becomes Kranik's target and he grabs her with the intention of biting her neck and sucking her blood as she screams for help. The mist around them becomes the Spectre and he prevents Kranik from killing her. The sight of Spectre and Kranik fighting causes the woman to faint, while the two opponents struggle and realize their powers are equally matched. Spectre uses his powers to break Kranik's neck, but he is weakened as well and starts to transform back into Corrigan as Kranik crawls away. As Spectre fades, he tells Corrigan to eliminate Kranik with his gun and without much of a choice, Corrigan kills Kranik, although he refused to do it. The gunshot awakes the woman, who assumes that Corrigan dealt with the "demons" and saved her, just as the police arrive and they are taken to be interrogated.

Corrigan is interrogated by Quarral, who comes up with a convenient story to justify Corrigan's involvement in the killing of Kranik, as he knows the truth of Corrigan's soul and his mission. Quarral then takes the heat off Corrigan by speaking on his behalf to the press and allows Corrigan to return to his office undisturbed.

The news about the demons in the alley spread fast across town and an attractive journalist has learned the location of Corrigan's office, where she intends to learn the truth of the mysterious events that ended with the death of a serial killer.

Meanwhile in Greenwich Village, Kim Liang gets several calls from people willing to hire Corrigan's services as a ghosthunter, but Corrigan is busy with Madame Xanadu, who introduces Corrigan to Zoran "The Fisherman". The mysterious man wants to form a partnership with Corrigan as he has learned of Corrigan's abilities to track down monsters and evil-doers. Zoran tells Corrigan that he knows how to deal with them differently than Spectre and he leaves Madame Xanadu's Parlor, expecting to get an answer from him soon. Corrigan has almost made up his mind, but Xanadu warns him that Spectre may not like his decision.

After that little discussion, Corrigan returns to his office, where he learns about the several people who are willing to pay him to get rid of ghosts and demons as a result of his newfound notoriety in the media, but these news are interruped by the stunning Gina Sayles from The National Snoop, who shows up at the office wanting to interview Corrigan and make him a star.

Appearing in "Hellbound Creeps"

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