No! No! No! It can't be... He can't have just picked me off a poster... and killed me for a warped graduation test! No! I won't believe it! 
- — Deadman
Strange Adventures #215 is an issue of the series Strange Adventures (Volume 1) with a cover date of December, 1968.
Synopsis for "A New Lease On Death"
Deadman trails Willie Smith, the assassin who killed Phil, to Hong Kong, where Willie (and Deadman) finally meet the Hook, Deadman's killer. Willie captures the Hook after a quick chase, and brings him to the secret headquarters of the Society of Assassins to face trial before their leader, the Sensei. Deadman learns, in the course of the trial, that he was only killed as an exercise to certify the Hook's "graduation" into the Society. Ironically, he was successful, but Cleveland Brand's masquerade as Deadman has convinced both the Hook and the Society that he has failed, and a second try also failed. Thus, the Sensei declares the Hook a failure, and, in a martial-arts duel, kills him. Deadman, during the fight, tries to take over the Sensei's body and discovers he cannot enter it. Left alone with the Hook, Deadman breaks into hysterical laughter, feeling that he is trapped in a mad dream. Then the voice of Rama Kushna intrudes, asking if a balance has been struck. Deadman reluctantly admits that it must have been, since Hook "paid for his crime one way or another." Rama Kushna then tells Deadman that he has "satisfaction", and "Fate has come full circle!" At that, Deadman angrily shouts that he has no satisfaction, that justice has not been done, and asks Rama Kushna if his "gift" was an eternity of frustration. But the spirit does not answer back, and the only "audience" the screaming Deadman has is the body of the Hook.
Appearing in "A New Lease On Death"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Society of Assassins (First appearance)
- Sensei (First appearance)
- Roy "The Hook" Martin (Dies)
- Willie Smith
Other Characters:
- Homer Dobbs (Single appearance)
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Notes
Reprinted in Deadman #6.
See Also
Recommended Reading
- Deadman Recommended Reading
- Strange Adventures (Volume 1) (1967)
- Adventure Comics (Volume 1): (1978)
- Deadman (Volume 1) (1985)
- Deadman (Volume 2) (1986)
- Action Comics (Volume 1): (1988)
- Deadman: Love After Death (Volume 1) (1989)
- Deadman: Exorcism (Volume 1) (1992)
- Lobo/Deadman: The Brave and the Bald (1995)
- Batman/Deadman: Death and Glory (1996)
- Deadman: Dead Again (Volume 1) (2001)
- Deadman (Volume 3) (2002)
- Deadman (Volume 4) (2006)
- Deadman: Dark Mansion of Forbidden Love (Volume 1) (2016)
- Deadman (Volume 5) (2018)