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The Phantom Stranger (Volume 4) #7 is an issue of the series The Phantom Stranger (Volume 4) with a cover date of June, 2013. It was published on April 3, 2013.
Synopsis for "Breach Of Faith"
The Stranger sits in the front pew of a church. A priest approaches him as he stands and offers assistance. The Stranger does not respond and walks away. He stops at the basin of holy water but doesn't dip his fingers into the water. He finds the Presence waiting for him outside the church. They talk as they walk. Their walk takes them to a bar.
The Stranger enters, finding Jack Ryder sitting at the bar. Jack, seemingly deep into the bottle, is complaining to the bartender. Ryder's main complaint is his treatment at the hands of Morgan Edge. The bartender wearily informs Jack that he has had enough. The Stranger orders another round, telling the bartender that he will take responsibility for Ryder. The Stranger offers to help a skeptical Ryder. Ryder is distracted when he notices a breaking story on the bar's TV. A monster has appeared near the Occupy Metropolis protests and is running amok. Ryder is incensed when the story reports about the efforts of the Challengers of the Unknown. When he realizes that the battle is only a few blocks away, Jack becomes scared, mocks the Stranger, and runs out the door. The Stranger saves him from a flying car, making an impression on Ryder. Ryder decides to call the Stranger "Lucky" and takes him back to the PGN headquarters.
Morgan Edge is busy evacuating his employees from the building when Ryder and the Stranger arrive. Ryder and Edge argue about his presence. Ryder convinces Edge to let him report on the incident and stays behind with the Stranger. Ryder begins reporting as the monster attacks the PGN building. The monster grabs Ryder who calls to the Stranger to save him. The Stranger apologizes, remarking that helping Ryder wasn't in the job description. At Ryder's death, one of the silver coins falls from the Stranger's necklace. It dissipates as he holds it in his hand.
The monster explodes as the silver coin vanishes. Nearby, Morgan Edge can't believe that the cowardly Jack Ryder died a hero. He plans documentaries and stories about the extra-ordinary life of Jack Ryder.
The Presence joins the Stranger and congratulates him on a job well done. The Stranger asks to be released so that he can resume searching for his family. The Presence suggests to him that there are other roads than the one that Thirteen wishes to set him on. The Presence releases the Stranger and expresses the hope that "...may God have mercy on you."
The Stranger arrives at Thirteen's home and finds him out-of-sorts. Just as the Stranger informs Thirteen that he trusts Thirteen, the Question makes his presence known. The Stranger and the Question begin arguing and fighting. Thirteen takes advantage of the distraction and impales the Stranger with the Spear of Destiny. The Stranger collapses to the floor, seemingly dead.
Appearing in "Breach Of Faith"
Featured Characters:
- Phantom Stranger (Apparent Death)
Supporting Characters:
- God/The Voice (As a dog)
- Jack Ryder (Dies)
Antagonists:
- The Question
- Unnamed giant ogre-like creature (Single appearance)
Other Characters:
- Challengers of the Unknown
- Jesus (In picture only) (Also as a statue)
- John Galt (Tim Riley's Bar & Restaurant bartender) (Single appearance)
- Metropolis Fire Department (Cameo)
- Metropolis Police Department (Cameo)
- Morgan Edge
- Galaxy Communications
- Planet Global News (Single appearance)
- Galaxy Communications
- King Herod (First appearance) (Deceased) (In picture only) (Cameo)
- Allie Stark (Mentioned only)
- Elena Stark (Mentioned only)
- Superman (Mentioned only)
- Tim Stark (Mentioned only)
- C.S. Lewis (Mentioned only)
Locations:
- Prime Earth
- United States of America
- Metropolis
- Planet Global News Headquarters
- Tim Riley's Bar & Restaurant
- Metropolis
- United States of America
- Sphere of the Gods (Unnamed)
Items:
- Judas' Silver
- Spear of Destiny (First full appearance)
Vehicles:
- Challengers of the Unknown helicopter (Cameo)
Events:
- The Last Supper (In picture only)
Concepts:
- Magic
- Hellfire (Mentioned only)
- Hellfire (Mentioned only)
Notes
- Jack Ryder's story is continued in Justice League Dark #23.1: The Creeper.
- This issue is reprinted in Trinity of Sin: The Phantom Stranger: Breach of Faith.
Trivia
- The bartender wears a badge that states "I am John Galt": this is probably a reference to the character in Ayn Rand's novel Atlas Shrugged where "Who is John Galt?" was an often repeated question in the book.
- When Jack Ryder states "Bring me Morgan Edge's head on a silver platter" he is echoing the request Salome made of King Herod in the Gospel of Matthew: "Bring me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter."
- Birra Infantino and Broome Stout are respectively homages to the Phantom Stranger creators, Carmine Infantino and John Broome.
See Also