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Wrath of the Spectre Vol 1 1

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"The Wrath of...the Spectre": This story is reprinted from Adventure Comics #431.

Wrath of the Spectre #1 is an issue of the series Wrath of the Spectre (Volume 1) with a cover date of May, 1988.

Synopsis for "The Wrath of...the Spectre"

This story is reprinted from Adventure Comics #431.

An armored car robbery results in four guards dead and three crooks escaping. Lt. Corrigan from homicide is put on the case. He follows a lead to an antiques dealer who happens to be part of the heist gang. When Corrigan confronts him, the thug panics and pulls a gun. He then flees his shop, taking the money. As he drives off, Spectre follows him. The thief pulls over and calls his buddy from a pay phone, confessing he's scared because a "spook" is after him. After the call, he jumps in his car again. Moments later, the Spectre appears, larger than life, causing the driver to go off the road and plunge over a cliff. One down, two to go.

The Spectre visits the next thug in his hideout. This time a machine gun his pulled on him, but Spectre only melts it away, along with the man's arms... and slowly the rest of him, until he is only a bubbling flesh form on the floor.

The third convict believes he is safe on a plane to South America, however, Spectre boards, and flips out the lights. When the lights finally come on again, the passengers gasp at the sight of a skeleton crumbling in the aisle.

The three murdering thugs have all perished by the wrath of the Spectre.

Appearing in "The Wrath of...the Spectre"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

Antagonists:

  • Fritz (Single appearance; dies)
  • Hank (Single appearance; dies)
  • Charlie (Single appearance; dies)

Other Characters:

  • Pete (Single appearance; dies)

Locations:


Synopsis for "The Anguish of...the Spectre"

This story is reprinted from Adventure Comics #432.

One night, three criminals sneak into the house of industrialist Adrian Sterling and place a bomb in the man's pool, which explodes the next day and kills Adrian Sterling. The murder case is brought to the attention of Detective Jim Corrigan, who meets with Adrian's daughter, Gwendolyn Sterling and they realize they have a mutual attraction, although Jim knows they can't be together.

Following his investigation, Jim learns that the late Adrian had a partner called Maxwell Flood, who is now in total control of the company's assets after Adrian's death. Corrigan suspects foul play and he impersonates the spirit of Adrian in order to force the truth out of Flood. The scare tactic works and The Spectre learns that Flood had hired the killers that placed the bomb on Adrian's house.

When Flood meets with the three killers, Spectre follows him and murders the three of them. One of them is split in two with giant scissors, while the second criminal is turned to dust. The second murder is witnessed by Gwen, who learns the truth of Jim Corrigan, yet she still cares for the man, who is now but a shell containing the Spirit of Vengeance. Finally, the third criminal is forced to age at an increased speed until she turns into an old corpse.

Appearing in "The Anguish of...the Spectre"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

  • Gwendolyn Sterling (First appearance)

Antagonists:

  • Maxwell Flood (Single appearance; dies)
  • Peter (Single appearance; dies)
  • Vera (Single appearance; dies)
  • Eric (Single appearance; dies)

Other Characters:

  • Adrian Sterling (Single appearance; dies)

Locations:

Synopsis for "The Swami and...the Spectre"

This story is reprinted from Adventure Comics #433.

Swami Seelal is a con-artist who has convinced several wealthy ladies that he can protect them from spirits of the astral world. When he is informed that one of the ladies' husband has decided to withdraw his economic support to his crusade, Seelal stages an "accident", where the man is killed and he manages to convince the widow that her husband was killed by the wrath of the spirit.

When the case is brough to the attention of Detective Jim Corrigan, he deduces that the Swami is a fake and warns the man to tread carefully on any other "accidents" that might connect to him. Coincidentally, the Swami is soon visited by Gwendolyn Sterling, who is seeking for help in turning Jim Corrigan into a living human once again. The Swami decides to use this chance to steal from Gwen and kill Jim at the same time, eliminating all his problems.

The Swami summons Gwen to a cemetery in the middle of the night and Gwen has called Jim to meet them there and perform a ritual that will help them. The Swami leaves before Jim could arrive and he leaves his enforcer at the entrance of the graveyard, where he uses a molotov bomb to kill Corrigan when he enters the place. The killer then walks towards Gwen with the intention of killing her, but The Spectre saves her and the crook is then dragged into a recently dug tomb by spirits. Gwen regrets having gone to the Swami, but Corrigan understands, knowing the pain of not being able to be together.

Finally, The Spectre goes to the Swami's place during his spiritual session and transforms the man into a glass statue, before tumbling it to the ground, turning it into dust.

Appearing in "The Swami and...the Spectre"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

  • Gwendolyn Sterling

Antagonists:

  • Seelal (Single appearance; dies)
    • Smiley (Single appearance)

Other Characters:

  • Mrs. Vandergilt (Single appearance)
  • Mr. Vandergilt (Single appearance; dies)
  • Ernie (Single appearance)

Locations:

Synopsis for "Adventurers' Club..."

This story is reprinted from Adventure Comics #426.

In a club meeting lounge, Nelson Strong is interviewing a gangster named Cross about a Thompson sub-machine gun owned by a hit man named “Scortch” Jordon. During his last drive by hit on August 27 1952, Scortch also shot down an innocent passerby, a young woman named Finch. When Cross grumbled about the way the hit went down, Scortch turned callous about Finch's death, claiming that she just had crummy luck.

The police questioned Scortch about his role, then allowed Harvey Finch, the father of the deceased woman, to talk to Scortch at the police station. No confession came from the questioning, so the police released Scortch. But a day later, Scortch claimed to see the ghost of Ms. Finch at a restaurant. And later that same day after seeing her ghost again at a traffic light, Scortch got out of Cross' car with his machine gun, chased her, cornered her, and fired a burst of bullets at her. As the driver of the car, Cross could not see the woman Scortch was pursuing. All he saw was Scortch firing at a steel beam. Ricocheting bullets cut down the hitman, and Scortch lie dying where he fell. With his dying words, Scortch confessed to the police about his last hit and fingered Cross as the driver. Cross spent twenty years behind bars for that crime.

Twenty years later the woman's father, Harvey Finch, visited Cross in prison just a week before Cross was paroled. Cross stopped his recounting of the tale at that point to note that Finch must be a hypnotist, for Cross was now seeing the ghost of that woman with her accusing eyes haunting him wherever he went.

Appearing in "Adventurers' Club..."

Featured Characters:

  • The Adventurers Club (First appearance)

Supporting Characters:

  • Mr. Cross (Single appearance)

Antagonists:

  • "Scortch" Jordan (Single appearance; dies)

Other Characters:

  • Harvey Finch (Single appearance)

Locations:

Items:

  • None

Vehicles:

  • None



See Also

Recommended Reading

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