BLUEBEARD
Real Name: Arnold Perril
Identity/Class: Human, technology user
Occupation: Reporter, madman
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: None
Enemies: Katherine Brick, Moon Knight
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Bluebeard's castle, an abandoned amusement park, New Jersey
First Appearance: Moon Knight II#4 (October, 1985)
Powers/Abilities: Bluebeard wielded a set of keys that released neuron rays which allowed him to mesmerize victims, sapping their willpower. He also used an axe.
History: (Moon Knight II#4 (fb))- Arnold Perril was science editor of the New York Metro newspaper, until a series of articles on Neuron Rays got him fired by his editor, Katherine Brick. Angry at having been fired by a woman, he adopted the guise of Bluebeard and wielded neuron rays as a weapon, to prove their use. Claiming as Perril to have contact with Bluebeard, Perril was able to save his job by writing exclusive stories of his communications with Bluebeard. The women he captured as Bluebeard were brought to "Bluebeard's Castle", an old haunted house at an abandoned amusement park.
(Moon Knight II#4)- After capturing his fourth "wife", Bluebeard wrote another article as Perril, claiming that once he had his fifth bride, they would all die.
That night, Bluebeard broke into Katherine Brick's home, and mesmerized her with his neuron rays. He brought her to the castle and prepared to kill all five women with an axe, but Moon Knight arrived, and managed enough willpower to overcome the effects of the neuron rays long enough to knock the keys from Bluebeard's hand. In a fight, Bluebeard was no match for Moon Knight, and was defeated, then unmasked as Perril, and sent to the police.
Comments: Created by Alan Zelenetz, Chris Warner, Larry Hama and Danny Bulinadi.
Bluebeard is mistakenly called "Bluebird" at one point in Moon Knight II#4.
In the fairy tale of Bluebeard which inspired Perril, Bluebeard killed six of his wives for being unfaithful. The seventh borrowed his keys and found the bodies of the first six, and was so startled that she dropped the keys. She was unable to remove the blood because the keys were magic, and it was the bloodstain upon the keys which alerted Bluebeard to her actions. Thus the significance of Perril using keys as a weapon.
The alleged fairy tale Bluebeard was a member of the same Masters of Evil as Jack the Ripper (All Select Comics#7 (9/45) Captain America story). This Bluebeard (Mystic#10 (7/52) "Bluebeard") who murders and robs guests of his inn (accidentally killed while trying to dispose of a bottle of nitro one of his victims had and turned into a ghost only to face the wrath of his victims ghosts) shouldn't be confused with those other Bluebeards. Profile by
--Gammatotem
CLARIFICATIONS:
Bluebeard took his name from:
Katherine Brick was the publisher of New York Metro, and a good friend of Marc Spector. She fired Arnold Perril from his job after he wrote a series of stories on neuron rays, but rehired him when he began communicating with Bluebeard. Kate was Bluebeard's fifth "wife", and was taken to his "castle" by him, but was rescued from Bluebeard by Moon Knight.
--Moon Knight II#4) 4 (fb), 4
Images taken from:
Moon Knight II#4, cover
Moon Knight II#4, page 4, panel 3
Moon Knight II#4, page 19, panel 1
Moon Knight II#4, page 21, panel 4
Appearances:
Moon Knight II#4 (October, 1985) - Alan Zelenetz (writer), Chris Warner & Larry Hama (pencils), Danny Bulanadi (inks), Denny O'Neil (editor)
First Posted: 08/11/2004
Last updated: 08/12/2004
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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