HODIAH TWIST

Real Name: Hodiah Twist

Identity/Class: Extradimensional?/Alternate Earth? (see comments) 1930s era human

Occupation: Consulting Detective

Group Membership: none

Affiliations: partner of Conrad Jeavons;
    Mildred Argot, Teddy Durrance, Hawk's Father, Leroy Hayes, "Inspector", Gladys Jones, Jeffrey Winters , Colonel Witherspoon

Enemies: Madame Angela, Christina, Hellhound of Ravenflight, Jeffrey Winters

Known Relatives: wife (deceased)

Aliases: none

Base of Operations: Manhattan in the 1930s

First Appearance: Vampire Tales#2 (Oct. 1973)

Powers/Abilities: Strong deductive abilities (although is inclined to reject supernatural explanations in favor of mundane ones ); powerful hypnotic powers (enough to out-hypnotize a vampire).

History:

(Vampire Tales#2 - fb) - Hodiah Twist was a wealthy American whose fortune was wiped out during the Stock Market crash of 1929. Further, his wife committed suicide by slashing her wrists and Twist was the one to discover her dead body in a bathtub of bloodied water. As a result of his double trauma, Twist retreated into a fantasy personality patterned after the character of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes, recasting himself as Holmes, and his trusted butler Conrad Jeavons as his Doctor Watson.

(Vampire Tales#2 - fb) - By the early 1930s, it would seem that, despite his eccentricity and obvious unbalanced mental state, Twist's deductive powers had been of use to the Police, since a New York Police Captain (whom Twist called "Inspector") called on him for help. Twist's earlier cases have so far been unrevealed.

(Vampire Tales#2) - Twist was called upon by the Police Captain known to him as the "Inspector" to solve the seemingly unexplainable murder of Leroy Hayes, whose body had been found drained of blood in a locked room on the Wharves.

Revelations by Hayes' friend, Teddy Durrance, led Twist and Jeavons to a vampire brothel managed by Madame Angela, and filled with other vampire girls led by the sultry Christina. While Twist, who refused to believe in the existence of vampires, engaged into a hypnotic contest of wills with Madame Angela, Jeavons fought, and ultimately killed, Christina and the other vampire whores. Having prevailed, Twist forced Madame Angela to walk into sunlight, which caused her to turn to ashes, surprising the amateur detective.

(Marvel Preview#16) - At the Inspector's request, Hodiah Twist and Conrad Jeavons investigated a series of bloodthirsty murders which had taken place aboard the Eighth Avenue Elevated Train. Aboard the train they boarded that night were the middle-aged Mildred Argot (who fancied herself a detective), Col. Witherspoon, the beautiful Gladys Jones, and a starstruck boy, Jeffrey Winters.

The bloody attacks began. Colonel Witherspoon was murdered in horrific circumstances, then Mrs Argot, while all the while Twist looked for a rational explanation. But in spite of his obstinate refusal to believe in the supernatural, Twist was finally forced to confront the truth: the boy Winters was a werewolf.

Twist saved Gladys, then fought the Werewolf on top of the railcars. The Werewolf ended up decapitated by a low bridge, and was finally killed by Jeavons with a silver blade.

(Amazing Adventures#32 - fb?) - In the future on Earth-Killraven, Hawk (one of Killraven's Freemen) remembers how "in 1995" (when Hawk was 15, "over twenty years" ago), his father (name unrevealed) liked to immerse himself - to the point of addiction - in the virtual reality universe of the world of Hodiah Twist.

The specific adventure referenced here is one where Twist and Conrad Jeavons have traveled to England (presumably?) to investigate the murders attributed to the Hellhound of Ravenflight. Twist believed that the murders were the work of a human murderer who had taken pains to make them look like a beast's. But as Twist expounded his theory, he was suddenly attacked by a very real Hellhound. The virtual reality story then stopped as Hawk's father's heart gave way and he passed away uttering the words, "This was one helluva story."


Comments: Created by Don McGregor (writer) and Rich Buckler (penciller) and Carlos Garzon & Klaus Janson (inkers).

The "reality" of Hodiah Twist: In the Earth-Killraven story, Hawk accuses his father of becoming addicted to the Hodiah Twist VR dramas, using them to escape an unbearable reality - which is of course a mirror-image of the origins of Hodiah Twist - and Hawk says, "This Hodiah Twist was never real." His father responds, "He was always real." Then Hawk retorts, "And he's a racist," to which his Father replies, "First, he's not real, now he's a racist. You can't have it both ways."

Since this appearance in Killraven is the only thing that connects the Hodiah Twist stories to the Marvel Universe, one is led to the inference that, on Earth-Killraven, Hodiah Twist was either an entirely fictional character (who was himself based upon another fictional character) or a real-life character, whose exploits had been fictionalized (e.g. à la Reilly Ace of Spies, for example).
    Fictional characters within the Marvel Universe or other fictional settings have been described as Metafictional. However, as I see it, any reality seen in the Marvel Universe does actually represent another alternate reality, even dream versions--Snood.

Further, in the Marvel Preview story, Jeffrey asks Twist if he is a hero, like "Doc Savage or The Shadow" and Twist responds, "I'm not familiar with either of those gentlemen". Later when Jeffrey mentions Hopalong Cassidy, Twists reacts in the same fashion. Again, there is an ambiguity: is Jeffrey referring to "real" heroes or "fictional characters"? Certainly Doc Savage did exist in the Marvel Universe, and there has been several Doc Savage / The Shadow crossovers...

So ultimately, the question of whether Hodiah Twist's adventures took place on Earth-616 or another Earth remains ultimately unanswered.


"Profile by" Jean-Marc Lofficier.

Clarifications:

Hodiah Twist should not be confused with

• The Twisted Sisters from Fantastic Four III#17
• The Twister - the Human Top's son from Citizen V and the V Battalion#2
• Twitch - snitch from Web of Spider-Man#84
• Twit - android calculator from Web of Spider-Man#79
• Hodiak - Eskimo skygod from Thor I#3000

Conrad Jeavons should not be confused with

• Lewis Conrad - foe of Taboo from Strange Tales I#75
• Stu Conrad - GW Bush's Chief of Staff from Iron Man III#73
• Edwin Jarvis, the Avengers' Butler introduced in Tales of Suspense I#59
• anyone else named Conrad

Madame Angela should not be confused with

• Angela - the sister of the dimensional man - from Tomb of Dracula II#2
• Angela - who tried to kill the Punisher - from Punisher I#2
• anyone else named Angel or Angela

Mildred Argot should not be confused with

• Argon - hero assimilated by death metal from DeathMetal#1
• Argon of the Elder Earth - hunter from Savage Sword of Conan#64/3
• Argon of the Microverse - prince of homeworld from Micronauts I#1
• Argos - Eternal who monitors computer banks of Olympia from Eternals II#9
• Argos - armored warrior from X-Force 83
• anyone else named Mildred

Christina should not be confused with

• anyone else named Christina

Teddy Durrance should not be confused with

• Conal Duran - lead guitar of Lila Cheney's band from New Mutants Annual#1
• anyone else named Teddy

Leroy Hayes should not be confused with

• Alice Hayes, Gene Hayes or Molly Hayes - related to Bruiser, members of Pureblood Union from Runaways#1
• Denny Haynes - who seduced Spider-Woman, in Alias#17
• anyone else named Leroy or Hayes

Hellhound of Ravenflight should not be confused with:

• the remarkably similar Hellhound of Ravenlock - from Nick Fury: Agent of SHIELD I#3 (as tempting as it may be to connect the two)
• the Hellhounds - summoned by Darkhold's spell of finding --Darkhold#2
• the Hellhounds - dogs mutated by the Dire Wraiths - from Rom#5
• Phantom Hound of Cardiff Moor, Murdock, garbed in luminous paint, @ Captain America Comics#10
• the Hound of Hell (of the Elder Earth), pet of  "the Devil", used as bait to lure Argon into the Devil's hands
      --Savage Sword of Conan#64/3
• any other Hell Hounds

Gladys Jones should not be confused with

• Bartholomew Jones - father of Firestar - from Firestar#1
• Brock Jones (aka the Torpedo), wife Lorraine and children Ann, Daniel and Nell - from Marvel Premiere#39
• Chastity Jones - an agent of Dracula from Tomb of Dracula I#26
• DJ Jones - an unscrupulous reporter from Amazing Spider-Man I#262
• Gabriel Jones - a Howling Commando - from Sgt. Fury#1
• Gullivar Jones - Warrior of Mars - from Creatures on the Loose#16
• Gulliver Jones - Captain Kerosene - from Plasmer#1
• Hugh Jones - former president of Roxxon - from Captain America I#180
• Jessica Jones - PI of Alias Investigations - from Alias#1
• Jubal Jones - graverobber - from Marvel Comics Presents#94
• Orjo Jones - vampire hunter - from Tomb of Dracula I#30
• Orville Jones - gunfighter from Kid Colt#102
• Philip and Arcanna Jones (Moonglow) and their children Andrew, Benjamin, Drusalla and Katrina - from Earth-S - from Squadron Supreme I
• Piranha Jones - a criminal - from Power Man#28
• Reno Jones - gunslinger from the 1870s - from Gunhawks#1
• Ricardo Jones - Thing imposter - from Fantastic Four I#50 - and his brother Armand who tried to steal the Hulk's power - from Web of Spider-Man#69
• Rick Jones (and wife Marlo) - companion to Hulk, Captain Marvel, etc. - Incredible Hulk I#1
• Sandy Jones - A reporter for the Daily Globe - from Amazing Spider-Man I#193
• any else named Gladys or Jones

Colonel Witherspoon should not be confused with

• Ashton Wither - mutant - from X-Factor II#2
• Roderick Withers - PR guy from Stark Enterprises - from Iron Man I#249
• Emilia Witherspoon - clairvoyant - from Excalibur I#44
• any else named Witherspoon or with the title of Colonel

Jeffrey Winters should not be confused with

• Julia Winter - responsible for the creation of the Master - from Monsters Unleashed#8
• anyone else called Winters, Winter, or Julia something

Conrad Jeavons

Name: Conrad Jeavons

Identity/Class: Human

Occupation: Butler/Assistant to Hodiah Twist

First Appearance: Vampire Tales#2 (Oct. 1973)
    full appearances: Vampire Tales#2/8 (2/8(fb), 2/8, Marvel Preview#16, Amazing Adventures#32(fb)?

Powers/Abilities: Reasonably competent fighter (he was able to kill several vampire women), loyal, pragmatic, not afraid of confronting the supernatural.

History:  Conrad Jeavons was already Hodiah Twist's trusted friend and/or manservant when Twist's mind snapped and he retreated into his Sherlockian fantasy. Out of compassion for his friend, Jeavons went along, playing Dr. Watson to his friend.

For Jeavons' adventures with Hodiah Twist, see above.

Comments: Created by Don McGregor (writer) and Rich Buckler (penciller) and Carlos Garzon & Klaus Janson (inkers).

Mildred Argot

Name: Mildred Argot

Identity/Class: Human

Occupation: Unrevealed.

First Appearance: Marvel Preview#16

Powers/Abilities: Strong deductive abilities.

History: (Marvel Preview#16) -  Hodiah Twist and Conrad Jeavons investigated bloody murders that took place aboard the Eighth Avenue Elevated Train. Aboard the train were the middle-aged Mildred Argot (who fancied herself a detective), Col. Witherspoon, the beautiful Gladys Jones, and a starstruck boy, Jeffrey Winters who, later, was revealed to be a werewolf. The beast killed Mildred Argot as she tried to solve the mystery.

Comments: Created by Don McGregor (writer, uncredited), Richard Marschall (editor, credited instead) and Gene Colan (penciller) and Tony de Zuniga (inker).

Mrs Argot prides herself on her detective abilities and says to Twist: "I've heard of you, Mr, Twist... I pride myself on having a perceptive ear and eye... Mildred Argot at your service... You've heard of me, I trust?" (To which Twist replies, "Not that I recall," but then he also does not recognize the names of Doc Savage, The Shadow and Hopalong Cassidy...)

We can infer from the above exchange that Mrs Argot expected to be recognized by Twist as a colleague. I would surmise that Mildred Argot is none other that Patricia Wentworth's Miss Maud
Silver. "Mildred" and "Maud" both start with M and Argot is sort of close to argent (silver). Miss Maud Silver's first full-fledged case was THE CASE IS CLOSED (1937). She first appeared as a minor character in Wentworth's GREY MASK. (1928). Wentworth also chronicled the cases of Miss Maud Silver's Scotland Yard contact, Chief Inspector Lamb. There is more info on her here.
(Info courtesy of Win Eckert.)

Name: Terry Durrance

Identity/Class: Human

Occupation: Unrevealed

First Appearance: Vampire Tales#2

Powers/Abilities: None

History:  (Vampire Tales#2 - fb) - Teddy Durance dared his friend Leroy Hayes to visit Madame Angela's brothel.

(Vampire Tales#2) - After Leroy Hayes' body was found drained of blood in a locked room on the Wharves, an angry Teddy Durrance visited the residence of Hodiah Twist and Conrad Jeavons, who were investigating the case, and told them all he knew.


Comments: Created by Don McGregor (writer) and Rich Buckler (penciller) and Carlos Garzon & Klaus Janson (inkers).

Name: Leroy Hayes

Identity/Class: Human

Occupation: Unrevealed

First Appearance: Vampire Tales#2

Powers/Abilities: None

History:  (Vampire Tales#2 - fb) - Teddy Durance dared his friend Leroy Hayes to visit Madame Angela's brothel.

(Vampire Tales#2) - There, he was killed by the vampire Christina. Later, his body was found drained of blood in a locked room on the Wharves.


Comments: Created by Don McGregor (writer) and Rich Buckler (penciller) and Carlos Garzon & Klaus Janson (inkers).

"Inspector"

Name: Unrevealed

Identity/Class: Human

Occupation: Captain, NYPD

First Appearance: Vampire Tales#2

Powers/Abilities: None

History:  (Vampire Tales#2 - fb) - Hodiah Twist's deductive powers were of use to the New York Police, since an otherwise unidentified Police Captain (whom Twist called "Inspector") called on him regularly for help.

(Vampire Tales#2) - Twist was called upon by the Police Captain to solve the seemingly unexplainable murder of Leroy Hayes, whose body had been found drained of blood in a locked room on the Wharves.

Comments: Created by Don McGregor (writer) and Rich Buckler (penciller) and Carlos Garzon & Klaus Janson (inkers).

Gladys Jones

Name: Gladys Jones

Identity/Class: Human

Occupation: Champagne dancer and lodge house entertainer.

First Appearance: Marvel Preview#16

Powers/Abilities: none.

History: (Marvel Preview#16) -  Hodiah Twist and Conrad Jeavons investigated bloody murders that took place aboard the Eighth Avenue Elevated Train. Aboard the train were the middle-aged Mildred Argot (who fancied herself a detective), Col. Witherspoon, the beautiful Gladys Jones, and a starstruck boy, Jeffrey Winters who, later, was revealed to be a werewolf. The beast almost killed Ms Jones, but she was saved by Twist's intervention.

Comments: Created by Don McGregor (writer, uncredited), Richard Marschall (editor, credited instead) and Gene Colan (penciller) and Tony de Zuniga (inker).

Colonel Witherspoon

Name: Witherspoon (first name unrevealed)

Identity/Class: Human

Occupation: Colonel (retired).

First Appearance: Marvel Preview#16

Powers/Abilities: None.

History: (Marvel Preview#16) -  Hodiah Twist and Conrad Jeavons investigated bloody murders that took place aboard the Eighth Avenue Elevated Train. Aboard the train were the middle-aged Mildred Argot (who fancied herself a detective), Col. Witherspoon, the beautiful Gladys Jones, and a starstruck boy, Jeffrey Winters who, later, was revealed to be a werewolf. The beast killed the Colonel, hung him and tearing out his tongue.

Comments: Created by Don McGregor (writer, uncredited), Richard Marschall (editor, credited instead) and Gene Colan (penciller) and Tony de Zuniga (inker).

Jeffrey Winters

Name: Jeffrey Winters

Identity/Class: Human - Werewolf

Occupation: None.

First Appearance: Marvel Preview#16

Powers/Abilities: As human, none; as werewolf, the boy possessed the typical powers associated with werewolves: superhuman speed and strength (from enhanced to superhuman levels), invulnerability to ordinary weapons or injury including decapitation, being only vulnerable to silver.

History:  Hodiah Twist and Conrad Jeavons investigated bloody murders that took place aboard the Eighth Avenue Elevated Train. Aboard the train were the middle-aged Mildred Argot (who fancied herself a detective), Col. Witherspoon, the beautiful Gladys Jones, and a starstruck boy, Jeffrey Winters who, later, was revealed to be a werewolf.

After killing Col. Witherspoon and Mrs Argot, the beast attacked Gladys. Twist saved her, then fought the Werewolf on top of the railcars. The Werewolf ended up decapitated by a low bridge, and was finally killed by Jeavons with a silver blade.

Comments: Created by Tony Isabella (writer) and Gene Colan (penciller) and Dan Adkins (inker).

Jeffrey Winters asks Twist if he is a hero, like "Doc Savage or The Shadow" and Twist responds, "I'm not familiar with either of those gentlemen". Later when Jeffrey mentions Hopalong Cassidy, Twists reacts in the same fashion.

It was hinted in the story that it was Jeffrey's incoming puberty that had brought the change into a werewolf.

Madame Angela

Name: Angela (last name unrevealed)

Identity/Class: Human vampire

Occupation: Brothel Madame

First Appearance: Vampire Tales#2

Powers/Abilities: As a vampire, Angela possessed the standard powers and weaknesses, including superhuman strength and durability, physical transformation (able to assume the form of a bat), the need to consume human blood, weakness to religious icons, etc.

History:  (Vampire Tales#2) - Leroy Hayes visited Madame Angela's brothel where he was killed by the sultry vampire Christina.

(Vampire Tales#2 - fb) - Later, his body was found drained of blood in a locked room on the Wharves.

(Vampire Tales#2) - Hodiah Twist and Conrad Jeavons were called upon by the Police Captain known to him as the "Inspector" to solve the seemingly unexplainable murder.

Revelations by Hayes' friend, Teddy Durrance, led Twist and Jeavons to Madame Angela's. While Twist, who refused to believe in the existence of vampires, engaged into a hypnotic contest of wills with Madame Angela, Jeavons fought, and ultimately killed, Christina and the other vampire whores. Having prevailed, Twist forced Madame Angela to walk into sunlight, which caused her to turn to ashes, surprising the amateur detective.

Comments: Created by Don McGregor (writer) and Rich Buckler (penciller) and Carlos Garzon & Klaus Janson (inkers).

Christina

Name: Christina (last name unrevealed)

Identity/Class: Human vampire

Occupation: Whore

First Appearance: Vampire Tales#2

Powers/Abilities: As a vampire, Christina possessed the standard powers and weaknesses, including superhuman strength and durability, physical transformation (able to assume the form of a bat), the need to consume human blood, weakness to religious icons, etc.

History:  (Vampire Tales#2) - Leroy Hayes visited Madame Angela's brothel where he was killed by the sultry vampire Christina.

(Vampire Tales#2 - fb) - Later, his body was found drained of blood in a locked room on the Wharves.

(Vampire Tales#2) - Hodiah Twist and Conrad Jeavons were called upon by the Police Captain known to him as the "Inspector" to solve the seemingly unexplainable murder.

Revelations by Hayes' friend, Teddy Durrance, led Twist and Jeavons to Madame Angela's. While Twist, who refused to believe in the existence of vampires, engaged into a hypnotic contest of wills with Madame Angela, Jeavons fought, and ultimately killed, Christina and the other vampire whores.

Comments: Created by Don McGregor (writer) and Rich Buckler (penciller) and Carlos Garzon & Klaus Janson (inkers).

Hellhound of Ravenflight

Name: Hellhound of Ravenflight

Identity/Class: Supernatural monster

First Appearance: Amazing Adventures#32

Powers/Abilities: Unknown - presumably keen senses, superhuman strength, dangerous claws and fangs.

History:  Hodiah Twist and Conrad Jeavons traveled to England (presumably?) to investigate the murders attributed to the Hellhound of Ravenflight. Twist believed that the murders were the work of a human murderer who had taken pains to make them look like a beast's. But as Twist expounded his theory, he was suddenly attacked by a very real Hellhound.

Comments: Created by Don McGregor (writer) and P. Craig Russell (penciller) and Dan Green (inker).

The Hellhound of Ravenflight was part of a Virtual Reality Hodiah Twist adventure experienced by Hawks's Father in 1995 on Earth-Killraven.

---

Images:

Hodiah Twist:
Amazing Adventures#22, page 23, panel 1
Vampire Tales#2, page 66, panel 3
Marvel Preview#16, page 12, panel 3
Vampire Tales#2, page 63, panel 6
Marvel Preview#16, page 8, panel 2

Conrad Jeavons:
Vampire Tales#2, page 71, panel 8
Marvel Preview#16, page 15, panel 5

Mildred Argot:
Marvel Preview#16, page 9, panel 4

Teddy Durrance:
Vampire Tales#2, page 65, panel 4

Leroy Hayes:
Vampire Tales#2, page 61, panel 5

Inspector:
Vampire Tales#2, page 63, panel 2

Gladys Jones:
Marvel Preview#16, page 9, panel 2

Col. Witherspoon:
Marvel Preview#16, page 9, panel 3

Jeffrey Winters:
Marvel Preview#16, page 17, panel 4
Marvel Preview#16, page 25, panel 5

Madame Angela:
Vampire Tales#2, page 71, panel 5

Christina:
Vampire Tales#2, page 62, panel 7

Hellhound of Ravenflight:
Amazing Adventures#22, page 24, panel 1