Spook (Earth-93060/Ultraverse; Ghoul character)

spook-93060-full spook-93060-corpse-awakened SPOOK

Real Name: Unrevealed

Identity/Class: Alternate Reality (Earth-93060/"Ultraverse") human mutate ("ultra")

Occupation: Unrevealed

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Formerly Mosh (Richard Hendricks);
he was mentally forced to aid Ghoul (Johnathan Martin) and Whitney Richards

Enemies: Himself, Mosh;
an unidentified bartender ultra was not particularly fond of him

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Unrevealed;
lived in a waterfront house presumably in the close vicinity to Seattle, Washington

First Appearance: Ultraforce I#7 (April, 1995) spook-93060-knife

Powers/Abilities: Spook had some ability to turn invisible, although he was not able to fully control it, apparently becoming at least partially invisible without wishing to do so. He was often translucent and/or with parts of him completely invisible.

He at least believed that cocaine helped him to maintain visibility.

See comments.

Height: Unrevealed (approximately 5'8"- 6'; he did not seem particularly short nor tall)
Weight: Unrevealed (approximately 140 - 180 lbs.)
Eyes: Unrevealed (only seen from a distance while alive); they glowed solid yellow when Ghoul communicated with his corpse, but that likely was an effect of Ghoul's energies.
Hair: Brown (sometimes appeared lighter, presumably due to partial translucency); chin beard deal

History:

(Ultraforce I#7 (fb) - BTS) - The man who would become known as Spook was presumably mutated by one of the the "Jumpstart" energy surges unleashed by the Entity (from the Moon) in hopes of empowering superhumans to help it return home.

(Ultraforce I#7 (fb) - BTS) - Spook was friends with and idolized the musician Richard Hendricks, who used the stage name Mosh.

(Ultraforce I#7 (fb) - BTS) - Spook gave Mosh his ring.

(Ultraforce I#7 (fb) - BTS) - Spook and Mosh were reportedly best friends and were always getting into trouble together. spook-93060-killing

(Ultraforce I#7 (fb) - BTS) - Spook was unable to control his invisibility, and he felt that cocaine was the only way to make him visible again.

(Ultraforce I#7 (fb) - BTS) - Falling on hard times and becoming addicted to cocaine, Spook used all of the money Mosh provided him to feed his drug habit.

(Ultraforce I#7 (fb)) - After Mosh invited Spook over to his recording studio in Seattle Washington, Spook begged him for some cocaine, "just this once," but Mosh angrily asked Spook how many times he had said that.

Refusing, Mosh further told Spook that all friendships were shams and that he was sick of everyone depending on and needing him, and that he wanted to get back at all of the leeches who were sucking him dry.

(Ultraforce I#7 (fb) / Ultraforce I#7 (fb) - BTS) - Unaware he was being mentally controlled by Mosh, Spook picked up the steak knife Mosh had used in his last meal, turned on the video camera, and then invisibly stabbed Mosh repeatedly. Seemingly fighting to hold back the knife, Mosh appeared to be stabbing himself.

(Ultraforce I#7 (fb)) - Realizing that he had killed his best friend, Spook then turned off the cameras and considered that the ring he had given Mosh might be traced back to him, and so he took the ring off and kept it. spook-93060-corpse-halfinvis

(Ultraforce I#7 (fb) - BTS) - Mosh's body was found, and based on the recordings, he was reported to have died via suicide.

(Ultraforce I#7 (fb) - BTS) - Within 24 hours of Mosh's apparent and reported suicide, nearly two dozen copycat fans committed suicide.

(Ultraforce I#7 (fb) - BTS) - Spook apparently drowned himself in the waters outside of what appeared to be his own waterfront house.

(Ultraforce I#7 - BTS) - Mentally coerced to provide information on Mosh's death by Ghoul, an apparently ultra telekinetic bartender working out of a place called Jack's told them to try Spook. The bartender provided Spook's history as related in the above BTS flashbacks.

(Ultraforce I#7) - Ghoul -- who wished to stop the copycat killings and suspected foul play -- and forensics expert Whitney Richards -- who suspected murder -- located Spook's corpse face down in the waters just behind the waterfront house, noting that rigor mortis had not yet set in. Using his power to speak to the recently deceased, Ghoul communicated with Spook, who insisted that after what he had done, he just wanted to be left in peace. Nonetheless, Spook related the circumstances under which he had killed Mosh, although he remained unaware that Mosh had forced him to do it.

Ghoul pulled Spook's corpse up onto the sand, and Whitney called a police car to pick him up. Whitney reported her findings, as well as the cover up by Darren Creamer, and Mosh's death was ruled a murder, ending the copycat suicides by Mosh's fans.

(Ultraforce I#7 - BTS) - Ghoul located Mosh's corpse and his powers allowed Mosh to confirm that he had used his powers to force Spook to kill him.

Not wishing to restart any further suicides, Ghoul apparently did not share this finding with the public or the authorities.

Comments: Created by Hank Kanalz, Chris Ulm, Steve Erwin, and John Strangeland.

He once noted that only the coke seemed to help to make him "solid" again. His power was described as invisibility, not intangible, but it is possible that he had both powers. Alternatively, he may have just been solid as in "in control." Or, he may have just been drug-addled, even in death.

I'm assuming he took a drug overdose and jumped into the ocean to drown, but it wasn't spelled out. He felt terribly about killing Mosh, and then next we saw him dead, face down in the water.

In case its not clear, the fact that rigor had not set in would mean that the death was recent. Rigor mortis is the rigid stiffening of the limbs/muscles that occurs as quickly as four hours after death. It is due to calcium transport, myosin binding and other factors. However, at room temperature, enzymatic processes can break down the rigor within eight hours, so is it also possible that rigor had come and gone.
Regardless, the intent was that Ghoul found Spook before rigor set in...and Ghoul would know, after all...he's in tune with death.

This story occurred about a year after the apparent suicide of rock star Kurt Cobain, the lead singer of Nirvana. I didn't see it confirmed anywhere, but I would think that this story was somewhat inspired by Cobain's death.

The Ultraverse debuted in June 1993, and this profile was done as a tribute to its 30th anniversary.

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Spook should be distinguished from:

SPOOK (Hans Knute) – American newspaper reporter and Nazi agent that convinced a subterranean people called Sub-Earthmen to attack the surface world--Captain America Comics#17/3 (August 1942) “Sub-Earthman's Revenge”
SPOOK ( ) - government agent, gave orders to SHIELD, director of the Black Hole, encountered Punisher during war, sought to consolidate power for himself, masterminded plot to brainwash Punisher and send him to assassinate Nick Fury--Ghost Rider III#58
SPOOK ( ) - Fury Force--Back Issues#16
other "Spook" characters, groups, items, events, races, or places...

waterfront house

Was it Spook's home? Did he own it? Did he rent it? Was it Mosh's but he just let him use it? Who knows?

(Ultraforce I#7 (fb) - BTS) - After being unwittingly forced to kill his best friend, Mosh, Spook apparently drowned himself in the waters outside of what appeared to be his own waterfront house.

(Ultraforce I#7) - Ghoul -- who wished to stop the copycat killings and suspected foul play -- and forensics expert Whitney Richards -- who suspected murder -- located Spook's corpse face down in the waters just behind the waterfront house, noting that rigor mortis had not yet set in.

After they dragged him to the shore and Ghoul communicated with Spook's corpse, Whitney called the police to pick up Spook, and Ghoul headed out to avoid the police.

--Ultraforce I#7

images: (without ads)
Ultraforce I#7, pg. 17, panel 2 (waterfront house);
          panel 3 (body floating in water behind house);
          panel 4 (partially invisible corpse);
       pg. 18, panel 3 (awakened by Ghoul);
          panel 5 (full, translucent form);
       pg. 19, panel 3 (translucent, with knife);
          panel 4-5 (attacking Mosh, with images of recording)

Appearances:
Ultraforce I#7 (April, 1995) - Hank Kanalz & Chris Ulm (writers), Steve Erwin (penciler), John Strangeland (inker), Roland Mann (guest editor)

First posted: 06/02/2023
Last updated: 06/02/2023

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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