GIDEON
Real Name: Gideon ??
Identity/Class: Human spirit
Occupation: Restless soul in pain
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: None
Enemies: Ezra, Solomon Kane and any human being who reminded him of his brother
Known Relatives: Ezra (cousin)
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Moor near Torkertown
First Appearance: (Historical) Skulls in the stars (1929);
(Marvel) Monsters Unleashed#1/4 (July,
1973);
{prima apparizione in Italia: Il Corriere della Paura#2/4
(luglio, 1974) Editoriale Corno}
Powers/Abilities: Gideon could become intangible and dense like mist or more solid than steel. He was invulnerable to lead and steel. He was taller and stronger than an average human being. He ate parts of his victims.
Weaknesses/Limitations: As a spectre Gideon could not speak well and was as crazy as when he was alive. He did not leave the region around the moors because he had died there, and appeared only by night.
History: (Monsters Unleashed#1/4 (fb)) - Gideon was a young, mad man, who lived with his cousin Ezra in the swamp near Torkertown. Ezra tortured Gideon and one time, afraid that his cousin could confess Ezra's actions to others, Ezra killed Gideon. Gideon was still alive when Ezra left his body in the moor, then died.
(Monsters Unleashed#1/4 - (fb) - BTS) - Death did not bring rest to Gideon's soul. He became a spectre, who wandered by night through the moor near the swamp, in search for revenge on his cousin Ezra. The area near the swamp became deadly to cross by night, because Gideon, due to his madness, attacked any human being he believed to be his cousin. Gideon drained his victims' life force and eventually killing him.
(Monsters Unleashed#1/4 ) - One night after Gideon had just killed a man he met Solomon Kane, who had been sent there by Ezra. Gideon attacked Kane, who fought with his blade and his wits. Even if Gideon was unaffected by Kane's lead and steel, the courage and the willforce of the puritan put Gideon at bay. During the beast's struggle, Gideon seemed to shout unrecognizable sounds, but the fight lasted long enough for Kane to understand what Gideon was looking for: his cousin. Weakened by Kane, Gideon abandoned the attack and fled.
The next night Gideon stalked the misty lands again. When he arrived at the tree where he had been killed and found that a man had been tied there. It was Ezra, who had been judged guilty by the citizens of Torkertown as he was indirectly responsible for all the deaths caused by Gideon. They bound him to the tree so Gideon could kill his cousin and finally rest in peace.
(Monsters Unleashed#1/4 - BTS) - Gideon had his revenge and could rest in peace.
Comments: Character created by Robert E. Howard. Novel adapted by Roy Thomas (writer) and Ralph Resse (pencils and inks).
Of course there are some differences
between the original novel and the adaptation to comics. In comics the word
vampire was never mentioned. It was used in the novel (or, at least, in the
Italian translation) but the word more used was the equivalent of "spirit",
"ghost" or "spectre". Some characteristics are in common with vampires: Gideon
could become mist, he avoided sunlight, he liked blood, he was invulnerable to
blades and bullets.
Howard did not explain exactly how Gideon became a spectre.
Apparently the violent death was enough to raise Gideon as a spectre. Many other
novels involving vampires in eastern Europe tell that some men came back
from death and sought the blood of their relatives, spreading the disease
but without an explanation on how or why the first one had become a vampire.
I did not see a strong evidence of vampirism so I used
"spectre". If somebody has the original comics or novel please let me know.
Profile by Spidermay.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Gideon has no known connections to
Ezra has no known connections to any other character with a similar name.
Ezra the miser was a normal human and lived in a hut near Torkertown at the junction that led to the swamp and to the moor.
Afraid Gideon would tell the villagers how he abused Gideon Ezra killed his cousin. Afraid his cousin's soul could come back at the place he had been killed, Ezra
dragged Gideon's body to the moor while he was still alive.
Ezra was correct because Gideon came back as a spectre.
For one year Gideon killed travellers who walked through the moor by night, and Ezra already suspected Gideon was the murderer and hired Solomon Kane to destroy him. Solomon Kane went to meet Ezra after fighting Gideon and used Ezra's fear to have him confess his crime. When the citizens of Torkertown tied him to a tree at the edge of the moor Ezra died at the hands of Gideon's ghost and the moors finally became quiet again.
--Monsters Unleashed#1/4
images: (without ads)
Monsters Unleashed#1/4, p3, pan6 (Gideon's ghost, main image)
Monsters Unleashed#1/4, p5, pan1 (Gideon's ghost, head shot)
Monsters Unleashed#1/4, p8, pan8 (Ezra kills Gideon)
Appearances:
Monsters Unleashed#1 (July, 1973) - Roy Thomas (writer/editor), Ralph Reese (artist)
First Posted: 08/28/2010
Last updated: 08/28/2010
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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