BOB LANE
Real Name: Bob Lane
Identity/Class: Human mystical mutate (World War I, World War II to 1950s)
Occupation: Farmer
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: Frank Birdy, Jud Crowlry, Tom Finch, Nelson, Herrick, Old Man Silas
Enemies: Josh Collins
Known Relatives: his wife
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Unidentified town in the USA
First Appearance: Astonishing I#35 (Marvel, 1951)
{prima apparizione italiana: Thor e i Vendicatori#139
Editoriale Corno (10 agosto 1976)}
Powers/Abilities: Bob Lane was a living dead. He aged like a normal human being until he became a living skeleton.
History:
(Astonishing I#35 (fb)) - Lane and his wife lived in a town where almost everybody was a farmer. One of his neighbours and friends was Josh Collins, who had the best land of the country.
In 1927, Jud Crowlry, Tom Finch and a
crowd of farmers forced Lane to join the lynching of Josh Collins. There
was no real proofs against Collins, nor was there a real trial. Someone
told that Collins had bewitched Frank Birdy to kill Old Man Silas, but the crowd
left the last word to Bob Lane. Lane thought of Collins' lands, the best farm he
could buy, and in an impulse of greed, Lane admitted that Collins was a
killer. The execution was immediate, but before dying Josh Collins loudly put a
curse on everybody and in particular upon Lane's head.
Collins was hanged and buried but strange things begun to
happen. Collins' grave did not stand still and the flowers on his grave
withered within a few seconds. Herrick was really scared and declared that he
would leave the town. That same night, he and his family died in a fire when their
house burnt down.
Months and years passed, and Lane watched the land die; the rain fell no more, animals suffered and died, and people left the town. Lane knew that Collins was the cause but he kept fighting because after all he was still alive.
(Astonishing I#35) - Decades later a couple of reporters interviewed Lane and his wife about the dead town. The Lanes were old and still living there. Bob still wanted to fight the curse. He was sure that Collins couldn't harm him anymore and right at the moment he declared that he became a living skeleton.
Comments: Created by Stan Lee (writer) and unknon artists.
Collins' curse had effect and a long lasting one too. Maybe he was innocent or maybe he was able to hypnotize or hex another man.
Profile by Spidermay.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Bob Lane has no known connections to
Josh Collins has no known connections to any other "Collins" character.
Nelson has no known connections to
Herrick has no known connections to any other character with a similar name.
Josh Collins had some unspecified hex powers. His curse put on his murderers before dying had a long lasting effect. His spirit was probably still present in the town after his death.
Born in 1880 Josh Collins had the best farm of the town by 1927,
and many people wanted his land.
One day Old Man Silas was killed. Many people accused
Collins who was captured and carried to the hill to be hanged. Collins was
scared, crying and was hysterical; he claimed himself to be innocent and he was almost
believed when Nelson said that Frank Birdy had confessed to have killld the Old
Silas, before committing suicide. But someone accused Collins to have bewitched Birdy, so the
decision was uncertain. The last word was Bob Lane's, who accused Collins
without any proof.
Collins was killed by hanging, but before he died he shouted and put a curse
on the crowd.
The following years the curse had effect. Herrick died in a fire; other people died but of natural causes; the rain fell no more. The land died, and finally the last two inhabitants, Bob Lane and his wife, were transformed into living skeletons.
--Astonishing I#35
Mrs. Lane was Bob Lane's wife.
Mrs. Lane was very surprised when her husband claimed that Collins was a murderer. She probably knew that it was a lie. She was hit by the curse as well as the families of the others of the lynch mob.
--Astonishing I#35
Nelson was another farmer of the town.
Nelson was the one who heard that Frank Birdy had killed Old Man Silas. His words left the lynch mob uncertain about what to do with Collins, but Lane's declaration gave them the wrong justification for murdering Collins.
--Astonishing I#35
Herrick was a farmer.
Herrick was among the ones who tried to
bury Collins. They tried for an hour to set up the gravestone, but it always toppled over. When they gave up, they wanted to leave the flowers on the tomb; the
fresh flowers withered and almost burned. Herrick was
frightened and decided to leave the town.
He died in his house in a fire with his family.
--Astonishing I#35
images: (without ads)
Astonishing I#35, p5, pan7 (Bob Lane and his wife as living skeletons)
Astonishing I#35, p1, pan2 (young Bob Lane, head shot)
Astonishing I#35, p4, pan1 (old Lanes)
Astonishing I#35, p3, pan5 (Josh Collins, head shot)
Astonishing I#35, p1, pan2 (young Mrs. Lane, head shot)
Astonishing I#35, p2, pan6 (Nelson)
Astonishing I#35, p4, pan5 (Herrick and Collins' grave)
Appearances:
Astonishing I#35 (October, 1954) - Unidentified writer, Ed Winiarski (artist), Stan Lee (editor)
Last updated: 08/19/16
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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