Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Reading Room: HELL-RIDER "Night of the Ripper" Conclusion

Art by Ross Andru and Harry Rosenbaum
Brick Reese, stopping by his secretary's apartment to pick up some paperwork, encounters a beast-man who shreds the woman's neck with his claws.
As Hell-Rider, Brick tries to stop him, but the creature is too strong for the biker super-hero.
The next day, Brick meets with old friend Jack Samuels and his brother, mens' club owner and amateur scientist Selwyn Samuels., who offers condolences for the secretary, who had worked for him before joining Reese's firm.
Selwyn offers Brick a lucrative commission to submit to tests of the experimental drug Reese was injected with in VietNam (and gave him super-strength and regenerative abilities), hoping to enhance it's potency to help mankind.
During the testing period, the Ripper creature strikes again, killing three more women, all of whom work for Selwyn at his club!
Brick wonders if there's a connection between the Ripper and Selwyn Samuels...a connection involving the experimental drug...
Oops!
This never-reprinted tale from Skywald's Hell-Rider #2 (1971) was scripted by Gary Friedrich, penciled by Ross Andru, inked by Mike Esposito, and grey-toned by Bill Everett.
Unlike the first issue, where the characters were linked in one crossover plotline, this issue's tales were standalone stories.
#2 had another Hell-Rider story as well as tales featuring The Wild Ones and The ButterFly.
We already presented the second ButterFly short HERE and HERE, and we'll be running the remaining shorts on this blog over the next month.

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