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

When Last We Left Our Hero...

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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Reading Room: HELL-RIDER "Night of the Ripper" Part 1

Let's jump right into the action with the NOW SuperHero of the 1970s...

...and we do mean that literally!

Is Helen doomed?

Will Hell-Rider arrive in time?

And, even if he does, can he stop the Ripper?

Be here tomorrow for the action-packed finale!

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.

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Reading Room: HELL-RIDER "Prologue"

Let's return to the 1970s, for more adventures of the Cycling SuperHero...

...with a convenient recap of his adventure in the first issue!

Now that you've caught up, be here tomorrow, and we'll tell you the sensationally-sordid story of the

Night of the Ripper!

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Reading Room: HELL-RIDER "How...Why...Hell-Rider"

Australian edition cover

Now that you've read the first tale of the hard-ridin' biker known as Hell-Rider, here's a behind-the-scenes feature on who he is and how he came to be...

As mentioned in the editorial, the second issue featured all three strips in non-related tales.

Because this issue filled up the entire week, we'll be presenting the individual stories for Hell-Rider and the Wild Bunch over the next month.

(The ButterFly tale from #2 was already presented HERE and HERE.)

The never-published Hell-Rider #3 would've returned to the concept of a running plotline thru all the stories...

It's a pity we'll never see it.

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Reading Room: HELL-RIDER "Final Chapter"

Our Hero has been trapped, powerless, in a dungeon...

...but now, all hell is about to break loose in the cataclysmic conclusion!

A couple of notes:
1) Marion (ButterFly) Michaels says in a thought balloon that she met Hell-Rider "..while I was making like The ButterFly!"
Not in the book as printed.
Perhaps there were a couple of pages cut for space, but that's not what happened in any of the connected stories in #1.
2) Marion doesn't have time to don her ButterFly costume and join in the fight.
Just as well since she didn't have time to refuel or recharge the costume!
3) Deke of the Wild Bunch says he recognizes the unmasked Claw...except Deke never saw the Claw unmasked!

The concluding chapter of the multi-part story from Skywald's Hell-Rider #1 (1971) was written by Gary Friedrich and illustrated by Ross Andru (pencils), Mike Esposito (inks) and Bill Everett (greytones).

Tomorrow:

Behind-the-Scenes Stuff!

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Reading Room: HELL-RIDER "introducing...the Hell Rider" Part 1A

When Last We Left Our Hard-Ridin' Hero...

Art by Ross Andru (layout) & Harry Rosenbaum (painting)

A black leather-clad biker breaks into a drug den to rescue a captive woman.

After announcing himself as "Hell-Rider", he tosses around burly cat-costumed criminals like they were action figures, and seems on the verge of victory when suddenly his superhuman strength dissipates and he is easily captured.

Trapped in the fiends' reinforced cellar, the dazed biker reflects on how he ended up in this sorry situation...

Graduating from law school, Brick Reese took a motorcycle trip across America to "find himself" and linked up with a group of bikers called "The Wild Bunch"...after beating the $h!t out of the whole gang, lived a life of hard-riding, hard-drinking, hard-screwing fun!

Being drafted into the Army ended that, and being badly wounded in a Viet Cong attack almost ended his life.

But an army surgeon offered the now-crippled Brick a chance to test Q-47, an experimental drug that could enhance the healing process.

Q-47 worked beyond anyone's expectations, not only healing Brick, but enhancing his strength and reflexes!

Honorably-discharged from the Army, the now-rejuvenated Brick Reese returns home...

You'd think we'd go immediately to Part Two, right?

Nope, because the next chapter in this tale can be found HERE and HERE,starring comics' first Black super-heroine!

After reading that tale, be here tomorrow when we introduce another piece of the puzzle...

The Wild Bunch!

Then, we'll run Part 2!

This story from Skywald's Hell-Rider #1 (1971) was written by Gary Friedrich and illustrated by Ross Andru (pencils), Mike Esposito (inks) and Bill Everett (greytones).

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