It is an absolute mystery to me why the Rutland, Vermont Halloween stories have never been collected in a single volume. (I'm talking to you Craig Yoe.) They are delightful artifacts from a bygone time when comics was a small world and dominated by two largish companies who had not yet been swallowed up by corporations and who treated their fans by inviting them into the story. Now these weren't exactly fans, but creators such as Marv Wolfman, Len Wein, Berni Wrightson and Steve Englehart among others who participated, but the sheer fun of the fourth-wall busting events brought absolute glee to this fanboy's heart.
"Night of the Reaper" is arguably the best of the Rutland stories, perhaps simply by dint of the art from superstar Neal Adams. The story weaves in and out and around the parade and the follow-up party hosted by Tom Fagan. During this dark and sometimes gruesome tale we learn that Nazis prowl the darkness and that one in particular, a former commandant of a death camp has found a hiding place in the isolated quiet of Vermont. Batman tries to track down the deadly "Grim Reaper" who seems to be appearing and killing off folks.
Note: This post originally appeared at Rip Jagger's Other Dojo.
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Totally agree this is great fun comic that dealt with a serious issue. I can’t recall reading any of the other Rutland Halloween stories but if they are like this one then a collection would indeed be fun . I’m not a proponent of the “eye for an eye” brigade but as they had similar “origins” I always felt the Grim Reaper character had as much a of a reason to don a “mask” and take his “revenge” than Batman did (although Batman doesn’t kill, well didn’t back then not sure if he does now) .
ReplyDeleteFew of the other Rutland stories have the heft of this one. Though an Avengers Rutland story introduced the Lady Liberators I think. All of them though have the creators mixing in with the other characters and that was fun back in the day when such gimmicks were somewhat rare, or at least felt special.
DeleteHere's a link with much more about the Rutland Halloween stories.
Deletehttps://comicbookhistorians.com/tom-fagan-and-the-rutland-parade-1970s-by-alex-grand/