Baron Hemlocke

BARON HEMLOCKE

Real Name: Unrevealed

Class: Human magic-user

Occupation: Pirate

Group Affiliation: None

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Caribbean Islands

First Appearance: Spectre III #40 (April, 1996)

Powers: Hemlocke was an experienced seaman, armed with a cutlass and a crew of zombies. His pact with the devil allowed his soul to be reborn after death, and granted him access to demonic power.

History: .(Spectre III #40 (fb)) - Baron Hemlocke was a pirate and a madman who kept candles twined in his beard to keep evil spirits at bay. He called a truce with Captain Fear for a raid on the Spanish town of San Bartolemo. Fear's crew didn't trust Hemlocke, but Fear looked forward to one big raid that would let him retire a rich man, and allow him to spend the rest of his life with his wife, who was expecting their firstborn. Hemlock's men disgusted Fear and his crew with their brutal destruction of Bartolemo's residents, and they parted ways after the raid. Fear made his way back to his secret island hideout, but Hemlocke had burned it to the ground, and Fear found the remains of his wife and unborn son. He vowed never to rest until Hemlocke rotted in Hell. He caught up with Hemlocke in the Bermuda Triangle, and Hemlocke had done some dealings with the devil. His zombie crew killed Fear's men, and when Fear beheaded him he laughed, Hemlocke would be reborn, and Fear's own vow would curse him to sail endlessly killing Hemlock and sending him back to Hell every time he was reincarnated.

(Spectre III #40, 41) - Hemlocke was reincarnated as the corporate raider Richard Yount, and he made a business promising Cuban refugees passage to America, then having his men rob and kill the refugees. Captain Fear, with Spectre in tow, felt it when Hemlocke's personality began to take over Yount, and he sailed into Manhattan. Yount's demonic masters gave him a flying pirate ship, and several other pirates who were reincarnated as businessmen joined the fray. Fear's ship and his opponents saile dover Manhattan, and their battle affected the spirit plane, awakening Spectre. Spectre turned into a shark and swallowed Yount's head. Fear bemoaned that Spectre had robbed him of his chance to be the one to send his enemy to tell, allowing him and his crew to rest. Spectre said he'd dealt with the devil, and had his own sins to pay.

Comments: Created by John Ostrander & Tom Mandrake.