The Adventures of Lazarus Gray

by Barry Reese

  In the aftermath, the heroes stood silently for a moment, lost in their own thoughts. When enough time had passed for everyone to feel like they’d regained their footing in the real world, it was Lazarus who spoke first. "We should tie up Phillips and call the authorities."

  The Rook cleared his throat, gun still in hand. "I think we should kill him. He’s dangerous – and the police won’t believe half of the truth, even if we decide to tell them. With his money and clout, he might pay somebody off in this town and get off scot-free. The best way to deal with a rabid dog is to put him down."

  "That’s not how I do things," Lazarus retorted. "I know that the justice system in Sovereign is corrupt, but we have to give it a chance to do the right thing."

  The Rook’s fingers shifted on the gun he held and he knew that no one would be able to stop him if he chose to end Devil Face’s life here and now. But he liked Lazarus and didn’t want to test their friendship in that way. He holstered his weapon and nodded toward The Dark Gentleman. "Decided to add a masked man to your team, Lazarus?"

  The Dark Gentleman smiled. "I’m just helping out."

  The Rook watched as Lazarus used a thin, almost invisible cord to wrap up Devil Face’s hands. The killer was sobbing softly and put up no resistance. The cord was obviously of Gray’s own design and The Rook knew there was no chance of the villain escaping, even if he came to his senses and tried.

  The members of Assistance Unlimited crowded around one another now, sharing their experiences. The men were anxious to know that Samantha was mostly unharmed and she was grateful that none of them mentioned the fact that they’d seen her naked.

  The Rook slowly ascended the stairs, preferring not to say goodbye. He had forged some friendships here, but he had other places to be and he had never been good with partings. He noticed that The Dark Gentleman had the same idea. The young man was making his way to the stairs when The Rook stepped out onto the first floor and hurried out into the Sovereign City streets.

  To The Rook’s surprise, the sun had come through the clouds. The darkness still clung to the edges of the sky, but it looked like they were being driven back by the rays of the sun. For a moment, The Rook thought he saw the face of Lady Death in one of the clouds but then it was gone, replaced by a beam of light that shot forth, like a spotlight.

  For one day at least, the forces of good had won – and in a place like Sovereign, that was something to be proud of.

  THE END

  LAZARUS GRAY - A TIMELINE

  A TIMELINE AS IT PERTAINS TO LAZARUS GRAY AND OTHER CHARACTERS CREATED BY BARRY REESE

  Major Events specific to certain stories and novels are included in brackets. Some of this information contains SPOILERS for Lazarus Gray, The Rook, Eobard Grace and other stories.

  1748 - Johann Adam Weishaupt is born.

  1776 - Johann Adam Weishaupt forms The Illuminati. He adopts the guise of the original Lazarus Gray in group meetings, reflecting his "rebirth" and the "moral ambiguity" of the group.

  1865 - Eobard Grace returns home from his actions in the American Civil War. Takes possession of the Book of Shadows from his uncle Frederick. ["The World of Shadow," The Family Grace: An Extraordinary History]

  1877 - Eobard Grace is summoned to the World of Shadows, where he battles Uris-Kor and fathers a son, Korben. ["The World of Shadow," The Family Grace: An Extraordinary History]

  1885 - Along with his niece Miriam and her paramour Ian Sinclair, Eobard returns to the World of Shadows to halt the merging of that world with Earth. ["The Flesh Wheel," The Family Grace: An Extraordinary History]

  1890 - Eobard fathers a second son, Leopold.

  1895 - Felix Cole (the Bookbinder) is born.

  1900 - Max Davies is born to publisher Warren Davies and his wife, heiress Margaret Davies.

  1901 - Leonid Kaslov is born.

  1905 - Richard Winthrop is born in San Francisco.

  1908 - Warren Davies is murdered by Ted Grossett, a killer nicknamed "Death's Head". ["Lucifer's Cage", the Rook Volume One, more details shown in "Origins," the Rook Volume Two] Hans Merkel kills his own father. ["Blitzkrieg," the Rook Volume Two]

  1910 - Evelyn Gould is born.

  1913 - Felix Cole meets the Cockroach Man and becomes part of The Great Work. ["The Great Work," Startling Stories # 5]

  1914 - Margaret Davies passes away in her sleep. Max is adopted by his uncle Reginald.

  1915 - Felix Cole marries Charlotte Grace, Eobard Grace's cousin.

  1916 - Leonid Kaslov's father Nikolai becomes involved in the plot to assassinate Rasputin.

  1917 - Betsy Cole is born to Felix and Charlotte Grace Cole. Nikolai Kaslov is murdered.

  1918 - Max Davies begins wandering the world. Richard Winthrop's parents die in an accident.

  1922 - Warlike Manchu tutors Max Davies in Kyoto.

  1925 - Max Davies becomes the Rook, operating throughout Europe.

  1926 - Charlotte Grace dies. Richard Winthrop has a brief romance with exchange student Sarah Dumas.

  1927 - Richard Winthrop graduates from Yale. On the night of his graduation, he is recruited into The Illuminati. Max and Leopold Grace battle the Red Lord in Paris. Richard Winthrop meets Miya Shimada in Japan, where he purchases The McGuinness Obelisk for The Illuminati.

  1928 - The Rook returns to Boston.

  1929 - Richard Winthrop destroys a coven of vampires in Mexico.

  1932 - The Rook hunts down his father's killer ["Origins," the Rook Volume Two]

  1933 - Jacob Trench uncovers Lucifer's Cage. ["Lucifer's Cage", the Rook Volume One] The Rook battles Doctor York [All-Star Pulp Comics # 1] After a failed attempt at betraying The Illuminati, Richard Winthrop wakes up on the shores of Sovereign City with no memory of his name or past. He has only one clue to his past in his possession: a small medallion adorned with the words Lazarus Gray and the image of a naked man with the head of a lion. ["The Girl With the Phantom Eyes," Lazarus Gray Volume One]

  1934 - Now calling himself Lazarus Gray, Richard Winthrop forms Assistance Unlimited in Sovereign City. He recruits Samantha Grace, Morgan Watts and Eun Jiwon ["The Girl With the Phantom Eyes," Lazarus Gray Volume One] Walther Lunt aids German scientists in unleashing the power Die Glocke, which in turn frees the demonic forces of Satan's Circus ["Die Glocke," Lazarus Gray Volume Two]. The entity who will become known as The Black Terror is created ["The Making of a Hero," Lazarus Gray Volume Three].

  1935 - Felix Cole and his daughter Betsy seek out the Book of Eibon. ["The Great Work," The Family Grace: An Extraordinary History] Assistance Unlimited undertakes a number of missions, defeating the likes of Walther Lunt, Doc Pemberley, Malcolm Goodwill & Black Heart, Princess Femi & The Undying, Mr. Skull, The Axeman and The Yellow Claw ["The Girl With the Phantom Eyes," "The Devil's Bible," "The Corpse Screams at Midnight," "The Burning Skull," "The Axeman of Sovereign City," and "The God of Hate," Lazarus Gray Volume One] The Rook journeys to Sovereign City and teams up with Assistance Unlimited to battle Devil Face ["Darkness, Spreading Its Wings of Black," the Rook Volume Six)]. Lazarus Gray and Assistance Unlimited become embroiled in the search for Die Glocke ["Die Glocke," Lazarus Gray Volume Two]

  1936 - Assistance Unlimited completes their hunt for Die Glocke and confronts the threat of Jack-In-Irons. Abigail Cross and Jakob Sporrenberg join Assistance Unlimited ["Die Glocke," Lazarus Gray Volume Two]. The Rook moves to Atlanta and recovers the Dagger of Elohim from Felix Darkholme. The Rook meets Evelyn Gould. The Rook battles Jacob Trench. ["Lucifer's Cage", the Rook Volume One]. Reed Barrows revives Camilla. ["Kingdom of Blood," The Rook Volume One]. Kevin Atwill is abandoned in the Amazonian jungle by his friends, a victim of the Gorgon legacy. ["The Gorgon Conspiracy," The Rook Volume Two]. Nathaniel Caine's lover is killed by Tweedledum while Dan Daring looks on ["Catalyst," The Rook Volume Three] Assistance Unlimited teams up with The Black Terror to battle Promethus and The Titan in South America ["The Making of a Hero," Lazarus Gray Volume Three]

  1937 - Max and Evel
yn marry. Camilla attempts to create Kingdom of Blood. World's ancient vampires awaken and the Rook is 'marked' by Nyarlathotep. Gerhard Klempt's experiments are halted. William McKenzie becomes Chief of Police in Atlanta. The Rook meets Benson, who clears his record with the police. ["Kingdom of Blood," the Rook Volume One]. Hank Wilbon is murdered, leading to his eventual resurrection as the Reaper. ["Kaslov's Fire," The Rook Volume Two]. The Rook and Evelyn become unwelcome guests of Baron Werner Prescott, eventually foiling his attempts to create an artificial island and a weather-controlling weapon for the Nazis [The Rook: The Killing Games]

  1938 - The Rook travels to Great City to aid the Moon Man in battling Lycos and his Gasping Death. The Rook destroys the physical shell of Nyarlathotep and gains his trademark signet ring. ["The Gasping Death," The Rook Volume One]. The jungle hero known as the Revenant is killed ["Death from the Jungle," The Rook Volume Four]

  1939 - Ibis and the Warlike Manchu revive the Abomination. Evelyn becomes pregnant and gives birth to their first child, a boy named William. ["Abominations," The Rook Volume One]. The Rook allies himself with Leonid Kaslov to stop the Reaper's attacks and to foil the plans of Rasputin. ["Kaslov's Fire," the Rook Volume Two] Violet Cambridge and Will McKenzie become embroiled in the hunt for a mystical item known as The Damned Thing [The Damned Thing]

  1940 - The Warlike Manchu returns with a new pupil -- Hans Merkel, aka Shinigami. The Warlike Manchu kidnaps William Davies but the Rook and Leonid Kaslov manage to rescue the boy. ["Blitzkrieg," the Rook Volume Two] The Rook journeys to Germany alongside the Domino Lady and Will McKenzie to combat the demonic organization known as Bloodwerks. ["Bloodwerks," the Rook Volume Two] Kevin Atwill seeks revenge against his former friends, bringing him into conflict with the Rook ["The Gorgon Conspiracy," The Rook Volume Two]. The Rook takes a young vampire under his care, protecting him from a cult that worships a race of beings known as The Shambling Ones. With the aid of Leonid Kazlov, the cult is destroyed ["The Shambling Ones," The Rook Volume Two]

  1941 - Philip Gallagher, a journalist, uncovers the Rook's secret identity but chooses to become an ally of the vigilante rather than reveal it to the world ["Origins," the Rook Volume Two]. The Rook teams with the Black Bat and Ascott Keane, as well as a reluctant Doctor Satan, in defeating the plans of the sorcerer Arias ["The Bleeding Hells"]. The Rook rescues McKenzie from the Iron Maiden ["The Iron Maiden," The Rook Volume Three]

  1942 - The Rook battles a Nazi super agent known as the Grim Reaper, who is attempting to gather the Crystal Skulls ["The Three Skulls," The Rook Volume Three]. The Rook teams with Ascott Keane and the Green Lama to defeat a monster that has escaped from The World of Shadows ["The Gilded Beast," The Family Grace: An Extraordinary History]. The Rook becomes embroiled in a plot by Sun Koh and a group of Axis killers known as The Furies. The Rook and Sun Koh end up in deadly battle on the banks of the Potomac River. ["The Scorched God," The Rook Volume Six]. In London, the Rook and Evelyn meet Nathaniel Caine (aka the Catalyst) and Rachel Winters, who are involved in stopping the Nazis from creating the Un-Earth. They battle Doctor Satan and the Black Zeppelin ["Catalyst," The Rook Volume Three]. Evelyn learns she's pregnant with a second child. The Rook solves the mystery of the Roanoke Colony ["The Lost Colony," The Rook Volume Three] The Warlike Manchu is revived and embarks upon a search for the Philosopher's Stone ["The Resurrection Gambit," The Rook Volume Three]

  1943 - The Rook is confronted by the twin threats of Fernando Pasarin and the undead pirate Hendrik van der Decken ["The Phantom Vessel," The Rook Volume Four]. Evelyn and Max become the parents of a second child, Emma Davies. The Rook teams with the daughter of the Revenant to battle Hermann Krupp and the Golden Goblin ["Death from the Jungle," The Rook Volume Four] The Rook battles Doctor Satan over possession of an ancient Mayan tablet ["The Four Rooks," The Rook Volume Four]. The Rook travels to Peru to battle an undead magician called The Spook ["Spook," The Rook Volume Four]. Baron Rudolph Gustav gains possession of the Rod of Aaron and kidnaps Evelyn, forcing the Rook into an uneasy alliance with the Warlike Manchu ["Dead of Night," The Rook Volume Four]. Doctor Satan flees to the hidden land of Vorium, where the Rook allies with Frankenstein's Monster to bring him to justice ["Satan's Trial," The Rook Volume Four]. Tim Roland is recruited by The Flame and Miss Masque ["The Ivory Machine," The Rook Volume Five]. The Black Terror investigates a German attempt to replicate his powers and becomes friends with a scientist named Clarke ["Terrors"]

  1944 - The Rook organizes a strike force composed of Revenant, Frankenstein's Monster, Catalyst and Esper. The group is known as The Claws of the Rook and they take part in two notable adventures in this year: against the diabolical Mr. Dee and then later against an alliance between Doctor Satan and the Warlike Manchu ["The Diabolical Mr. Dee" and "A Plague of Wicked Men", The Rook Volume Five].

  1946 - The Rook discovers that Adolph Hitler is still alive and has become a vampire in service to Dracula. In an attempt to stop the villains from using the Holy Lance to take over the world, the Rook allies with the Claws of the Rook, a time traveler named Jenny Everywhere, a thief called Belladonna and Leonid Kaslov. The villains are defeated and Max's future is revealed to still be in doubt. Events shown from 2006 on are just a possible future. The Rook also has several encounters with a demonically powered killer known as Stickman. ["The Devil's Spear," The Rook Volume Five]. The Rook encounters a madman named Samuel Garibaldi (aka Rainman) and his ally, Dr. Gottlieb Hochmuller. The Rook and his Claws team defeat the villainous duo and several new heroes join the ranks of the Claws team -- Miss Masque, Black Terror & Tim and The Flame. ["The Ivory Machine," The Rook Volume Five]

  1953 - The Rook acquires the Looking Glass from Lu Chang. ["Black Mass," The Rook Volume One]

  1961 - Max's son William becomes the second Rook. ["The Four Rooks," The Rook Volume Four]

  1967 - The second Rook battles and defeats the Warlike Manchu, who is in possession of the Mayan Tablet that Doctor Satan coveted in '43. Evelyn Davies dies. ["The Four Rooks," The Rook Volume Four]

  1970 - William Davies (the second Rook) commits suicide by jumping from a Manhattan rooftop. Emma Davies (Max's daughter and William's brother) becomes the Rook one week later, in February. ["The Four Rooks," The Rook Volume Four]

  1973 - The third Rook is accompanied by Kayla Kaslov (daughter of Leonid Kaslov) on a trip to Brazil, where the two women defeat the Black Annis and claim the Mayan Tablet that's popped up over the course of three decades. Emma gives it to her father, who in turn passes it on to Catalyst (Nathaniel Caine) ["The Four Rooks," The Rook Volume Four]

  ~1985 - Max resumes operating as the Rook, adventuring sporadically. Due to various magical events, he remains far more active than most men his age. The reasons for Emma giving up the role are unknown at this time.

  Events depicted in the years 2006 forward occur in one of many possible futures for The Rook. As revealed in Volume Five of The Rook Chronicles, the events of 2006 onward may -- or may not -- be the ultimate future of Max Davies.

  2006 - The Black Mass Barrier rises, enveloping the world in a magical field. The World of Shadows merges with Earth. Fiona Grace (descended from Eobard) becomes a worldwide celebrity, partially due to her failure to stop the Black Mass Barrier. ["Black Mass," The Rook Volume One]

  2009 - Ian Morris meets Max Davies and becomes the new Rook. He meets Fiona Grace. Max dies at some point immediately following this. ["Black Mass," The Rook Volume One]

  2012 - The fourth Rook (Ian Morris) receives the Mayan Tablet from Catalyst, who tells him that the world will end on December 21, 2012 unless something is done. Using the tablet, Ian attempts to take control of the magic spell that will end the world. Aided by the spirits of the three previous Rooks, he succeeds, though it costs him his life. He is survived by his lover (Fiona Grace) and their unborn child. Max Davies is reborn as a man in his late twenties and becomes the Rook again. ["The Four Rooks," The Rook Volume Four]

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Barry Reese has spent the l
ast decade writing for publishers as diverse as Marvel Comics, West End Games, Wild Cat Books and Moonstone Books. Known primarily for his pulp adventure works like The Rook Chronicles, The Adventures of Lazarus Gray and Savage Tales of Ki-Gor, Barry has also delved into slasher horror (Rabbit Heart) and even the fantasy pirate genre (Guan-Yin and the Horrors of Skull Island). His favorite classic pulp heroes are The Avenger, Doc Savage, John Carter, Conan and Seekay. More information about him can be found at http://www.barryreese.net.