DRAGON CIRCLE
Membership: Reverend Addison Blackburn (leader), Ambrose Ellis, Lloyd Lynne, Roman Scaggs, Windeagle, Jedediah Thorp, Roland, Harold, Herbert
Purpose: I guess it was profit and political power. (see comments)
Affiliations: Ku Klux Klan (original
parent organization); Soul Strangler (unknown
connection) Enemies: Black Panther (T'Challa), Ku Klux Klan (rival
organization), Angela and Monica Lynne, Roderick
Tate, Kevin Trublood Base of Operations: across the USA?,
based out of Georgia Aliases: Circle of the Dragon,
Cult of the Dragon Circle, Soldiers of the Dragon Circle, Dragon
Cult, Dragon Soldiers; First Appearance: Jungle Action#19
(January, 1976) History: The Dragon Circle is a cult of
unknown origin, who diverged from the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) at some
point. The Dragon Circle somehow evolved into a
racially diverse organization, more interested in political power
than the Klan's racial and religious views (according to the
story, the Klan was also originally more about politics). It was
taken over by the Reverend, Addison Blackburn. The Reverend had a
number of members of the Dragon Circle infiltrate the KKK to keep
him informed of their plans and activities. (Marvel Premiere#52(fb))-The Reverend recruited
the prison inmate Hector Santiago, whom they outfitted to become
Windeagle. (JungAct#21(fb))-Angela Lynne investigated the
crooked real estate deals in which the Dragon Circle were
involved. A gun went off and she was found dead. The Reverend is
apparently the culprit of this murder. (JungAct#19)-Members of the Dragon Circle
ambushed, and apparently intended to kill Monica Lynne, as she
visited the grave of her sister, Angela. The members were fought
off by Monica, and her on-and-off lover, the Black Panther (with
the added assistance of Kevin Trublood). The cult members were
soon released on bail paid by a wealthy backer (presumably the
Reverend). (Jungle Action#20, 21)-Members of the Dragon Circle
assaulted Monica and the Black Panther in a local grocery store,
which increased the distrust the local citizenry had for the
costumed Panther. After recovering, the Panther invaded a meeting
of the KKK, who attacked him, and succeeded in overpowering him
by strength of numbers. They tied him to a cross which they set
afire. (Jungle Action#22)-Jessica Lynne related the story of
Caleb Lynne to the Black Panther. Lloyd and Monica, and Kevin
Trublood were also present. (Jungle Action#24(fb))-The Black Panther questioned Leroy
Carter, and then Ambrose Ellis, about Angela's death. Afterwards,
he was attacked by Windeagle, who was sent by the Reverend to
attack him. The struggle continued for a short time until Dragon
Circle members rammed the Panther with their car, and they
captured him. (Jungle Action#24)-The Panther was tied to a water wheel,
apparently as part of some kind of James Bond-leave them to die,
so they can escape and foil your plans-scheme. The Panther broke
freed, but was again subdued by Windeagle and the Dragon Circle (Marvel Premiere#53(fb))-The Panther was taken
to the Dragon Circle's headquarters, where the Reverend attempted
to brainwash him into joining them. T'Challa's will proved to be
too strong for them to overcome, but they did succeed in
submerging his memories of all of the recent events. He lost all
memory of the Dragon Circle, and even his sometime lover Monica,
and headed off on a separate mission. (Black Panther I#14, 15)-Monica Lynne and Kevin
Trublood traveled to New York to find the Panther. They were
trailed by Windeagle. (MarvPrem51)-Windeagle attacked the Black
Panther at the Wakandan consulate. He was defeated and contained.
Monica and Kevin confronted the Black Panther, and helped him
realize that part of his memory had been repressed. Windeagle
broke free and attacked again, but he was shot and killed by an
unidentified sniper. (MarvPrem52)-After learning the past of
Windeagle, the Panther, Trublood, Monica, and Omoro Kaysbe were
trailed by members of the Dragon Circle. The Panther picked up on
this and led them to a lumberyard, where they defeated the men.
The last of the involved members was slain by an unknown sniper.
The Panther found a KKK card on the dead cultist, and
investigated a KKK rally, where he was confronted and attacked by
the mysterious Soul Strangler. The Strangler vanished after a
short battle, and the Panther escaped from a mob of angry
Klansmen. (MarvPrem53)-The Reverend declared war on the
KKK, but after his meeting with the rest of the Dragon Circle
broke up, he was confronted by several Klansmen. They took him
deeper into the swamp, and planned to execute him, but reality
changed around them, and they seemed to be back in 1867, at the
home of Caleb Lynne. Both the Reverend and the Klansmen watched
in astonishment as the Panther, who had been trailing the
Reverend, battled and defeated the Soul Strangler. The Panther
then subdued and brought in the Reverend and the Klansmen. The
Reverend and his involvement were exposed, and he was sent to
prison. Some members of the Dragon Cult turned evidence on other
members, and the cult apparently broke up. COMMENTS: Created by Don McGregor and
Billy Graham. This collected story is referred to as
"The Panther vs the Klan." There are 10 parts to it. Changing writer
syndrome. McGregor's plot was
dropped when Jungle Action was discontinued, and the Panther went
off in a new direction under Kirby in the original Black Panther
(see the current Black Panther for a continuation on that
saga. You will NOT be disappointed). Jerry Bingham and
Gene Day touched on it in the last two issues of the Black
Panther, at which point it continued in the Marvel Premiere
series, under Ed Hannigan and Jerry Bingham. The Reverend..."reverend"
is an adjective, meaning highly revered. That's like having a
judicial character known as "The Honorable." He was
referred to only as the Reverend for the initial story by
McGregor, et al. He was later named as Reverend Addison, and
later as Reverend Blackburn. His full name, Rev. Addison
Blackburn is confirmed in the Marvel Comics Index Part 9B. In one of the issues, they make mention of the
fact that the name, the Ku Klux Klan comes from a Greek word
meaning Circle, with the word Klan added due to the strong
Scots-Irish content. You can see the Dragon Circle coming from
the Grand Dragon of the KKK, and the "Circle" Klan. This storyline also revealed that the
"T" in T'Challa is silent...or at least the start of
the name goes together and sounds like the letters in
"catch." The Dragon Circle has an entry in Marvel Legacy: The 1970's Handbook. CLARIFICATIONS: No
known connection to:another
name for some of the Defenders, who reformed to combat the Dragon
of the Moon,
@ Dr. Strange: Sorcerer Supreme#3
The Reverend, Addison Blackburn, has no known
connection to: The KKK and the Klansmen have no known
connection to: Harrison Stryker, off the KKK, has no known
connection to: MEMBERS The Reverend is Addison
Blackburn. He was once a high-ranking member of the southern
branch of the KKK. However, all along he was working for (and
leading) the Dragon Circle. He used the Klan, and when his
crooked real estate deals where exposed, he had Angela Lynne
killed, and had the Klan blamed. It was the Blackburn who
recruited Windeagle, and it was he who attempted to brainwash the
Black Panther. Ambrose Ellis is a realtor and
the employer of Angela Lynne. It was at his office that she was
shot. The gun was his, taken from one of his drawers. He showed
up with the police who were called to his office after Angela's
death. He is a member of the Water Crest Country Club. Lloyd Lynne is the father of
Angela and Monica Lynne, and the husband of Jessica Lynne. His
one great joy in life is the card game of Solitaire. Why he would
be involved with the Dragon Circle and their plans, when he seems
to prefer to stay at home and keep to himself, is never
explained. He spoke out against the Reverend's violent plans, and
had to be saved from retaliation by the Panther. Roman Scaggs is the owner of
the rifle found at Windeagle's murder. He freely admitted to
owning the rifle and being a member of the Dragon Circle, but
claimed to be "a peaceful member of a non-violent
brotherhood devoted to justice." The Panther seemed to
recall his face as one of those who attempted to brainwash him. Other members named included: Jedediah Thorp
(Jungle Action#19), Harold (Jungle Action#19), and Roland and Herbert (I forget which
issue). other characters Leroy Ames was a former
boyfriend of Angela Lynne. He dropped her off at home after a
date, but saw her sneak back out and follow her. He heard the
shot that killed Angela, but was unable to see or identify the
killer. He called the police at 3:15 am to inform them of her
death. He was named "The Phantom Caller" by the
newspaper. Carter apparently feared the repercussions of getting
involved with the case, and refused to give any further
information. He lived in Georgia and was employed by the phone
company, Bell. Angela Lynne is the older
sister of Monica (b y 2 years), and the daughter of Jessica and
Lloyd Lynne. She dated Leroy Ames and worked for the realtor
Ambrose Ellis. She investigated crooked real estate deals of the
Dragon Circle, and was killed for this. Jessica Lynne is the wife of
Lloyd, and the mother of Angela and Monica. Harrison K. Stryker was the
Imperial Wizard for the KKK in Georgia. Roderick Tate is the sheriff
in Georgia. He was willing to work with the Black Panther, and
was frustrated by his inability to hold the Dragon Circle
members. Kevin Trublood is a former
reporter for the Georgia Sun. He helped defend Monica Lynne from
an attack by the Dragon Circle, and soon became very involved in
the whole struggle. He stayed by Monica when the Panther
mysteriously vanished, and the two became very close (the
Panther, at one point, referred to Monica as Kevin's future
wife). He wrote the final expose on the Reverend and the Dragon
Circle. He and Monica obviously drifted apart. Monica Lynne's history is much
more extensive, and is beyond the scope of this profile. She was
present in every issue of the saga. Appearances: Last updated: 08/02/02. Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know. All characters mentioned or pictured are
™ and © 1941-2099 Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights
Reserved.
Spiritual Light Society (SLS)
That night, the home of the Lynne family was unintentionally
simultaneously attacked by members of the Dragon Circle, and the
KKK. The Black Panther drove off both organizations, who sought
to torch the house.
He eventually broke free and escaped, but was hospitalized for a
few weeks, recovering from his injuries. He later appeared at a
KKK rally, where he was again attacked. This time he fought off
his attackers.
Jungle Action#23 reprinted Daredevil I#69, due to a missed
deadline. The story continued in Jungle Action#24.
The second to last issue of the saga had a next issue blurb that
promised all of the answers. I don't think we got ANY answers,
except finally seeing the face of the Reverend (who went from
Rev. Addison in the previous issues to Rev. Blackburn in the last
issue).
--What was the goal of the Dragon Circle? It was
a big deal that there were people of color in this group, which
had spawned from the absolutely white KKK. How did this happen,
and what was the purpose/goal of the group?
--Who shot Windeagle? (someone
in the Dragon Circle) Leroy Ames got blamed for it, but it
still seemed to be uncertain.
--It was a big deal at some point in the story, that Windeagle's
costume was like the Falcon's, which was originally of Wakandan
design. This meant that there were Dragon Circle members
in Wakanda, in a position to get hold of this advanced
technology. This was never dealt with.
--What was the significance, besides the obvious, of that clock
that was stopped at 2:06 am by the bullet that killed
Angela Lynne?
--What was the Soul Strangler's connection to the Dragon Circle?
--How many times will I re-read these issues, trying to figure
the whole saga out? (5 and counting--and still confused).
It's definitely an intriguing story. It holds your interest the
whole way through, but you're left thinking, "Huh?"
--I cannot believe that organizations like these can even exist
in modern society.
He had this sinister look in his eyes as he directed the Klansmen
to the old, run-down shack of Caleb Lynne. However, he didn't
seem to have any idea what was going on when the Soul Strangler
showed up. He thanked the Panther for saving him, and the Panther
punched him out.
--He is mentioned in Jungle Action#19, named in MP#52+53, and seen in MP#53.
He is behind the scenes in every appearance of the Dragon Circle.
He is first mentioned in Jungle Action#19, although he is
mistakenly referred to as Ezra Wilkinson (this is corrected in
#20).
--Jungle Action#21, 24 (24(fb), 24
--Jungle Action#19 (20-22, 24, MP#53, Black Panther: Panther's Prey#4
--MP#53 (53(fb), 53
--Then in Marvel Premiere#53, he is arrested after being found
unconscious in New York, outside a Klan rally, with a gun. He is
named as the killer of Windeagle and Angela Lynne, but no
evidence or explanation is given. It seems like a frame...or
perhaps he WAS a member of the Dragon Cult.
--He is incorrectly referred to as Leroy Carter in Jungle Action#21. This is
corrected in Jungle Action#24.
--Jungle Action#21 (21(fb)/24(fb), 24, MP#53
--Jungle Action#19 (19(fb), 21(fb)/24(fb)
--Jungle Action#19 (20-22, 24, MP#53, Black Panther: Panther's Prey#4
I don't think he's the same guy from MP#52, but he may be
--Jungle Action#21
--He is also referred to as Broderick Tate.
--Jungle Action#19 (21(fb)/24(fb), 19-21, 24, MarvPrem53
--Jungle Action#19 (20-22, 24, BP#14, 15, MP#51-53
Jungle Action#19 (January, 1976) - Don McGregor (writer), Billy Graham (pencils), Bob McLeod (inks), Marv Wolfman (editor)
Jungle Action#20-22 (March-July, 1976) - Don McGregor (writer), Billy Graham & Rich Buckler (#22) (pencils), Bob McLeod & Jim Mooney (#22) (inks), Marv Wolfman (editor)
Jungle Action#24 (November, 1976) - Don McGregor (writer), Rich Buckler & Keith Pollard (pencils), Keith Pollard (inks), Marv Wolfman (editor)
Black Panther I#14-15 (March-May, 1979) - Ed Hannigan (writer), Jerry Bingham (pencils), Gene Day (inks), Roger Stern (editor)
Marvel Premiere#51-53 (December, 1979 - April, 1980) - Ed Hannigan (writer), Jerry Bingham (pencils), Gene Day (#51-52) & Al Gordon (#53) (inks), Roger Stern (#51-52) & Jim Salicrup (#53) (editor)
Black Panther: Panther's Prey#4 (1991) - Don McGregor (writer), Dwayne Turner (artist), Terry Kavanagh (editor)
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