HELLCOW

Real Name: Bessie

Identity/Class: Terrestrial bovine vampire

Occupation: Predator; former grazer

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Vampires; Dracula (transformed her); Hans (former owner)

Enemies: Jubal Brown (victim), Dracula, Howard the Duck

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: The Bovine Blood-Beast, the Cowled Cow, the Recreant Ruminant

Base of Operations: Formerly Cleveland, Ohio; Switzerland

First Appearance: Giant-Size Man-Thing#5/2 (August, 1975)

Powers: The Hellcow has the standard vampire abilities and limitations. She has super-bovine strength (enhanced bovine) and durability. She can transform into winged bat-cow hybrid, or into mist. She requires regular consumption of blood, which apparently may be animal or human. It is uncertain if her bite would transform her victim into a vampire or not.
She has weaknesses to sunlight, garlic, religious symbols, and, of course, a steak, I mean a stake through the heart.

Height: 4' 6" at shoulder
Weight: 575 lbs.
Eyes: Red
Hair: Brown

History: (Giant-Size Man-Thing#5/2 (fb) ) - Approximately 300 years ago, Bessie the cow lived a peaceful existence as part of Hans' herd in Switzerland. One night, Dracula came to the town, but all of the doors and windows of the village were locked. And Dracula was very thirsty...but not for milk. Hans buried his favorite cow the next day, but three days hence she rose anew.
Since that time, Bessie attempted to follow the trail of Dracula, to gain revenge for taking her away from her life of contentment.

(Giant-Size Man-Thing#5/2) - Arriving in Cleveland, Bessie mistook a costumed form of Howard the Duck for her nemesis, Dracula, and attacked it. Their struggles brought them into an auto body shop. Howard held her off with a tire iron (the shape of a cross), but when he reached for a hammer and stake, she leapt at him. Howard ducked and Bessie found herself tangled in a pile of tires, with her fangs imbedded in a whitewall. Howard took the stake and did what needed to be done. As Howard sent Bessie to her final rest, that great pasture in the sky, she was heard to say, "Mooooooooooooooooo."

Comments: Created by Steve Gerber and Frank Brunner.

    Gerber's stories are always entertaining. You better be reading his MAX title, which is way, way over the edge.

    I'll never read the title "Giant-Size Man-Thing" the same way again after reading Peter David's Captain Marvel#21.

    Hellcow has an entry in Marvel Legacy: The 1970's Handbook.