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STEFAN KOJECK

Real Name: Stefan Kojeck

Identity/Class: Normal human (1950s era? - see comments, citizen of Hungary)

Occupation: Silversmith, swindler, murderer

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: None

Enemies: Those duped by his violent silver scam, notably the citizens of Hazjla; vampires of Domishav

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: Unnamed vampire

Base of Operations: Szolslav, Hungary

First Appearance: Adventures Into Weird Worlds I#19/5 (June, 1953)

Powers/Abilities: Stefan Kojeck is a skilled silversmith but very greedy and covets the metal. He is prepared to go to great lengths to secure as much as he can, including via masquerade to swindle, using violence and even murder. He is duplicitous and has a realistic body costume with full face mask that disguises him as a vampire. He is fit and can climb readily in costume despite the bulky wings, and is ruthless and strong enough to overpower men and women to murder them face to face.

Height: 5'9"
Weight:
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Black (with white streak)

History:

(Adventures Into Weird Worlds I#19/5 (fb) - BTS) - Stefan Kojeck was a skilled silversmith who coveted silver bullion and concocted a dire plan to masquerade as a vampire to scare superstitious local villagers into surrendering their silver valuables to him to be rid of the would-be vampire.

(Adventures Into Weird Worlds I#19/5) - Kojeck next targeted the old town of Hazjla, terrorizing local folk at night by climbing into windows while in vampire costume, sometimes committing violence against them, even slitting the throat of at least one villager. After each raid, he scampered back by foot before sunrise to his silversmith shop in nearby Szolslav. After a week of such misdeeds, he stealthily put up a poster in Hazjla calling for an urgent town meeting. There, he promised he would rid the town of the violent vampire menace if the townspeople all surrendered their silver so that he could use it to fashion silver bullets against the alleged vampire. Desperate for peace, the village folk gave up their precious silver and Kojeck returned to his shop where he smelted it all down into new bullion bars to add to his hoard. Greedy for more silver, Kojeck's last target for the area was Domishav, a village cloaked in dark tales, which Kojeck dismissed as mere superstition. In costume, Kojeck began another nocturnal week of premeditated violence and terror before calling a town meeting and asking for silver. However, no Domishavite came forward to offer their silver; instead, the Domishavites transformed into vampires and lunged savagely at the terrified Kojeck.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comments: Created by uncredited writer & Chuck Winter.

So what was his final fate? Did the vampires of Domishav consume him--or did they turn him into a vampire too? They most likely fed off him as is suggested their custom for passing strangers. But an interesting, perhaps just fate would be turning him into a vampire so that he could never touch silver, that which he coveted so much, and then be cast out so he would be hunted as a true vampire.

Hungary seemed to be plagued by a wave of 1953 vampire stories, from Rajac and his vampire village to Deszo Kruzak and his vampire coven. I'm sure there are more lurking in shadowy Atlas pages...

No date is given in the story, but the scenery and clothing look a little too antiquated to place it in the 1950s. However, the story is set in Hungary, not Austro-Hungary, so I think after 1920 (after the latter's dissolution) is more reasonable: rural enough to still be lacking early street lighting, late enough to still have unplundered centuries of silver heirlooms and availability of realistic full face masks.

Profile by Grendel Prime.

CLARIFICATIONS :
Stefan Kojeck has no known connections to:

Vampires of Domishav

Domishav in Hungary was a small  village of vampires not far from the towns of Szolslav and Hazjla. It was said that wise travelers avoided Domishav and that the village had a pall of evil with locals spinning tales of grotesque terrors to keep many away. Swindler Stefan Kojeck thought Domishavites as superstitious fools that made them easy targets of his masquerading campaign as a violent vampire to scare locals into surrendering their silver. After a week of violence and terror against Domishavites while masquerading as a vampire at night, the undisguised Kojeck called for a town meeting, declaring as he had done at previous villages that he could be their savior if they surrendered all their silver. Instead, the Domishavites defiantly transformed into vampires, their wings ripping their clothing as they lunged at the terrified Kojeck.

   The vampires of Domishav were gray-skinned with fanged visage, burly upper bodies and taloned nails as they transformed from a regular human appearance. Their jagged full-body length bat wings would rip through clothing during their rapid transformation. Like other vampires, they were susceptible to silver. While one Domishavite is shown about to be stabbed in human form, it is not shown that he died (it is likely the victim survived due to vampiric heightened durability; it's just that Kojeck fled before he could see the vampire's recovery). It's possible that Domishavites can transform into large bats (see below).

   Interestingly, Domishav had what appeared to be a church from a distance, although it was presumably unconsecrated and no crucifix was shown. Also of note is that there are four panels where Kojeck is out at night in or near Hazjla and Szolslav in his vampire costume, and is unaware that there is at least one large bat flying not far from him. Just creepiness added by the artist or a suggestion that the Domishav vampires were already shadowing him and partially monitoring his activities?

 

 

 

 

--Adventures Into Weird Worlds I#19/5

images: (without ads)
Adventures Into Weird Worlds I#19/5, p3, pan1 (main image)
   p2, pan5 (headshot holding mask)
   p1, pan1 (in full costume in window)
   p4, pan6 (Domishav vampires)

Appearances:
Adventures Into Weird Worlds I#19/5 (June, 1953) - uncredited writer, Chuck Winter (pencils & inks), Stan Lee (editor)

First posted: 10/31/2024
Last updated: 10/31/2024

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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