"DEMON FROM THE DEEP"
Real Name: James (last name unknown; see comments)
Identity/Class: Human/ghost (1950s Era)
Occupation: Unrevealed
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: None
Enemies: Venus (Aphrodite), Whitney Hammond
Known Relatives: Fred (brother), unidentified brother, unidentified uncle
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Mobile (see comments)
First Appearance: Venus#19/2 (April, 1952)
Powers/Abilities: In life, James had been a handsome man who used a knife to mercilessly murder his brothers. Following his death from a bullet wound, his spiritual essence took on a grotesque, misshapen appearance with the characteristics of a ghost (immateriality, etc.).
History:
(Venus#19/2 (fb)) - James and his two brothers were going to inherit millions of dollars from their deceased uncle's estate, but the uncle had hated the three brothers because of how they treated him, so his will stipulated that his entire fortune would go to the last surviving brother (in the hopes that one would be greedy enough to kill the other two). James was determined to be the sole beneficiary, so he talked his brothers into taking a cruise aboard the luxury liner S.S. Castletown. One night, as his brothers slept in their cabins, James stabbed them with a knife. Some of the ship's crew heard the brothers' dying screams, so they went to investigate and found James with the dead bodies. The murderer fled the crime scene with the armed crew-members in pursuit. As bullets whizzed by him, James frantically raced across the deck to the ship's railing, and he hoped he could safely escape into the ocean--unknown to James, he had been struck in the head by a bullet and he died on the deck.
(Venus#19/2) - Dripping slime and seaweed, the gruesome apparition of James climbed over the ship's railing and back onto the deck. James was seen by Venus and her friend Whitney (the two just happened to be on that same luxury liner); he told them how he had killed his brothers, and that he planned to hide on the ship until it docked, then he would go to claim his inheritance. The monstrous James advanced toward Venus and Whitney, ready to kill the two so his secret would remain safe; but as he passed by a darkened porthole, he caught a glimpse of his reflection and was horrified when he saw his hideous face. While James was transfixed, staring at his ghastly transformation, Venus and Whitney saw their chance to make a break for it, and they fled across the deck, with the enraged James chasing after them. Suddenly, Venus tripped over something in the darkness; James attempted to grab her, but his arms passed through the beautiful woman--at first, James thought Venus was a ghost. Then they all looked down a saw what Venus had stumbled over: the corpse of James! After he finally realized that it was he who was actually the ghost, James faded away--his twisted evil soul had condemned him to be a nonexistent monster for all of eternity.
Comments: Created by an uncredited writer and Bill Everett (artist).
Venus and Whitney only referred to the monstrous James as a "thing," so I named this profile from the story's title.
Since the transformation of James seemed to have a connection with the sea, maybe Neptunia was somehow involved.
The last name of James was never revealed, so I'll suggest "Crowe," which was the last name of the character portrayed by Bruce Willis in the movie "The Sixth Sense" (if you've seen that film, you'll understand the reference).
Since his death actually took place on the S.S. Castletown, I guess James was condemned to haunt that ship, wherever it might sail.
And a BIG Thank You to The Horrors of It All for the scans!
Profile by John Kaminski.
CLARIFICATIONS
:
The Demon of the Deep has no known connections to:
images:
(without ads)
Venus#19/2, p1, pan1 (main image)
p3, pan6 (as live human)
p5, pan1 (realization)
Other Appearances: None
Last updated: 05/20/11
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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