KNUCKLES O'SHAUGNESSY

main imageReal Name: (Presumably) O'Shaugnessy, first name unrevealed 

Identity/Class: Human possessed by a Spirit of Vengeance (1930s)

Occupation: Dead-end kid, sidekick 

Group Membership: Spirits of Vengeance / Ghost Riders

Affiliations: The Undead G-Man;
formerly Zadkiel

Enemies: Skin and Bones club members, demons, Kid Blackheart, Zadkiel

Known Relatives: None 

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: California (see comments) 

First Appearance: Ghost Rider VI#33 (May, 2009)

Powers/Abilities: Knuckles O'Shaugnessy wielded a baseball bat with nails sticking out of it; it is unrevealed whether he could enhance it with hellfire, the way most Ghost Riders can strengthen their weapons. Like most of the Ghost Riders, Knuckles presumably possessed superhuman strength and durability. 

History: (Ghost Rider VI#33 (fb) - BTS) - The Undead G-Man and his partner, the dead-end kid Knuckles O'Shaugnessy, protected the innocent people of California from those who would prey on them.

(Ghost Rider VI#33 (fb)) - In the early 1930s, prior to Prohibition being repealed, the sadistic members of the Skin and Bones club prepared to carve up an unfortunate homeless man for the murderous thrill of the brutal act. However, before they could begin cutting their victim, the club doors were smashed open as the Undead G-Man and Knuckles rode in on their motorcycle and sidecar. While the Undead G-Man blasted holes in some of the villains, Knuckles busted heads with his nail-studded bat. Despite the new arrivals having saved his life, the down-and-out man seemed just as terrified of his rescuers as he had been of the would-be killers.

(Ghost Rider: Heaven's on Fire#6) - Like all past Ghost Riders, the Undead G-Man and Knuckles were revived to take part in defending Heaven from the rogue angel Zadkiel. After defeating Zadkiel, the intimidating assemblage of Ghost Riders were among the first sights that greeted Kid Blackheart and his demon army as they stormed Heaven, hoping to take advantage of the damage Zadkiel had done to the angelic defenders. Though Kid Blackheart balked at the sight, his demons raced into combat against the Spirits of Vengeance. Seeing the fright overtake Kid Blackheart, Knuckles O'Shaugnessy called dibs on the would-be antichrist, telling his fellow Ghost Riders they could "mop up" the remaining demons.

(Ghost Rider: Heaven's on Fire#6 - BTS) - Knuckles allegedly got at least one solid hit in on Kid Blackheart, though the young antichrist escaped.

(Ghost Rider: Heaven's on Fire#6) - Once the demon forces had been largely obliterated, Kid O'Shaugnessy informed fellow Ghost Riders Johnny Blaze, Hellbilly and Molek that he had fought Kid Blackheart but the villain had gotten away...unfortunately, he did so in 1930s slang so thick that they probably couldn't understand most of what he said. Before they could ask him to clarify his statement, Heaven lit up as God returned, and the resurrected Ghost Riders, including Knuckles, returned to their eternal rest.

    

Comments: Created by Jason Aaron and Tony Moore.

Like all the other Ghost Riders depicted in the flashbacks in Ghost Rider VI#33, there is limited information given about this character. The script confirms he is from the 1930s rather than the 1920s, and that the Skin and Bones club is in a speakeasy, further narrowing down the date to prior to the repeal of Prohibition at the end of 1933.

The G-Man identifying the hobo as an Okie suggests that they are in California, since in 1930 that term, which initially simply designated someone from Oklahoma, became in California a descriptor for poor migrants from Oklahoma and surrounding states who had come to the sunshine state looking for employment.

The presence of the Skin and Bones club in the 1930s is problematic, as originally when the Skin and Bones club was introduced in Ghost Rider III#55 the club's modern day owner Morphine claimed to have founded the club, while Mr. Hyde boasted of being a founding member; given the club is shown active in the 1930s, either they refounded the club after it had been shut down for a time, or else Hyde is lying or misinformed (e.g. he didn't know there was a prior incarnation) while Morphine is either lying or much older than he looks.

Knuckles is a very deliberate play on the Dead End Kid stereotype initially popularized by the 1935 Broadway play Dead End and utilized in umpteen Golden Age comics from various companies. He speaks in 1930s slang, some of which has radically changed its meaning since that era - when Knuckles informed his fellow Ghost Riders that he had given Kid Blackheart a "good doog to remember me by," I did an online search to see if I could find out exactly what a doog was. I was expecting it to be a strike to a specific body part, such as the head, and I can only believe that Knuckles (and hopefully Jason Aaron) did not mean the modern interpretation that Knuckles was satisfying Kid Blackheart's carnal needs.

Profile by Loki.

CLARIFICATIONS:
The Knuckles O'Shaugnessy is definitely connected to, but should not be confused with

but has no known connections to

images: (without ads)
Ghost Rider VI#33, p8, pan3 (main image)
Ghost Rider VI#33, p8, pan4 (smashing heads at the Skin and Bones club)
Ghost Rider: Heaven's On Fire#6, p12, pan2 (in Heaven, asking the other Ghost Riders to let him take on Kid Blackheart)

Other Appearances:
Ghost Rider: Heaven's On Fire#6 (February, 2010) - Jason Aaron (writer), Roland Boschi (art), Sebastian Girner (editor)

Last updated: 03/16/14

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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