R. LAMBERT MARTINSON

Real Name: Richard (see comments) "Ricky" Lambert Martinson

Identity/Class: Human

Occupation: Owner of the Magic Society occult shop

Group Membership: Possibly the Magic Society, if it was an actual group, rather than just a business

Affiliations: Hazel Donovan (though he was really using her as a pawn), Linda

Enemies: Power Man (Luke Cage), Janos V. Trevorik

Known Relatives: None

Aliases:  Posed as Janos V. Trevorik

Base of Operations: Unrevealed;
    presumably at least formerly a New York prison;
    formerly the Magic Society on South Broadway, on the fringe of Greenwich Village

First Appearance: Power Man#26 (August, 1975)

Powers/Abilities: R. Lambert Martinson presumably has considerable knowledge of the occult, and he owns an extensive collection of rare and valuable occult lore and paraphernalia. He has some skill +/- experience in disguise and playing upon the fears of others. He is also a sufficiently skilled combatant to knock down and roll with punches from the superhumanly strong Luke Cage (see comments). 
    While posing as a vampiric Trevorik, in addition to a cape and suit, he wore a full head latex mask, fanged teeth, and red iris-colored contact lenses.

Height: Approximately 5'10"
Weight: Approximately 160 lbs.
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Reddish-orange

History:
(Power Man#26 (fb) - BTS) - The reclusive, nocturnal, albino occultist Janos Trevorik contacted the Magic Society on South Broadway, on the fringe of Greenwich Village, owned by Richard Lambert Martinson. 

(Power Man#26 (fb) - BTS) - Those within the Magic Society were suspicious of Trevorik (and presumably even more likely to believe in superstition). 

(Power Man#26 (fb) - BTS) - Martinson visited Trevorik soon after Trevorik contacted the Magic Society. Recognizing Trevorik's occult collection's value, Martinson desired it for himself but knew he could not simply steal it as many of the items in the collection were well-known.

(Power Man#26 (fb) - BTS) - Deciding to play up on the superstition generated by Trevorik's appearance and behavior to frame him as a vampire, Martinson romanced Trevorik's landlady, Hazel Donovan, into being his accomplice in this plot. Martinson plotted to trick hero for hire Luke Cage into believing Trevorik was a vampire and then manipulate Cage into destroying instructed Donovan to tell everyone Trevorik owed her money, so that when he died, she could claim his possessions. 

(Power Man#26 (fb) - BTS) - A pair of "vampire killings" (in which victims were found drained of blood but otherwise untouched) occurred.

(Power Man#26 (fb) - BTS) - Martinson kidnapped Trevorik, keeping him bound and gagged in a closet. He figured that keeping Trevorik fasted would only make him more gaunt and ghastly.

(Power Man#26 (fb) - BTS) - Martinson and Donovan placed a coffin into Trevorik's apartment, making sure that its bedding looked used. 

(Power Man#26 (fb) - BTS) - Posing as a vampiric Trevorik, Martinson sneaked into the Gem Theatre on 42nd Street, which also housed the office of hero for hire Power Man (Luke Cage). After jimmying the lock to Cage's office door, Martinson laid a hundred dollar bill on Cage's desk and then wrote -- in what at least appeared to be blood -- on the wall, "Stop me before I kill more.  Janos Trevorik"

(Power Man#26) - Deliberately making noise and allowing Cage to spot him in the pre-dawn hours, Martinson fled into a dark room, locking the door behind him.  Cage broke down the door, and then grabbed the shadowy figure approaching a window, pulling him back into the dark center of the room. The intruder surprised Cage with his apparent strength, twisting out of his grip and then punching Cage, knocking him back to the ground. Though surprised to see the figure in a cape, Cage, who was long-experienced with costumed heroes and villains, got up and grabbed the invader's shirt, planning to punch him out; however, the blood-red eyes of the figure startled Cage sufficiently to cause him to loosen his grip, allowing Martinson to tear free and leap out a window.

(Power Man#26 - BTS) - Rushing to the window, Cage saw only a large bat flying away, silhouetted by the moon.

(Power Man#26 - BTS) - Cage, joined by Gem Theatre manager DW Griffith, raced to his office and found the door jimmied. Seeing the message apparently written in fresh blood on the wall and the hundred dollar bill on Cage's desk, Cage suspected he had a vampire for a client.

(Power Man#26 - BTS) - Looking up "Janos Trevorik" in the phone book while waiting until daylight, Cage then visited Hazel Donovan to ask her about him. Telling Cage Trevorik owed back rent and was out all night or upstairs chanting, she allowed Cage into Trevorik's room and then feigned terror upon finding the coffin there. Cage looked around and was impressed with Trevorik's occult collection, enhancing his suspicions about Trevorik. A TV news report about the mysterious "Vampire-Killer" further strengthened Cage's concerns.

(Power Man#26) - Cage traveled to the Magic Society on South Broadway, and thought the receptionist, Linda, tried to schedule a later appointment for him, Cage walked into Martinson's office, and Martinson agreed to see him. Martinson introduced himself and readily shared that Trevorik, of all who gathered there in search of "the way," was easily the most knowledgeable. However, he seemed to be "sad, searching...as if on the verge of still greater secrets -- or over the verge, and wishing he weren't." Martinson further noted that Trevorik only dropped by after dark to read in the library. Martinson added that while he had seen all kinds, Trevorik was unique and fascinating. 

(Power Man#26 - BTS) - Cage checked through a list of the Magic Society's other members, all of whom confirmed Martinson's summary of the mysterious Mr. Trevorik.

(Power Man#26 - BTS) - Cage headed back to Trevorik's neighborhood and asked around, and received similar information.

(Power Man#26 - BTS) - By that evening, the information Cage had gathered convinced him that Trevorik was indeed a vampire who wished he wasn't and wanted Cage to do what he couldn't do himself: Stop him before he got his 4th victim. 

(Power Man#26 - BTS) - Martinson, again posing as a vampiric Trevorik, trailed Cage, allowing Cage to hear him a few times to get Cage nervous about the idea of confronting a vampire. He then jumped on Cage from behind, knocking him forward to the ground as he told Cage he was his sole hope of freeing him from his curse: "Though I long for release, the curse compels me to live on, seeking others to join me in damnation, and I am helpless to disobey!" Punctuating his point with a kick to Cage's face, he then bared his fake fangs over the unnerved Cage, telling him the curse could only end when someone else destroyed him. "I prayed it would be you, but, if you cannot overcome me, Cage, then you shall feel my fury!" He lunged forward and bit Cage in the neck, but swiftly pulled back and noted how his fangs could not puncture Cage's skin. Pleased by this and regaining his composure, Cage punched "Trevorik" away, telling him he was going to get his wish. Martinson then turned and fled, taunting Cage to catch him and then took to jumping from rooftop to rooftop, swiftly gaining a lead on Cage. 

(Power Man#26 - BTS) - Cage rushed to a rooftop, only to again see a bat flying away, silhouetted by the moonlight. The experience left Cage fairly convinced he had truly faced a vampire.

(Power Man#26 - BTS) - A half hour later, Martinson returned to Hazel Donovan's home, and the two laughed at how Cage had fallen for his deception and believed Trevorik was a vampire. After telling Hazel they were ready for the caper, Martinson  unmasked, noting how in the dark, with the costume and his crimson contacts, Cage had no idea who he was really facing. As Hazel fixed him a drink, Martinson noted how Trevorik's reputation was real, which made things easier, but then reviewed how Hazel's role was that much harder, as she had to tell so many lies; he further complimented her on how she had outdone herself by pretending to faint when the newscast about the vampire killings came on. They further complimented each other as "the best" and agreed that they were a team, but when they kissed, Martinson thought how dumb she was and that he would not stick around for long after he had obtained Trevorik's collection. Hazel broke off the embrace to his seeming disappointment, so they could check on Trevorik and make sure he didn't suffocate or something. After confirming Trevorik was OK, Martinson taunted Trevorik with their plans to "feed him to Luke Cage" the next morning.

(Power Man#26 - BTS) - With the libraries already closed, Cage went back to the Magic Society, but it was closed, too. 

(Power Man#26 - BTS) - After reviewing DW Griffith's collection of cinematic vampire lore, Cage broke off a post from a railing to serve as a wooden stake.

(Power Man#26 (fb) - BTS) - Martinson apparently moved Trevorik to the upstairs closet in the abandoned brownstone across the street and then put on his own vampiric Trevorik costume again.

(Power Man#26 - BTS) - Hazel Donovan then called Cage, telling him Trevorik was at her window and trying to break in. Cage dropped the phone, ran out and hailed a cab to Hazel's home.
    When Cage arrived just as dawn was breaking, Hazel told him that Trevorik had run down the street into the abandoned brownstone on the corner. Cage went down to the brownstone and kicked the door in. Figuring this to be the location of Trevorik's second coffin (which Cage reasoned Trevorik must have used the other day when he wasn't home), Cage kicked the door in.

(Power Man#26) - The costumed Martinson stepped on a creaky board upstairs, leading Cage to see him upstairs and head up after him. As Cage's foot broke through a rotten board, Martinson escaped into the shadows again, and when Cage approached the room in which Trevorik was stashed, Martinson smashed Cage across the chin with a lead pipe. 

(Power Man#26) - As Martinson figured, Cage was stunned long enough for Martinson to pull Trevorik out of the closet, place his cloak on him, cut his bonds, and give Trevorik an injection that would send him into a maniacal frenzy. As Martinson hid in the closet, Trevorik rushed towards the reviving Cage.

(Power Man#26 - BTS) - Having twice gotten a good look at the shoes of the "vampiric Trevorik," Cage recognized that the man who was rushing him might not the same one he had faced earlier. 

(Power Man#26 - BTS) - Cage punched Trevorik just hard enough to knock him back. As Trevorik cowered from the glare of the rising sun, Cage restrainedhim and then buried the stake in the floor him to see if the other "vampire" would show himself; as there was only one closet, Cage suspected he might be hiding out in there.

(Power Man#26) - Hearing the apparent staking and the somber sllience that followed, Martinson opened the closet door only to slam it again upon seeing Cage standing there. Cage then punched through the closet door, grabbed Martinson, pulled him out, and threw him into the far wall. When Cage told Martinson they needed to talk about murder, Martinson asked how he knew, and Cage explained how the sudden change in shoes had given him sufficient reason to suspect a trick. With Cage having turned his back on Martinson (presumably to check on Trevorik), Martinson picked up a metal-lined box and threw it into the back of Cage's heading, cursing him for ruining his perfect plan. Retorting that Martinson had blown it when he hired Cage, he threw the box back at Martinson, knocking him to the ground. 

(Power Man#26) - With Trevorik having recovered his wits, Martinson was surprised to see him alive and calm again. When Cage recognized Trevorik as an albino, Trevorik explained how his aversion to sunlight had made him nocturnal and solitary, and how he had gotten into the occult to fill the void in his life.

(Power Man#26) - While Trevorik and Cage talked, Martinson got up and ran out the door only to find two waiting policemen who then took Martinson into custody.

(Power Man#26 - BTS) - Trevorik fleshed out the details of Martinson's plot to Cage.

Comments: Created by Steve Englehart, George Tuska, and Vince Colletta.

     Power Man#26 had a caption at the start of it noting:

Two years ago, when the "Night Stalker" was the highest rated TV movie ever, "Stainless" Steve was asked to come up with an inventory tale for "Gorgeous" George, and this was the result. When it wasn't needed right away, we feared the story's impact might be lost as the movie receded from memory -- but now ther's the TV series, and now here's Steve Englehart's last Luke Cage.

    I don't think the "Vampire-Killer" was actually explained in this story. Was Martinson murdering people to accentuate his frame of Trevorik? Did the murders give Martinson the idea to frame Trevorik as the killer? Was the Vampire-Killer a real vampire? Maybe it was the "42nd street stalker?" (see clarifications)

    So, how was R. Lambert Martinson any kind of match for Cage? That's part of what made it seem that Cage was really facing a vampire. Cage grabbed Martinson, who struggled and twisted away (causing Cage to think, "Christmas! This dude's freakin' strong"). Then punched Cage, not only not breaking his hand on Cage's steel hard skin, but knocking Cage backwards with sufficient force to cause him to smash though a wooden crate or something. Martinson even took a trunk, or other large, metal-lined box, smashed into his face and/or chest by Cage; while he was knocked down, he still carried on a conversation and was fully coherent, and then took off running in less than a minute.
    I suppose Cage could have just been off-balance and fallen, and his inertia carried him through the crate. And Martinson's costume could have had padded gloves. I guess he also could have just used skill (perhaps he had some martial arts training), rather than actual strength to twist away from Cage and knock him off balance. And, Cage was not as strong in his early career as he became later.

    Martinson typically went by "R. Lambert Martinson," though Hazel Donovan called him "Ricky." I'd think Ricky is most likely short for "Richard," but it could be Ricardo or Eric or something, or Ricky could completely be a nickname Hazel chose. 

    It's never really explained how Martinson would get out of sight for moments and then a bat would be seen flying away, but it's easy enough to presume (which makes a "pre" out of "u" and "me") that he just had a planned hideout spot, while Donovan or someone else would release a bat at the right moment...or maybe he had a way to release remotely. Or maybe it was a remote-controlled artifical bat, or a trick where he used a projector onto clouds...or something.

    Yes, normally we want a full body shot for the main. However, in his full body shots, Martinson was generally posing as Trevorik, and most of them in a Trevorik/vampire mask, too. The main is one of the few images that shows how he normally dressed.

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
R. Lambert Martinson should be distinguished from:

• MARTSON, EVE - young pregnant woman, saved by Typhoid and Ghost Rider (Ketch) from the demon Dusk--Marvel Comics Presents I#123/3
• other Lambert or Mart characters
  

• DONOVAN, HAZEL of Earth-36 - groupee of superhumans, past relationship with Sandman and Absorbing Man, fell in love with Thing, used as hostage by Frightful Four, killed helping Thing against Absorbing Man--Startling Stories: Thing-Night Falls on Yancy Street#1
• other Hazel or Donovan characters

• LINDA - weapon by Frank Drake, attacked supernatural creatures on a molecular level, named after Linda Blair- eventually renamed the EXORCIST*--Nightstalkers#1

Hazel Donovan

(Power Man#26 (fb) - BTS) - Hazel Donovan rented her upstairs flat as an apartment to Janos Trevorik.

(Power Man#26 (fb) - BTS) - Deciding to play up on the superstition generated by Janos' Trevorik's appearance and behavior to frame him as a vampire, Martinson romanced Hazel Donovan into being his accomplice in this plot. Martinson plotted to trick hero for hire Power Man (Luke Cage) into believing Trevorik was a vampire and then manipulate Cage into destroying instructed Donovan to tell everyone Trevorik owed her money, so that when he died, she could claim his possessions. 

(Power Man#26 (fb) - BTS) - A pair of "vampire killings" (in which victims were found drained of blood but otherwise untouched) occurred.

(Power Man#26 (fb) - BTS) - Martinson kidnapped Trevorik, keeping him bound and gagged in a closet, apparently in Trevorik's own apartment. He figured that keeping Trevorik fasted would only make him more gaunt and ghastly.

(Power Man#26 (fb) - BTS) - Martinson and Donovan placed a coffin into Trevorik's apartment, making sure that its bedding looked used. 

(Power Man#26 - BTS) - A half hour later, Martinson returned to Hazel Donovan's home, and the two laughed at how Cage had fallen for his deception and believed Trevorik was a vampire. He told Hazel they were ready for the caper, and Hazel noted how it was "all so delicious." Martinson then unmasked, noting how in the dark, with the costume and his crimson contacts, Cage had no idea who he was really facing. As Hazel fixed him a drink, Martinson noted how Trevorik's reputation was real, which made things easier, but then reviewed how Hazel's role was that much harder, as she had to tell so many lies; he further complimented her on how she had outdone hersefl by fainting when the newscast about the vampire killings came on. They further complimented each other as "the best" and agreed that they were a team, but when they kissed, Martinson thought how dumb she was and that he would not stick around for long after he had obtained Trevorik's collection. Hazel broke off the embrace, so they could check on Trevorik and make sure he didn't suffocate or something. After confirming Trevorik was OK, Martinson taunted Trevorik with their plans to "feed him to Luke Cage" the next morning.

(Power Man#26 - BTS) - Hazel Donovan then called Cage, telling him she had had all of the locks changed during the day and had just heard and then seen Trevorik in the alley. She then told him Trevorik was at her window and trying to break in. Cage dropped the phone, ran out and hailed a cab to Hazel's home.
    When Cage arrived just as dawn was breaking, Hazel told him that Trevorik had run down the street into the abandoned brownstone on the corner. Cage told her to lock herself back in her home, and he went down to the brownstone and kicked the door in. Figuring this to be the location of Trevorik's second coffin (which Cage reasoned Trevorik must have used the other day when he wasn't home), Cage kicked the door in.

Linda

Magic Society

(Power Man#26 (fb) - BTS) - The reclusive, nocturnal, albino occultist Janos Trevorik contacted the Magic Society on South Broadway, on the fringe of Greenwich Village, owned by R. Lambert Martinson. 

(Power Man#26 (fb) - BTS) - Those within the Magic Society were suspicious of Trevorik (and presumably even more likely to believe in superstition). 

(Power Man#26 (fb) - BTS) - Soon after Trevorik had contacted the Magic Society, Martinson visited Trevorik. Recognizing Trevorik's occult collection's value, Martinson desired it for himself, but knew he could not simply steal it as many of the items in the collection were well-known.

(Power Man#26 - BTS) - Cage traveled to the Magic Society, asked to see the main man, and then walked past the receptionist, Linda, and into Martinson's office when she tried to make a later appointment for him. Martinson, however, agreed to see Cage, and then introduced himself and readily shared that Trevorik, of all who gathered there in search of "the way," was easily the most knowledgeable. However, he seemed to be "sad, searching...as if on the verge of still greater secrets -- or over the verge, and wishing he weren't." Martinson further noted that Trevorik only dropped by after dark to read in the library. Having seen all kinds, Martinson added that Trevorik was unique and fascinating. 

(Power Man#26 - BTS) - Cage checked through a list of the Magic Society's other members, all of whom confirmed Martinson's summary of the mysterious Mr. Trevorik and added details of their own, such as "his face was bone white!"

images: (without ads)
 Power Man#26, pg. 6, panel 2 (Hazel, face);
        pg. 7,  panel 5 (Linda and Magic Society  front desk);
        pg. 8, panel 1 (Magic Society materials);
            panel 2 (R. Lambert Martinson, normal attire);
        pg. 10, panel 3 (Martinson with vampiric Trevorik mask - face);
        pg. 11, panel 4 (Martinson as Trevorik, w/ Hazel);
        pg. 14, panel 6 (Hazel, mostly full body);
        pg. 19, panel 4 (Martinson caught)

Appearances:
Power Man#26 (August, 1975) - Steve Englehart (writer), George Tuska (penciler), Vince Colletta (inker), Len Wein (editor)

Last updated: 02/26/15

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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