SLAYERS ELITESLAYERS ELITE
Membership: Jou-Jouka, Kareesh-Bek, Sumaro
Purpose: Assassination; promtion of the Third World Army's goal of bringing down and replacing the world's governments
Affiliations: Master Sniper, Nimrod Strange (later Arsenal), Third World Army (see comments)
Enemies: Anna Abramov, Marlene Alraune, Moon Knight (Marc Spector), world governments
Base of Operations: Unrevealed;
formerly an unidentified island base
First Appearance: (Mentioned; previous members pictured) Moon Knight I#17 (March, 1982);
(Jou-Jouka, Kareesh-Bek, Sumaro) Moon Knight I#18 (April, 1982)
History:
(Moon
Knight I#17 (fb) - BTS) - The Slayers Elite were Nimrod Stranger's
personal cadre of terrorist assassins. Paid in unspecified coin, they
would do anything for Strange (see comments)
(Moon Knight I#18 (fb) - BTS) - With the exception of the Master Sniper, the most recent Slayers Elite were the three best assassins in Nimrod Strange's Third World Army.
(Moon Knight I#18) - Despite the objections of his bodyguards (Assigi, Sheena, & Yumi; see eventual comments in the Third World Army profile), Nimrod Strange insisted that since they must remain by his side at his island base; and due to the crucial nature of the mission and the death of the Master Sniper at Marc Spector's hands , it must be the Slayers Elite who traveled to Jerusalem on a mission in which to locate and eliminate Spector.
Nimrod Strange then summoned in the Slayers, smiling as each confirmed their skills and most-recent developments. Reviewing their mission and the importance that the Third World Army's planned simultaneous attacks were not jeopardized by Spector or anyone else, Strange then outlined the planned attack on Jerusalem, which might draw out Spector for them.
(Moon Knight I#18 - BTS) - Members of the Third World Army slaughtered those gathering at synagogue to celebrate the Sabbath.
(Moon Knight I#18) - As Moon Knight and DuChamp defeated the Army members, the Slayers Elite kidnapped Spector's girlfriend, Marlene Alraune (who was grabbed by Sumaro), and Anna Abramov (widow of Spector's ally, Benjamin, slain by the Master Sniper), who was confronted at gunpoint by Jou-Jouka.
(Moon Knight I#18 (fb) - BTS) - The Slayers left a message behind for Spector; in red paint, they wrote upon the wall, "Come to the Citadel at Midnite"; afterwards, they took Marlene and Anna with them and then traveled to the Citadel to prepare for Spector's arrival.
(Moon Knight I#18 - BTS) - Spector was distraught to find Marlene and Anna missing upon his return, and he initially feared the message was written in blood, until a taste confirmed it to be red paint.
Later, at 9 pm, Spector decided not to wait until midnight, though he realized they'd expect him not to wait. However, in reviewing a map, he figured they'd expect him to enter the Citadel by the Jaffa gate, but he decided to enter the old walled city from the east and then make his way west to the Citadel.
Twenty minutes later, as he approached the east entrance, he figured they might have an ambush planned at every gate, and he instead decided to use the grappling hook in Moon Knight's truncheon to scale the wall between the gates. Upon reaching the top, Spector changed into his Moon Knight costume.
(Moon Knight I#18) - Moon Knight rescued Marlene and Anna, apparently killing the Master Slayers in succession -- Jou-Jouka, Kareesh-Bek, and then Sumaro -- in the process.
(Moon Knight I#19) - Later, at the compound behind Strange's personal barracks, Strange noted the recent loss of both the Master Sniper and the Slayers Elite, and that they needed someone colorful to take their place...someone who was more than a normal man...someone from whom men could draw inspiration. Donning the weaponry of the Master Sniper (wrist gun), Jou-Jouka (pistols), Kareesh-Bek (knives), Sumaro (garrotte), and Chu-Lin as part of his new costume, he introduced himself as Arsenal and ran a gauntlet to demonstrate his proficiency and power, killing several human-like targets with the above weapons and finally destroying a tank with a powerful grenade.
Comments: Created by Doug Moench, Bill Sienkiewicz, and Steve Mitchell.
In Moon Knight I#17, Strange's army was consistently referred to as the "Third World Slayers." In #18-20, they were consistently referred to as the "Third World Army." While the general policy is to follow the precedent, it seems to me that since the writer (Doug Moench) was consistent throughout the whole arc, the latter name was a correction of an earlier error...perhaps confusing the names of his "Slayers Elite" and the "Third World Army," or perhaps Third World Army and Third World Slayers are two names for the same group?
In Moon Knight I#17, Benjamin Abramov showed a picture of the Slayers Elite that included what looked to be nine people, none of whom were Jou-Jouka, Kareesh-Bek, or Sumaro. As they seemed to be long experienced with Strange, perhaps they were the most elite of the elite?
It didn't look certain that the Master Sniper was dead when the EMTs
(or the Swiss version) carried him away strapped to a stretcher, but he
could have been...or perhaps he died from his injuries thereafter...or
someone in the Mossad slew him? Or maybe Nimrod Strange was mistaken.
Kareesh-Bek also later thought to himself about the Master Sniper having been slain in Switzerland.
Jou-Jouka's running into a wall took place somewhat in shadows and wasn't worth picturing.
Profile by Snood.
CLARIFICATIONS:
The Slayers Elite have no known connections to:
(Moon Knight I#18 (fb) - BTS) - Not including the Master Sniper, Jou-Jouka was one of the top three assassins in Nimrod Strange's Third World Army and, as such, served in his Slayers Elite.
(Moon Knight I#18 (fb) - BTS) - Having formerly preferred the Magnum as a handgun, Jou-Jouka abandoned them, instead refining his skills for accuracy, rather than brute force.
(Moon Knight I#18 (fb) - BTS) - Following the apparent death of the Master Sniper at the hands of Marc Spector, Nimrod Strange summoned his Slayers Elite for discussion of a mission to Jerusalem to locate and eliminate Spector.
(Moon Knight I#18) - Alongside his bodyguards, Nimrod Strange summoned the Slayers into his presence. He noted to Jou-Jouka that he had abandoned his magnums, and Jou-Jouka happily explained his reasons.
Reviewing their ultimate mission -- simultaneous coordinated strikes on more than two dozen locations worldwide, which was to launch chaos that would bring the world's governments to their knees -- and the importance that these not jeopardized by Spector or anyone else, Strange then reviewed the planned attack on Jerusalem, which might draw out Spector for them.
(Moon Knight I#18 - BTS) - Members of the Third World Army slaughtered those gathering at synagogue to celebrate the Sabbath.
(Moon Knight I#18) - As Moon Knight and DuChamp defeated the Army members, the Slayers Elite kidnapped Spector's girlfriend, Marlene Alraune (who was grabbed by Sumaro), and Anna Abramov (widow of Spector's ally, Benjamin, slain by the Master Sniper), who was confronted at gunpoint by Jou-Jouka.
(Moon Knight I#18 (fb) - BTS) - The Slayers left a message behind for Spector; in red paint, they wrote upon the wall, "Come to the Citadel at Midnite"; afterwards, they took Marlene and Anna with them and then traveled to the Citadel to prepare for Spector's arrival.
(Moon Knight I#18 - BTS) - Spector hoped to surprise his opponents by using the grappling hook in Moon Knight's truncheon to scale the wall between the Citadel's gates. Upon reaching the top, Spector changed into his Moon Knight costume, unaware Jou-Jouka was watching him.
(Moon Knight I#18) - As Moon Knight glided into the city, Jou-Jouka, who was perched atop a building and was even more pleased with the idea of killing an American hero, fired upon Moon Knight as he ended his glide on the Via Dolorosa, the Way of Tears. Moon Knight escaped into the shadows inches ahead of death, and Jou-Jouka dropped to the ground, two rounds left in his handgun, and a fully loaded piece on his other hip. As he searched for Moon Knight, however, the hero nailed him in his gun hand with a crescent dart, forcing him to drop the gun. Spinning, Jou-Jouka whipped out his other weapon, but was surprised to find Moon Knight standing atop the roof from which he had just leapt. Before he could react, Moon Knight nailed him in the gunhand with another dart, forcing him to drop that weapon and stumble off balance, allowing Moon Knight to swiftly descend and knock him down with a kick in the face. Enraged, though shattered glasses, Jou-Jouka yelled back at Spector that he was no ghost and could die like any other man. As Jou-Jouka charged him, Spector remained absolutely still until the last second, and then side-stepped him, allowing Jou-Jouka to crash head first into a stone wall. Blood pooled around Jou-Jouka's head, and Spector left him for dead to face the next challenge.
--Moon Knight I#18
Note: He wears his sunglasses at night...not the best idea, but a good song, anyway...
(Moon Knight I#18 (fb) - BTS) - Not including the Master Sniper, Kareesh-Bek was one of the top three assassins in Nimrod Strange's Third World Army and, as such, served in his Slayers Elite.
(Moon Knight I#18 (fb) - BTS) - Following the apparent death of the Master Sniper at the hands of Marc Spector, Nimrod Strange summoned his Slayers Elite for discussion of a mission to Jerusalem to locate and eliminate Spector.
(Moon Knight I#18) - Alongside his bodyguards, Nimrod Strange summoned the Slayers into his presence. He asked Kareesh-Bek if his glass knives were as sharp as ever, and Kareesh-Bek confirmed this while adding that they were still filled with an acid solution that burned through solid steel upon contact with air.
Reviewing their ultimate mission -- simultaneous coordinated strikes on more than two dozen locations worldwide, which was to launch chaos that would bring the world's governments to their knees -- and the importance that these not jeopardized by Spector or anyone else, Strange then reviewed the planned attack on Jerusalem, which might draw out Spector for them.
(Moon Knight I#18 - BTS) - Members of the Third World Army
slaughtered
those gathering at synagogue to celebrate the Sabbath. 
(Moon Knight I#18) - As Moon Knight and DuChamp defeated the Army members, the Slayers Elite kidnapped Spector's girlfriend, Marlene Alraune (who was grabbed by Sumaro), and Anna Abramov (widow of Spector's ally, Benjamin, slain by the Master Sniper), who was confronted at gunpoint by Jou-Jouka.
(Moon Knight I#18 (fb) - BTS) - The Slayers left a message behind for Spector; in red paint, they wrote upon the wall, "Come to the Citadel at Midnite"; afterwards, they took Marlene and Anna with them and then traveled to the Citadel to prepare for Spector's arrival.
(Moon Knight I#18 - BTS) - Spector hoped to surprise his opponents by using the grappling hook in Moon Knight's truncheon to scale the wall between the Citadel's gates. Upon reaching the top, Spector changed into his Moon Knight costume
(Moon Knight I#18) - As Moon Knight approached his location, Kareeh-Bek was initially surprised before recalling the report of a figure in white when the Master Sniper died in Switzerland (see comments); he wondered if this could be the same man, working with Spector; or possibly it was Spector himself. Not really caring otherwise, Kareesh-Bek hurled one of his glass knives at Moon Knight; though Spector blocked the knife with his truncheon, the acid within ate a whole though his weapon and also swiftly put holes in the cobblestone on which it fell below. Spector chased after Kareesh-Bek, who hurled another pair of knives that went harmlessly through Moon Knight's cape. Moon Knight reached Kareesh-Bek quickly enough to knock his next knife away with his nunchaks (converted from his truncheon), and when Kareesh-Bek pulled another knife, Moon Knight deflected into a nearby awning post; the acid swiftly ate through the post, the top of which then fell over and smashed Kareesh-Bek atop his head. As Kareesh-Bek fell to the ground, all 19 of the remaining acid-filled knives on his bandolier shattered, and the acid swiftly slew Kareesh-Bek.
--Moon Knight I#18
(Moon Knight I#18 (fb) - BTS) - Not including the Master Sniper, Sumaro was one of the top three assassins in Nimrod Strange's Third World Army and, as such, served in his Slayers Elite.
(Moon Knight I#18 (fb) - BTS) - Known for his ability to kill a man in less than six seconds with his bare hands, Sumaro trimmed this time to five seconds. Additionally, to avoid boredom as killing was so easy for him, he learned the art of the garrote.
(Moon Knight I#18 (fb) - BTS) - Following the apparent death of the Master Sniper at the hands of Marc Spector, Nimrod Strange summoned his Slayers Elite for discussion of a mission to Jerusalem to locate and eliminate Spector.
(Moon Knight I#18) - Alongside his bodyguards, Nimrod Strange summoned the Slayers into his presence. He asked Sumaro about his speed in killing a man, and Sumaro noted his improved rate as well as his recent learning to use a garrote.
Reviewing their ultimate mission -- simultaneous coordinated strikes on more than two dozen locations worldwide, which was to launch chaos that would bring the world's governments to their knees -- and the importance that these not jeopardized by Spector or anyone else, Strange then reviewed the planned attack on Jerusalem, which might draw out Spector for them.
(Moon Knight I#18 - BTS) - Members of the Third World Army slaughtered those gathering at synagogue to celebrate the Sabbath.
(Moon Knight I#18) - As Moon Knight and DuChamp defeated the Army members, the Slayers Elite kidnapped Spector's girlfriend, Marlene Alraune (who was grabbed by Sumaro), and Anna Abramov (widow of Spector's ally, Benjamin, slain by the Master Sniper), who was confronted at gunpoint by Jou-Jouka.
(Moon Knight I#18 (fb) - BTS) - The Slayers left a
message behind for Spector; in red paint, they wrote upon the wall,
"Come to the Citadel at Midnite"; afterwards, they took Marlene and
Anna with them and then traveled to the Citadel to prepare for
Spector's arrival.
(Moon Knight I#18 - BTS) - Spector hoped to surprise his opponents by using the grappling hook in Moon Knight's truncheon to scale the wall between the Citadel's gates. Upon reaching the top, Spector changed into his Moon Knight costume
(Moon Knight I#18 (fb) - BTS) - Sumaro entered the Tower of David and slew its guard.
(Moon Knight I#18) - Moon Knight rushed into the tower and tripped over the guard's body, after which Sumaro caught him off guard with a garotte around his neck. Sumaro warned Moon Knight he had 5 seconds to live, but he nailed Sumaro with a truncheon to the lower abdomen, allowing him to get his head free. As Moon Knight struggled to clear his head, however, Sumaro, struck swiftly with a powerful punch; Moon Knight rolld with the blow as best he could and struck Sumaro over the top of his head with his truncheon, which shattered, weakened by Kareesh-Bek's acid. Enraged, Sumaro rushed up to the tower's roof where both Marlene and Anna were bound, and he picked up Anna, threatening to "snap her neck like a rotten twig." Unwilling to be a helpless victim, however, Anna smashed her head back to Sumaro's chin, enabling her to slip free of Sumaro's grip so Moon Knight could rush forward and punch Sumaro again. Sumaro struck back with another blow to Moon Knight's head, but the force of the blow and Sumaro's momentum carried both men over the edge of the tower. Moon Knight grabbed the edge of the ledge, but Sumaro fell to his death on the stone road below.
--Moon Knight I#18
images: (without ads)
Moon Knight I#17, pg. 4, panel 7 (photo of nine members?);
#18, pg. 3 (main image);
pg. 14, panel 2 (Jou-Jouka squatting);
pg. 15, panel 5 (Jou-Jouka face);
pg. 17, panel 4 (Kareesh-Bek face, profile);
pg. 18, panel 1 (Kareesh-Bek, death);
pg. 19, panel 6 (Sumaro punch);
pg. 21, panel 7 (Sumaro death)
Appearances:
Moon Knight I#18 (April, 1982) - Doug Moench (writer), Bill Sienkiewicz
(penciler), Steve Mitchell (inker), Denny O'Neil (editor)
Last updated: 03/22/15.
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel Copyright info
All other characters mentioned or pictured are ™ and
© 1941-2099 Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
If you like this stuff, you should check out the real thing!
Please visit The Marvel Official Site at: http://www.marvel.com
Special Thanks to www.g-mart.com for hosting the Appendix, Master List, etc.!
