CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT
Membership: Brother Steven, Colin, Emil, unidentified others
Purpose: Predators (they are vampires after all)
Affiliations: None
Enemies: Noble Kale, Lump, Simmons, Werewolf (Jack Russell), many unidentified victims
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: A secret hideout in New York City
First Appearance: Werewolf by Night II#6 (July, 1998)
History:
(Strange Tales IV#1/2 (fb) - BTS) - Fifty years ago Order of the Falling Sun member Steven established the Children of the Night sub-gang in New York City.
Fifty years later the Children of the Night were well established and had all the sustenance they needed in their secret hideout, but their half-hearted attempts to cover their tracks endangered what they had built for themselves.
(Werewolf by Night II#6 (fb) ) - <Last July> The Children of the Night murdered a girl named Simmons. Her body was found in the 42nd street subway.
(Werewolf by Night II#6 (fb) - BTS) - The Children continued to kill people and the police started investigating the random, patternless serial murders without any success.
(Werewolf by Night II#6 (fb) - BTS) - Another man was murdered by the Children of the Night. The man's death was later investigated by Detectives Len Mico & Phil Jones.
(Werewolf by Night II#6) - At the Underworld club Children of the Night members Emil and Colin taunted Jack Russell, calling him a dog. Jack told them to consider going out into the sun more. Emil liked that Jack had some sense of humor, but the Children still attacked Jack. A female Children member smashed a chair over Jack's head. Jack partially turned into his Werewolf form and knocked her to the ground. Other Children of the Night joined the assault on Jack and a brutal fight ensued at the club until Noble Kale, ruler of Mephisto's Hell, told them all to stop. The Children of the Night obeyed, but Emil was outraged that Noble protected the Werewolf. Steven told Emil to calm down and told him to just watch Noble and Jack's conversation. When Jack left the club Steven apologized for his fellow Children of the Night's behavior. Jack accepted the apology.
(Werewolf by Night II#6 - BTS) - In an attempt to drive Jack crazy Steven left a murdered vagrant next to Jack Russell in his isolation chamber in the sewers where Jack resided during his transformations into the Werewolf. When Jack woke up next to the murder victim he blamed himself for the murder.
(Strange Tales IV#1/2) - At the Children's hideout, which was filled with human corpses and willing blood slaves, Emil drank blood from a human's arm before confronting Steven about his ruthless actions, which endangered what they had built for themselves in New York City. Steven didn't care for Emil's wish to act more carefully, but promised to do so. Emil then asked Steven if he had threatened Jack Russell at the club and Steven told him that he had made sure Jack would be chasing his own tail for awhile.
(Strange Tales IV#2/2) - Overseen by Brother Steven the Children of the Night slaughtered (did they shoot them....it seemed like they did because laserpointers were seen aimed at the policemen) a squad of heavily armed policemen, who were sent down into the sewers to deal with the serial killer. When Detectives Mico & Jones heard the nearby gunfire they ran toward the noise and encountered Steven, who told them he was waiting for a few good men.
Comments: Created by Paul Jenkins (writer) & Leonardo Manco (artist).
This is it! The story of Brother Steven and the Children of the Night was never finished because the Werewolf by Night and then Strange Tales IV were both cancelled, but according to Werewolf's handbook profile the two detectives were eventually slain by the Cult of the Third Moon and not the Children of the Night. I don't now how they ended up surviving their encounter with Steven, but maybe he enslaved them and the Cult of the Third Moon aided Jack Russell by getting rid of the detectives (he slew their master Vârcolac....could they have started worshipping him?).
The Children of the Night were mentioned in the Appendix of the Vampires: Marvel Undead handbook.
Profile by Markus Raymond.
CLARIFICATIONS:
The Children of the Night should not be confused with:
Brother Steven should not be confused with:
Colin should not be confused with:
Emil should not be confused with:
(Vampires: The Marvel Undead - Appendix) - At some point Steven joined the vampiric Order of the Falling Sun.
(Strange Tales IV#1/2 (fb) - BTS) - Fifty years ago Brother Steven established the Children of the Night cell in New York City. Over the decades they created a base where they had all the sustenance they needed.
Eventually becoming careless Steven and the Children only made half-hearted attempts to cover their tracks and a number of murders committed by them came under investigation of the NYPD as serial murders.
(Werewolf by Night II#6) - After a fight between the Children of the Night and Jack Russell at the Underworld club Steven told his underling Emil to calm down and watch the conversation between Noble Kale and Jack. When the latter was leaving the club Steven apologized for the Children's behavior. Jack accepted the apology.
(Werewolf by Night II#6 - BTS) - Steven left behind a murder victim in Jack Russell's isolation chamber, which he hid in during his transformations into the Werewolf. When Jack woke up after reverting to human form he saw the corpse and blamed himself for the murder.
(Strange Tales IV#1/2) - At the Children's hideout Steven was surrounded by slaves when Emil approached him to talk with Steven about the problems caused by Steven running around New York killing people. Though he didn't care much for Emil's plee because Steven wanted to live a bit he promised to be more careful in the future. Asked about his encounter with Jack Russell at the Underworld club Steven told Emil that he had made sure Jack would chase his own tail for awhile.
(Strange Tales IV#2/2) - Brother Steven continued his psychic warfare on Werewolf, who was hiding out in a stranded ship's cargo area. When Jack transformed into the Werewolf while seemingly talking to his father's spirit, it turned out it was Steven instead, who called Jack a good boy for apparently killing an innocent man.
Later Steven oversaw the slaughter of policemen sent down into the sewers to deal with the serial killer. When Detectives Mico & Jones arrived on the scene Steven told them he had been waiting for a few good men.
--Werewolf by Night II#6 (Werewolf by Night II#6, Strange Tales IV#1/2-2/2
Colin and Emil taunted Jack at the Underworld club and joined an attack on him by the Children of the Night. He got kicked in the face when he told the other Children to tear Jack apart. The fight ended when Noble Kole, ruler of Mephisto's Hell, told the Children to stand down.
--Werewolf by Night II#6
(Strange Tales IV#1/2 (fb) - BTS) - Emil was apparently part of the Children of the Night since the cell was established fifty years ago.
(Werewolf by Night II#6) - Emil and Colin taunted Jack at the Underworld club. Though Emil liked that Jack had a sense of humor he joined the attack on Jack by the Children of the Night and tackled Jack, who grabbed him by the throat and bloodied Emil. When Noble Kale ordered the Children to stand down Emil was outraged that Noble was protecting Jack. Steven told Emil to calm down and observe the conversation between Noble and Jack.
(Strange Tales IV#1/2) - Emil drank blood from a human's arm at the Children's hideout before confronting Steven about his careless killings and the Children's half-hearted attempts to cover their tracks, which led to the NYPD investigation their victims as a serial murder case. He pleaded with Steven to act more carefully and despite being irritated by the notion Steven agreed to do so. Emil then asked Steven if he had threatened Jack Russell at the club and Steven told him that he had made sure Jack would be chasing his own tail for awhile.
--Werewolf by Night II#6 ([Strange Tales IV#1/2 (fb)], Werewolf by Night II#6, Strange Tales IV#1/2
images: (without ads)
Strange Tales IV#1/2, p11 (main image)
Werewolf by Night II#6, p15, pan4 (Brother Steven head shot)
Strange Tales IV#2/2, p18 (Brother Steven body shot)
Werewolf by Night II#6, p11, pan5 (Colin)
Werewolf by Night II#6, p15, pan4 (Emil)
Appearances:
Werewolf by Night II#6 (July, 1998) - Paul Jenkins (writer), Leonardo Manco (artist), Joe Andreani (editor)
Strange Tales IV#1-2 (September-October, 1998) - Paul Jenkins (writer), Leonardo Manco (artist), Joe Andreani (editor)
Vampires: The Marvel Undead (December, 2011)
Last updated: 01/17/16.
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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