CULT OF THE THIRD MOON
Membership: Walter Clarke, Johnson, others; possibly Smedley (see comments)
Purpose: Worshipping wolves & to serve Vârcolac
Affiliations: Vârcolac
Enemies: Werewolf (Jack Russell), countless unidentified victims
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Walter Clarke's estate somewhere in the US;
formerly numerous unidentified locations across the world
First Appearance: Werewolf by Night II#1 (February, 1998)
History:
(Werewolf by Night II#1 (fb) ) - The Cult of the Third Moon was founded at some point before the birth of Jesus Christ. Known as wolf cultists their origins and history stayed shrouded in mystery.
At some point during the Middle Ages the Third Moon chanced upon the ancient Wolfsblade and tried to use it to gain control over the demon Vârcolac, the blade's original owner and the demon that controlled the wolf aspect in humanity. Failing to do so they became indebted to the demon because the blade as just one fragment needed to control the demon.
During the 1930s Walter Clarke purchased the Wolfsblade.
(Werewolf by Night II#1 (fb) - BTS) - Clarke became leader of the Cult of the Third Moon, who continued their human sacrifices to the demon at Clarke's estate.
(Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z HC#13 - Werewolves) - The Cult of the Third Moon began to damage Jack's inner peace.
(Werewolf by Night II#1 - BTS) - Jack found himself losing control over his werewolf self again, and had gained the added curse of glimpsing Hell whenever he transformed. He began to suspect his transformations were being controlled by the cult of the Third Moon, whom he learned of from his friend Father Vince.
(Werewolf by Night II#2) - Searching for the Cult of the Third Moon, Jack drove to upstate New York. Arriving at the estate of Walter Clarke, Jack was turned away by a guard but not before he noticed a wolf symbol on the guard's wrist. Jack then changed into the Werewolf and returned to the Clarke estate, interrupting a ceremony just after the cult had sacrificed a young man with an ancient dagger. Slaughtering the murderous cultists, the Werewolf confronted Clarke, the aged cult leader, and threatened to keep him alive (by infecting him with lycanthropy) unless he helped. Before dying, Clarke explained that the Werewolf would never overthrow the demon that controlled the werewolf aspect in man without the Wolfsblade but that it was only one of three parts.
(Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z HC#13 - Werewolf) - The Cult of the Third Moon slew Detectives Len Mico and Phil Jones, who had tracked down Werewolf, believing him to be a serial killer. Werewolf escaped due to the Cult of the Third Moon's aid.
Comments: Created by Paul Jenkins (writer) & Leonardo Manco (artist).
Smedley, who aided Russell in defeating Vârcolac, could've been a member of the Cult of the Third Moon, who had probably grown sick to serve a demon that never gave them anything. Afterward they probably wanted to do to Jack what they had failed to do with Värcolac: Enslave him! Maybe Jack had automatically become Vârcolac's successor by destroying him and embedding the demon's puzzle into his chest.
As Snood pointed out to me Jenkins revealed years the ago the plans he had for the Werewolf by Night series (though the info got lost after a few computer changes). The Cult killing the detectives revealed in the handbooks was presumably part of this.
An "e" was added to Walter's last name by issue #2 and the name stayed that way. I'll go with Clarke!
Profile by Markus Raymond.
CLARIFICATIONS:
The Cult of the Third Moon has no known connection to:
Walter Clarke should not be confused with:
Johnson should not be confused with:
(Werewolf by Night II#1 (fb) ) - Walter Clarke was a silent movie actor, who bought the Wolfblade at some point during the 1930s.
(Werewolf by Night II#1 (fb) - BTS) - The knife became a centerpiece of revelry under Clarke, who was a bit of a party animal. Becoming leader of the the Cult of the Third Moon Clarke gave them a place to commit their human sacrifices for the demon Värcolac.
(Werewolf by Night II#2 - BTS) - At some point Clarke became bound to a wheelchair.
(Werewolf by Night II#2) - When Johnson informed Clarke of an univitied guest with a fake accent at the gate (it was Jack Russell), Clarke, who didn't believe the visitor to be a federal agent, ordered him to shoot people like him in the future, which was perfectly legal for trespassers.
Clarke was present during another human sacrifice of the Cult of the Third Moon to their demon master chanting along with cultists. When Werewolf (Jack Russell) attacked the cultists Clarke quoted from the Bible and called him the deceiver incarnate. A cultist panicked when he rolled Clarke to safety leaving him open for an attack by the Werewolf. Clarke fell from his wheelchair down a stairwell and broke his neck, but before he could reach the Wolfsblade he was pulled up by Werewolf. Clarke didn't fear him because he was dying soon anyway, but unlike Werewolf he wouldn't be consumed by evil when he was judged. Werewolf instead threatened to infect him with lycanthropy. Clarke gave in and told him that the Wolfsblade was only the first of three puzzle pieces needed to control the wolf demon. Clarke apparently died from his broken neck before he could tell Werewolf more about the other parts of the puzzle.
--Werewolf by Night II#1 (Werewolf by Night II#1 (fb), [Werewolf by Night II#1 (fb)], [Werewolf by Night II#2], Werewolf by Night II#2
Johnson was a guard working at Clarke's estate. When Jack Russell pulled up in his car Johnson pulled a gun on him and told Jack that he was trespassing on private property and told him to leave. Johnson called Clarke to tell him about the uninvited visitor. Clarke ordered him to shoot uninvited guests in the future.
--Werewolf by Night II#2
images: (without ads)
Werewolf by Night II#2, p11, pan5 (Third Moon cult)
Werewolf by Night II#2, p11, pan1 (Third Moon sign)
Werewolf by Night II#1, p21, pan7 (Walter Clarke, young)
Werewolf by Night II#2, p18, pan6 (Walter Clarke, old)
Werewolf by Night II#2, p8, pan8 (Johnson)
Appearances:
Werewolf by Night II#1-2 (February-March, 1998) - Paul Jenkins (writer), Leonardo Manco (artist), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Last updated: 01/29/16.
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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