TEDDY DURRANCE

Real Name: Teddy Durrance

Identity/Class: Human (1930s era)

Occupation: Unrevealed

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Leroy Hayes;
  provided information to Hodiah Twist, Conrad Jeavons but wasn't exactly friendly towards them

Enemies: Christina Lawrence, Madam Angela, other unidentified vampires of Madame Angela's brothel (see comments);
   formerly assumed Conrad Jeavons, Hodiah Twist were enemies

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Harlem, uptown Manhattan, NYC

First Appearance: Vampire Tales#2/6 (Oct. 1973)

Powers/Abilities: Teddy was an experienced brawler with an aptitude with knives.

Height: 5'10" (by approximation)
Weight: 175 lbs. (by approximation)
Eyes: Unrevealed - likely brown
Hair: Unrevealed - likely black

History:
(Vampire Tales#2/6 (fb) - BTS) - In the early 1930s Teddy Durrance lived in Harlem. He was no stranger to brawls, but had never killed anyone.

   One night, while drinking in a bar Teddy bet his friend Leroy Hayes that he wouldn't risk heading downtown into a white neighborhood to use the services of Madam Angela's brothel. Just drunk enough to be full of bravado and irked by Teddy's mocking, Leroy took the bet and headed south, out of the comparative safety of Harlem.

(Vampire Tales#2/6 - BTS) -The next morning Leroy's corpse was found in an abandoned warehouse down on the wharves. Somehow learning of this and suspecting his friend had been murdered solely because he had dared to be an African American using a brothel full of white women, Teddy headed to the wharves, and covertly watched as the police checked the areas for clues, and brought in a strange pair of men (private detective Hodiah Twist and his friend Conrad Jeavons). Presumably because it was clear neither man seemed to be a cop and with his reason clouded by rage over what had befallen his friend, Teddy concluded they had been involved in killing his friend, and followed them when they departed. He tailed them throughout the day, unaware Twist had spotted him, and eventually followed them back to their apartment as night fell. Heading up the fire escape, he skulked beside the open bay window of Twist's living room.

(Vampire Tales#2/6 ) - Hiding in the shadows, Teddy observed Twist and Jeavons for a few moments, then, when Jeavons finally left the room, Teddy flicked open his knife and leapt into the room, intending to take Twist by surprise and slay him before he could react. However Twist had been aware of his presence all along, and had been alerted by the quiet click the flick knife made as it opened. As Teddy leapt in through the window the detective calmly welcomed the intruder, and as Teddy plunged the blade down shouting that he was avenging Leroy, Twist casually blocked the strike with a thick wooden drinks tray, then kicked his assailant to the ground. As Teddy struggled to get back to his feet, vowing to cut Twist up, the detective leapt over to the fireplace to grab a vase, and smashed Teddy over the head with it, telling him that he clearly wasn't cut out for breaking and entering. Hearing the commotion, Jeavons raced in, but paused on seeing the intruder vanquished, and Hodiah instructed him to fetch rum to give to the man while he explained himself. Struggling slowly to his feet, Teddy angrily demanded to know who Hodiah thought he was, "Sherlock Holmes or sumthin'"; unfortunately, this was a sore point for Twist, who angrily smashed a second vase over Teddy's head. Needing to calm himself, Hodiah momentarily left Jeavons to watch their intruder while he fetched the drinks.

   Once Twist was out the room, Jeavons helped Teddy to his feet and apologized for Twist's rough actions, explaining how his friend's temper had been shorter since losing everything in the stock market crash. This failed to placate Teddy, who sarcastically said he had been beginning to think Twist had a thing against black people, then asked if Twist had always been so nuts. Jeavons rebutted this, explaining that Twist's wife had committed suicide following the crash, and stating that his friend was merely trying to survive a grim reality. This too failed to calm Teddy, who began to shout at Jeavons that everyone was trying to survive a grim reality, but before the row could escalate Twist returned with a tray of drinks, and demanded Teddy explain himself. Teddy revealed that he had believed Hodiah and "his people" had murdered his friend Leroy because of Leroy's visit to Madam Angela's. Just as he said this, the apartment was suddenly plunged into darkness, but this proved to be merely a power cut because Twist had failed to pay the bill.

(Vampire Tales#2/6 - BTS) - Teddy left the detective's apartment, and Twist and Jeavons followed up the lead he had provided by going to Madam Angela's, where they encountered and destroyed Leroy's true killers, a group of vampires.

Comments: Created by Don McGregor (writer) and Rich Buckler (penciller) and Carlos Garzon & Klaus Janson (inkers).

   Since Teddy attacked Hodiah Twist because he was seeking revenge for his friend's death and believed Twist was somehow involved, it seems fair to assume that he would have considered the vampires who actually slew his friend to be his enemies, had he known who they were.

Profile by Loki, expanding on the sub-profile first written by Jean-Marc Lofficier for the Hodiah Twist entry. 

CLARIFICATIONS:
Teddy Durrance should not be confused with

images: (without ads)
Vampire Tales#2/6, page 65, panel 1 (main image)
Vampire Tales#2/6, page 65, panel 5 (vase to skull)
Vampire Tales#2/6, page 65, panel 4 (floored)

Appearances:
Vampire Tales#2/6 (October, 1973) - Don McGregor (writer), Carlos Garzon (pencils), Klaus Janson (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)

First Posted: 10/24/2021
Last updated: 10/24/2021

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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