Nemesis

Real Name: Steve Flint

Identity/Class: Ghost

Occupation: (while alive) Detective

Affiliations: The Grim Reaper (his master); The Three Musketeers (the other members being Magicman, Fat Fury); Lita Revelli Craig (girlfriend, a living woman - the Reaper doesn't approve of this)

Enemies: Goratti; Trigger Horton; Roderick Bump, Moronman, Garbageman, Halfaman, Monkeyman, Pigman, Pizzaman, Frogman

Known Relatives: None known

Aliases: None known

Base of Operations: A high tower in The Unknown (land of the dead)

First Appearance: Adventures into the Unknown #154 (ACG)

Powers/Abilities: Super strength, able to fly, turn invisible, communicate telepathically, grow to giant size, appeara and disappear at will, and even time travel.

History: (Adventures into the Unknown #154) Detective Steve Flint was working with the Department of Justice to find evidence to convict Goratti, a mob boss. Checking out a missile factory the mobster is sabotaging, Flint is murdered, run over by a train. He arrives in the Unknown, and discovers that things are backed up there, meaning he won't be judged and sent to his final destination for some time. With this knowledge, Steve pleads with the Grim Reaper to be allowed to return to Earth in the meantime and deal with his murderers. The Reaper, who had also died at Goratti's hands, aquiesces, and even gives him a costume. Steve becomes Nemesis, tracks down Goratti, and punches him into the burning exhaust flame from a rocket. The Grim Reaper, happy with this outcome, appoints Steve a permanent guardian of Earth.

(Adventures into the Unknown #166, “Fight To The Finish!”) Nemesis is having trouble convincing The Grim Reaper to let him go back to Earth again, as the Reaper suspects that all he wishes to do is date his girlfriend there. Meanwhile Trigger Horton, a gangster who utilises the latest technology, is in the middle of engineering a major crime wave. Finally noticing this, the Grim Reaper agrees to let Nemesis return to Earth, where of course his first stop is his girlfriend Lita's place (clearly the Reaper is an excellent judge of character!). However they have an arguement, so Nemesis returns his focus to the job at hand. Working with the police, Nemesis manages to put a stop to many of the robberies Horton had planned, but cannot track the mastermind back to his hidden lair. Trigger Horton in the meantime, is told by his supercomputer that the best way to deal with Nemesis would be to deliberately send out a strong, false thought, and lure him into a trap: "I'm Trigger Horton - and nobody could ever guess that my hideout is in the old building behind the Puffo Cigarette sign" Repeating this mantra over and over in his mind, Horton manages to fool Nemesis' powers of telepathy, and the hero rushes to the desired spot, where a gang are waiting, armed with a device which emits smoke rings of a potent knock out gas even Nemesis is not immune to. With the hero down temporarily, the thugs then try to finish him using a wrecking ball, but Nemesis recovers sufficiently to turn that weapon back on them.

The computer next advises Horton to kidnap Lita and use Nemesis' own girlfriend as a bargaining chip, advice which the villain swiftly follows. Calling on the help of the Unknown, Nemesis summons a small army of magical beings - witches, warlocks, vampires, elves, etc - to search the city and locate Horton's hideout, and one soon locates Horton hiding in a Tunnel of Love in an amusement park. The hero goes there that night, but although he manages to overcome one guard, a tiger, he is knocked out by poison, and placed inside the large refrigerator of a nearby butcher's shop to finish him off. Luckily the butcher, Shane Shapiro, is a huge fan of the undead hero, and had spotted his arrival and subsequent defeat; once Horton's men have left, he releases Nemesis and wakes him up. Nemesis returns to the park, where he takes on another of Horton's minions, a circus strongman. Using this brief respite, Horton consults his computer again, and is informed that Nemesis has one fatal weakness - drowning. With this in mind, Horton attempts to flood the tunnel where Nemesis is currently fighting, but Lita manages to stop him. With Nemesis closing in, Horton makes a run for it, taking a car to the local airport, where he keeps a plane fueled and ready to go. Flying after him, Nemesis uses his ghostly abilities to force Horton to drive his vehicle straight through the wall of a police station, where he is swiftly apprehended.

Comments: Created by Richard E. Hughes.

Nemesis appeared in #154 through #170 of Adventures into the Unknown, as well as guest starring with Magicman in #136 of Forbidden Worlds. The two of them would also team up with the Fat Fury in #14 of Herbie.

In spite of being a ghost, Nemesis can still be burned or drowned, and some gases and poisons still affect him. His greatest weakness though is to strong light - he loses all his powers if such a light makes him cast a shadow.

Considering that the Grim Reaper himself supplied Steve Flint with his costume, I've got to wonder about the stripped trunks and bare legs, and what that says about Death! Apparently the Reaper claims the costume will "strike fear into their hearts"...um, are you sure that's not "will induce terrible, incapacitating belly laughs into their guts"?

CLARIFICATIONS: Not to be confused with

Any Additions/Corrections? Please let me know.

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