The Adventures of Lazarus Gray (44 page)

1927 - Richard Winthrop graduates
from Yale. On the night of his graduation, he is recruited into The
Illuminati. Max and Leopold Grace battle the Red Lord in Paris.
Richard Winthrop meets Miya Shimada in Japan, where he purchases
The McGuinness Obelisk for The Illuminati.

1928 - The Rook returns to
Boston.

1929 - Richard Winthrop destroys a
coven of vampires in Mexico.

1932 - The Rook hunts down his
father's killer ["Origins," the Rook Volume Two]

1933 - Jacob Trench uncovers
Lucifer's Cage. ["Lucifer's Cage", the Rook Volume One] The Rook
battles Doctor York [All-Star Pulp Comics # 1] After a failed
attempt at betraying The Illuminati, Richard Winthrop wakes up on
the shores of Sovereign City with no memory of his name or past. He
has only one clue to his past in his possession: a small medallion
adorned with the words Lazarus Gray and the image of a naked man
with the head of a lion. ["The Girl With the Phantom Eyes," Lazarus
Gray Volume One]

1934 - Now calling himself Lazarus
Gray, Richard Winthrop forms Assistance Unlimited in Sovereign
City. He recruits Samantha Grace, Morgan Watts and Eun Jiwon ["The
Girl With the Phantom Eyes," Lazarus Gray Volume One] Walther Lunt
aids German scientists in unleashing the power Die Glocke, which in
turn frees the demonic forces of Satan's Circus ["Die Glocke,"
Lazarus Gray Volume Two]. The entity who will become known as The
Black Terror is created ["The Making of a Hero," Lazarus Gray
Volume Three].

1935 - Felix Cole and his daughter
Betsy seek out the Book of Eibon. ["The Great Work," The Family
Grace: An Extraordinary History] Assistance Unlimited undertakes a
number of missions, defeating the likes of Walther Lunt, Doc
Pemberley, Malcolm Goodwill & Black Heart, Princess Femi &
The Undying, Mr. Skull, The Axeman and The Yellow Claw ["The Girl
With the Phantom Eyes," "The Devil's Bible," "The Corpse Screams at
Midnight," "The Burning Skull," "The Axeman of Sovereign City," and
"The God of Hate," Lazarus Gray Volume One] The Rook journeys to
Sovereign City and teams up with Assistance Unlimited to battle
Devil Face ["Darkness, Spreading Its Wings of Black," the Rook
Volume Six)]. Lazarus Gray and Assistance Unlimited become
embroiled in the search for Die Glocke ["Die Glocke," Lazarus Gray
Volume Two]

1936 - Assistance Unlimited
completes their hunt for Die Glocke and confronts the threat of
Jack-In-Irons. Abigail Cross and Jakob Sporrenberg join Assistance
Unlimited ["Die Glocke," Lazarus Gray Volume Two]. The Rook moves
to Atlanta and recovers the Dagger of Elohim from Felix Darkholme.
The Rook meets Evelyn Gould. The Rook battles Jacob Trench.
["Lucifer's Cage", the Rook Volume One]. Reed Barrows revives
Camilla. ["Kingdom of Blood," The Rook Volume One]. Kevin Atwill is
abandoned in the Amazonian jungle by his friends, a victim of the
Gorgon legacy. ["The Gorgon Conspiracy," The Rook Volume Two].
Nathaniel Caine's lover is killed by Tweedledum while Dan Daring
looks on ["Catalyst," The Rook Volume Three] Assistance Unlimited
teams up with The Black Terror to battle Promethus and The Titan in
South America ["The Making of a Hero," Lazarus Gray Volume
Three]

1937 - Max and Evelyn marry.
Camilla attempts to create Kingdom of Blood. World's ancient
vampires awaken and the Rook is 'marked' by Nyarlathotep. Gerhard
Klempt's experiments are halted. William McKenzie becomes Chief of
Police in Atlanta. The Rook meets Benson, who clears his record
with the police. ["Kingdom of Blood," the Rook Volume One]. Hank
Wilbon is murdered, leading to his eventual resurrection as the
Reaper. ["Kaslov's Fire," The Rook Volume Two]. The Rook and Evelyn
become unwelcome guests of Baron Werner Prescott, eventually
foiling his attempts to create an artificial island and a
weather-controlling weapon for the Nazis [The Rook: The Killing
Games]

1938 - The Rook travels to Great
City to aid the Moon Man in battling Lycos and his Gasping Death.
The Rook destroys the physical shell of Nyarlathotep and gains his
trademark signet ring. ["The Gasping Death," The Rook Volume One].
The jungle hero known as the Revenant is killed ["Death from the
Jungle," The Rook Volume Four]

1939 - Ibis and the Warlike Manchu
revive the Abomination. Evelyn becomes pregnant and gives birth to
their first child, a boy named William. ["Abominations," The Rook
Volume One]. The Rook allies himself with Leonid Kaslov to stop the
Reaper's attacks and to foil the plans of Rasputin. ["Kaslov's
Fire," the Rook Volume Two] Violet Cambridge and Will McKenzie
become embroiled in the hunt for a mystical item known as The
Damned Thing [The Damned Thing]

1940 - The Warlike Manchu returns
with a new pupil -- Hans Merkel, aka Shinigami. The Warlike Manchu
kidnaps William Davies but the Rook and Leonid Kaslov manage to
rescue the boy. ["Blitzkrieg," the Rook Volume Two] The Rook
journeys to Germany alongside the Domino Lady and Will McKenzie to
combat the demonic organization known as Bloodwerks. ["Bloodwerks,"
the Rook Volume Two] Kevin Atwill seeks revenge against his former
friends, bringing him into conflict with the Rook ["The Gorgon
Conspiracy," The Rook Volume Two]. The Rook takes a young vampire
under his care, protecting him from a cult that worships a race of
beings known as The Shambling Ones. With the aid of Leonid Kazlov,
the cult is destroyed ["The Shambling Ones," The Rook Volume
Two]

1941 - Philip Gallagher, a
journalist, uncovers the Rook's secret identity but chooses to
become an ally of the vigilante rather than reveal it to the world
["Origins," the Rook Volume Two]. The Rook teams with the Black Bat
and Ascott Keane, as well as a reluctant Doctor Satan, in defeating
the plans of the sorcerer Arias ["The Bleeding Hells"]. The Rook
rescues McKenzie from the Iron Maiden ["The Iron Maiden," The Rook
Volume Three]

1942 - The Rook battles a Nazi
super agent known as the Grim Reaper, who is attempting to gather
the Crystal Skulls ["The Three Skulls," The Rook Volume Three]. The
Rook teams with Ascott Keane and the Green Lama to defeat a monster
that has escaped from The World of Shadows ["The Gilded Beast," The
Family Grace: An Extraordinary History]. The Rook becomes embroiled
in a plot by Sun Koh and a group of Axis killers known as The
Furies. The Rook and Sun Koh end up in deadly battle on the banks
of the Potomac River. ["The Scorched God," The Rook Volume Six]. In
London, the Rook and Evelyn meet Nathaniel Caine (aka the Catalyst)
and Rachel Winters, who are involved in stopping the Nazis from
creating the Un-Earth. They battle Doctor Satan and the Black
Zeppelin ["Catalyst," The Rook Volume Three]. Evelyn learns she's
pregnant with a second child. The Rook solves the mystery of the
Roanoke Colony ["The Lost Colony," The Rook Volume Three] The
Warlike Manchu is revived and embarks upon a search for the
Philosopher's Stone ["The Resurrection Gambit," The Rook Volume
Three]

1943 - The Rook is confronted by
the twin threats of Fernando Pasarin and the undead pirate Hendrik
van der Decken ["The Phantom Vessel," The Rook Volume Four]. Evelyn
and Max become the parents of a second child, Emma Davies. The Rook
teams with the daughter of the Revenant to battle Hermann Krupp and
the Golden Goblin ["Death from the Jungle," The Rook Volume Four]
The Rook battles Doctor Satan over possession of an ancient Mayan
tablet ["The Four Rooks," The Rook Volume Four]. The Rook travels
to Peru to battle an undead magician called The Spook ["Spook," The
Rook Volume Four]. Baron Rudolph Gustav gains possession of the Rod
of Aaron and kidnaps Evelyn, forcing the Rook into an uneasy
alliance with the Warlike Manchu ["Dead of Night," The Rook Volume
Four]. Doctor Satan flees to the hidden land of Vorium, where the
Rook allies with Frankenstein's Monster to bring him to justice
["Satan's Trial," The Rook Volume Four]. Tim Roland is recruited by
The Flame and Miss Masque ["The Ivory Machine," The Rook Volume
Five]. The Black Terror investigates a German attempt to replicate
his powers and becomes friends with a scientist named Clarke
["Terrors"]

1944 - The Rook organizes a strike
force composed of Revenant, Frankenstein's Monster, Catalyst and
Esper. The group is known as The Claws of the Rook and they take
part in two notable adventures in this year: against the diabolical
Mr. Dee and then later against an alliance between Doctor Satan and
the Warlike Manchu ["The Diabolical Mr. Dee" and "A Plague of
Wicked Men", The Rook Volume Five].

1946 - The Rook discovers that
Adolph Hitler is still alive and has become a vampire in service to
Dracula. In an attempt to stop the villains from using the Holy
Lance to take over the world, the Rook allies with the Claws of the
Rook, a time traveler named Jenny Everywhere, a thief called
Belladonna and Leonid Kaslov. The villains are defeated and Max's
future is revealed to still be in doubt. Events shown from 2006 on
are just a possible future. The Rook also has several encounters
with a demonically powered killer known as Stickman. ["The Devil's
Spear," The Rook Volume Five]. The Rook encounters a madman named
Samuel Garibaldi (aka Rainman) and his ally, Dr. Gottlieb
Hochmuller. The Rook and his Claws team defeat the villainous duo
and several new heroes join the ranks of the Claws team -- Miss
Masque, Black Terror & Tim and The Flame. ["The Ivory Machine,"
The Rook Volume Five]

1953 - The Rook acquires the
Looking Glass from Lu Chang. ["Black Mass," The Rook Volume
One]

1961 - Max's son William becomes
the second Rook. ["The Four Rooks," The Rook Volume
Four]

1967 - The second Rook battles and
defeats the Warlike Manchu, who is in possession of the Mayan
Tablet that Doctor Satan coveted in '43. Evelyn Davies dies. ["The
Four Rooks," The Rook Volume Four]

1970 - William Davies (the second
Rook) commits suicide by jumping from a Manhattan rooftop. Emma
Davies (Max's daughter and William's brother) becomes the Rook one
week later, in February. ["The Four Rooks," The Rook Volume
Four]

1973 - The third Rook is
accompanied by Kayla Kaslov (daughter of Leonid Kaslov) on a trip
to Brazil, where the two women defeat the Black Annis and claim the
Mayan Tablet that's popped up over the course of three decades.
Emma gives it to her father, who in turn passes it on to Catalyst
(Nathaniel Caine) ["The Four Rooks," The Rook Volume
Four]

~1985 - Max resumes operating as
the Rook, adventuring sporadically. Due to various magical events,
he remains far more active than most men his age. The reasons for
Emma giving up the role are unknown at this time.

Events depicted in the years 2006
forward occur in one of many possible futures for The Rook. As
revealed in Volume Five of The Rook Chronicles, the events of 2006
onward may -- or may not -- be the ultimate future of Max
Davies.

2006 - The Black Mass Barrier
rises, enveloping the world in a magical field. The World of
Shadows merges with Earth. Fiona Grace (descended from Eobard)
becomes a worldwide celebrity, partially due to her failure to stop
the Black Mass Barrier. ["Black Mass," The Rook Volume
One]

2009 - Ian Morris meets Max Davies
and becomes the new Rook. He meets Fiona Grace. Max dies at some
point immediately following this. ["Black Mass," The Rook Volume
One]

2012 - The fourth Rook (Ian Morris)
receives the Mayan Tablet from Catalyst, who tells him that the
world will end on December 21, 2012 unless something is done. Using
the tablet, Ian attempts to take control of the magic spell that
will end the world. Aided by the spirits of the three previous
Rooks, he succeeds, though it costs him his life. He is survived by
his lover (Fiona Grace) and their unborn child. Max Davies is
reborn as a man in his late twenties and becomes the Rook again.
["The Four Rooks," The Rook Volume Four]

Barry Reese has spent the last
decade writing for publishers as diverse as Marvel Comics, West End
Games, Wild Cat Books and Moonstone Books. Known primarily for his
pulp adventure works like The Rook Chronicles, The Adventures of
Lazarus Gray and Savage Tales of Ki-Gor, Barry has also delved into
slasher horror (Rabbit Heart) and even the fantasy pirate genre
(Guan-Yin and the Horrors of Skull Island). His favorite classic
pulp heroes are The Avenger, Doc Savage, John Carter, Conan and
Seekay. More information about him can be found at
http://www.barryreese.net
.

¹
Since the events of "The Girl With
the Phantom Eyes" (Lazarus Gray # 1)