Simon Dark #1 is an issue of the series Simon Dark (Volume 1) with a cover date of December, 2007.
Synopsis for "What Simon Does"
A group of hooded men bring two blindfolded men to the ruins of Sacred Martyr Church at gunpoint. The man holding the gun, Richard Guest, declares that Fear is Lord and fear requires a blood sacrifice. As one of the blindfolded men begs for his life, Guest shoots him in the back of the head. From the shadows, a strange looking being known as Simon Dark emerges. Guest tries to shoot him, but Simon back flips behind him and draws a garrote wire across his neck. With one steady pull, he beheads him. The other hooded cultists take their leave, leaving the second would-be victim behind. The man thanks Simon for saving his life and gives him money for food.
Later, Gotham City detective Tom Kirk and medical examiner Beth Granger are called to Sacred Martyr Church to investigate the deaths. A crowd of onlookers gathers around and Beth notices that they seem oddly serene despite the visceral carnage displayed before them. Leaving the scene, Beth hears a group of children singing a nursery rhyme about Simon Dark. She stops inside nearby Webb's Market and asks the proprietor about the song. The man tells her that Simon Dark is a character that the local children made up - a pseudo-guardian angel.
Elsewhere, members of the cult convene inside of a lavish mansion. The leader of the group asks one his men, Vincent, about what took place at the church. Vincent tells him about Simon Dark, and volunteers to clean up any loose ends.
Later, Mister Dodds and his teenage daughter Rachel move into a new apartment in Gotham Village. Simon Dark creeps out of the shadows and steals a copy of Edgar Allan Poe's Tales of Mystery and Imagination from one of Rachel's open boxes. As payment, he leaves behind a single dollar bill. He then leaps across rooftops until he comes to Webb's Market. He breaks into the store and takes some supplies and a box of cat chow, leaving behind a handful of dollar bills for the store owner. He then returns to his underground hideaway beneath the Sacred Martyr church, feeds his pet cat and reads his book until he falls asleep.
Appearing in "What Simon Does"
Featured Characters:
- Simon Dark (First appearance)
Supporting Characters:
- Beth Granger (First appearance)
- Tom Kirk (First appearance)
Antagonists:
- Geo Populus
- Dall Moss (First appearance) (Possessed)
- Richard Guest (Dies)
- Vincent (First appearance)
Other Characters:
- Rachel Dodds (First appearance)
- Gus Webb (First appearance)
- Bill Dodds (First appearance)
- Kitty
Locations:
Items:
- Garrote Wire
Vehicles:
- None
Notes
- The events from this issue take place in the month of October.
- The events from this issue take place concurrently with events from Countdown #29, though the two issues have nothing to do with one another.