Whatever its face, and whatever its genesis... linger not in the presence of evil. 
- — Spectre
Spectre (Volume 2) #13 is an issue of the series Spectre (Volume 2) with a cover date of April, 1988. It was published on January 5, 1988.
Synopsis for "Major Arcana: Two - Jimmy's Wings"
After retrieving the first lost item from Madame Xanadu's Parlor, Spectre commands Kim Liang to return the crystal sphere back to the parlor, while he and Jim Corrigan continue searching for the other two magical items. However, sensing the return of the first magical item to its rightful place, the Cult of the Blood Red Moon intensify their dark magical presence at the parlor and use their evil magic against Madame Xanadu, who was trying to contain their dark forces. When Kim arrives at the parlor, the sight of Madame Xanadu is enough to horrify her instantly.
Elsewhere, a boy named Jimmy is bullied by the usual trio of bullies at school, who steal his lunch money and humilliate him. During the conflict, Jimmy falls near to a storm drain, where he grabs the Egyptian Amulet that went missing from the parlor. Jimmy's blood activates the scarab-shaped amulet and gives the boy powers beyond that of any normal human. Thanks to the amulet, Jimmy is capable of mind-controlling people by touching them and thus, he touches the three bullies who bother him and force them to serve him for the rest of the day.
That night, Jimmy dreams about flying with wings of his own, but his dream is disturbed by the presence of the Cult of the Blood Red Moon. They tell Jimmy that they gave him the amulet and that he should use it to eliminate all his tormentors. During breakfast, Jimmy has a hard time dealing with his parents, who distrust and mistreat him. The words of the Cult echo in Jimmy's head and he prepares a plan to deal with all of his "tormentors".
At night, Jimmy summons the three bullies outside of his home and commands them to kill his parents in their sleep. After giving the order, Jimmy tries to walk away with the amulet, but Spectre perceives his evil intentions and guides Corrigan to the kid's location. When the kid is confronted by them, the scarab amulet unleashes a giant scarab monster, only visible to Spectre, Corrigan and the kid. Spectre follows the beast, as it intends to create chaos, while Corrigan follows the kid in order to take the amulet from him. However, the heroes struggle in their missions, as the scarab monster creates damage that requires all of Spectre's attention and the amulet's hold on the kid is stronger that Corrigan imagined.
Eventually, Corrigan manages to take the amulet away from the kid, but the item's dark power starts to take hold of him. Just before Corrigan gives in to the amulet's power, Spectre defeats the scarab monster and the amulet breaks apart in Corrigan's hands. The spell is broken and the three bullies are stopped before they could murder Jimmy's parents. Spectre descends with the intention of punishing the would be murderer, but Corrigan advocates for the kid, convincing Spectre that he was not to blame for the evil within. Spectre allows the kid to go unpunished, but Corrigan soon realizes that he made a mistake, for there was no trace of innocence in that kid.
Spectre and Corrigan return to Madame Xanadu's parlor, unaware that the Cult of the Blood Red Moon have partially succeeded in their mission. When Corrigan and Spectre enter the place, they find Madame Xanadu, completely paralyzed and her with her mouth vanished. It is then that they come to understand the truth behind the missing items: they were used as bait to lure Spectre and Corrigan away from the parlor so that Madame Xanadu was left vulnerable to magical attacks. Spectre is determined to find the last missing item, as it would provide all the answers and it would save Xanadu, but Corrigan is also concerned for Kim's life, who has been trapped inside the crystal sphere alongside the demon called "Fingers".
Appearing in "Major Arcana: Two - Jimmy's Wings"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Cult of the Blood Red Moon
- Winston Scullis
- Deschanta
- Jimmy (Single appearance)
Other Characters:
- Fingers (Cameo)
Locations:
Items:
- Scarab Amulet
- Crystal Sphere
See Also
Recommended Reading
- The Spectre Recommended Reading
- Adventure Comics (Volume 1): Adventure Comics #431– #440
- Countdown to Mystery
- Crisis Aftermath: The Spectre (Volume 1)
- Day of Judgment
- Day of Vengeance
- Final Crisis: Revelations
- More Fun Comics (Volume 1)
- Spectre (Volume 1)
- Spectre (Volume 2)
- Spectre (Volume 3)
- Spectre (Volume 4)
- Tales of the Unexpected (Volume 2)
- Wrath of the Spectre (Volume 1)