No, I am not talking about poker, though I DO play poker.

Six years ago, I bought a group of Near Mint Comics from Mile High. Among those was a copy of Machine Man #19. This is the low print run last issue of the series.

After a few years, I decided to include it in my first raw submission to CGC for grading. I felt it would get a 9.6. I was astonished to find it had recieved 9.8 WP! This issue is a triple whammy!

It is difficult to find in 9.8.

It is the last issue of the series.

And it features the first appearance of the Jack O Lantern!

The Jack O Lantern is an interesting villain. The character was created by Jason Macendale Jr, who would later go on to take up the mantle of the Hobgoblin, which had been held by a few others before him.

Ironically enough, the Jack O Lantern mantle itself would later be taken up by five other people. Steven Levins, Daniel Berkhart, Maguire Beck, an unnamed man claiming to be Levins brother, and the current unnamed person.

Steven Levins used the mantle as a member of the Skeleton crew, then would later pop up in the Civil War as a Hero Hunter for Baron Zemos Thinderbolts before being murdered by the Punisher.

Berkhart and Beck worked together for Norman Osborn for a time as the villain, using the name Mad Jack. Berkhart would later go back to using the Mysterio mantle and Beck would continue on with the Mad Jack mantle until her arrest.

During the Dark Reign, Steven Levins brother would take up the mantle and work for Osborn until his disappearance.

The current man behind the mask is an unnamed operative of The Crime-Master. Claiming to have killed all previous users of the Jack O Lantern mantle, he has appointed himself as the archenemy of Agent Venom.

While some of these individuals were normal people using costumes and technology, the Levins brothers claimed that they sold their souls to Mephisto, who gave them supernatural powers to become the Jack O Lantern at will.

After losing fights with Spider-Man and the Green Govblin, Macendale tried to get Nastirh to grant him supernatural powers during the Inferno crisis, but instead the demon had him possessed, and ultimately the two were incompatible and fought each other for control until the demon ripped itself away from him and went on to become the Demogoblin.

Macendale would later be killed by the original Hobgoblin, Roderick Kingsley, who came back from retirement to reclaim his original mantle.

I always thought it was neat how the writers would come up with elaborate ways for characters and villains who were otherwise normal to be able to perform in their heroic or villainous roles. In the case of the first Jack O Lantern, it was described as such.

Jack O Lantern employs numerous types of custom designed grenades including anaesthetic, lachrymatory, regurgitant gas, smoke, and concussion grenades. He wears a complete body armor made of metal-covered, multi segment Kevlar panels, incorporating a rigid, articulated shell which can resist a 7 lb. bazooka anti-gun warhead. Jack O Lanterns head is covered by a bulletproof helmet with an internal, 3 hour, compressed air supply and is equipped with telescopic infrared image intensifiers for seeing in the dark. The base of the helmet is equipped with a fine network of pin holes which maintain a low temperature flame ("stage-fire" - a low density flame used safely on stage to simulate fire) that rings around his head at all times. The air supply cools the interior of the helmet semi-adiabatically through expansion. He was also equipped with wrist blasters, which incorporate high-frequency electric transducers that can deliver a long-range shot (effective range - 35 ft).

Pretty wordy and intricate, showing the lengths writers will go to, to explain the possible reasoning behind the abilities of an unusual character.

I have just recently come into possession of the 2nd appearance of Jack O Lantern. Spectacular Spider-Man #56, where he loses to the web slinger as referred to earlier. This issue has a nice black cover with webs and the two protagonists getting ready to duel. This would be a great issue to display during Halloween.

Anyway, just wanted to throw something out there for everyone to read and waste a few minutes of your day.

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