#kierrok

X-Men vol 1 96 (1975)

Night of the Demon

Written by Chris Claremont and Bill Mantlo

Penciled by Dave Cockrum

Inked by Sam Grainger

Colors by Phil Rachelson

Lettered by Dave Hunt

Edited by Marv Wolfman

Cover by Marie Severin, Sal Buscema and Annette Kawecki

“I am your master, humans-- you can never defeat me! Never!!”

“Perhaps not, gargoyle-- but we can all die trying!”

 “The misfit may be a misfit, but he’s Wolverine’s buddy--an’ nobody beats on Wolverine’s buddies!”

“Ten years o’ psycho-training. O’ hypnotism. O’ drug therapy. Ten years o’ prayin’... an’ I cut him to pieces without a thought.”

Umm remember how Storm destroyed that cairn in issue #96, seemingly also destroying Kierrok, the demon that spawned from it? Well, Kierrok is back. And he strangles a poor couple hiking out in the woods and starts to eat their faces off. Fun stuff!

Back at Xavier’s mansion, the Professor is quizzing Kitty over how to fly the Blackbird jet. Angel says that all the X-Men had to learn everything the Professor is teaching her. Wolverine arrives to introduce his “lady” Mariko Yashida, who Nightcrawler recognizes. Kitty flirts with Colossus. Storm enters the room, telling the Professor that she has brought a car around. All the X-Men except Kitty leave in the car (except Angel who flies away, saying he is leaving until Easter). 

Kitty seems a little nervous to be alone and she decides to call her parents, but they do not answer. The phone rings as soon as she hangs up and it’s Scott Summers aka Cyclops. Kitty tells him that no one else is there, which Scott thinks strange. He says he will call again the next day. After hanging up, Scott meets with Lee Forrester, the captain of the Arcadia, asking if she is looking for crew to hire. They board Forrester’s ship to talk.

At the mansion, Kitty decides to work out in the Danger Room, but she is interrupted by a burglar alarm. She goes upstairs to investigate the alarm and finds a super creepy skeleton-looking thing, a demon, in the attic of the mansion. It starts chasing her through the mansion, breaking through any walls that Kitty phases through.

Kitty enters the Danger Room and sets it up for the most dangerous training sequences possible, planning to lure the demon inside. Sure enough, the demon enters the Danger Room. Kitty’s plan is working as multiple weapons attack the demon. The problem is, the weapons are targeting Kitty as well, so she phases through the wall, leaving the Danger Room and heading for the Blackbird. The demon follows.

Kitty begins the procedure for starting the Blackbird. She waits to turn on the engines until the demon is just close enough... A huge flame and a blinding light burst from the Blackbird’s engines, incinerating the demon, but also causing the Blackbird to crash into the side of the hangar, damaging the plane. Kitty phases through the plane. The hangar is on fire, but the sprinkler system isn't working. Kitty goes to manually turn on the sprinklers. And the demon’s creepy skeleton hand reaches out of the fire and smoke to grab her!

The rest of the X-Men return to the mansion. The Professor senses the evil of the demon, and knows he has sensed it before now, but can't remember when. Colossus enters the house to find Kitty watching TV. She’s very happy to see him. Then Kitty’s parents enter the room and Kitty is hugging everyone. 

Later Kitty explains to Storm about the demon that chased her and caused so much damage to the house, the Danger Room, the hangar, and the Blackbird. But Storm is simply proud of Kitty being able to fight the demon and defeat it.