Spook (comics)

The Spook
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Detective Comics #434 (April 1973)
Created by	Frank Robbins and Irv Novick
In-story information
Alter ego	Val Kaliban
Abilities	Master of hypnotism and escapology Use of gadgets

The Spook is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe. He first appeared in Detective Comics #434 published in 1973.

Fictional character biography

Val Kaliban is a great escape-artists, hypnotist and has used his extraordinary abilities together with special effects to commit spectacular crimes and make people believe he is a real ghost. He has been stopped by Batman every time. When last seen, Spook II was an inmate in Arkham Asylum.

Spook II was a former government operative who went mad and believed himself to be dead. As the Spook, he murdered several corporate heads whose companies he blamed for his "death", before being defeated by the Batman.

Spook was recently killed by Damian Wayne after holding the Mayor hostage. Damian beheaded him putting an end to the confrontation. It is unknown if this was Val Kaliban, Spook II, or another person posing as the Spook.

Powers and abilities

Despite appearances, the Spook has no superhuman or supernatural abilities, although his mastery of escapology and hypnotism is very impressive indeed. He used a variety of gadgets such as inflatable effigies of himself that can float through the air, finger-tip and boot suction cups for scaling buildings, and smoke machines for obscuring the perceptions of others to support his supernatural persona.

See also

• List of Batman Family enemies