Cover: Tom Mandrake

The Spectre #62

Feb 1998 · DC · 2.50 USD; 3.50 CAD

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“Final Rites”

About this Issue

The Spectre #62, titled 'Final Rites,' serves as both the series finale of John Ostrander and Tom Mandrake's acclaimed 62-issue run and a consequential moment for DC's corner of supernatural storytelling: Jim Corrigan's spirit is finally allowed to rest, dissolving the Corrigan–Spectre bond that had defined the character for decades and closing one of the most theologically serious superhero narratives of the 1990s. The issue also marks the second comics appearance of Michael Holt as the new Mister Terrific — a character introduced in issue #54 who would go on to become a fixture of the Justice Society and a prominent figure in DC media — giving readers an early look at a hero whose trajectory across the DCU was just beginning. As a funeral attended by an unusually wide cross-section of the DC Universe — JSA veterans, street-level heroes, mystical figures, and even Swamp Thing — the issue functions as a formal handshake between Ostrander and Mandrake's dark, morally probing series and the broader superhero universe it had always kept at arm's length.

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writer John Ostrander · artist, inker Tom Mandrake · colorist Carla Feeny · colorist Digital Chameleon · letterer Todd Klein · cover Tom Mandrake

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History

Ostrander and Mandrake launched The Spectre (Volume 3) in December 1992, with Ostrander drawing on his background in theology to ground the series in genuine ethical and spiritual inquiry rather than straightforward superhero adventure. The pair had already established a working rapport on titles including Grimjack, Firestorm, and Batman before taking on the Spectre, and their collaboration on this series ran the full 62-issue length without interruption from Mandrake on art (save for a handful of fill-in issues earlier in the run). Issue #62 was edited by Dan Raspler with Peter J. Tomasi as assistant editor, and it concluded a six-part closing arc; following the series' end, Ostrander and Mandrake moved directly into their next collaboration, a Martian Manhunter ongoing series.

Trivia · 8 facts

Final issue (#62) of The Spectre, Volume 3 (December 1992–February 1998), published on January 2, 1998, with a cover date of February 1998.
Story title: 'Final Rites' — the sixth and concluding part of a closing arc written by John Ostrander with art and cover by Tom Mandrake.
The issue resolves Jim Corrigan's decades-long supernatural bond: the Spectre Force separates from Corrigan, and his spirit finally departs in peace; his headstone is inscribed 'James Corrigan, Servant of God.'
Michael Holt (Mister Terrific) appears in this issue — his second published comics appearance overall; his debut was in The Spectre #54 (June 1997), where he was created by Ostrander and Mandrake.
The funeral gathering includes Justice Society members Jay Garrick, Ted Knight (Starman), and Ted Grant (Wildcat), alongside a broad array of DC heroes, mystical figures (including Madame Xanadu, Zatanna, and the Phantom Stranger), and Swamp Thing.
Corrigan's burial was suggested by Father Craemer, a recurring supporting character throughout the series, who prepares the last rites.
The Ostrander/Mandrake Spectre run has been partially collected (Omnibus Vol. 1 covers issues #1–31 and #0), but the latter half of the series — including this finale — remained uncollected in print trade format as of the series' digital availability.
Following this series, Ostrander and Mandrake immediately continued their partnership on DC's Martian Manhunter ongoing series.