Werewolf by Night #9
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeWerewolf by Night #9 opens the series' defining Bronze Age arc by delivering the simultaneous first appearances of two villains — the sonic-weapon-wielding Sarnak and the ragged, dissolution-gloved Arnold Paffenroth, who would eventually be named Tatterdemalion — while also marking Jack Russell's first encounter with the criminal organization known as the Committee, which would serve as a recurring antagonist for years. The issue kicks off a two-part story that deepens the world-building around the series' mythology: the Committee's scheme to exploit monsters and the dispossessed as instruments of economic terror is a darkly satirical premise that gave the horror book an unexpected social dimension. Tatterdemalion himself — a fallen tap dancer weaponizing destruction rather than theft — went on to appear across decades of Marvel continuity, eventually joining the Night Shift and serving a stint with the Thunderbolts during the Civil War era, making this his de facto origin. The issue also signals Tom Sutton's arrival as the series' principal artist, a shift that brought a distinctly grotesque, Warren-magazine-influenced visual sensibility to what had been primarily a Mike Ploog book.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
Gerry Conway scripted the issue against a backdrop of Marvel's early-1970s horror revival, which had been made possible by the 1971 relaxation of the Comics Code Authority's ban on werewolves and other classic monsters. Tom Sutton — a veteran of Warren Publishing's black-and-white horror magazines Creepy and Eerie — stepped in as penciler and inker, lending the book an expressionistic quality that distinguished it from its predecessors. Roy Thomas served as editor, and Len Wein received an unusual 'special consultant' credit per Grand Comics Database records. The cover was drawn by Sutton with inks by Frank Giacoia, and the issue went on sale June 26, 1973, with a September 1973 cover date.
Trivia · 7 facts
- Title: 'Terror Beneath the Earth!' — written by Gerry Conway, with interior art (pencils and inks) by Tom Sutton; cover art by Tom Sutton and Frank Giacoia.
- First appearance of Arnold Paffenroth, later named Tatterdemalion — a former Hollywood tap dancer driven to madness and homelessness, outfitted by the Committee with gloves that dissolve paper and fabric; the character appears unnamed here and is not formally called 'Tatterdemalion' until Marvel Team-Up #93 (May 1980).
- First appearance of Sarnak — a sonic-flute-wielding agent of the Committee who uses ultrasonic mind-control to amass an army of derelicts, including Paffenroth.
- First significant appearance of the Committee — a secret cabal of Los Angeles businessmen seeking to weaponize fear, and a recurring antagonist faction throughout the series.
- Len Wein received a 'special consultant' credit on this issue, per Grand Comics Database records; Wein and his wife Glynis Wein also appear in cameo roles within the story itself.
- Tatterdemalion went on to join the Night Shift (fighting the West Coast Avengers), serve a stint with the Thunderbolts during Marvel's Civil War, and clash with Dazzler, Spider-Man, and Ghost Rider across subsequent decades.
- The issue has been reprinted in: Essential Werewolf by Night Vol. 1 (2005, black and white), the Werewolf by Night Omnibus hardcover (2015), Werewolf by Night: The Complete Collection Vol. 1 trade paperback (2017), and the Panini Deutschland Classic Collection (2020); it also received early international publication in Swedish (Varulven #12) and Danish (Vampyr #11) editions.
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Reprints
Reprinted in Vampyr #11 (1973), Frankenstein & Ihmissusi #3/1974 (1974), Dracula Lives #27 (1975), Dracula #11 (1976), Lobisomem (Capitão Mistério Apresenta) #4 (1977), Savage Beastman #[nn] (1981), Essential Werewolf by Night #1 (2005), Werewolf by Night Omnibus #[nn] (2015), Werewolf by Night: The Complete Collection #1 (2017), Werewolf by Night - Classic Collection #1 (2020), Marvel Masterworks: Werewolf by Night #2 (2023), Varulven #12
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