The Atlas-Seaboard character with perhaps the oddest existence (or most existences) was Demon-Hunter. In his Atlas origin story (and only issue), Gideon Cross had renounced the demon cult which had granted him incredible powers and now stood opposed to them. Their goal was “Xenogenisis,” the rebirth of a demon race on earth. David Anthony Kraft (Comics Interview) wrote it and Rich Buckler plotted and illustrated it.

Meanwhile, over at Marvel, Buckler’s “Deathlok The Demolisher” series in Astonishing Tales had been canceled mid-story. The story was to be more or less wrapped up in Marvel Spotlight #33 (1977), although it would also carry into Marvel Two-in-One #27 before fading into the great land of permanently dangling storylines. Again, with Kraft writing and Buckler illustrating, Deathlok returned ostensibly for the wrap-up story. Only it was easily as much the origin story for Devil-Slayer.

Devil-Slayer was Eric Simon Payne. He had renounced the demon cult which had granted him incredible powers and now stood opposed to them. Their goal, and stop me if you’ve heard this before, was “Xenogenisis,” the rebirth of a demon race on earth. His costume was blue with an orange cape where Demon-Hunter’s was red with a blue cape, but otherwise it’s the same guy.

Devil-Slayer went on to pop up in Kraft’s The Defenders #58-60 (1978) for a three-part story entitled, not surprisingly, “Xenogenisis.”

He wasn’t done there. Well, Devil-Slayer was, as was Eric Simon Payne, but Gideon Cross wasn’t. Cross came back as Bloodwing, in the Buckler-published Galaxia Magazine (1981). This one didn’t get as far as mentioning Xenogenisis, but there was mention of a demonic “Crimson Brotherhood.”  The character looked the same as his Marvel incarnation on the color cover (interiors were black and white), but the feel was a little more rough-and-tumble.

Want to know more about Atlas-Seaboard and many other lost universes? Check out The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide To Lost Universes #1, now on sale.