The Confessor

Confessor I © Juke Box Productions AstroFacts Status: Deceased- August 4, 1997 Real Name: Jeremiah Parrish Earliest Appearance: 1950s Origin: Kurt Busiek's Astro City Vol.2 #7 Base of Operations: Astro City; his vestry was located in Grandenetti Cathedral. Personal Data Occupation: Priest InfoDump Appearances (in Publication Order): Kurt Busiek's Astro City Vol.2 #4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 Astro City: Local Heroes #1 Event Timeline Confessor II © Juke Box Productions AstroFacts Status: Active Real Name: Brian Kinney Base of Operations: Astro City First Appearance: Late 2001 Personal Data InfoDump Appearances (in Publication Order): Kurt Busiek's Astro City Vol.2 #9 Astro City #1 Event Timeline The Confessor The Shadowy vigilante known as the Confessor prowled the rooftops and dark corners of Astro City from the beginning of the 1950s until his death during the Enelsian Invasion, in which he exposed Mayor Stevenson as a Enelsian plant after the Confessor himself had been exposed as a vampire. Circa 2001 the Confessor's former partner Altar Boy donned the costume, and assumed the role and mission of the Confessor. History Jeremiah Parrish The Shadowy vigilante known as the Confessor prowled the rooftops and dark corners of Astro City from the beginning of the 1950s until his death during the Enelsian Invasion. The length of his term of service is matched only by The Gentleman, as well as such mystic entities as The Hanged Man and the Old Soldier. Based out of an apparently ruined vestry in Grandenetti Cathedral and rarely leaving Astro City, the Caped Crimefighter carried out his crusade against the criminal fraternity of the City, all the while concealing his dark secret. The length of his term of service to the city, supposed by some to be the result of more than one man assuming the role, was instead - and very publicly - revealed to be a result of Vampirism. From records held in his Vestry, it seems that the Confessor was - and if rumors among the criminal and law-enforcement communities are true - still is, one Jeremiah Parrish, who had first come to what was then Romeyn Falls as a young Priest. He had been brought to the city to oversee the importation of materials and manage negotiations and relations with the foremen and workers, many of who had been brought from South-Eastern Europe to help build Cardinal Grandenetti's magnificent monument. He was enthralled by an unknown female vampire, drained of his blood, and dumped into a waste pit. He rose again three days later, a vampire himself. The last mention of Jeremiah Parrish is from an entry in the diary of Enzio Grandenetti himself; "The Creature that now inhabits poor Father Parrish's body has again eluded the godly efforts of those that hunt him. It seems we will now never be able to destroy him, and grant peace to his soul. We must seal him in his lair, away from those he would prey upon, as his thrice-accursed kind always do. I have set the masons to this task and hear them already about their godly work. May God bless their efforts, that we may have peace from this blasphemous creature." The efforts of the priests and workers were unsuccessful, and Parrish lurked in the Cathedral for decades, his humanity dwindling until the emergence of the first public superheroes showed him the possibility of doing good work amongst humanity while keeping his secrets. He became a shadowy stalker, feared by the criminal fraternity, little seen and never photographed. The Confessor and Altar Boy In 1997, the Confessor's path intersected with that of Brian Kinney, a new arrival in Astro City. Brian was working at the superhero restaurant Butler's when the villain Glue Gun broke in and attempted to take him hostage. Witnessing the young man's fighting prowess in swiftly dispatching Glue Gun, the Confessor took him on as a sidekick. In truth, part of the ex-priest just wanted a confidant, someone he wouldn't have to lie to. Across that summer, the two had an assortment of adventures. Among other accomplishments, they captured the Gunfighter after the criminal's killing spree. Darker events were befalling Astro City at the same time, however. The citizens slowly turned against their super-guardians, a movement that turned out to be part of an elaborate plot by the Enelsian species to weaken Earth for imminent conquest. The Confessor sacrificed his life to reveal the real enemies threatening Astro City and the world. Brian Kinney Before coming to Astro City, Brian Kinney had been brought up by his single father, a small time doctor. The elder Kinney, always compassionate, treated everyone in the community who needed his help, even those who were too poor to pay their medical expensives. As a result, he developed a reputation as a sucker who could be taken advantage of, and Brian grew up in miserable economic straits. Brian came to greatly resent his father for this, and he vowed to become someone people respected when he grew up. He vowed to become a superhero. He spent years preparing for this goal, learning martial arts at dojos and doing research. When he reached adulthood in 1997, he took a one-way bus to Astro City. Hoping to be taken under one of the city's many heroes' wing, he took a job at the superhero bar Bruiser's. Its owner, KO Carson, sensed Brian's goal and so referred him to Butler's, that suit-and-tie restaurant being where he'd more likely meet the type of heroes he needed, and thus Brian came to the Confessor's attention. Over his time as Altar Boy, in large part through the Confessor's mentorship, Brian came to understand that being a superhero was about helping others, not whatever acclaim or respect that could result in. He came to understand that his father, regardless of how others viewed him, had been a hero in his own right. After the Confessor's death, Brian chose to carry on his mentor's identity and name. He spent four years training all over the world before he was ready, then returned to Astro City. And the criminals of the city soon realized the masked monster they thought dead was back once more to bring down terror on their heads... Powers The vampiric powers of Jeremiah Parrish granted him preternatural strength and speed, the ability to transform himself into mist, and a resistance to conventional weaponry. He could not be seen in mirrors or captured by photography. In addition, he appears to have been an exceptionally capable martial artist and athlete, as well as a highly accomplished sleuth. He also had weaknesses. As a vampire, the Confessor had an aversion to garlic, and a vulnerability to blessed weapons, holy water and sacred symbols. Despite the pain caused by sacred symbols, the Confessor emblazoned a cross over his costume front as a form of penance. He craved fresh blood, although the pain helped him keep his mind off it. The current Confessor has no powers, instead using voice modulators and tricks to inspire fear in his evil-doers' hearts. However, Brian Kinney is trained in martial arts, possesses keen detective skills, and maintains a rigorous physical training schedule, including four years of training around the world before donning the cowl of the Confessor.