Night Force # 1 1982 NM-

Night Force # 1, released on May 20, 1982 (with an August 1982 cover date), launched an influential horror/supernatural series written by Marv Wolfman and illustrated by Gene Colan. The issue, titled "The Summoning (Part I) - Genesis," establishes the series' core premise: the enigmatic Baron Winters manipulating ordinary individuals into a team called the Night Force to battle ancient occult evils. 

The debut issue introduces the key members of the first Night Force team through a series of intersecting events in Washington, D.C.: 

• The Summoning: The reclusive, seemingly ageless sorcerer Baron Winters—who is confined to his labyrinthine Georgetown mansion, Wintersgate Manor—begins pulling strings to assemble a specific team.
• Vanessa Van Helsing: In the Potomac Psychiatric Hospital, Vanessa (the psychic granddaughter of Abraham Van Helsing) is tormented by demonic visions.
• Donovan Caine: A professor of parapsychology at Georgetown University, Caine conducts experiments into the "energy of evil," unaware that his research is perfectly synced with Vanessa's supernatural visitations.
• Jack Gold: A former Time reporter turned tabloid journalist visits Wintersgate Manor for a story on the occult and becomes another pawn in the Baron's plan.
• The Alliance: By the end of the issue, Baron Winters has manipulated events to secure Vanessa's release and bring her, Caine, and Gold together to face a burgeoning supernatural threat. 

Key Characters 

• Baron Winters: The manipulative mastermind who cannot leave his mansion, which exists at a juncture of time and space.
• Vanessa Van Helsing: A powerful psychic descendant of the legendary vampire hunter.
• Dr. Donovan Caine: A dedicated academic researcher whose work is subsidized by the Pentagon.
• Jack Gold: A skeptical reporter who becomes the team's chronicler and field agent.
• Merlin: The Baron's pet leopard, claimed to be a gift from the legendary wizard Merlin himself.