Becky Burdock - Jack Staff (2000)

TYPE: Comic Books

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Reporter Becky Burdock, Vampire Reporter.

Becky Burdock, Vampire Reporter
A cynical and easily irritated journalist, she worked for a major newspaper before her career was deliberately destroyed and the only job she could get was with the sleazy tabloid The World's Press; she is often frustrated with this position. While researching the disappearance of Jack Staff and the recent vampire murders around Castletown, she was attacked by Sgt. States and transformed into a vampire. Somehow maintaining her mind, she tries to continue her life as if nothing happened and keeps stating she's no longer going to be involved in Jack Staff's weird world, but is constantly being drawn into superhero situations anyway.

When she was a toddler, she was caught in the battle between Jack Staff, British army project Weapon H, and Hurricane. Her memories of this have been covered over, along with those of many other people, thanks to the actions of Mister Green. She used to have a stuffed toy called Mista Bunny, last seen in Green's hands, and in #7 (Vol.2) mentioned a dream about her shadow murdering a field of bunnies. In #15, she had a nightmare of encountering a malevolent "Shadow Monster" as a child.

A conspiracy has developed around her - a vampire prophecy about her was revealed (and fulfilled) in #9 (Vol.2), the mysterious Man of Shadow is trying to get her to join him, and she has recurring nightmares about being part of & recruited by something undefined and horrible. It is presumed the Red is trying to recruit her but the reason why is unknown; presumably also, her red hair and nickname "Red" has been a long-term hint about this in the same way Q's trench coats tied into the Green. The Red appears to be trying to keep Jack Staff & Becky separate, with the Man of Shadow specifically telling her after helping that "the superhero" hadn't arrived to help her and something "in the shadows" laughing after they were separated just before she told him of her nightmares (#15). Recently, to get the Man of Shadow to save Harold Bramble's life, she had to agree to do a favour for him at a later date.

The Weird World of Jack Staff revealed in #4 that Becky is, in fact, the Green's chosen champion, meant to wield the Sword of Devastation in the battle at the end of the world. Jack Staff's destined role is to keep Becky alive until she can become the champion.

Jack Staff is a comic book by the writer/artist Paul Grist, currently published by Image Comics. Its large supporting cast are based upon other British comic characters and archetypes, and its main character is the eponymous Jack Staff.
Jack Staff, Britain's Greatest Hero, has been active since at least World War II. While he has revealed he has been around since the Victorian Age and gained his powers there, it is unknown if he was active as a superhero or similar adventurer. In his civilian identity, he works as a builder by the name of John Smith and has done since the 19th century.

During World War II, he was active with the Freedom Fighters, a group of American and British superheroes: Sgt. States, Blazing Glory, and Tommy Twister. During the war they defeated a vampire, Templar Richard, but not before Sgt. States also became a vampire (unknown to the rest of the team at the time). They also battled villains such as Kapitan Krieg and Brain Head.

After the war, Jack continued as a superhero in the UK. By the 1960s, he was helping a group called Unit D fight several menaces. After working to stop a British weapon of mass destruction, the Hurricane, in the early 1980s, Jack quit being a superhero. It has only been recently that Jack has come back as a superhero, fighting alongside Q, Commander Hawkes of the now defunct Unit D, Tom Tom the Robot Man, Becky Burdock: Vampire Reporter, and others.

UPDATED: 11-12-2020