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History[]

The Monstrumologist[]

Kearn’s first appearance and his debut as a character in the series. In Folio I, Pellinore Warthrop calls upon John Kearns by way of a letter to ask for assistance upon discovering the extent of the pod of Anthropophagi. Kearns arrives in Folio II, and does provide his unconventional assistance.

Isle of Blood[]

Physical Appearance[]

Kearns is tall (presumably well over six feet) with an athletic body type and a boyishly handsome, fine featured face. He has stylishly long blonde hair (compared, in the second journal (Folio II) to a mane), eyes the color of charcoal dust, and a remarkably small and thin mustache of the same color as his hair.

Personality[]

A strange and difficult man, Jack Kearns appears in Will Henry’s first set of journals in answer to an urgent summons by Dr. Warthrop after Anthropophagi are discovered in New Jerusalem.

Extremely witty and irreverent, well-traveled and well-read, as well as keenly interested in the subjects of morality and monster-hunting, though not necessarily in that order. There seems to be nothing he will not do to destroy the pod of man-eaters, no law that he won’t break, no ethical dilemmas he will consider. In many ways, he is the dark mirror image of Will Henry’s master, Pellinore Warthrop, his personality, ironically, closer to that of the beasts he hunts than the people he hunts with (as remarked from Will Henry’s point of view while writing the journals: “I did not think the doctor [Warthrop] was a monster who hunted monsters, but I was about to meet a man [Kearns] who did—-and was.” Kearns himself even confesses, “In many ways, I admire [the Anthropophagi].”)

He also seems to take great pleasure in upsetting Dr. Warthrop and has on more than one occasion egged the doctor into almost inflicting physical harm upon the blonde. In one case, Warthrop actually slaps him, which doesn't seem to faze Kearns in any noticeable way.

Additionally, Kearns has a befuddling and strange ritual of introducing himself under a different name to almost every supporting character he meets, especially in the first three journals. To Warthrop and presumably others in the Monstrumological Society, he is Dr. John “Jack” Kearns, but to Constable Morgan, he introduces himself as Dr. Richard Cory, and in his very brief acquaintance to Dr. J. F. Starr, he is Dr, John J. J. Schmidt of Whitechapel, a name most likely inspired by a phrase uttered by Constable Morgan in the third journal when Morgan says that he “doesn’t care if [Kearns’s] name was John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt“, and also paying homage to what is assumed later to actually be a town significant to Kearns, as Kearns is revealed later to be the infamous killer Jack the Ripper.

Relationships[]

Will Henry[]

Upon Kearns’ initial appearance in the book, Will Henry is the first to greet him. Like most other characters, Kearns does not think twice about using Will in very dangerous ways for his own personal gain, one such example being a scene in the third journal (Folio III), in which Kearns leads our young friend directly to the Anthropophagis’ underground den in the intention of using Will Henry as bait. Will Henry ends up killing Jack Kearns in the book "The Isle of Blood" in order to save the doctor and himself from Kearns.


Dr. Warthrop[]

John Kearns and Dr. Warthrop knew each other for many years, and he regards himself as Warthrop's "spiritual twin and polar opposite" in The Isle of Blood. Though Warthrop does not approve of Kearns, he trusts him to a certain extent and sometimes calls upon his aid.


Warthrop is wary around Kearns, and rightfully so, but Kearns frequently acts as if the two have been on many expeditions in each other’s company, and greets him as one would a close friend. It is clear that Warthrop does not trust Kearns, as Kearns was his second choice to call for help in the first three journals, but this distrust is clearly not expressed by Kearns. In summary, Warthrop tolerates the presence of Jack Kearns, though he does not allow himself to trust the man, for Kearns is playfully brutal and mostly out for himself.

True Identity[]

Towards the end of the third journal (Folio III), Will Henry makes a startling admission that he believes this same Jack Kearns to be a real person from history, a horrific murderer who is remembered for his brutality and as perhaps the most famous serial killer ever: Jack the Ripper.

Jack the Ripper[]

Jack the Ripper also known as the "Whitechapel Murderer" or "Leather Apron". He reined terror in impoverished areas near and around Whitechapel, London during the 1880's. He's famously known as one of the first recognized serial killers in history. The Ripper typically picked prostitutes from brothels and lured them away. He would then stab them repeatedly before mutilating their bodies, some of his victims were so mutilated they were unrecognizable. The Ripper was never caught and a main suspect was never agreed upon.

Notes and references[]

External links[]

[[1]]

See Also[]

Will Henry

Pellinore Warthrop

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