Ravage 2099

Last updated
Ravage 2099
Ravage2099-1.jpg
Cover to Ravage 2099 #1. Art by Paul Ryan.
Publication information
Publisher Marvel Comics
First appearance Ravage 2099 #1 (December 1992)
Created by Stan Lee and Paul Ryan
In-story information
Alter egoPaul-Phillip Ravage
Species Human (formerly)
Human mutate (currently)
Place of origin Marvel 2099 (Earth-928)
Team affiliationsECO
Alchemax
Green Berets
Notable aliasesBeast-Man
Abilities(First mutation):
  • Bio-energy blasts

(Second mutation):

Ravage 2099 (Paul-Phillip Ravage) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.

Contents

Publication history

Ravage was created by writer Stan Lee and penciler Paul Ryan in 1992 for Marvel Comics' Marvel 2099 imprint. Ravage’s first full appearance was in Ravage 2099 #1, which was released alongside other Marvel 2099 universe titles Spider-Man 2099 , Doom 2099 , and Punisher 2099 . [1] Unlike the other titles, Ravage was original, not a re-imagined version of an existing character. The series ran for 33 issues cover-dated December 1992 to August 1995.

Ryan said artist John Byrne had originally been on Ravage 2099 but that, "Apparently there were creative differences. It didn’t work out. John walked away … I was pretty good friends with Tom DeFalco, who was the Editor-in-Chief at the time," and so Ryan offered to lend a hand if needed. "I wasn’t looking for another series because I was working on two at the time. Couple of days later, Tom calls me and says how would you like to do Ravage 2099? … I said why don’t you check with Stan first to make sure its ok if I pencil the series … and Stan said, Why not?" [2]

Ryan designed the character, doing "three or four incarnations" that kept getting rejected by Lee and editor Joey Cavalieri. "And I was getting very frustrated because this is for free basically when you are developing the character. So my wife Linda says "Why don’t you just call Stan? Find out what he wants firsthand." Ryan did so, and with Lee doing "most of the talking, I just listened and was sketching out what he was describing. So then I faxed it over to him. He had several minor tweaks to it, but he said this is what I want. I said great." [2]

Lee wrote through issue #8 (July 1993), which he plotted only, leaving the script to writers Pat Mills and Tony Skinner, who then fully wrote the series from #9-32 (August 1993 - July 1995), with Ian Edgington writing the finale. Lee said in an interview that he had wanted Marvel "to create a new line of superheroes. I said, 'What if we did our characters 100 years from now?'" He said Ravage 2099 was "different from anything I've done before. I'm taking my time with the story. He doesn't even get his superpowers until the end of the fourth issue." [3]

Grant Miehm became the regular penciler with issue #8, then Joe Bennett from #22-31 (September 1994 - June 1995). José Delbo filled-in on #9, and Marcos Tetelli penciled the last two issues.

Lee’s Spider-Man co-creator, Steve Ditko had originally been considered as penciler after Byrne left, according to Marvel Editor-in-Chief Tom DeFalco:

Stan said he’d love to work with Ditko again, so I gave Steve a call, and he agreed to come in and meet with Stan. The fan in me was thinking ‘I’m going to watch history unfold —Stan Lee and Steve Ditko in the same room together.’ Steve came in, very flattered to be asked. The guys started to shake hands, then gave each other a big hug. It was a very warm reception between the two of them, and it was obvious these were two guys who really liked each other and really respected each other. Stan laid out his ideas for the series, they had a really terrific discussion going back and forth. … [But Ditko] just didn’t agree with some of the philosophical underpinnings. Stan thanked him a lot, and they opened the door for future work together. Steve walked away, and I could tell he was really thrilled to have seen Stan. [4]

Fictional character biography

Paul-Phillip Ravage was the chief executive officer of ECO Central, a subsidiary of the Alchemax mega-corporation, that worked to combat polluters. Ravage's life changed when he was framed for murder in response to questioning the secrets of the company and the violent, often fatal, methods it used. Becoming a fugitive and armed with a blaster, a cog used as a shuriken, and a Kevlar vest, the red-haired Ravage was the target of both the police and Alchemax executive Anderthorp Henton. His companions while on the run were African-American orphan Dack, the son of a man his company killed, and Tiana Sikoski, an Asian-American woman who had been his secretary. Ravage's baptism of fire came when he battled a mutroid (one of the human convicts mutated by the radiation and biohazards of the prison island Hellrock), ECO security and Alchemax troops as found himself traveling from civilization to Hellrock. [5] There he became the mutated hero of the Decred Barrio, an impoverished community of superhero worshipers located on the outskirts of the city. Ravage freed Tiana from the despotic ruler of Hellrock, Lord Dethstryk, the last legally elected American president exiled to Hellrock for his crimes who wore dark formfitting armor to control his deadly power of disintegration and planned to invade the rest of the world and destroy all humans. He would become Ravage's primary nemesis. [6]

On Hellrock, where genetic scientist Dr. Ursell began helping him, Ravage was mutated by prolonged exposure to the island's radiation and biohazards, and for a short time his hands generated lethal energy. Eventually, his body devolved to a primal beast form, making Ravage far more attuned to the animal world than the human, and giving him horn-like protuberances on his head and face; talons on his hands and feet; fangs; a long vertical scar on the left side of his face; enhanced senses, strength, and speed; and the ability to regenerate from almost any wound. Ravage soon found he could also transform back to human form when necessary. [7] He escaped Hellrock using a rebuilt Fantasticar, formerly that of the 20th-century heroes the Fantastic Four, and eventually reconnected with his estranged family. He succeeds his assassinated brother, Jean-Claude Ravage, as head of the mega-corporation Green Globe. [8] Tiana meanwhile became a version of the Norse entity Hel, [9] given powers by Alchemax as part of a scheme to control or kill vigilante superheroes such as Ravage. [10]

Alongside Dack and Tiana, he battled the New Atlanteans, [11] and then Anderthorp Henton. [12] His body was then reverted to bestial form by radiation. [13]

Ravage attempted to control his animal side, with mixed results, and comes to accept it. [14] He encountered 2099's Punisher, X-Men, Spider-Man and Doctor Doom. He eventually returned to Hellrock, along with Tiana/Hela and the sentient bat-creature Ferra. [15] There, with the help of Dethstryk's confidant, the Seeress, Ravage killed Dethstryk and took over Hellrock. [16] Ravage presumably died after Doom immersed him and the rest of the island in liquid adamantium, with Doom then launching the island into space. [17]

Powers, abilities, and equipment

Ravage gained powers through surgery and being mutated by the radiation of Hellrock, where he battled Deathstryk to free Tiana. Initially, they consisted of the ability to project bio-kinetic energy beams from his hands that were physically taxing on Ravage's toll. However, these genetic alterations have changed him even further and then, he became a man-beast. In his new form, he has enhanced strength, stamina, durability, speed, agility, reflexes, healing, and senses, as well as natural horns, fangs, and claws. [18]

He formerly wore a vest of unknown 21st century fabric lined with "ultimate" Kevlar (an experimental laser-proof material), molecular gloves (to contain the kinetic energies stored up in his hands for one hour), and adjustable opti-lens (that enables long-range telescopic and infra-red sight).

Collected editions

TitleMaterial collectedPublished dateISBN
Spider-Man 2099 Classic Vol. 3Ravage 2099 #15 and Spider-Man 2099 (vol. 1)#15–22, X-Men 2099 #5, Doom 2099 #14, Punisher 2099 #13February 2015 978-0785193029

Related Research Articles

<i>The Amazing Spider-Man</i> Comic book series

The Amazing Spider-Man is an ongoing American superhero comic book series featuring the Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man as its title character and main protagonist. Being in the mainstream continuity of the franchise, it was the character's first title, launching seven months after his introduction in the final issue of Amazing Fantasy. The series began publication with a March 1963 cover date and has been published nearly continuously to date over six volumes with only one significant interruption. Issues of the title currently feature an issue number within its sixth volume, as well as a "legacy" number reflecting the issue's overall number across all Amazing Spider-Man volumes. The title reached 900 issues in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fantastic Four</span> Comic book superhero team

The Fantastic Four is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team debuted in The Fantastic Four #1, helping usher in a new level of realism in the medium. It was the first superhero team created by artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby and editor/co-scripter Stan Lee, and through this title the "Marvel method" style of production came into prominence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spider-Man</span> Marvel Comics superhero

Spider-Man is a superhero in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in the anthology comic book Amazing Fantasy #15 in the Silver Age of Comic Books. He has been featured in comic books, television shows, films, video games, novels, and plays.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Ditko</span> American comics artist (1927–2018)

Stephen John Ditko was an American comics artist and writer best known for being the co-creator of Marvel superhero Spider-Man and creator of Doctor Strange. He also made notable contributions to the character of Iron Man, revolutionizing the character's red and yellow design.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doctor Strange</span> Marvel Comics fictional character

Dr. Stephen Vincent Strange is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in Strange Tales #110. Doctor Strange serves as the Sorcerer Supreme, the primary protector of Earth against magical and mystical threats. Strange was introduced during the Silver Age of Comic Books in an attempt to bring a different kind of character and themes of mysticism to Marvel Comics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Avengers (comics)</span> Comic book superhero team

The Avengers are a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1. Labeled "Earth's Mightiest Heroes", the original Avengers consisted of Iron Man, Ant-Man, Hulk, Thor and the Wasp. Captain America was discovered trapped in ice in issue #4, and joined the group after they revived him.

<i>Marvel 2099</i> Marvel Comics imprint

Marvel 2099 was a Marvel Comics imprint, started in 1992, that was originally about one possible future of the Marvel Universe, but later revealed to be the Earth of the main Marvel continuity in the distant future. It was originally announced by Stan Lee in his "Stan's Soapbox" column as a single series entitled The Marvel World of Tomorrow, which was being developed by Lee and John Byrne. This later changed to a line of books under the banner Marvel 2093 before finally being published as Marvel 2099.

<i>Tales to Astonish</i> Science-fiction and superhero comic book series

Tales to Astonish is the name of two American comic book series, and a one-shot comic, all published by Marvel Comics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doctor Druid</span> Marvel Comics superhero

Doctor Anthony Druid, also known as Doctor Droom and Druid, is a fictional mystic and a supernatural monster-hunter appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Co-created by writer-editor Stan Lee and penciller Jack Kirby, he debuted as Dr. Anthony Droom in Amazing Adventures #1, published in March 1961. Kirby's art was inked by artist Steve Ditko. Dr. Droom appeared in four more issues of Amazing Adventures before his stories discontinued. Over a year later, artist Steve Ditko approached Stan Lee with a new magic character called Mr. Strange. Liking the idea, Stan Lee renamed the character Dr. Strange and wrote an origin story similar to Dr. Droom's. Dr. Anthony Droom was finally reintroduced to comics in 1976 in Weird Wonder Tales #19 in a retelling of his origin story which renamed him Dr. Anthony Druid. This retelling included new writing by Larry Lieber.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don Heck</span> American comic-book artist (1929–1995)

Donald L. Heck was an American comics artist best known for co-creating the Marvel Comics characters Iron Man, the Wasp, Black Widow, Hawkeye and Wonder Man and for his long run penciling the Marvel superhero-team series The Avengers during the 1960s Silver Age of comic books.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spider-Man 2099</span> Comic book superhero

Spider-Man 2099 is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by Peter David and Rick Leonardi in 1992 for the Marvel 2099 comic book line, and he is a futuristic re-imagining of the original Spider-Man created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. His true identity is Miguel O'Hara, an Irish-Mexican geneticist living in Nueva York in the year 2099 who attempts to re-create the abilities of the original Spider-Man in other people and later suffers a related accident that causes half of his DNA to be rewritten with a spider's genetic code.

<i>Punisher 2099</i> 1993–1995 Marvel comic book series

The Punisher 2099 is a comic book series following the account of Jake Gallows in the year 2099 in an alternate Marvel Universe. The majority of the issues were written by Pat Mills and Tony Skinner, with art by Tom Morgan. The rest were written by Chuck Dixon. The series ran from February 1993 through November 1995 with a total of 34 issues.

<i>X-Men 2099</i> Comic book series

X-Men 2099 is a comic book series published by Marvel Comics from 1993 to 1996 that chronicled the adventures of an X-Men team in the year 2099. It extends the Marvel 2099 imprint, which features other future versions of popular Marvel characters, such as Spider-Man 2099 and Hulk 2099. The series was written by John Francis Moore and largely pencilled by Ron Lim.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doom 2099</span> Comic book character

Doom 2099 is a fictional anti-hero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was primarily featured in the Marvel 2099 series Doom 2099. The character is based on Doctor Doom, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. The series was written by John Francis Moore for its first two years, and by Warren Ellis for its third.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Master Khan</span> Comics character

Master Khan is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, a recurring foe of Iron Fist and Luke Cage. He first appeared in Strange Tales #77, and was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stan Lee</span> American comic book writer, editor, publisher, and producer (1922–2018)

Stan Lee was an American comic book writer, editor, publisher and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Comics which later became Marvel Comics. He was Marvel's primary creative leader for two decades, expanding from a small publishing house division to a multimedia corporation that dominated the comics and film industries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daredevil (Marvel Comics character)</span> Marvel Comics fictional character

Daredevil is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Bill Everett, with an unspecified amount of input from Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Daredevil #1. Writer/artist Frank Miller's influential tenure on the title in the early 1980s cemented the character as a popular and influential part of the Marvel Universe. Daredevil is commonly known by such epithets as "Hornhead", "The Man Without Fear", and "The Devil of Hell's Kitchen".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green Goblin</span> Supervillain in Marvel Comics

The Green Goblin is the alias of several supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, the first and best-known incarnation of the Green Goblin is Norman Osborn, who is regarded as one of the superhero Spider-Man's three archenemies, alongside Doctor Octopus and Venom. Originally a manifestation of chemically induced insanity, others would later take on the persona, including Norman's son Harry Osborn. The Green Goblin is depicted as a criminal mastermind who uses an arsenal of Halloween-themed equipment, including grenade-like Pumpkin Bombs, razor-sharp bat-shaped blades, and a flying Goblin Glider, to terrorize New York City.

<i>Fantastic Four</i> (comic book) Comic book series

Fantastic Four is the name of several comic book titles featuring the team the Fantastic Four and published by Marvel Comics, beginning with the original Fantastic Four comic book series which debuted in 1961.

References

  1. Morris, Jon (2015). The League of Regrettable Superheroes: Half Baked Heroes from Comic Book History. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Quirk Books. pp. 232–233. ISBN   978-1-59474-763-2.
  2. 1 2 "An interview with artist Paul Ryan". Doom2099.com.
  3. Taylor, Dan (6 November 1992). "Stan Lee: It's Marvelous". The Press Democrat . Santa Rosa, CA.
  4. Tom DeFalco interviewed for "Who Is Steve Ditko?" by Christopher Lawrence, Wizard #124 (January 2002). Reprinted by The Jack Kirby Museum as “Ditko: The Mystery Behind the Man Article”.
  5. Ravage 2099 #1-2 (December 1992 - January 1993)
  6. Ravage 2099 #3 (February 1993)
  7. Ravage 2099 #4-5 (March–April 1993)
  8. Ravage 2099 #19 (June 1994)
  9. Ravage 2099 #10 (September 1993)
  10. Ravage 2099 #11-13 (October-December 1993)
  11. Ravage 2099 #6-7 (May–June 1993)
  12. Ravage 2099 #8 (July 1993)
  13. Ravage 2099 #9 (August 1993)
  14. Ravage 2099 #21-24 (Aug.-November 1994)
  15. Ravage 2099 #27 (February 1995)
  16. Ravage 2099 #28 (March 1995)
  17. Ravage 2099 #33 (August 1995)
  18. Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z Update Vol 1 #5 (February 2011)