List of The Adventures of Jack Ransom characters
This is a list of characters in the Altman Publishing published comic book series The Adventures of Jack Ransom. It was created by Billy Hughes, with colouring and design by Dave Osenni.
Heroes
Jack Ransom
First appearance: "Ransom'd" (Issue #1). Published May, 1985.[1]
The main character and hero of the series. Built after the stereotype of a very self-confident macho man, the Secret Agent is feared by the forces of evil for his very special set of skills. This set of skills would "make a grown man cry", as his enemies often tell each other in many of the issues. In reality though, he is essentially a low-budget Batman, using techniques based around the utilization of the enemy's fear, martial arts, sensory overload and general subterfuge. In the story, he is affiliated with the SCD'7, a secret arm of the British Government, which prided itself in succeeding, when everyone else failed.
His signature special move was called "Ransom Kick", which consisted of a very powerful flying kick, aided by a rocket belt. One of his most famous quotes has to be his catchphrase, which he would often say right after delivering the aforementioned attack: "No matter where you are, in and around the world, Jack Ransom will save you."
Curtis
First appearance: "Ransom'd" (Issue #1). Published May, 1985. [2]
Jack Ransom's new partner, who replaces Ted Ocean during the latter half of the first issue. The character was mostly known to be extremely shy and quiet, except in certain key moments often related to his crush on pop superstar Jess Proudmoore, a very minor character only known for being James Bailey's secretary. In the series, he often serves little purpose and is mostly associated with the comic relief plot element of the story.
James "Herr Big Daddy" Bailey
First appearance: "Ransom'd" (Issue #1). Published May, 1985.[3]
Ted Ocean
First appearance: "Ransom'd" (Issue #1). Published May, 1985.[4]
Professor Carlos Javier
First appearance: "Earth and Beyond" (Issue #9). Published January, 1986.[5]
Villains
Dr. Frasier, a.k.a. Boom Boom Raven
First appearance: "Ransom'd" (Issue #1). Published May, 1985.[6]
The crazy nemesis of the story, or as he would put it, "often misunderstood". Dr. Fraiser was a very normal scientist for an unnamed hair product company in the United States of America, until he suffered an accident during one of his experiments related to the care and control of afro-style hair. This freak happenstance resulted in a terrible mutation to his hair, and consequentially, his brain. He chose to further extend his research into how to mutate his vocal cords, being his theory that hair and vocal cords were essentially the same. All this had several side effects, most notably a kind of high pitched squeal often referred to during the comic books, which he would in turn seize and control into a weapon of catastrophic might.
Early in the series, he is captured by Jack Ransom and sent to a maximum security prison, only to break out during Issue #10 for the, unbeknown to the creative forces behind this comic, final arc of the hero's story.
His signature attack was the Explosive Baby! Formation, which would cause a chain reaction of explosions that would follow each other faster and harder each time. Before this attack, his catchphrase would usually make an appearance: "Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom, BOOM!". Hilarity ensued among the readership when, during Boom Boom Raven's first capture, he made a plea for his freedom to Ransom saying "I'll pay you the rent!".
X.E.N.O.C.O.R.E
First appearance: "Project: X.E.N.O.C.O.R.E." (Issue #8). Published December, 1985.[7]
Little is known about this character, mainly due to its artificial nature: X.E.N.O.C.O.R.E. was an A.I. controlled robot, created by an unnamed evil corporation attempting to control the Earth's Core, with the objective of seizing power over every nation in the planet by threatening them with localized seismic activity, lest their demands were met. It is destroyed by Jack Ransom using a very cunning form of Ransom Kick and a pit of lava in issue #9. However, the A.I. controlling the robot manages to upload itself onto a nearby war-equipped satellite, threatening the planet itself and leading the main character into the final frontier.
Kerri Cowley, a.k.a. Pyro Girl
First appearance: "Burn! The Fury of Pyro Girl" (Issue #4). Published August, 1985.[8]
Pyro Girl is the second villain presented in the story, who later becomes Jack Ransom's love interest. A distraught teenager with a lighter who was obsessed with Johnny Hurricane, a reference to the character Johnny Storm (Fantastic Four, created by Stan Lee and published by Marvel Comics).
References
- ↑ Billy Hughes (w), Dave Osenni (a). "Ransom'd" The Adventures of Jack Ransom 1: 1/5 (May, 1985), Altman Publishing
- ↑ Billy Hughes (w), Dave Osenni (a). "Ransom'd" The Adventures of Jack Ransom 1: 15/2 (May, 1985), Altman Publishing
- ↑ Billy Hughes (w), Dave Osenni (a). "Ransom'd" The Adventures of Jack Ransom 1: 1/2 (May, 1985), Altman Publishing
- ↑ Billy Hughes (w), Dave Osenni (a). "Ransom'd" The Adventures of Jack Ransom 1: 2/3 (May, 1985), Altman Publishing
- ↑ Billy Hughes (w), Dave Osenni (a). "Earth and Beyond" The Adventures of Jack Ransom 9: 20/1 (January, 1986), Altman Publishing
- ↑ Billy Hughes (w), Dave Osenni (a). "Ransom'd" The Adventures of Jack Ransom 1: 4/1 (May, 1985), Altman Publishing
- ↑ Billy Hughes (w), Dave Osenni (a). "Project: X.E:N.O.C.O.R.E." The Adventures of Jack Ransom 8: 20/1 (December, 1985), Altman Publishing
- ↑ Billy Hughes (w), Dave Osenni (a). "Burn! The Fury of Pyro Girl" The Adventures of Jack Ransom 4: 2/3 (December, 1985), Altman Publishing