Night Raven
Encyclopedia
Night Raven is a fictional superhero
appearing primarily in Marvel UK
Comics, a division of Marvel Comics
.
Night Raven first appeared in Hulk Comic #1 (Mach 7, 1979
).
and Richard Burton
, the early Night Raven stories were written by Steve Parkhouse
with art by David Lloyd
. Dez Skinn's immediate superior, Stan Lee
, did not like David Lloyd's "blocky" artwork and John Bolton became Lloyd's replacement artist towards the end of the strip's initial run. The original Night Raven strip was greatly influenced by the pulp characters of the 1930s (the time period in which the strip was set), especially The Shadow
and The Spider
.
Night Raven was one of the few original characters created for Marvel UK in the 1980s, and quickly became a fan-favorite. During the decade, Night Raven appeared in various Marvel UK
titles, including a run of text stories beginning in Marvel Superheroes (#382-386) by Alan McKenzie
and continued in The Daredevils
(#6-11) by Alan Moore
and Jamie Delano
. His period setting was gradually moved from the 1930s up to contemporary times by the plot device of having him rendered apparently immortal and indestructible but in constant pain and gradually losing his sanity as a result, due to the machinations of his equally immortal arch foe, the oriental female crime lord Yi Yang.
In the 1990s the character had only a handful of appearances, most prominent of which was a graphic novel
, Night Raven: House of Cards. The character's first American appearance was in a supporting role in the graphic novel Fury
/Black Widow: Death Duty. In Death Duty, it is revealed that he is unable to die. Night Raven's immortality was contradicted later in the 1995 Marvel US miniseries Nocturne, in which it was revealed that the original Night Raven had died after being poisoned in the 1950s. One of his last acts was to create a battlesuit which was later donned by Graham "Gray" Poldark to become a new hero known as Nocturne. It has since been confirmed that the Nocturne story did not take place in the main Marvel comics reality.
Night Raven is glimpsed in the first issue of the The Twelve
, where he is one of many costumed heroes pictured in Berlin in a scene dated April 25 1945. He plays no part in the subsequent story.
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
appearing primarily in Marvel UK
Marvel UK
Marvel UK was an imprint of Marvel Comics formed in 1972 to reprint US produced stories for the British weekly comic market, though it later did produce original material by British creators such as Alan Moore, John Wagner, Dave Gibbons, Steve Dillon and Grant Morrison.Panini Comics obtained the...
Comics, a division of Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
.
Night Raven first appeared in Hulk Comic #1 (Mach 7, 1979
1979 in comics
-Year overall:* The "Demon in a Bottle" storyline, by David Michelinie, Bob Layton, and John Romita, Jr., runs through Iron Man ....
).
Publication history
Originally created by editors Dez SkinnDez Skinn
Derek "Dez" Skinn is a British comic and magazine editor, and author of a number of books on comics. As head of Marvel Comics' operations in England in the late 1970s, Skinn reformatted existing titles, launched new ones, and acquired the BBC license for Doctor Who Weekly...
and Richard Burton
Richard Burton (comics)
Richard Burton is a British comic editor who worked on 2000 AD. However, he is possibly better known to readers as Tharg the Mighty's bumbling assistant Burt who appeared in a number of strips with him....
, the early Night Raven stories were written by Steve Parkhouse
Steve Parkhouse
Steve Parkhouse is a writer, artist and letterer who has worked for many British comics, especially 2000 AD and Doctor Who Magazine.-Biography:...
with art by David Lloyd
David Lloyd (comic artist)
David Lloyd is a British comics artist best known as the illustrator of the story V for Vendetta, written by Alan Moore.-Career:...
. Dez Skinn's immediate superior, Stan Lee
Stan Lee
Stan Lee is an American comic book writer, editor, actor, producer, publisher, television personality, and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics....
, did not like David Lloyd's "blocky" artwork and John Bolton became Lloyd's replacement artist towards the end of the strip's initial run. The original Night Raven strip was greatly influenced by the pulp characters of the 1930s (the time period in which the strip was set), especially The Shadow
The Shadow
The Shadow is a collection of serialized dramas, originally in pulp magazines, then on 1930s radio and then in a wide variety of media, that follow the exploits of the title character, a crime-fighting vigilante in the pulps, which carried over to the airwaves as a "wealthy, young man about town"...
and The Spider
The Spider
The Spider was one of the major pulp magazine heroes of the 1930s and 1940s.- Background :The Spider was created by Harry Steeger at Popular Publications in 1933 as competition to Street and Smith Publications' vigilante hero, The Shadow...
.
Night Raven was one of the few original characters created for Marvel UK in the 1980s, and quickly became a fan-favorite. During the decade, Night Raven appeared in various Marvel UK
Marvel UK
Marvel UK was an imprint of Marvel Comics formed in 1972 to reprint US produced stories for the British weekly comic market, though it later did produce original material by British creators such as Alan Moore, John Wagner, Dave Gibbons, Steve Dillon and Grant Morrison.Panini Comics obtained the...
titles, including a run of text stories beginning in Marvel Superheroes (#382-386) by Alan McKenzie
Alan McKenzie
Alan McKenzie is a British comics writer known for his work at 2000 AD.-Biography:McKenzie worked for Marvel UK during the early 1980s, editing Starburst, Cinema and Doctor Who Monthly magazines. After leaving the Marvel staff in 1985, he wrote several Doctor Who comic stories for the Monthly under...
and continued in The Daredevils
The Daredevils
The Daredevils was a comics magazine and anthology published by Marvel UK in 1983.Aimed for a more sophisticated audience than typical light superhero adventures, The Daredevils featured Captain Britain stories by Alan Moore and Alan Davis, as well as new Night Raven text stories, and reprints of...
(#6-11) by Alan Moore
Alan Moore
Alan Oswald Moore is an English writer primarily known for his work in comic books, a medium where he has produced a number of critically acclaimed and popular series, including Watchmen, V for Vendetta, and From Hell...
and Jamie Delano
Jamie Delano
Jamie Delano is a British comics writer. He was part of the first post-Alan Moore "British Invasion" of writers. Best known as the first writer of the comic book series Hellblazer, starring John Constantine.- Biography :...
. His period setting was gradually moved from the 1930s up to contemporary times by the plot device of having him rendered apparently immortal and indestructible but in constant pain and gradually losing his sanity as a result, due to the machinations of his equally immortal arch foe, the oriental female crime lord Yi Yang.
In the 1990s the character had only a handful of appearances, most prominent of which was a graphic novel
Graphic novel
A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
, Night Raven: House of Cards. The character's first American appearance was in a supporting role in the graphic novel Fury
Nick Fury
Colonel Nicholas Joseph "Nick" Fury is a fictional World War II army hero and present-day super-spy in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by artist Jack Kirby and writer Stan Lee, Fury first appeared in Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #1 , a World War II combat series that portrayed the...
/Black Widow: Death Duty. In Death Duty, it is revealed that he is unable to die. Night Raven's immortality was contradicted later in the 1995 Marvel US miniseries Nocturne, in which it was revealed that the original Night Raven had died after being poisoned in the 1950s. One of his last acts was to create a battlesuit which was later donned by Graham "Gray" Poldark to become a new hero known as Nocturne. It has since been confirmed that the Nocturne story did not take place in the main Marvel comics reality.
Night Raven is glimpsed in the first issue of the The Twelve
The Twelve (comics)
The Twelve is an American comic book limited series from Marvel Comics, which the company announced in July 2007 would run twelve issues beginning spring 2008, with the creative team of writer J. Michael Straczynski and artist Chris Weston...
, where he is one of many costumed heroes pictured in Berlin in a scene dated April 25 1945. He plays no part in the subsequent story.