Rocket Raccoon

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caption=Rocket Raccoon
Art by Nic Klein.
comic_color=background:#ff8080
character_name=Rocket Raccoon
real_name=
publisher=Marvel Comics
debut=Incredible Hulk (vol. 2) #271 (May 1982)
creators=Bill Mantlo
Sal Buscema
Al Milgrom
alliance_color=background:#c0c0ff
alliances=Guardians of the Galaxy
aliases=
powers=|

Rocket Raccoon is a raccoon comic book fictional character in the Marvel Universe. He first appeared in Incredible Hulk(vol. 2) #271 (May 1982). Rocket Raccoon is an intelligent, anthropomorphic raccoon.

Publication history

The character was created by Bill Mantlo and Keith Giffen and consciously inspired by the classic Beatles song "Rocky Raccoon"Fact|date=August 2008 which included "Gideon's Bible" (in the comic book limited-series it was a book that contained the sum of all knowledge on the "loony colony").

Rocket Raccoon first appeared in "The Incredible Hulk" #271. He later had his own four-issue limited-series. This limited-series was penciled by Mike Mignola and inked by Al Gordon. Issue #3 was inked by Al Milgrom.

Fictional character biography

A member of an abandoned colony for the mentally ill where the animal companions were genetically manipulated to grant them human level intelligence and bipedal body construction for many to become caretakers of the inmates. Rocket was a guard who protected the colony against various threats.

Rocket Raccoon acts as the "Guardian of the Keystone Quadrant," an area of outer space sealed off from the rest of the cosmos by the so-called Galacian Wall. Rocket is captain of the starship "Rack 'n' Ruin", and he and his first mate Wal Russ (a talking walrus) come from the planet Halfworld, half of which is inhabited by other talking animals, and half of which is inhabited by automatons.

Rocket Raccoon and his friends later cured the inmates of their mental illnesses and then took off into space for their own adventures. [Rocket Raccoon limited series]

During Peter David's run on the "Hulk" series, Hulk went into space and David addressed reader requests for Rocket's reappearance by implying that he had been killed by the aliens known as the Troyjans, who had a pelt mounted on the wall that looked like Rocket's. With Rocket reappearing alive after this story, it can be assumed that the pelt belonged to some other raccoon instead."The Incredible Hulk" #413-16 ("The Troyjan War"), 1994, Marvel Comics, writer Peter David] In 2007, Rocket Raccoon returned in the " - Star-Lord" limited series. [cite web |url=http://www.wizarduniverse.com/magazine/wizard/003641508.cfm |title=GETTING EXCLUSIVE AT MARVEL’S CUP O’ JOE |accessdate=2007-02-25 |publisher=WizardUniverse.com] [cite web |url=http://wizarduniverse.com/_images_/003641/ANNCONQUESTSTARLORD.jpg|title=Image |accessdate=2007-02-25 |publisher=WizardUniverse.com] Rocket Raccoon is depicted as a gifted military tactician who is also fearless, loyal, and insightful.

According to Marvel's official website Rocket Raccoon will continue his new adventures as a part of the team "Guardians of the Galaxy" along with other characters from the "Annihilation: Conquest" series. [ [http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=156983 Greeting the Guardians: Rocket Raccoon, Groot] , Newsarama, May 14, 2008] "Guardians of the Galaxy" Volume 2, #1 was released in May 2008.

Notable appearances

* "Marvel Preview" #7, 1976 (Alleged) (some sources say the story "Earth:Sword in the Star" is the first appearance of Rocket Raccoon because it is co-created by Bill Mantlo, and features a futuristic raccoon named "Rocky" that looks a lot like the 1985 limited series version of Rocket [cite web |url=http://www.marvel.com/universe/OHOTMU:Bibliography-Legacy80s#Rocket_Racoon |title=Marvel Legacy Handbook Bibliography |accessdate=2008-03-04 |publisher=Marvel.com] )
* "Incredible Hulk" #271: Title: "Now Somewhere In the Black Holes of Sirius Major There Lived a Young Boy Named Rocket Raccoon" (May 1982)
* "Marvel Age, #25 (April 1985)
* "Rocket Raccoon" (four issue limited series) #1 - #4 (May - August 1985): :#"Rocket Raccoon/Animal Crackers" :#"The Masque of the Red Breath" :#"The Book of Revelations" :#"The Age of Enlightenment"
* Rocket Racoon's appearances in some back-up stories in the "Transformers (Marvel UK)" series were reprints of the limited series.
* "Quasar" #15 "Death Watch" (October 1990)
* "Sensational She-Hulk", The #44: "Cognito" (October 1992).
* "The Sensational She-Hulk", The #45: "Change of Mine..." (November 1992).
* "The Sensational She-Hulk", The #46: "Oops!" (December 1992).
* "Incredible Hulk" #415 (Alleged) (this is a questionable appearance, the alleged hide of Rocket Raccoon or some other raccoon can be seen on Troyjan ruler Armageddon's wall) (March 1994)
* "She-Hulk" Volume 2, #1 (2005)
* "She-Hulk" Volume 2, #3 (AKA #100) (2006) (issue #3 dual-numbered as #3/#100, to signify 100th issue of a solo She-Hulk series)
* " - Prologue" (June 2007) (one-shot)
* " - Star-Lord" #1 - #4 (July - November 2007, no issue in October)
* "" #2 (December 2007)
* "" #3 (January 2008)
* "" #4 (February 2008)
* "" #5 (March 2008)
* "" #6 (April 2008)
* "Guardians of the Galaxy" series (May 2008 - current)

Notes

References

*comicbookdb|type=character|id=8351|title=Rocket Raccoon

External links

* [http://www.cincity2000.com/content/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1443 Character Sketches #6: Rocket Raccoon and Cosmo the Psychic Commie Dog from CC2K]
* [http://www.norse-man.net/marvel/Char-R/RocketRaccoon.htm Rocket Raccoon at norse-man.net]
* [http://www.marvel.com/universe/OHOTMU:Bibliography-Legacy80s#Rocket_Racoon Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe entry for Rocket Raccoon]
* [http://www.marvel.com/universe/Rocket_Raccoon Official Marvel biography for Rocket Raccoon]