Rat-Man (comic)

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N.B. There are other comics characters with the name "Ratman" or "Rat Man".

Rat-Man

Tutto Rat-Man #1.
Cover art by Leo Ortolani and Larry Ortolani.

Publisher	Panini Comics (formerly Marvel Italia and part of Marvel Comics)
First appearance	Spot 2, in L'Eternauta #86 of June, 1990
Created by	Leo Ortolani

Characteristics
Alter ego	Deboroh La Roccia
Affiliations	None, The Second Secret Squad, The Ex-Men
Notable aliases	Rat-Boy; Zappo, L'Uomo Imbarazzante ("Zappo the Embarrassing Man"); Marvelmouse
Abilities	None. On the contrary, he sports a complete lack of common sense or other forms of intelligence.

Rat-Man is an Italian comic about an inept superhero of the same name, created by Leo Ortolani in 1990. Although it was initially meant to be a satire of other superheroes, most prominently Batman, since then it has evolved into an independent comic sporting a complex, evolving continuity. The comic is well known for its nonsense humor à la Monty Python, its engaging storytelling and its frequent breaking of the fourth wall. Ortolani often pays both direct and indirect tribute to other comic authors (Jack Kirby above everyone else) and he frequently makes his characters use pop-culture references, either generic or specific to the native Italian context and background. The comic is currently being published by Panini Comics both as new installments under the name of "Rat-Man Collection" and as reprints of older stories in "Tutto Rat-Man".

1 Short history
2 Animated series
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] Short history

The character of Rat-Man appeared for the first time in the second issue of Spot, inside the Italian magazine L'Eternauta #86 of June 1990, shortly after Ortolani won a young artists' contest. From 1990 to 1995 Rat-Man was published on Spot and the fanzine Made in USA. After the debut, Ortolani chose to self-publish the comic alongside his primary job as a geologist; however, in 1997 he signed a contract with Marvel Italia, a brand owned by Panini Comics (and, at that same time, a branch of Marvel Comics itself), to publish the comic under the Marvel brand, which allowed him to become a full-time comics author. The contract also allowed him to use popular Marvel characters like Captain America, Wolverine and Elektra in Rat-Man stories; however, copyright problems have since prohibited such use of characters in the Rat-Man world.

Leo Ortolani clearly stated his intention to close the series with issue #100, which would be published around January, 2014 if no changes are made to the current bi-monthly publishing schedule.

[edit] Animated series

A Rat-Man animated series has been produced by Italian public television company RAI and Stranemani Animation Studios. Up to now 52 episodes have been made, each 13 minutes long. The series is currently on air in Italy on Rai Due. An official web site of the production is available.