Razorback (comics)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Razorback | |
 Panel from "Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man" #13 |
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| Publication information | |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man #12 (November 1977) |
| Created by | Archie Goodwin[1], Bill Mantlo and Sal Buscema |
| In story information | |
| Alter ego | Buford T. Hollis |
| Species | Human Mutant |
| Abilities | Depowered, formerly: Innate ability to operate and drive any vehicle, Costume grants: Electrically charged mane |
Razorback (Buford Hollis) is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character first appeared in shadow in Spectacular Spider-Man vol. 1 #12. His first full appearance is in Spectacular Spider-Man vol. 1 #13.
Contents |
[edit] Fictional character biography
Buford Hollis, a muscular trucker and costumed adventurer from Texarkana, Arkansas, was in New York looking for his younger sister, who had joined a religious cult. This was in fact led by the villainous Man-Beast (disguised as the Hate-Monger), and it took the combined efforts of Razorback and Spider-Man to defeat him.
Later, Buford would be seen again in The Sensational She-Hulk. Taryn O'Connell, a female trucker, spent some time searching for him before he arrived in his oversized rig. They teamed up and used the rig itself to hijack NASA's experimental faster-than-light spacecraft, the Star Blazer. Though opposed by Mister Fantastic and She-Hulk, they nevertheless succeeded in stealing the spaceship.
Their purpose was to find Taryn's lover, Ulysses Solomon Archer, who had left for deep space several years prior, establishing himself as a space trucker. They arrived (with She-Hulk in tow, thanks to Mister Fantastic's assistance) only to discover that Archer had already married Taryn's rival for his affections, Mary McGrill, who had travelled into space with him. In the same She-Hulk story arc, Razorback assisted in defeating Xemnu the Titan, who intended to transform Archer and Mary's as-yet-unborn child into a member of his own species. With the help of the She-Hulk's persuasion, NASA soon realized that Razorback was the perfect pilot for their craft. Taryn joins Buford on his travels, having fallen in love with him. Star Blazer was renamed the Big Pig, which Razorback calls all his vehicles.
Both later returned to Earth, and Razorback inexplicably fought the Human Torch[2]. Razorback has reportedly lost his mutant powers after M-Day[issue # needed], though his size and strength are unaffected.
[edit] Powers and abilities
Given his great size (6' 8", 410 lbs) and muscular build, Razorback possesses considerable (but not superhuman) strength and endurance. He is an excellent hand-to-hand combatant and wears a wild-boar cowl headpiece with an electrified mane. This electrical discharge proved strong enough to incapacitate Spider-Man[3].
Previously, Razorback had the mutant ability to intuitively pilot, drive or operate virtually any vehicle or mode of transportation. Thus he could fly the experimental "Star Blazer" spacecraft despite having never seen it before.
Razorback is a skilled mechanic and self-taught engineer who built two cab-over tractor-trailer trucks with sophisticated defensive systems, enhanced engines and self-drive capabilities (Big Pig I and Big Pig II).
[edit] In other media
[edit] Novels
Razorback made a number of appearances in the series of Marvel Comics novels published by Byron Preiss in the 1990s. The novels shared a common continuity and he was a recurring supporting character in the Spider-Man novels, as well as Generation X: Crossroads by J. Steven York. This novel ends with Razorback, who has won acclaim by saving the life of the President, wondering if he should risk his reputation by publicly revealing his mutant nature.
An alternate universe version of Razorback appears in the novel Spider-Man/X-Men: Time's Arrow, The Present by Tom DeFalco and Adam-Troy Castro, in a world where the X-Men were dictators who controlled all superheroes. He joined the resistance movement after the X-Men took Big Pig to pieces.
Although more likeable than most of the team (which largely comprises villains), he is very bitter about the "death" of Big Pig. At one point Spider-Man thinks "I don't believe it. This Razorback is grim and gritty."
