Richard Rory

Richard Rory is one of the Bronze Age's most quietly endearing Marvel creations, stepping onto the page in 1974's Man-Thing #2 courtesy of the singular Steve Gerber and artist Val Mayerik. Born into the murky, philosophical swamplands of Gerber's most celebrated work, Rory shares his world with the muck-encrusted Man-Thing himself and a cast of wonderfully offbeat supporting players — a combination that speaks to just how strange and human that early Bronze Age Marvel could be. What makes Rory genuinely worth seeking out is his staying power: a character introduced in the mid-seventies who has turned up across titles as eclectic as Planet of the Apes and The Savage She-Hulk, threading through nearly five decades of Marvel history. For collectors who love the weird, wordy, emotionally ambitious corner of the Bronze Age, Richard Rory is a small gem hiding in plain sight.