RED FEVER

Real Name: Melvin "Mel" Jay

Identity/Class: Human, conventional weapons user;
    possibly extradimensional (Earth-Crossover, see comments)

Occupation: Professional criminal, druglord

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: None

Enemies: Archie Andrews, Hiram & Veronica Lodge, Microchip, Punisher, criminals from a rival gang (Binky, Buzzy, Scooter, others)

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: Montana Bob, Freckles Babyface
    mistaken for Archie Andrews

Base of Operations: Mobile;
    last seen floating in the sky above Riverdale

First Appearance: The Punisher Meets Archie#1 (August, 1994)

Powers/Abilities: Red Fever has no superhuman powers, but uses and is experienced with a variety of firearm. He presumably has some experience in street-fighting techniques.

    He is bald, but wears a red toupee.

History:
(The Punisher Meets Archie#1 (fb) - BTS) - Red Fever established a history of going up and down the ladder as a druglord. When one business crashed and burned, he was always quick to rise from the ashes and start fresh.

(The Punisher Meets Archie#1) - Melvin Jay fled from the Punisher in New York, escaping into Union Station and catching a trip to Riverdale. Posing as the Chairman of Pulaski Pharmaceuticals, Jay got in good with Hiram Lodge, as well as his daughter, Veronica, who was mad at her would-be-beau, Archie Andrews. Veronica invited Jay to attend her 1950's style school dance. The Punisher followed Jay to Riverdale, as did several other criminals, but just about everybody mistook Archie for Jay, and Jay for Archie...and hijinks ensued. Jay started to get fresh with Veronica, but as soon as he spotted the Punisher at the dance, he tried to use Veronica as a hostage. Microchip caught him on the way out, but Archie's friend Moose, mistaking Jay for Archie, punched Micro out, and Jay fled.
    Jay tried to ransom Veronica back to the Lodge's, but Veronica slipped several clues to her whereabouts in the message she was forced to leave, and the Punisher and Archie tracked them the building were they made parade floats. Jay shot at Archie, but Veronica slipped free, and wrecked his aim, though a bullet did pop a float that then covered the Punisher. Jay chased after Veronica, but Archie slammed into him with a cart, stunning him. The conflict jarred a lever that opened the roof, and Jay's foot got tangled in a rope attached to a float of Archie Comics' Shield. Jay floated off into the air, complaining that it was getting hard to breathe, he was afraid of heights, and he hated pigeons.

Comments: Created by Batton Lash, John Buscema, Stan Goldberg, and Tom Palmer.

As far as I'm concerned, any story that doesn't conflict with established continuity belongs on Earth-616. In this type case, where there is a crossover with essentially another Megaverse (company), such that the characters are treated as if they exist on the same world, then it is either:

• An alternate Earth, such as Earth-Crossover, where essentially represents of every character dwell together
• A situation where beings, such as the Brothers, or other unspecified circumstances, briefly cause two realities to overlap. In those cases, memories of the merged realities exist in the characters, and so they are not surprised by new locations, etc. Things go back to normal after the realities separate, and characters are unlikely to remember those events.
• So, either Red Fever is native to Earth-616, "Earth-Archie," Earth-Crossover, or all of the above. I personally vote the latter, meaning that he is an Earth-616 character.
  He is mentioned in the Marvel Knights Encyclopedia appendix.   :)

Beyond the standard supporting characters, also present in this story were: Josie and the Pussycats (who played at the dance), Millie the Model (and Katy?), Dino Manelli (also playing the dance), Patsy Walker and Hedy Wolfe.

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
No known connection to:

• other "Red" or "Fever" characters

images:
The Punisher Meets Archie#1, 3rd from last page, panel 1
        panel 7 (bald head)
    p3, panel 5 (face)

Last updated: 08/16/04

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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