RAY

Real Name: Apparently Ray

Identity/Class: Alternate Reality (Earth-81108) apparently batrachian-humanoid

Occupation: Unrevealed

Group Membership: Unrevealed

Affiliations: He briefly encountered and spoke to Cholly and Flytrap

Enemies: He was upset with Cholly and Flytrap when they parted company

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Unrevealed;
    he was seen in the barren regions around Centercity

First Appearance: The New Adventures of Cholly and Flytrap: Till Death Do Us Part Book One of Three (December, 1990)

Powers/Abilities: Ray appeared to be a batrachian-humanoid, and he may or may not have had superhuman jumping abilities, an extendable/prehensile tongue and/or the ability to release psychoactive toxins from a set of superficial glands on the dorsal (top) surface of his neck.

    Or maybe he was just a human(oid) in a toad costume (see comments)...

History:
(The New Adventures of Cholly and Flytrap: Till Death Do Us Part Book One of Three) - After Cholly and Flytrap had killed some other guys and were sorting through their possessions, they were spotted by Ray, who rushed up to them and confirmed their identities.

    Although Cholly was preoccupied counting (apparently bullets), Ray told him that he knew they would show up and that they were going to enter Flytrap in the competition in Centercity: "Ten million rounds is sweet!"

    Ray further told Cholly that he had this little nest egg he had been savin'...two hundred rounds of .45 cal.

    This got Cholly's attention, and he asked where it was, but Ray nervously told him that he didn't have it on him, of course.

    Nonetheless, Ray told Cholly that he was gonna lay it all on Flytrap to win, of course...and then he asked if Flytrap was going to win.

    When Cholly ignored him, Ray asked what happened to the two dead guys, and Cholly told him that they had been playing a game and the two guys had lost.

    Briefly startled, Ray asked when Flytrap was going to fight the champ for the big money, and Cholly told him that he and Flytrap were hocking what they had just collected in the town before they headed west.

    Ask Cholly and Flytrap walked away, Ray asked what about the fight and the big money. As they ignored him and disappeared into the distance, Ray shouted, "Never thought I'd see the day Cholly and Flytrap turned yellow!"

Comments: Created by Arthur Suydam as part of the creator-owned Epic Comics line.

Earth-81108 Cholly and Flytrap adventured in post-apocalyptic world. Epic Illustrated #8 (1981)

    I'm not positive it is on Earth, but there a lot of relatively modern culture references (as well as racial slurs for Asians used on slug-people with Asian-sounding accents who speak English!).
    I read the Epic Illustrated stories decades ago, and I recalled almost nothing from them. I've been reading through them again to try to sort this storyline out, and three issues into, I'm no closer to understanding what's going on.

Additionally, the story in the Complete Adventures of Solly and Flytrap (printed by Titan Press, I believe), is a little different than the original.     AT LEAST, the scene with Ray is a little different.     The art is the same, but there are a few word balloons added that alter things for some reason. In the original story, there's not evidence that Cholly knows the frog/toad guy that comes up to him. In the Titan version, Cholly greets him as Ray.      That can easily be considered an expansion, rather than a contradiction. In the original story, Ray seems to be a batrachian (frog- or toad-) person, but in the Titan story he's something else and is wearing a costume Despite being covered from head to toe in this "toad outfit," Cholly recognizes him instantly. Maybe he's got a really unique voice. I can see how you could look at the two versions of the scene on the right (on the left is the original panel from New Adventures, and on the right is the edited reprint from the Complete Adventures) and think it could be a person's head inside of the toad's mouth. However, all of the other images (in both versions) make it clear that he has toad mouth parts (see the main profile).      That could also be an expansion, rather than a contradiction. It's a convincing costume, but it's some future reality, so who knows what they can do.

. . . . .     In a subsequent panel (in the Titan adaptation), Ray explains that it's Carnival time in Center City and that everybody was suited up for the big parade.

The third difference is that in the Titan adaptation, as Cholly and Flytrap head out, rather than just calling them cowards, Ray relates that Center City is going to succeed (sic; presumably they meant "secede") from the union. Or perhaps, something about a union was going to bring them success?      Plus, I think it was "Centercity" in the original stories, but "Center City" in the adaptation.      I don't know the whys or wherefores of these changes, but the original version is part of the Epic reality (81108). These edits are either expansions, or it is a different reality. I don't have the time to review both versions in full. Maybe someday...

    This profile was completed 04/26/2025, but its publication was delayed as it was intended for the Appendix 25^th anniversary's celebratory event.

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Ray should be distinguished from:

• COSMIC RAY of Earth-98 ( ) - Fantastic Four, son of Human Torch and Crystal, brother of Luna/Spike. Metamorph--Fantastic Four/Fantastic Four Annual 1998
• other "Ray" characters, groups, items, events, race or places...

First posted: 09/11/2026
Last updated: 04/26/2025

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

Non-Marvel Copyright info
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