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GORKI

Real Name: Gorki

Identity/Class: Human (?) vampire (1950s era, resident of Hungary)

Occupation: Predator, outcast

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: None

Enemies: Nearby vampire villagers (especially Rajac)

Known Relatives: father (name unrevealed), mother (name unrevealed)

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Hungary

First Appearance: Astonishing#21/1 (January, 1953)

Powers/Abilities: Gorki was of the fanged vampire batmen with white skin and distinctive long batwings; however, these batwings appeared to offer only shielding advantage from small simple projectiles and gave no flight ability. Like other vampires, Gorki was susceptible to deadly wooden stakes and he slept in a coffin, but as with his fellow vampire batmen, daylight was not lethal, only extremely painful and its effects mitigated by a heavy cloak. Unlike his fellows, he was cannibalistic in nature and drew sustenance from his other vampiric batmen. Given this remained undetected for so long, his feeding was likely quiet sucking of blood. Culturally, the small colony of vampires wore ragged simple clothing with much exposed skin, the males often showing hairier chests and arms.

Height: Unrevealed
Weight: Unrevealed
Eyes: Black
Hair: Black

History:

(Astonishing#21/1 (fb)) - Gorki was born in a small colony of vampire batmen that lived in a castle hidden in a Hungarian castle. The vampires preyed on humans to bring back and feed on, but the child named Gorki refused to consume human blood, much to the shock of the village and the shame of his parents. The boy secretly fed on vampire blood and left no trace. But Gorki's disdain for human blood saw him cast out from the village-castle and he lived in a hut nearby, an adult alone and ignored by other vampires except adolescents, who mocked him. However, no villager was aware that Gorki secretly entered the castle during the day when all the vampires slept and preyed on them. The village vampire leaders grew increasingly concerned that they did not see Gorki feed and were concerned on his negative influence. One leader, Rajac, volunteered to brave daylight and spy on Gorki. Rajac followed Gorki as he made another stealthy raid on the castle. Unaware he was being watched, Gorki fed on a sleeping vampire until an enraged Rajac impaled him with a wooden stake, killing him.

 

 

Comments: Created by uncredited writer, Dick Ayers, Ernie Bache.

Are these unusual vampire batmen an offshoot of vampires that evolved in isolation in a Hungarian village or are they a hidden humanoid species with bat-like wings and vampiric tendencies? They are called mostly vampires in the story, but also sometimes batmen/bat-people.

Could these vampire batmen be linked to the vampire colony of Sverna, Hungary, also living in a castle? However, the Sverna colony, ruled by Gorlac (and secretly fed vampire blood that left them weakened), did not have the distinctive batwings and raiments of Rajac's colony. Gorki may even effectively be a mutant if he can survive on vampire blood while others are weakened.

Profile by Grendel Prime.

CLARIFICATIONS :
Gorki no known connections to:


Rajac

Rajac was one of the leaders of the Hungarian vampire village. Like the others, he was concerned about the impact of Gorki's refusal to consume human blood. Rajac resolved to track down the outcast Gorki. Using his cloak to evade the burning rising sun, he found Gorki's hovel hideaway and followed Gorki as the outcast secretly made his way to the vampire castle-village. Inside, Rajac was shocked to find Gorki feasting on a slumbering vampire and grabbed a handy nearby stake, impaling and killing Gorki.

Like other vampire batmen from the Hungarian castle village, he had white skin and a high sensitivity to sunlight, which could be mitigated with a heavy cloak. He could be slain with a wooden stake and his village clothing was a loin cloth (likely cultural-specific to that colony). His large bat-like wings gave no flight abilities (possibly only helped with gliding).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

--Astonishing#21/1


images: (without ads)
Astonishing#21/1, p3, pan2 (main image)
   p2, pan3 (headshot as youth)
   p5, pan3 (Rajac)


Appearances:
Astonishing#21/1 (January, 1953) - uncredited writer, Dick Ayers (pencils), Ernie Bache (inks), Stan Lee (editor)


First posted: 01/07/2021
Last updated: 01/07/2021

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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