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JOE RAVEK

Real Name: Joe Ravek

Identity/Class: Normal human (1950s era)

Occupation: Prisoner;
   formerly museum guard

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Mac (full name unrevealed), Pete (last name unrevealed)

Enemies: "Oriental idol"

Known Relatives: Mary Ravek (wife)

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Unrevealed city in the USA

First Appearance: Mystic I#3/5 (July, 1951)

Powers/Abilities: Joe Ravek was a normally diligent but unassuming museum guard. He lacked ambition until the opportunity for theft appeared. He was a capable liar during a police interview.

Height: 5'10" (by approximation)
Weight: 160 lbs. (by approximation)
Eyes: Black
Hair: Black

History:

(Mystic I#3/5 (fb) - BTS) - Joe Ravek had worked unambitiously as a museum guard for many years, hoping to one day make it to head guard (once Mac retired). He prided himself on his "honest" employment. His lazy wife, Mary, chided him often for the low income, but she did nothing to contribute. He thought the eyes of a male "Oriental idol" that the museum had on display for years were creepy.

(Mystic I#3/5) - Nagged again by his wife after a long day at work, Joe retired to a bar and concocted a plan to get more money. He returned to the museum, evaded the night guard Pete, and gouged out the ruby eyes from the idol. He thought the idol squirmed and moaned during the theft. Joe dashed back home and showed Mary, who was impressed and intended to hock the jewels, but first secured them in a pouch around her neck. The next day, Joe was questioned about the theft, but fooled the police. Haunted by the blinded statue, Joe felt an impending sense of dread. Mary refused his pleas to return the jewels but the idol had seemingly come to life and found the Ravek's tenement, knocking on the door. Walking to Mary, the silent idol knocked out Joe and retrieved its ruby eyes before killing and mutilating Mary, then returned to the museum. Joe recovered later and was shocked by his wife's corpse, but rushed to the museum to find the restored idol there. However, the police arrived and arrested Joe. His incredible alibi did not stop him being jailed and he called out for someone to believe him.

 

Comments: Created by uncredited writer, Paul Reinman (pencils & inks).

Could there be a link between the idol's ruby eyes and the demon Cyttorak, who imbued the Juggernaut with destructive powers using a ruby? The Juggernaut's temple was in east Asia, possibly a similar region to the idol's origin.

A bizarre concept would be a tree-like being (like Groot's race) twisted into a human form using the mystical binding power of two Cyttorak rubies (as eyes) to imprison him.

Thanks to Dim for noting the idol's headdress looks like a makuta (chada/magaik/mongkut/mokot headdress), a type of crown used in Southeast Asian monarchies, in the grounds of the modern countries of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand. A prime example is the Thai Great Crown of Victory. This headdress is potentially based on the regal/ceremonial lomphok.

Profile by Grendel Prime.

CLARIFICATIONS :
Joe Ravek has no known connections to:

"Oriental idol"

The "Oriental idol" was of unrevealed origin and composition, but clearly came from somewhere in east Asia and likely had some sort of mystical influence. The museum where Joe Ravek worked had several such idols, but only one with rubies embedded as eyes. Ravek's wife harassed him for his low salary and Ravek then saw the eyes as potential earnings. Outside his shift, he broke into the museum and gouged out the two ruby eyes of the idol, although the idol seemed to squirm and groan in the process. The theft was discovered the next day, yet Ravek evaded suspicion. But the next night, the blind idol, seemingly larger, came to life and attacked the Raveks in their home. It knocked out Joe before mutilating and killing his wife, then retrieved the rubies kept in a pouch around her neck. The idol returned to its display with its ruby eyes again in place, and remained motionless as Joe was arrested for his wife's murder.

Oddly, the "Oriental idol" stood about 4' tall when on display in the museum, but seemed to grow to about 6' in height when it attacked the Raveks in their home to retrieve its eyes, only to reduce in size again later. It may have been mystically imbued to protect ruby-like magical items, with this power increasing when the items were stolen.

Potentially Thai or Khmer (Cambodian) in design, it likely depicted a regal man from history or mythology (see comments).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

--Mystic I#3/5

Mary Ravek

Mary was Joe Ravek's lazy and chain-smoking wife. She stayed at home in a dressing gown, complaining about Joe's lack of ambition and wealth while he worked diligently as a museum guard. She was excited about Joe's theft of an idol's ruby eyes and wore them in a pouch around her neck until she could score money for them. But the idol seemingly came to life and retrieved its eyes after knocking Joe out. The idol stole Mary's eyes and killed her. Joe was sentenced to prison for Mary's murder, despite his unbelieved alibi.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

--Mystic I#3/5

images: (without ads)
Mystic I#3/5, p2, pan1 (main image)
   p6, pan6 (headshot)
   p6, pan5 (with idol)
   p1, pan1 (idol)
   p5, pan1 (Mary)

Appearances:
Mystic I#3/5 (July, 1951) - uncredited writer, Paul Reinman (pencils & inks), Stan Lee (editor)

First posted: 06/21/2019
Last updated: 06/21/2019

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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