DIRK RAVENSCORE

Real Name: Dirk Ravenscore

Identity/Class: Extradimensional (Earth-Shadowline) Shadow;
Venezuelan citizen

Occupation: Druglord

Group Membership: Leader of the Ravenscore crime family

Affiliations: Formerly employed Henry Clerk, Orb, Pan, Sabnak, Shreck, el Vattivo;
briefly allied with Gordon Castle, Michael Devlin, Dr. Zero, Powerline, Ripley Weaver

Enemies: Gordon Castle, Henry Clerk, the Guillermos family of shadows, Powerline, el Vattivo, Ripley Weaver, Zahn

Known Relatives: Tyler Ravenscore (father, deceased), Eric Ravenscore (brother)

Aliases: none

Base of Operations: currently unknown;
formerly the arctic;
formerly former Guillermos estate in Venezuela;
Earth-Shadowline

First Appearance: Powerline#2 (July, 1988)

Powers/Abilities: Dirk Ravenscore's primarily ability is to amplify the powers and abilities of other, in some cases even beyond their ability to control. He can also reshape solid matter on contact.

His body has been mutated into a monstrous green form, about seven feet tall (the above drawing is an exaggeration as part of artistic license), and possessing numerous tentacles. His face appears to be relatively normal, but it actually serves as the upper portion of an enormous mouth filled with razor-sharp teeth. In addition, he has a second, smaller mouth, below this.

Dirk possesses some degree of superhuman strength, presumably enhanced human. While he can be a savage and brutal attacker in some circumstances, in general he is not a particular skilled or courageous fighter. He tends to employ others to do his fighting for him.

Dirk hates all things human, which is why he had himself mutated from his previous, presumably human form.

History: Dirk Ravenscore is a shadow, one of the Ravenscore family, which ran a powerful drug dealing company in Venezuela. Dirk ascended to a position of power in the family, even superceding the rule of his own father.

(Critical Mass#1 (fb) - BTS) - Dirk's hatred of all things human grew every time he looked in the mirror at his own human face. His hatred grew to the point that he boosted his father's weak reshaping ability, enabling and forcing him to mutate him into increasingly more monstrous forms.

(Powerline#2 (fb) - BTS) - He also apparently took on his father's matter restructuring ability, which his father had given up, in exchange for taking on Gordon Castle's space portal power.

(Powerline#1 (fb) - BTS) - Dirk sent his father, Tyler, to use his new power to open portals in space, to lead an ambush on the rival Guillermos family of shadows. This attack slaughtered the family, leaving only Victor Guillermos--who escaped--alive.

(Powerline#1(fb) - BTS / Critical Mass#1/2 (fb)) - Dirk held a party where he hoped to marry his brother, Eric, to Lenore Castle, the daughter of a wealthy American family. Lenore was repulsed by Eric's brashness, which caused an argument, which escalated into a fight, in which Eric fought and cut the left hand off of Ripley Weaver. Victor Guillermos joined his powers with Lenore Castle to save Ripley, and the three of them escaped.
Dirk had Lenore's father, Gordon, taken prisoner as punishment for his failed plans. Dirk would amplify Gordon's space portal opening power to send his agents anywhere on Earth he needed them.

(Powerline#2) - Dirk slew his father, Tyler. With Bell's power the same as Tyler's, he was no longer needed, and he wished to punish him for the two failures to eliminate the last of the Guillermos. Dirk amplified Tyler's power, opening a portal through his body that tore him to pieces.

(St. George#4) - Dirk's chief assassin/mercenary, Shreck, met with him and announced his resignation, so that he could pursue a personal matter: revenge on Michael Devlin.

(Critical Mass#1) - Dirk met with his advisors to discuss a replacement for Shreck. At first, Dirk was furious when the Orb suggested a human, Henry Clerk. However, he changed his tune after learning that Clerk had once defeated Dr. Zero, the most powerful shadow on the planet.
Dirk found Henry Clerk working as a night clerk, selling chili, his mind badly damaged by Zero. Ravenscore then used his reshaping ability to repair Clerk's mind and then amplified his intellect even beyond its previous level. Clerk was more than happy to accept Ravenscore's offer, and proved himself by killing one of Dirk's dealers who had become derelict in his payments.

Dirk was certainly pleased with Henry's performance, but quickly realized that the man was quite mad, and his powerful intellect made him a very dangerous man. He realized just how dangerous when Clerk revealed his plan to unleash planet-wide nuclear radiation.

(Critical Mass#1/2) - Dirk began to lose his patience with Clerk's continual discussion of his nuclear holocaust plans. When Ripley Weaver and the Powerline kids stormed his estate, Dirk forced Gordon Castle to open one last space portal to allow him to escape, leaving Clerk and all of his allies behind. The Ravenscore crime family was crushed.

(Critical Mass#3) - In China, Dirk met with Pan, one of his old allies, and slew (and probably ate) Zahn, who had mocked his downfall. Pan directed Dirk to a meeting with Sabnak, whom he paid to slay Weaver and the Powerline kids. The kids managed to turn the tables on Sabnak and let him live when he revealed Ravenscore's location. They then chased down Dirk, who made them promise to leave him alone if he revealed an imminent planet-wide threat. Dirk revealed the danger posed by Henry Clerk, and they left him alone...
They had Gordon Castle teleport him to an ice flow in the arctic, far from any civilization...and they left him alone.

Dirk slew a polar bear and made a warm coat, and was forced to live as a predator.

(Critical Mass#7/2) - A plan to defeat Clerk's plan required Dirk Ravenscore's power. Castle teleported the Powerline kids to the arctic, where Dirk saw them first and ambushed them. Despite a few injuries, the kids managed to defeat him, and told him of their plan. He agreed to help them only if they agreed to return him to civilization and harass him no further.

The Powerline kids fed their full power into Dirk, who used his power to amplify Gordon's Castle's power, enabling him to teleport the Ft. Vrean nuclear plant into space before it could melt down. Castle was pulled along with the massive transfer and presumably died out in space. Dirk Ravenscore laughed at Lenore Castle as he walked away.

Comments: Created by Archie Goodwin, D. G. Chichester, Margaret Clark, and David Ross.
Dirk's form, as seen through Critical Mass, was first drawn by Kevin O'Neill and Bill Sienkiewicz.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Dirk should be distinguished from:

• Eric Ravenscore, his brother, who blew off Ripley Weaver's hand, @ Powerline#1
• TYLER RAVENSCORE, his father, @ Powerline#1
• RAVENS - a race of parasitic beings--X-Factor I#56
• Ravenstorm, Jedediah - impersonated by Kthara--Marvel Two-In-One#14
• RAVENWOOD--Generation X#67
• other "Raven" characters

Appearances:
Powerline#2 (July, 1988) - D.G. Chichester & Margaret Clark (writers), David Ross (pencils), Al Williamson (inks), Archie Goodwin (editor)
St. George#4 (December, 1988) - D.G. Chichester & Margaret Clark (writers), Klaus Janson (pencils), John Beatty (inks), Archie Goodwin (editor)
Critical Mass#1 (January, 1990) - D.G. Chichester & Margaret Clark (writers), Marc McLaurin (editor)