hunterhunter
Real Name: Unrevealed
Identity/Class: Alternate reality (Earth-54136) advanced-technology-user;
active circa 2223 A.D. (and presumably he was born 30-40 years before that)
Occupation: Hunter, scientist, inventor
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: Unidentified assistant (deceased);
he created the Mechanical Quarry and the Javarra-Blic hybrid, but only as a targets;
similarly, he caused the evolution of the Martian Apes with the goal of making them more challenging prey
Enemies: Blic of Uranus, Flame-Tongued Lizards of Venus, Horned Quinipeds of Saturn, Javarra of Pluto, Javarra-Blic hybrid, Kransloth(s) of Jupiter, Martian Apes, Mechanical Quarry; presumably unidentified quarry on Mercury and Neptune
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Presumably Earth, but active on the other worlds of the Sol system, perhaps within game preserves, etc.
First Appearance: Astonishing I#35/5 (October, 1954)
Powers/Abilities: The hunter was a skilled inventor, able to create a time machine able send at least two apes forward in time and then return them to the time from which they had been sent.
He also created the mechanical quarry, and he may or may not have created the neutron gun, which he used to subdue big game on every world in the solar system.
He had access to technology to travel to the world's in the Sol system, but whether this was via spaceship or teleportation was not clearly stated.
He was experienced at ambushing and slaying various extraterrestrial creatures with his neutron gun.
He also used some form of scent-tracker to help him locate his quarry.
Height: Unrevealed (approximately 6')History:
(Astonishing I#35/5 - BTS)
<2223 A.D.> - An unidentified inventor, having profited so greatly
from his inventions, spent much of his time as a sportsman, hunting big
game with his neutron gun on the planets of Earth's solar system.
(Astonishing I#35/5 (fb) - BTS) - At some point, the hunter successfully bagged at least one Martian Ape, Plutonian Javarra, Uranian Blic and whatever (if any) big game existed on Mercury and/or Neptune.
(Astonishing I#35/5) - On Jupiter, the hunter either slew or captured a Kransloth with his neutron gun.
(Astonishing I#35/5) - Through the Venusian jungle, the hunter tracked and either slew or captured a ferocious and lurid flame-tongued lizard via his neutron gun.
(Astonishing I#35/5) - In the
shadow of Saturn's rings, the hunter brought down the last animal on
his planetary checklist, the horned quiniped via his neutron gun.
(Astonishing I#35/5) - The hunter realized that there was not any other game "in the universe" (although he had not and presumably could not travel beyond his solar system, and even less likely out of the Milky Way Galaxy).
He sought to have a quarry that could give him a keen thrill of danger, even though in the end, he was certain to conquer it.
To this end, the hunter used some
sort of hand control operated robotic equipment to create such a
creature as a robot, which was programmed with two instincts: To hide
and to attack.
(Astonishing I#35/5 (fb) - BTS) - The hunter released his mechanical quarry into a wooded area (perhaps within his hunting preserve).
(Astonishing I#35/5) - As the hunter tracked through his preserve, he could not hear or see his creation, nor could his scent-tracking counter detect the mechanical quarry.
The hunter bristled with the challenge of the chase; however, as the monster leapt, a low metallic clicking alerted the hunter to his quarry's presence. It's heavy, clumsy leap gave the hunter time to his neutron gun, blasting and destroying the robot.
Observing a captive and Plutonian
Javarra and a(n) Uranian Blic, the hunter considered that perhaps if
they were crossbred, a suitable quarry might be achieved.
Watching some Martian Apes -- who
were the most clever and aggressive of all of the known animals --
apparently hunting another being w
hile
in captivity, the hunter conceived that while the creatures were not
yet his match, perhaps if their evolution was hastened, they would
become the dangerous quarry of his dreams.
(Astonishing I#35/5 (fb) - BTS)
- Mutated and evolved in the future, the Martian Apes apparently hunted
various quarry before resolving to travel back in time and hunt a human.
(Astonishing I#35/5) - After
the cabinet shook from the "time-atom bombardment," the inventor opened
the cabinet, and the Martian Apes stalked out, obviously of greater
intelligence, a future cunning and a fully-developed lust to hunt and
kill.
(Astonishing I#35/5 - BTS) - Armed
with their neutron guns, the inventor and his assistant released the
Martian Apes into their hunting preserve. The Apes' cunning was swiftly
demonstrated as the hunter discovered that they had split up, forcing the scientist and his
assistant to split up and hunt them separately. As the hunter tracked one of
the Apes, he became excited that he had indeed found a
quarry worthy of his skill.
(Astonishing I#35/5 (fb) - BTS) - One or both of the Apes confronted or was confronted by the assistant, who fired his neutron gun; the blast either missed the Ape, or it was minimally affected by the blast. Regardless, the Ape strangled and killed the assistant, who only had time to scream before dying.
(Astonishing I#35/5 - BTS) -
Hearing the shriek, the scientist rushed to the site and found his
assistant dead. Picking up his assistant's neutron gun, the scientist
appreciated that it had been fired, but he assumed that his assistant
had missed, and he was confident that he was a much better shot and
would not miss. Putting down the weapon, he continued to track the
Apes' trail, excited by the fear he felt, which made the hunt that much
more exciting.
(Astonishing I#35/5) - Unseen by the scientist, the Apes returned to the site of their kill. Using the neutron gun (that had been left behind), they confirmed that their trip to the future had rendered them immune to at least a single blast or two from the weapon.
Considering the scientist/hunter to be the perfect quarry for them, the Apes located and targeted him with the neutron gun.
The scientist realized, too late, that the hunter had become the hunted.
Comments: Created by Mannie Banks and unidentified writer.
The story was told in the second person, so YOU were the inventor and hunter...that's great, but the main character remains unidentified...which renders him hard to identify and leaves him easily forgotten.
The time machine was described as
sending the Martian Apes into the future and evolving them. It seems
that they were sent into the future rather than actually being evolved
by the time machine, but apparently their travel into the future -- how
far into the future is unrevealed, as is how long they existed in that
time period -- mutated them somewhat..perhaps into what Martian Apes of
that time period had evolved.
Thanks to Loki for supplying the images to me!
These lower-resolution scans are the best available.
Hopefully the stories are digitally remastered someday and we can
replace them with high-resolution images.
Profile by Snood.
CLARIFICATIONS:
The hunter should be distinguished from:
  The hunter/inventor's assistant (also unidentified) helped him prod and force a pair of Martian Apes into the inventor's
time machine, after which the inventor sent them "into the distant
future." (Astonishing I#35/5 (fb) - BTS)
- Mutated and evolved in the future, the Martian Apes apparently hunted
various quarry before resolving to travel back in time and hunt a human. (Astonishing I#35/5 - BTS) - Armed
with their neutron guns, the inventor and his assistant released the
Martian Apes after they had returned from the future into their hunting preserve. The Apes' cunning was swiftly
demonstrated as the hunter discovered that they had split up, forcing the hunter and his
assistant to split up and hunt them separately. (Astonishing I#35/5 (fb) - BTS) - One or both of the Apes confronted or was confronted by the assistant, who fired his neutron gun; the blast presumably missed the Ape(s), or it was minimally affected by the blast. Regardless, the Ape(s) strangled and killed the assistant, who only had time to scream before dying. (Astonishing I#35/5) -
Hearing the shriek, the hunter rushed to the site and found his
assistant dead. Picking up his assistant's neutron gun, the hunter
appreciated that it had been fired, but he assumed that his assistant
had missed, and he was confident that he was a much better shot and
would not miss. Putting down the weapon, he continued to track the
Apes' trail. (Astonishing I#35/5) - Unseen by the scientist, the Apes returned to the site of their kill. Using the neutron gun (that had been left behind), they confirmed that their trip to the future had rendered them immune to at least a single blast or two from the weapon. Considering the scientist/hunter to be the perfect quarry for them, the Apes located and targeted him with the neutron gun. --Astonishing I#35/5 |
 .The neutron gun was a deadly weapon the hunter/able to slay various large extraterrestrial creatures However, the Martian Apes that had been mutated via their time travel could withstand at least a blast or two from it. Claiming the weapon from the hunter/inventor/scientist's assistant, the Martian Apes soon had the hunter in the sights. --Astonishing I#35/5 Note: The neutron gun if pictured multiple times in the main image, as well as the Martian Apes profile and the other beings hunted by this hunter. |
  Designed
by the unidentified hunter/inventor, it was used to transport a pair of
Martian Apes into the future with the intention of evolving them.Watching some Martian Apes -- who were the most clever and aggressive of all of the known animals -- apparently hunting another being while in captivity, the hunter conceived that while the creatures were not yet his match, perhaps if their evolution was hastened, they would become the dangerous quarry of his dreams. To this end, the scientist and his assistant prodded and forced a pair of Martian Apes into the inventor's time machine, after which the inventor sent them "into the distant future." (Astonishing I#35/5 (fb) - BTS)
- Mutated and evolved in the future, the Martian Apes apparently hunted
various quarry before resolving to travel back in time and hunt a human. (Astonishing I#35/5) - After the cabinet shook from the "time-atom bombardment," the inventor opened the cabinet, and the Martian Apes stalked out, obviously of greater intelligence, a future cunning and a fully-developed lust to hunt and kill. --Astonishing I#35/5 |
First posted: 03/13/2025
Last updated: 03/07/2025
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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