RANK

Real Name: Unknown

Identity/Class: Human vampire (see comments)

Occupation: Vampire Hunter

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Blade, Mikado, Mosha, Tinker

Enemies: Reaper's last girl, Silvereye, vampires generally

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Mobile in New York City (and maybe Jersey City as well)

First Appearance: (hands only) Blade: Vampire Hunter II#1 (December, 1999), (full appearance) Blade: Vampire Hunter II#2 (January, 2000)

Powers/Abilities: Rank was a rotting body of undead flesh. He possessed vampire weaknesses like sunlight (although it only burnt him slowly). He seemed to feel no pain and was possibly stronger than a living human.

History:

(Blade: Vampire Hunter II#2 (fb) - BTS) - At some point Rank was bitten by a vampire, but he never turned into a vampire (Tinker assumed that he never turned because Rank never started to drink blood). Rank became a walking corpse whose body started to rot and he wasn't able to eat, though his mind stayed clear.

BTS - At some point Rank became an ally of Blade and a friend to Tinker.

(Blade: Vampire Hunter II#6 (fb) - BTS) - Together with Tinker he went to the cemetery where Blade was buried because vampires were after Blade.

(Blade: Vampire Hunter II#1/1 - BTS) - Rank pushed Tinker to the surface from a tunnel beneath the cemetery.

(Blade: Vampire Hunter II#1/1) - Rank pulled Tinker back into the tunnel.

(Blade: Vampire Hunter II#1/2) - While Blade was standing on the grave of Sherbert Holmes (whoever that is) Rank grabbed his legs and pulled Blade down into the tunnel as well.

(Blade: Vampire Hunter II#2) - As soon as Blade landed on the ground he cut off Rank's left hand. Tinker reminded Blade that they were his friends and Rank told Blade that he hated vampires for turning him into an undead. When he heard their enemies coming for them he became afraid and wanted to flee. He took his severed hand from the ground, but Blade rather went after the Silvereye agents. Tinker followed Blade and Rank followed Tinker. Through a hole in the ground Rank tried to locate Blade, but he couldn't see him. He helped Tinker again to get to the surface, but didn't go with him when Tinker tried to stop Blade from going with the Silvereye agents. Rank hid behind a tree when Tinker was captured by Silvereye and ran away when he saw more agents.

(Blade: Vampire Hunter II#3) - Rank returned into the tunnel system beneath the cemetery followed by Silvereye agents and crying about Tinker capture.

(Blade: Vampire Hunter II#4) - Rank hid among some corpses and the Silvereye agents didn't see him and left.

(Blade: Vampire Hunter II#5 - BTS) - Scribe talked about Rank.

(Blade: Vampire Hunter II#6) - Rank returned to the surface through a crypt and was welcomed by two cops. He warned of Silvereye destroyer Blackeye when it came crashing down into the cemetery. He watched Blade fighting the Reaper and the cops running away. The morning sun began to burn Rank, but it didn't stop him from saving Blade from the Reaper's girls by cutting off the head of one of them with a shovel. He helped Blade up and told him that even though the sun burned him up it took longer for him to die than a "real undead". Mikado and Mosha arrived in their stolen car and because Blade and Rank didn't know it was them, Rank protected Blade and was hit by the car. In mere seconds he was up on his feet again and told the twins why he was on the cemetery and that Tinker was captured by Silvereye agents.

Comments: Created by Bart Sears (writer/pencils) & Andy Smith (inks).

This series occurred after Blade was bitten by Morbius in Peter Parker: Spider-Man II#8.

Rank was bitten by a vampire, but never turned into a full vampire. He wasn't a "Huskie" like Elliot Flanders because he was still too smart for that. He was something else and perhaps Tinker was right with his assumption that Rank never fully turned into a vampire because he didn't start to drink blood.

It is unknown if Rank left with Blade and the twins in issue #6, but it should be assumed.

BTW from the moment Blade cut off his hand, Rank kept carrying it around. This is the reason why it looks so unattached in the first image. Also, in Blade: Vampire Hunter II#1-5 Rank's skin was grey to give him a more rotten look. In Blade: Vampire Hunter II#6 he was suddenly white again and looked like any living being in the issue (maybe his skin just looked different in the other issues because he was always in the dark).

Profile by Markus Raymond.