PACKRATS

Membership: Bert Packer, Hubie Packer (brothers)

Purpose: To steal technological weapons and sell them for profit

Affiliations: None

Enemies: Rocket Racer (Robert Farrell), Ernie Sluganski (Silver Sable International), Sheriff Andy Taylor

Base of Operations: Ohio, USA

First Appearance: Spectacular Spiderman Annual#10/4 (1990)

History:

(Spectacular Spiderman Annual#10/4 - BTS) - Bert and Hubie Packer were two teenaged brothers who, through undetermined means, stole a prototype cybernetic jamming device from an unknown person or company. Fleeing with the device, they next decided to go to Medina, Ohio, to locate the hidden weapons from the villains killed at the Bar With No Name who were massacred there by Scourge.

(Spectacular Spiderman Annual#10/4) - While traveling on the highway to the Bar With No Name, they were pursued by Rocket Racer, who had been hired by Silver Sable International to apprehend them. Failing to stop Rocket Racer with gunfire, they neutralized his skateboard and costume by using the stolen cybernetic jamming device and then escaped.

(Spectacular Spiderman Annual#10/4 - BTS) - The Packrats successfully found the equipment and weapons belonging to Bird-Man, Cyclone and Commander Kraken.

(Spectacular Spiderman Annual#10/4) - Donning the new equipment, the Packer brothers attacked Rocket Racer and the local sheriff who were investigating the abandoned diner. Hubie Packer wore Bird-Man's wings, but was shot down by Rocket Racer and crashed to the ground. Bert Packer tried to jam Rocket Racer's cybernetics but failed since the hero had previously altered them to prevent this occurring a second time. Bert was then knocked unconscious by a rocket-powered punch. Recovering from his crash, Hubie was about to strike Rocket Racer from behind with an energy sword that once belonged to Commander Kraken, but the sheriff used Bert's jamming device to shut down the cybernetic implants from the Bird-Man costume, thereby rendering him immobile.

The two criminals were then arrested and taken away by the sheriff, who also confiscated their stolen devices, before being extradited for trial.

Comments: Created by Tony Isabella (writer) & Alan Kupperberg (pencils & inks).

I believe Sheriff Andy Taylor is based on the Andy Griffith show. I wonder if the Sheriff is based out of the town of Mayberry?

They were probably named after Hubie and Bertie, two animated cartoon mouse characters, from Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons.
--Ronald Byrd

Profile by AvatarWarlord72.

CLARIFICATIONS:
The Packrats have no known connections to:

• Packet Rocket - missiles used by Deviants to send objects over a large distances @ Eternals II#7
• PACRAT (Personal Assault Carrier for Recon/Aquatic/Terrain), X-Force's ship @ X-Force I#45
• Rat of China Force, had claws coated with poison @ Alpha Flight I#64
• Rat, associate of Piranha Jones and Cockroach Hamilton, dismembered and legs taken by Terror @ Terror Inc#6
• Rat, martial arts training under King Lau and McKinley Stuart, injured by Bullseye @ Elektra I#1
• Rats of Central Park, attempted to poison frogs but defeated with aid from Thor (as frog) and alligators @ Thor I#364
• or any other "Pack-" or "-rat" characters

Bert Packer

Bert Packer was a normal human and had black hair. His powers were derived from stolen and scavenged technology. He fired a gun at Rocket Racer in the initial pursuit. He later wore the Cyclone's tornado-like flying device but was knocked out by Rocket Racer in the later confrontation. With his brother, he drove around in a modified dune buggy that was only partially shown.

--Spectacular Spiderman Annual#10/4

Hubie Packer

Hubie Packer was a normal human brown scruffy hair and a full beard. His powers were derived from stolen and scavenged technology. He drove around in a modified dune buggy that was only partially shown. He used Bird-Man's wings and Commander Kraken's energized sword to attack Rocket Racer in the later confrontation, but was disabled by the stolen jamming device wielded by Sheriff Taylor.

--Spectacular Spiderman Annual#10/4

Sheriff Andy Taylor

Andy Taylor was the local sheriff in Medina, Ohio, which was famous for the massacre of 18 supervillains at the Bar With No Name. Years later, he was asked by Sluganski to assist Rocket Racer in apprehending Bert and Hubie Packer when the two thieves were trying to find the missing cache of weapons belonging to some of the deceased villains. He found Rocket Racer after the hero was initially knocked out by the Packrats and then aided rocket Racer apprehend the two criminals. The next day after this short adventure, he took Robert Farrell fishing.

--Spectacular Spiderman Annual#10/4

images: (without ads)
Spectacular Spiderman Annual#10/4, p60, panel 5 (Packrats)