CROCODILE-MEN CROCODILE-MEN
Classification: Magical human-animal hybrid creations;
Hyborian era (circa 10,000 BC)
Location/Base of Operations: At least, a sewer at the entrance to Messantia, Argos;
possibly formerly Stygia
Known Members: Three existed, all unidentified
Affiliations: Unidentified sorcerer of the Black Ring;
indirectly the Black Ring, Set
Enemies: Red Sonja;
indirectly Ibis, Karanthes
First Appearance: Marvel Feature II#6 (September, 1976)
Powers/Abilities: Hybrid human-crocodiles, the creatures were bipeds with a long tail, and they possessed enhanced speed, strength, and durability (due to their thick, leathery hide covered with pale scales). They also had sharp claws and teeth. They did not speak but only growled. They were covered with pale scales all over their bodies.
They were likely fast swimmers able to hold their breath for an extended period, and they could presumably see fairly well in dark, murky water.
They were also likely poikilothermic, meaning they were "cold-blooded," with their metabolism controlled by the ambient temperature.
Traits: The crocodile-men pursued their foe relentlessly, although they failed to move swiftly in an opportunity, giving their foes time to strike back.
Type: Bilaterally symmetric semi-humanoid crocodilian bipeds
Eyes: Two (on head; red iridies, with reptilian slit-like pupils seen)
Fingers: Four (plus opposing thumb)
Toes: Uncertain
Skin color: Pale green
Hair: None
Average height: Approximately 6'10"
Other distinguishing features: The crocodile-men have extended mandible/maxilla (jaws) and their heads shaped like a crocodile's heads.
They were only seen from behind and fully covered so that nothing could be seen of their appearance prior to their confronting Sonja, except that appeared to be fully humanoid bipeds without tails.
History: (Marvel
Feature II#6 (fb) - BTS) <According to Messantia legend/lore> -
Baby crocodiles, sometimes raised as children's pets, were discarded as
they grew larger into the city's sewers, where they grew to adulthood,
surviving on vermin and filth and almost white in color.
(Marvel
Feature II#6 (fb) - BTS) - A baby crocodile was born in the swamps far
south of Argos and sent north to be a child's plaything before being
eventually delivered to the unidentified Black Ring sorcerer.
(Marvel
Feature II#6 (fb) - BTS) - The sorcerer made arrangements with a trio
of his servants/agents to be transformed into crocodile men and to then
slay Red Sonja to prevent her from retrieving a missing page from the
Iron-Bound Book of Skelos.
(Marvel Feature II#6) - After Sonja sneaked into Messantia's sewer system. He then sent a
trio of men to follow and slay Sonja, noting they knew what was going
to happen to them, after which he prepared to use a baby crocodile to
cast his spell.
(Marvel Feature II#6 (fb) - BTS) - The men were apparently magically transformed into crocodile-men, possibly by merging with crocodiles already in the sewers.
(Marvel Feature II#6) - The crocodile-men emerged from the sewers' waters and confronted Sonja.
Only seeing one of them at first, Sonja apparently fatally skewered it with her sword, but then noticed the other two and, swordless, fled deeper into the sewers.
The two remaining crocodile-men cornered Sonja in a cul-de-sac near a drain emptying into the sea.
Holding a chain suspended from a wall, Sonja dove down toward the
drain, using the chain to knock one of the crocodile-men down into the
waters by the drain where it was pulled under by the relentless
suction, grunting fearfully until its cries were swallowed by the water.
However, as she climbed back up the chain, the other crocodile-man
grabbed the chain and pulled her back up, eventually grabbing her by
the hair and lifting her within its mouth's grasp. 
However, as its jaws closed around her head, the creature paused long enough in enjoying the foregone conclusion that Sonja was able to grab her dagger and stab the creature between the eyes, causing it to release her, and mindlessly stumble forward into the drain waters, as well.
Comments: Created by Roy Thomas and Frank Thorne.
The crocodile is associated with the Egyptian god Sobek,
but as far as I know, Sobek wasn't referenced in the Hyborian era.
While Set and the Egyptian/Heliopolitan god Seth are sometimes
confused, but there's not any other reason to think that the power to
cause these transformations wasn't derived from spells involving Set
(or other Hyborian era gods, demons, etc.).
Not really sure where I was going with this, but it seemed noteworthy
to me due to the Stygian/Egyptian connection...Ibis was an alias of the
Heliopolitan god Thoth, so there's that...
This was an expansion of a sub-profile originally done by Spidermay...I was working on a profile on the unidentified Stygian sorcerer of the Black Ring from this story and decided their were too many images to keep the various animal-men in sub-profiles. As I was halfway done with the sorcerer's profile and mostly done with the animal-men's profiles, Markus pointed out the main profile to me. Bad me.
Profile by Snood.
CLARIFICATIONS:
The crocodile-men should be distinguished from:
CROCODILE (Freeman Mosher) - --Captain America Comics#19
crocodile men - agents of Killmonger acting in Niganda, possibly empowered by the sentient ape agent of the Red Skull, possibly wiped out by Wakandan soldiers--Black Panther IV#35
images: (without ads)
Marvel Feature II#6 cover (main image)
pg. 9, panel 3 (human forms, cloaked, following Sonja into sewers);
panel 4 (sorcerer with baby crocodile);
pg. 11, panel 1 (Sonja throwing sword into crocodile man);
pg. 12, panel 3 (crocodile-men pursuing Sonja into ledge);
pg. 14, panel 3 (head looming over Sonja's head)
Appearances:
Marvel Feature II#6 (September, 1976) - Roy Thomas (writer/editor), Frank Thorne (artist)
First posted: 07/17/2018
Last updated: 07/17/2018
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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