Who is Ralph Snart?

Ralph Snart was the star of his own comic book created by Marc Hansen, and published by NOW comics from 1986-1993. A mild mannered accountant, he's a funny looking little guy with a long, distinguished snout. Most of Ralph's adventures, which usually involve crazy beer guzzling antics, take place in his dreamstate while his body and brain are being subjected to a gruesome series of experiments by a number of tormentors, the most famous and daibolical of which is the mad scientist Dr. Goot.

Who is Dr. Goot?

Dr. Goot is Ralph's greatest nemesis and tormentor. He is a mad scientist who has his secret hidden lair in the Chicago sewer system. Dr. Goot first captures the then homeless vagrant Ralph Snart in Volume 2 Issue 1, and makes Ralph his pin cushion for bizarre toxins throughout volumes 2, 3 and 4 of Ralph Snart Adventures. During the "Mind games" mini-series, Mr. Lizard kicks his ass, and he is not heard from again.

Who is Mr. Lizard?

Mr. Lizard is a large reptillian beast first introduced to Ralph in volume 2 when a hot chick throws a bag containing Mr. Lizard into Ralph's convertable. In his next visit to RSA, we learn that Ralph Snart is personally responsible for Mr. Lizard's unusual size and ability to converse because Ralph fed him radioactive crickets when he was a child. Irritable and easily annoyed, Mr. Lizard loves beer and getting trashed as much as his co-star Ralph.

Are there any other characters?

The only other "regular" character to appear in RSA was Holly Hornswoggle. Hired as Dr. Goot's lab assistant, She falls for Ralph and runs off with him. Ralph is too wacked from Dr. Goot's experiments to even realize she is his girlfriend. She is written out of RSA in the lost issue's mini-series when she goes on a killing spree, and runs off with another serial killer. Most of the seemingly hundreds of characters to appear in RSA (too many to mention) make only one or two time appearances. Some of my favorites are Prod, Ralph's college roomate; Suckerman, a gullable crime fighting superhero; Ralph's redneck cousin Bert; his ghost busting beer guzzling pal Doufous, who also stars in the Doctor Gorpon mini series; and John Hartman's U.S. senator/brain surgeon who resembles a stalk of celery. In volume 5, non-fictional characters such as Socks the presidential cat and doomsday cult leader David Koresh are featured.

Whatever happened to NOW comics?

Headed by Tony Caputo, NOW Comics always seemed to be in financial trouble. In August 1990, they first stopped publishing. After reorganizing as NOW Entertainment with new ownership, they began to publish comics again in July 1991. RSA itself returned in May 1992, and lasted until late 1993, when it unexpectedly ended after volume 5 no. 5 (volume 5 was supposed to be a 12 issue series). NOW itself ceased publishing forever in 1994. Caputo tried to revive NOW again in 2003 only to cease publishing after two years. The latest is that Caputo will start a new publishing entity in 2008. More...

What is Marc Hansen up to these days? Can I get a hold of him?

Ten years after doing his last Ralph Snart Adventures comic, Marc Hansen returned to creating new RSA stories. Reprints of collections of some of Hansen's work was done by NOW Comics' third iteration, but that ended after only a couple of years. Hansen now owns all rights to RSA and is creating new Ralph Snart comics. Contact him by email.