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A Snark by Any Other Name...



Today we profile the character I consider the least inspired of Jim Valentino's cosmic ne'er-do-wells, Force.  In terms of his look, Scanner is pretty uninspired.  He's your run-of-the-mill reptilian character (think the Lizard from Spider-Man).  However this unremarkable look is amplified within the context of the Guardians of the Galaxy, where it appears that about 30% of the galactic population was some sort of reptilian (e.g., Badoon, Skrulls, etc.)

You could be forgiven if you weren't entirely clear on Scanner's species.  Comic Vine calls him a "Snark" (which I seem to vaguely recall having read in one of the old GotG books), while the Marvel Wiki identifies him as a denizen of the planet Zn'rx.  Turns out that apparently both are correct.  Zn'rx is Scanner's home planet; but according to Aelfyre Whitemane neither this word nor the proper name for its denizens can pronounced.  Therefore, Whitemane took to calling them "Snarks." (Power Pack #1 (AUG 1984)

Unfortunately, I ran out of time before really getting into the person of Scanner as he appears in Guardians of the Galaxy #15 (AUG 1991).  However, you're welcome to go back and review the issue and share your thoughts in the comments section.

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