Griffin Gogol

Bronze Age Marvel has no shortage of colorful oddities, and Griffin Gogol — debuting in the pages of Fantastic Four #177 in 1976, brought to life by the formidable creative team of Roy Thomas, Mike Friedrich, and George Pérez — is exactly the kind of character that makes long-box diving such a joy. Over nearly five decades of Marvel continuity, this figure has turned up in some wonderfully eclectic corners of the universe, from G.L.A. and She-Hulk to the Marvel Holiday Special, suggesting a character with a knack for showing up wherever the tone is irreverent and the stakes are entertainingly offbeat. With two collector-recognized key issues to their name and a roster of page-mates that includes Spider-Man, Thor, Captain America, and Captain Ultra, Griffin Gogol clearly moves in distinguished — and sometimes delightfully absurd — Marvel company. Twenty-one appearances across 47 years may be a modest tally, but for fans who love the quirky, enduring texture of the Bronze Age Marvel universe, that's more than enough reason to go hunting.