comicbooks.com Join Free
Home › Jack Russell
Jack Russell
Jack Russell

Jack Russell

188 appearances · Bronze Age · 1972–2026 · 6 key issues
Who is Jack Russell?

Jack Russell discovered on his 18th birthday that he carried a hereditary curse passed down through his family bloodline — transforming him into a savage werewolf under the full moon. Struggling to control the beast within, he navigates a world of occult dangers and supernatural threats.

Few characters capture the brooding, horror-tinged spirit of Marvel's Bronze Age quite like Jack Russell, who first prowled onto the page in Marvel Spotlight #2 in 1972, courtesy of the legendary Bill Everett. Born from that early-'70s wave of monster-revival storytelling, Jack has proven remarkably enduring — 173 catalog appearances spanning an extraordinary 54 years, from 1972 all the way to 2026, with six of those issues earning key-issue status that collectors prize. His home turf runs through Marvel Comics Presents, Werewolf by Night, and Spider-Woman, and he's shared some memorable pages with heavyweights like Wolverine, Spider-Man, and Logan — serious company that speaks to how deeply embedded he is in the Marvel universe. If you love the darker, more atmospheric corners of Marvel history, Jack Russell is absolutely worth your time.

Identity

Real name. Jack Russell

Powers. Hand-to-Hand Combat: The Werewolf is a formidable hand to hand combatant, although he has had no formal training. ; Occultism: He also has above average intellect and some expertise in dealing with occult and supernatural forces.

Affiliations. Formerly: ; Midnight Sons ; Legion of Monsters ; Night Shift ; Army of Fear

★ First appearance
Marvel Spotlight #2
Feb 1972

Trivia

  • When the Comics Code loosened its grip on horror in the early 1970s, Marvel seized the moment by deploying Jack Russell as a cornerstone of its broader post-Code supernatural revival, steering the line back toward monster-driven storytelling.en.wikipedia.org
  • Collectors with a sharp eye for key issues know that Werewolf by Night #32 is essential Bronze Age real estate — it marks the first appearance of Moon Knight, a lunar-themed vigilante whose debut Marvel chose to stage right in Jack Russell's own title.en.wikipedia.org
  • Marvel's own later continuity deepened Jack Russell's mythology considerably by tying his family curse to the Russoff lineage and the Darkhold, transforming what began as a straightforward monster-hero premise into a sprawling, long-running supernatural family saga.en.wikipedia.org

Top series

Covers through the years — 1972–2023

Marvel Spotlight #2 1972
Marvel Spotlight #2
Werewolf by Night #36 1976
Werewolf by Night #36
The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #12 1983
The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #12
West Coast Avengers #5 1986
West Coast Avengers #5
Web of Spider-Man Annual #5 1989
Web of Spider-Man Annual #5
Marvel Comics Presents #98 1992
Marvel Comics Presents #98
Code of Honor #1 1997
Code of Honor #1
Amazing Fantasy #12 2005
Amazing Fantasy #12
Legion of Monsters: Werewolf by Night #1 2007
Legion of Monsters: Werewolf by Night #1
Legion of Monsters #1 2011
Legion of Monsters #1
Marvel Masterworks: Spider-Woman #1 2015
Marvel Masterworks: Spider-Woman #1
Marvel Comics Presents #4 2019
Marvel Comics Presents #4
Wolverine #37 2023
Wolverine #37

Appearances (151–188 of 188, oldest first)

Werewolf by Night No. 33 Facsimile Edition (2023)
Moon Knight: City of the Dead (2023)
Wolverine (2020)
#37
Crypt of Shadows (2023)
#1
Moon Knight : La cité des morts (2024)
Spider-Gwen: The Ghost-Spider (2024)
Werewolf by Night: Blood Hunt (2024)
#1
Bubi Extra (2022)
Werewolf by Night: Unholy Alliance (2024)
Werewolf by Night: Red Band (2024)
X-Men (2024)
Doctor Strange (2023)
Spider-Boy Annual (2024)
#1
Marvel Masterworks: Werewolf by Night (2022)
#3
Venom War: Deadpool (2024)
#2
Amazing Spider-Man Epic Collection (2013)
#12
Werewolf by Night: Red Band - The Howling Tome (2025)
Incredible Hulk (2023)
Venom War: Wolverine / Deadpool (2025)
Giant-Size Marvel Omnibus (2025)
Werewolf by Night: Blood Moon Rise (2025)
#1
Moon Knight: Fist of Khonshu (2024)
Toyfare: The Toy Magazine (1997)