History ComicBook / WerewolfByNight

* OffWithHisHead: Werewolf SuperStrength enables Jack to rip off a {{mook}}'s head ''with his bare hands'', as seen in ''[[ThePunisher Punisher]]'' v7 #11

* FamilyUnfriendlyDeath: The original 1970s run of had plenty of these moments. In the ''Giant-Size Werewolf'' #5 tale "The Plunder of Paingloss", at the climax of one of the darker and more surreal stories in this series (which, for its era, was saying something), furry Jack Russel gets his claws into Sardanus, a gigantic demigod who's revealed to be [[TheManBehindTheCurtain in reality a skinny dude in tighty-whiteys]]. The enraged werewolf "ripped him to shreds anyway" in a red-washed panel that featured the near-naked dude straddled by the werewolf, whose bloody claws were ripping the dude's belly open. The ribbons of gore and screaming look of horror on the face of Sardanus were in no way mitigated by the Creator/ECComics device of single-hue coloring. The next panel featured a triumphant Paingloss and the werewolf standing over Sardanus' literally gutted body, as seen from a foreground view over the dead man's shredded abdomen. For 1975, this was about as terrifying as Code-approved comics could get. Someone at the editorial office was asleep at the switch when that issue went through!

* FamilyUnfriendlyDeath: The original 1970s run of had plenty of these moments. In the ''Giant-Size Werewolf'' #5 tale "The Plunder of Paingloss", at the climax of one of the darker and more surreal stories in this series (which, for its era, was saying something), furry Jack Russel gets his claws into Sardanus, a gigantic demigod who's revealed to be [[TheManBehindTheCurtain in reality a skinny dude in tighty-whities]]. The enraged werewolf "ripped him to shreds anyway" in a red-washed panel that featured the near-naked dude straddled by the werewolf, whose bloody claws were ripping the dude's belly open. The ribbons of gore and screaming look of horror on the face of Sardanus were in no way mitigated by the Creator/ECComics device of single-hue coloring. The next panel featured a triumphant Paingloss and the werewolf standing over Sardanus' literally gutted body, as seen from a foreground view over the dead man's shredded abdomen. For 1975, this was about as terrifying as Code-approved comics could get. Someone at the editorial office was asleep at the switch when that issue went through!

* ShoutOut: To some of the Hollywood horror greats, like Lon Chaney Jr., Creator/BorisKarloff and Maria Ouspenskaya, as well as the MarxBrothers, Creator/ErrolFlynn, Creator/MarlonBrando, Creator/HumphreyBogart and Music/TheRollingStones. In ''Comicbook/GhostRider'' vol.2 #55 Jack wears a shirt of ''Film/TheHowling''.

* BoomHeadshot: [[spoiler: Deadpool blows apart Jack's head with a shotgun for sleeping with the latter's wife.]]

* FamilyUnfriendlyDeath: The original 1970s run of had plenty of these moments. In the ''Giant-Size Werewolf'' #5 tale "The Plunder of Paingloss", at the climax of one of the darker and more surreal stories in this series (which, for its era, was saying something), furry Jack Russel gets his claws into Sardanus, a gigantic demigod who's revealed to be [[TheManBehindTheCurtain in reality a skinny dude in tighty-whities]]. The enraged werewolf "ripped him to shreds anyway" in a red-washed panel that featured the near-naked dude straddled by the werewolf, whose bloody claws were ripping the dude's belly open. The ribbons of gore and screaming look of horror on the face of Sardanus were in no way mitigated by the ECComics device of single-hue coloring. The next panel featured a triumphant Paingloss and the werewolf standing over Sardanus' literally gutted body, as seen from a foreground view over the dead man's shredded abdomen. For 1975, this was about as terrifying as Code-approved comics could get. Someone at the editorial office was asleep at the switch when that issue went through!

* FurAgainstFang: Averted. While Jack does occasionally fight them, his best friend is a vampire(-ish), and his niece is a half-vampire.

* InterspeciesRomance: All of Jack's longer-term girlfriends are human.

'''Werewolf by Night''' (Jack Russell, birthname Jacob Russoff) is a comic book character and star of the series by the same name, created by writer Creator/GerryConway and artist Mike Ploog as a direct response to UsefulNotes/TheComicsCode Authority's 1971 rule revision that allowed werewolves to be portrayed. The character debuted in ''[[Creator/MarvelComics Marvel]] Spotlight'' vol. 1 #2 in February of 1972 and was granted his own title which ran for 43 issues (September, 1972 - March, 1977). In 1998 ''Werewolf by Night'' was given a short-lived {{revival}}, which [[CutShort sadly was]] {{cancelled}} [[ScrewedByTheNetwork before it could]] [[LeftHanging reach a conclusion]].

Outside of his own titles, Jack has weaved his way through a number of other Marvel comic books over the years, such as ''ComicBook/SpiderWoman'', ''Comicbook/MoonKnight'', ''West Coast [[ComicBook/TheAvengers Avengers]]'', ''ComicBook/{{X-Factor}}'', ''ComicBook/MarvelZombies'' and ''Comicbook/DoctorStrange: Sorcerer Supreme''. In 2009 there was the the four-part ''Dead of Night Featuring Werewolf by Night'' as part of Marvel's [[Creator/MarvelMAX MAX]] imprint, providing an [[AlternateUniverse alternate]] and [[DarkerAndEdgier mature]] take on the character.

** Two storylines published near-simultaneously feature two very different versions of Jack: in ''[[Comicbook/ThePunisher Punisher]]'' v7 #11-14 and ''Legion of Monsters'' #1-4 he’s a [[FieryRedhead hotheaded]] JerkAss who’s usually in for a fight; in ''[[{{ComicBook/X-Factor}} X-Factor]]'' #222-224 he’s a mildly funny, well-mannered guy protecting others.

* SpeechBubbles: Occur in many variations, changing from series to series. For example, in ''[=WbN=]'' vol.1 #42-43, Jack’s speech bubbles get thick, jagged edges when in werewolf form (a police officer describes it as "Mercedes [=McCambridge=] in ''Film/TheExorcist''"). In ''[[{{ComicBook/X-Factor}} X-Factor]]'' his speech bubbles are black with white lettering.

* CrossOver: Many, most frequently with ''ComicBook/{{Morbius}}'', ''[[ComicBook/SpiderWoman Spider-Woman]]'', ''MoonKnight'' and ''Comicbook/GhostRider''. The werewolf has fought the [[ComicBook/IncredibleHulk Hulk]] on at least two occasions.

Outside of his own titles, Jack has weaved his way through a number of other Marvel comic books over the years, such as ''ComicBook/SpiderWoman'', ''Comicbook/MoonKnight'', ''West Coast [[ComicBook/TheAvengers Avengers]]'', ''ComicBook/{{X-Factor}}'', ''MarvelZombies'' and ''Comicbook/DoctorStrange: Sorcerer Supreme''. In 2009 there was the the four-part ''Dead of Night Featuring Werewolf by Night'' as part of Marvel's [[Creator/MarvelMAX MAX]] imprint, providing an [[AlternateUniverse alternate]] and [[DarkerAndEdgier mature]] take on the character.

* SuicideByCop: Jack demands Morbius kill him during their SuicideMission in ''MarvelZombies 4'' [[spoiler:after he has been infected with the zombie virus. Morbius refuses.]]
* SuicideMission: It’s implied the risk was one of the reasons Jack joined Morbius’ Midnight Sons mission in ''MarvelZombies 4'' in the first place.

'''Werewolf by Night''' (Jack Russell, birthname Jacob Russoff) is a comic book character and star of the series by the same name, created by writer Creator/GerryConway and artist Mike Ploog as a direct response to UsefulNotes/TheComicsCode Authority's 1971 rule revision that allowed werewolves to be portrayed. The character debuted in ''[[Creator/MarvelComics Marvel]] Spotlight'' vol. 1 #2 in February of 1972 and was granted his own title which ran for 43 issues (September, 1972-March, 1977). In 1998 ''Werewolf By Night'' was given a short-lived {{revival}}, which [[CutShort sadly was]] {{cancelled}} [[ScrewedByTheNetwork before it could]] [[LeftHanging reach a conclusion]].

Outside of his own titles, Jack has weaved his way through a number of other Marvel comic books over the years, such as ''ComicBook/SpiderWoman'', ''Comicbook/MoonKnight'', ''West Coast [[ComicBook/TheAvengers Avengers]]'', ''ComicBook/{{X-Factor}}'', ''MarvelZombies'' and ''Comicbook/DoctorStrange: Sorcerer Supreme''. In 2009 there was the the four-part ''Dead of Night Featuring Werewolf by Night'' as part of Marvel’s [=MAX=] imprint, providing an [[AlternateUniverse alternate]] and [[DarkerAndEdgier mature]] take on the character.

On his eighteenth birthday [[StevenUlyssesPerHero Jack Russell]] finds he has inherited the curse of the werewolf, and has to battle an [[MonsterMash array of villains]], ranging from vampires to gorgons to circus folk, most of which need him in some way or another for the execution of their EvilPlan. During TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks, he turned into a bit of an anti-hero, WalkingTheEarth and fighting rogue supernatural creatures who give the rest of them a bad name. As of the 2010s Jack mainly serves as a member of the Legion of Monsters, protecting other monsters from being killed and providing a safe haven for them.

* ShoutOut: To some of the Hollywood horror greats, like Lon Chaney Jr., BorisKarloff and Maria Ouspenskaya, as well as the MarxBrothers, ErrolFlynn, MarlonBrando, HumphreyBogart and Music/TheRollingStones. In ''Comicbook/GhostRider'' vol.2 #55 Jack wears a shirt of ''Film/TheHowling''.

The werewolf appears in the Super Hero Squad universe: in ''WesternAnimation/TheSuperheroSquadShow'' season 2 episode "This Man-Thing, This Monster", and as a playable character in ''VideoGame/SuperHeroSquadOnline''. He is also seen in Jill Valentine's ending in ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3''. A [[ComicBookAdaptation film adaptation]] was [[http://web.archive.org/web/20121004232940/http://www.superherohype.com/news/articles/89825-werewolf-by-night-movie-update in the works in 2005]] with cast and crew to be announced "shortly" and filming to start somewhere in 2006, but for reasons unknown nothing was heard from it again.

* CoolBike: Jack rides one in his 90s appearances.

'''Werewolf by Night''' (Jack Russell, birthname Jacob Russoff) is a comic book character and star of the series by the same name, created by writer GerryConway and artist Mike Ploog as a direct response to UsefulNotes/TheComicsCode Authority's 1971 rule revision that allowed werewolves to be portrayed. The character debuted in ''[[Creator/MarvelComics Marvel]] Spotlight'' vol. 1 #2 in February of 1972 and was granted his own title which ran for 43 issues (September, 1972-March, 1977). In 1998 ''Werewolf By Night'' was given a short-lived {{revival}}, which [[CutShort sadly was]] {{cancelled}} [[ScrewedByTheNetwork before it could]] [[LeftHanging reach a conclusion]].

Outside of his own titles, Jack has weaved his way through a number of other Marvel comic books over the years, such as ''ComicBook/{{Spider-Woman}}'', ''Comicbook/MoonKnight'', ''West Coast [[ComicBook/TheAvengers Avengers]]'', ''ComicBook/{{X-Factor}}'', ''MarvelZombies'' and ''Comicbook/DoctorStrange: Sorcerer Supreme''. In 2009 there was the the four-part ''Dead of Night Featuring Werewolf by Night'' as part of Marvel’s [=MAX=] imprint, providing an [[AlternateUniverse alternate]] and [[DarkerAndEdgier mature]] take on the character.

* CrossOver: Many, most frequently with ''ComicBook/{{Morbius}}'', ''[[{{ComicBook/Spider-Woman}} Spider-Woman]]'', ''MoonKnight'' and ''Comicbook/GhostRider''. The werewolf has fought the [[ComicBook/IncredibleHulk Hulk]] on at least two occasions.

* CrossOver: Many, most frequently with ''{{Morbius}}'', ''[[{{ComicBook/Spider-Woman}} Spider-Woman]]'', ''MoonKnight'' and ''Comicbook/GhostRider''. The werewolf has fought the [[ComicBook/IncredibleHulk Hulk]] on at least two occasions.

** Jack speaks without an accent up until ''Morbius, the Living Vampire'' #12, where he suddenly start using colloquialisms like the contraction “ain’t” and dropping g’s at the end of words. From there on out his accent fluctuates between ‘school book’ and ‘street thug’.

* AFriendInNeed: Jack toward Morbius, and vice versa. Very notably in ''Morbius, the Living Vampire'' #12-15, when Morbius is [[spoiler:resurrected without his soul]].

* FullyEmbracedFiend: Jack is this to Morbius in ''{{Morbius}}'' #12, going so far as to say the vampire should just go with the hunger, not against it. [[WhatTheHellHero Morbius shoots back]] ''[[WhatTheHellHero Jack]]'' [[WhatTheHellHero is the one who needs help]], not he. Several years later, it seems Morbius was right.
* FunetikAksent: Many characters have them in volume 1, most notably Joshua Kane, who speaks with a Southern drawl. Jack develops one after ''Morbius, the Living Vampire'' #12.

* WhoWritesThisCrap / SelfDeprecation: Jack takes a jab at {{Morbius}}, another comic book character owned by Creator/MarvelComics: "Ha! You're such a cliché. So emo all the time about the tragedy of bloodlust like some bad ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'' fanfic."

* InterspeciesRomance: Jack has had casual sex with a vampire; all his longer-term girlfriends are human.

* FurAgainstFang: Averted. While Jack does occasionally fight them, Jack’s best friend is a vampire, and has had casual sex with another.

* ArtifactTitle: It's been quite awhile since Jack was restricted to transforming at night.

* AnArmAndALeg: In ''Marvel Comics Presents'' #54, werewolf Jack attempts to chew his arm off in an attempt to escape the chains he locked himself up in.

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: In ''Marvel Comics Presents'' #54 the moon is written as a metaphor for a lover, the time leading up to the transformation as sex, and the actual change as orgasm.

* FetalPositionRebirth: In ''Marvel Comics Presents'' #58. [[spoiler:The werewolf lies dying, prompting Jack to merge his human and wolf souls together, curing him.]]

* OurSoulsAreDifferent: Souls pop up regularly in the series. They can be transformed, for example into chains or {{Eldritch Abomination}}s. [[spoiler:Topaz]] lost part of her soul, but it doesn’t seem to change her at all. [[spoiler:Lissa]] loses her soul as well, but it is replaced with the soul of [[spoiler:Taboo]], again seemingly without consequences. In ''[=WbN=]'' vol.1 #42 it’s implied [[spoiler:Fire-Eyes]] now inhabits Jack’s soul. In ''Marvel Comics Presents'' #54-59 it’s said Jack has two souls (one wolf and one human) [[spoiler:which he manages to merge together]].

* SeriesContinuityError: In ''Spider-Woman'' vol.1 #49 it’s said six years have passed since Jack’s inherited the curse, meaning he’s 24. But in ''Marvel Comics Presents'' #57, which takes place later in the continuity, it’s said ''Werewolf by Night'' vol. 1 #6 was only 2 years ago, which would make him 20.

Outside of his own titles, Jack has weaved his way through a number of other Marvel comic books over the years, such as ''ComicBook/{{Spider-Woman}}'', ''{{Moon Knight}}'', ''West Coast [[ComicBook/TheAvengers Avengers]]'', ''ComicBook/{{X-Factor}}'', ''MarvelZombies'' and ''Comicbook/DoctorStrange: Sorcerer Supreme''. In 2009 there was the the four-part ''Dead of Night Featuring Werewolf by Night'' as part of Marvel’s [=MAX=] imprint, providing an [[AlternateUniverse alternate]] and [[DarkerAndEdgier mature]] take on the character.