Editorial: Flarkin' Awesome 003

Cosmic greetings, one and all, this is the Raccoonatic Commander.  Where has the time gone it's already time for another... Flarkin' Awesome! (Just a heads up, I do reference some things in this article that I covered in my Introduction, comparing the two, more than I realized, but that was well before Flarkin' Awesome and, because of the timing, this is a special exception...)

Flarkin' Awesome 003 - Six Months Later, Rocket Raccoon Fans of the World...

I did not find out about Rocket Raccoon until fairly recently in my life.  He has not, historically, been a major player in the Marvel Universe. Your average person, even your average comic reader, is not likely to be aware of our procyonid hero (or even know he exists). Part of this is because cosmic stories have not traditionally been center stage very often in the 616. Another reason is that for over twenty years, the character of Rocket Raccoon was virtually unused in comics.

Only with the formation of the modern Guardians of the Galaxy, and the later decision to make a Guardians movie, has Marvel made an attempt to gain the hero some attention. First, in having him added to the roster of Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, and then later, similarly, insisting he be added to Marvel Heroes. Read more after the jump...

It was those acts, primarily the latter, that pulled me into reading Rocket's comics and becoming his fan. Why? He is just so unique. Rocket is a gun-wielding badass space-traveling raccoon. That concept alone makes him stand out to some degree.  For me, it takes more than a concept to make a character interesting. What really made him my favorite hero, and what really makes so many of Marvel's creations amazing, was the character himself, independent of that concept, his history and personality. So, when I use the word “unique”, I use it in its absolute truest sense. There is just no one quite like Rocket Raccoon. It is not that I cannot understand people having other favorite heroes; as I said, Marvel knows how to create an interesting character. It is just that for me, he is the definition of awesomeness. And that really brings us to the point of this bit. I am not the only who feels that way.

When I registered my account after being accepted into Beta for Marvel Heroes, I chose to use Rocket Raccoon. This is clearly a quirky little hero, I'll probably be the only one who uses that avatar. However, I saw someone else (username of DarkBeast, who has since become my best friend on Marvel Heroes) that was already using the avatar, who even had a Rocket Raccoon quote in his signature. As I spent more time on those forums, I met more and more people who also thought this guy was awesome. Despite that, and despite DarkBeast being a much bigger personality on those forums, I considered myself his #1 fan. Now there is a reason I bring that up.

Six months ago on this very date, I was attending a livestream chat, out of PAX East. It was one of numerous livestreams from the event about Marvel Heroes, which was still in Beta, and which still did not yet have Rocket Raccoon as a testable hero (I had been testing since November, he wouldn't be added until mid-April). I had hoped to hear some information, possibly, about Rocket Raccoon being added to Marvel Heroes Beta testing. So, it was, when I introduced myself to the chat, I introduced myself as the biggest Rocket Raccoon fan on the Marvel Heroes forums. Some other forum members present in the chat were quick to correct me, and say that my buddy DarkBeast actually was his biggest fan (DB's favorite hero is actually Beast, who was and is not yet in the game). I didn't correct them, but what is notable is I had not actually used the phrase “biggest Rocket Raccoon fan” when I introduced myself. I had been playing around with a word in my head for a couple days prior, a combination of raccoon and lunatic, an indication of total fandom for Rocket Raccoon. I had introduced myself that day as the biggest Raccoonatic on the Marvel Heroes forums.

Some people said they liked the word in the days after when I started using it on forums. It was not until I tried to find an online fan club site specifically for Rocket Raccoon, and failed, that I realized, his fandom was not very organized. I may have unintentionally given said fans a name. So, I created a fan club site for Rocket called Raccoonatics HQ. That site still exists, but it was not to see much use, as, around that time, DarkBeast had officially proclaimed we plan to form a guild for Marvel Heroes for Rocket Raccoon fans called the D'ast Raccoonatics. So, when another guild bragged they were the first MH guild because they had a website, a couple weeks after we had announced plans for ours, I decided we needed a site, too.

The D'ast Raccoonatics was not just a guild site, I also decided to have it replace my Raccoonatics HQ site as a Rocket Raccoon fan club. Today, the D'ast Raccoonatics guild has been an in-game reality for over three months. As we grew, people brought in friends and some people joined primarily because we were becoming well-known on the forums, amongst these groups some were not really dedicated Rocket Raccoon fans (I have trouble turning people down). So now, not all members of the D'ast Raccoonatics are truly Raccoonatics and, obviously, not all fans of Rocket Raccoon are in the guild. Some people, especially on the MH forums, may think the word Raccoonatic is a guild affiliation, but that is certainly not my intention for the term.

My colorful definition of “Raccoonatic” that I use in my sig at MH forums is that a Raccoonatic is “One who is aware of the awesomeness that is Rocket Raccoon”. While that isn't incorrect, in its purest sense, the word is simply a term for a dedicated fan of the hero. And I have attempted to use Marvel Heroes, its forums, and various other social media to try to promote and spread the fandom under the banner of the Raccoonatics!

Make no mistake, Rocket Raccoon's star is on the rise. Thanks to Marvel, Guardians of the Galaxy v3, games (like Marvel Heroes and Lego Marvel Superheroes next month), and an enthusiastic (and very vocal) group of fans, which I am proud to be part of, more people are discovering his awesomeness every day. Next year, the Guardians of the Galaxy movie will release. Based on James Gunn's enthusiasm for the character, I think Rocket will play an important role in the movie, one that will further gain the interest of the general public. There will likely be associated merchandise, and probably (hopefully) a bunch of cool tie-ins to the movie on Marvel Heroes for the game's only current playable Guardian. It is for this reason, and I've said this on Twitter, 2014 will be, despite with is said in China, the Year of the Raccoon!

Raccoonatics of the world... unite!

(If you were wondering the word is pronounced like raccoon + uh + tik, with an emphasis on "coon".  Speaking of fandom names, Cameron suggested Galaxian for Guardians of the Galaxy fans in general. Pretty cool, I think. Just sayin'.  But that would be a discussion outside the confines of Flarkin' Awesome...)

Until next time, stay awesome and I'll see you 'round the Raccooniverse!