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Although they are now known for the iconic Matrix film series, the Wachowskis once wrote for Marvel’s Razorline, a short-lived imprint based on concepts created by horror icon Clive Barker. As one of many new comics lines of the ’90s, Barker designed this line to reflect his particularly Lovecraftian horror-based take on superheroes.
While Barker might be known for creating horror monsters like Hellraiser’s Pinhead, Razorline’s characters were still very much heroes, and the imprint’s youngest hero was Ectokid, a teenager who traversed into the dimension of ghosts in a series largely written by the Wachowskis
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WHAT IS MARVEL’S RAZORLINE?
Launching in 1993, the Razorline imprint was comprised of four titles: Ectokid, Hokum & Hex, Hyperkind, and Saint Sinner. The characters were meant to embody what Barker felt that the zeitgeist of superhero comics was heading toward in the 1990s, with Hyperkind featuring a team of overtly extreme heroes of the era. Inspired by the horror and fantasy of Doctor Strange‘s early adventures, he hoped to capture the spirit of the strangest corners of the Marvel Universe in this standalone series of titles. While Hyperkind and Hokum and Hex wore their superhero elements on their sleeves, Ectokid and Saint Sinner leaned more into their horror and supernatural aspects.
Unfortunately for the imprint, Razorline was only one of several new universes launched in the boom of the 1990s comic book industry, and the more experimental nature of Razorline didn’t do it any favors in the oversaturated market. And the line as a whole would see its end in less than a year, with plans for several later series never coming to fruition.
WHO IS ECTOKID?
Like all of the Razorline titles, Ectokid was built around a detailed premise by Barker himself. The series starred Dexter Mungo, who was the son of a living human being and a ghost, which granted him the ability to see the Ectosphere through his left eye. This world is much like our own, save for buildings and surfaces having dramatically different colors and a variety of mythological creatures freely existing. With his powers, Dex could see ghosts, imps, succubi and demons who were invisible to the naked eye. The series follows Dex’s adventures as he learns to master his abilities while seeking the truth behind his parentage from his institutionalized mother.
The first three issues of the series were created by James Robinson and Steve Skroce. After these initial issues, Lana Wachowski would officially take over as writer, although Lilly Wachowski reportedly did uncredited co-writing as well. Over the course of the series, Dexter gains the ability to move about freely in the other dimension by leaving behind his physical body, an idea that popped up again in The Matrix. The series also featured Agent-like demons who patrolled the hidden world and battled Ectokid. After the series ended, Skroce also drew storyboards for The Matrix as part of the Wachowski’s successful pitch for the film.
Even though Ectokid and the rest of Razorline didn’t last for long, plans to adapt Ectokid into a video game, TV series or movie have come and gone over the years. While The Matrix 4 might be in active production, the world of Razorline remains largely forgotten, only existing as one of the many worlds within the Marvel Multiverse as Earth-45828. Despite its relative obscurity, Ectokid stands as an early work from some visionary creators.
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