Jack Tenrec is a fictional character in the Xenozoic Tales,by Mark Schultz. Jack Tenrec appears in 36 issues. Half mechanic, half shaman, Jack "Cadillac" Tenrec is almost an outcast of the City in the Sea. A member of the Old Blood Mechanics, he strives to keep the balance between nature and technology in the new Xenozoic age.At the age of six he discovered both comics and classic adventure films, his early favorites including Tarzan and King Kong. As a teenager he was further inspired by such fantasy authors as Edgar Rice Burroughs and Robert E. Howard and the artists who had illustrated their work, including Frank Frazetta, Roy Krenkel, and Al Williamson.Jack Tenrec is somewhat patterned after those type creations.
Topps Comics[]
The Wild Ones, Part 3 - Showdown
The Wild Ones, Part 2 - Collision Course
The Wild Ones, Part 1 - Cycles And Saurians
Man-Eater! Part 3 - Out In The Garage
Man-Eater! Part 2 - Let Us Prey!
Man-Eater! Part 1 - The Usual Suspects
Blood And Bones, Part 3 - Thicker Than Water
Blood And Bones, Part 2 - Swamp Things
Blood And Bones, Part 1 - To The Fessenden Station
History[]
Born into the 26th Century's Xenozoic Age, Jack Tenrec grew up in a world where mankind had lost dominance of the Earth to resurrected species such as dinosaurs following a 20th Century cataclysm that had driven humanity underground for hundreds of years. Leader of the Old Blood Mechanics, who once maintained the machinery that kept man alive during their subterranean residency, Jack now sought to prevent poaching and maintain man's balance with their new world, suspecting that irresponsible use of technology had caused the past disasters and wanting to prevent it happening again. Living in the gigantic fortress known as the garage, Jack maintained the City in the Sea's vehicles, including his personal transport, a modified Cadillac designed to run on dinosaur guano. He befriended the Grith, a bipedal species older than mankind which evolved from dinosaurs, communicating with them using Scrabble tiles, and raised the allosaurus Hermes from infancy to be his personal watchdog. Partnering with scientist Hannah Dundee, he investigated the cataclysm's cause and tried to find out how so many extinct species had been resurrected, as well as opposing governor Wilhelmina Scharnhorst, who sought to use old technology regardless of the risks. When Scarnhorst eventually staged a coup, Hannah faked Jack's death to prevent her pursuing vengeance against Jack.
Jack Tenrec (voiced by David Keeley) is a survival-savvy garage mechanic who is a member of the Mechanics. Jack Tenrec has a passion for restoring classic car shells (mainly those of Cadillacs) which the Mechanics use as their mode of transportation
An Old Blood Mechanic[]
Born in the 26th century, Jack Tenrec is a member of the Old Blood Mechanics, a fraternity of techno-shamans that kept the machines running during the centuries after the Great Cataclysm that forced humanity underground. Now that humanity has resurfaced and discovered that the planet is ruled by "slithers" (the name used to indicate dinosaurs), Jack fights a battle to keep the balance between nature and technology.
The City in the Sea[]
Jack lives in a massive fortress, usually called "The Garage", located on the cliffs in front of the City in the Sea (a settlement built on the ruins of the old Manhattan). Jack earns his money by fixing the vehicles of the city. Despite his rough character and his usually gruff behaviour many residents consider him to a lot more reliable than their own leaders, the City Governors - usually going straight to him asking for help. This has placed Jack in an awkward position: he doesn't want to be a hero, but people look at him that way and some governors consider him to be a danger to their own personal power.
Allies[]
Jack has a good number of allies among the common citizens, most notably Mess O'Bradovich - a former criminal that Jack helped to reform - and Mustapha Cairo, an engineer. His closest ally is Hannah Dundee, his on-off girlfriend and ambassador of the Wassoon tribe to the City in the Sea.
Enemies[]
Jack's main antagonists are various low-lifes from the city, especially poachers. Over the years he has started to practice a sort of "poetic justice"; rather than punish them directly he usually strips them of weapons and gear and leaves them in the wilderness, easy prey for dinosaurs. The relationship between Jack and the governors of the City is more complex. While they aren't usually on good terms due to the Governors' lack of care for the enviroment, only a few of them consider him an actual enemy.
The Grith[]
Jack is one of the few humans that was able to befriend the Grith, a race of humanoid lizards, far older than humanity, that evolved from dinosaurs. According to Jack they don't have the means to translate their language into a written or spoken form understandable to a human and they don't think like humans, so he uses a bag of Scrabble tiles to communicate with them. The Grith are apparently one with the Earth. They have little to no use for technology and they are apparently caretakers of nature. They chose Jack as their agent to the city.
Technology []
Jack is quite adept at analysing, rebuilding and retro engineering technology. The Garage is powered by a geothermal system and his main transportation is a modified Cadillac powered by dinosaurs' guano.