Raul

Origin

Raul was first “owned” by Hilton “Hammerhead” Krieger, the Chief Plexus Ranger of the Chicago Plexmall. On Reuben Flagg’s first day in Chicago, Raul confirmed that he too could see the subliminal messages being pumped into the Bob Violence TV show by The Plex. The subliminals were causing the local biker gangs to riot on a weekly basis and Raul’s answer when Reuben asked him why he’d never said anything about it was “You don’t screw with The Plex.” After Hilton Krieger is assassinated, Reuben takes on the role of Raul’s primary caregiver as one of the stipulations of Krieger’s will.  He’s the ultimate spy as he’s highly observant, and nobody ever really pays attention to a cat.
 

Creation

Raul was created by Howard Chaykin to serve as an observer and chronicler to Reuben Flagg’s adventures.  Raul acts as a kind of Greek Chorus for the American Flagg series. He’s occasionally able to break the fourth wall, and he often provides running commentary to the stories.

Character Evolution

Raul pretty much stays the same during the entire series. He’s sweet and loyal to his friends, and manipulative and cunning towards everyone else. He’s given a pair of cybernetic hands by the resident tech wizard Amanda Krieger so that he can have opposable thumbs, and he learns how to run all the equipment at Reuben’s pirate TV station Q-USA. Raul serves as an occasional on-air commentator, and even runs successfully for Mayor of Chicago.