Who Is The Protagonist In 'I'M A Stingray'?

The protagonist in 'I'm a Stingray' is Ray Carmichael, a former marine biologist turned vigilante after a lab accident fuses his DNA with a stingray. This gives him some wild abilities like electroreception to sense hidden enemies and poisoned barbs he can shoot from his wrists. His personality's a mix of dry humor and relentless determination, especially when protecting the ocean from polluters. The series does a great job balancing his human side with his growing stingray traits - like his aversion to bright lights or how he starts craving shrimp constantly. It's refreshing to see a hero whose powers come with actual biological consequences instead of just being cool superpowers.

Let me geek out about Ray from 'I\'m a Stingray' for a minute. This guy's transformation is one of the most scientifically grounded superhero origins I've seen. The accident doesn't just give him powers - it rewires his entire nervous system. Those dark streaks under his eyes? Not makeup, actual ampullae of Lorenzini organs forming. His combat style evolves throughout the story too. Early chapters show him awkwardly adjusting to his new body, tripping over his own reflexes when his lateral line system detects movement he can't visually see. By volume 3, he's developed this fluid fighting style combining martial arts with stingray biology, using his flattened body shape to glide through narrow spaces or his pectoral fins to redirect bullets.
The psychological aspect fascinates me more than the powers though. Ray struggles with identity the whole series - is he still human, an animal, something new? His relationship with his ex-wife Claire gets especially complicated when she discovers his condition. There's this brilliant scene where she points out he keeps subconsciously pulsing water through his gill slits when stressed. The character development hits hard because the author actually consulted marine biologists to make the transformation feel biologically plausible every step of the way.

Ray in 'I'm a Stingray' starts as this average Joe working at a coastal research station, but post-transformation, he becomes something way more interesting. What makes him stand out is how his powers aren't just offensive - that electroreception helps him track illegal dumping operations by sensing chemical changes in water. His venom isn't always lethal either; at low doses it acts as a truth serum, which leads to some hilarious interrogation scenes. The series smartly avoids making him invincible - saltwater dehydration is a constant threat, and he nearly dies when trapped in freshwater too long.
His supporting cast elevates the story too. There's this retired fisherman who becomes his mentor, teaching him to harness his instincts instead of fighting them. Their dynamic reminds me of classic martial arts master-student relationships, but with more seafood puns. The villains range from corporate polluters to a rival hybrid who got squid DNA instead. The squid guy's ink clouds versus Ray's electrical pulses lead to some of the most visually creative fight scenes I've seen in comics.