The comic is well known for its nonsense humor à-la Monty Python, its engaging storytelling and its frequent breaking of the fourth wall.

Ortolani often pays both direct and indirect tribute to other comic authors (Jack Kirby above everyone else) and he frequently makes his characters use pop-culture references, either generic or specific to the native Italian context and background.

The character of Rat-Man appeared for the first time in the second issue of Spot, a supplement to the Italian magazine L'Eternauta #86 of June 1990, shortly after Leonardo Ortolani won a young artists' contest.

They both lost their parents at a young age, both vowed to fight crime to avenge them and both inherited a large fortune with which they fund their activities.

In Rat-Man's universe, two entities fight against each other: the Light, representing all that is good and pure, and the Shadow, a force of evil and corruption.

After the Second World War, the First Secret Squad, a team of superheroes led by the Pipistrello (bat), combats for truth and justice backed by the Light, in an age of great prosperity and peace.

After this failure, in 1954, the Shadow abandons the current vessel it had to take the body of the criminal boss Boda Valker, and contaminates his son, Janus, as well.

Despite the best efforts of Samuel Krik, then a simple cop but already affiliated with the Light, the child is irremediably corrupted, and is taken by his father to be trained as his successor.

In the meantime, the Shadow, through its agents and the scientific research centre Elsewhere, in which Janus works, is planning the Second Secret Squad in order to control the nation and influence it.

Since the program involves total anonymity, Janus has Deboroh join it as Rat-Boy as a way to fulfill his wish to become a superhero and protect him from the Shadow, who is constantly seeking to further corrupt him.

Their kind is dying, being replaced by the newer and more stylish manga, but MarvelMouse's determination and goodwill convince one of the last agents of the Light, only known as Teacher, to end his reclusion and train him as a proper superhero.

However, Janus, who is now fully under the Shadow, seeks to destroy him with the Guardian, a colossal robot built to eliminate the First Squad and abandoned after the same goal was accomplished through other means.

In fact, it detected the rebirth of the Teacher as Pipistrello: he had escaped the destruction of the Secret Squad and lived since then in hiding blaming himself for the failure and death of his comrades.

Though initially unwelcome, Rat-Man, with the help of Samuel Krik, becomes the last remaining superhero apart from the Second Secret Squad, which is still controlled by the Shadow, and starts protecting the city from many threats, such as the demon of desire Tefnut, the devourer of worlds Cosmicus and the publisher-gone-mad Spider.

He inherits everything the Teacher had, including the wealthy Fuffa Corporation and butler Archibald, befriends Tadeus Brakko, and is the object of lust of transsexual Cinzia.

However, the Shadow still conceals some information to him, and Janus, who craves omniscience, is forced to seek Rat-Man on its request in order to gain it.

Rat-Man realizes that the existence of a supervillain is inextricably tied to the presence of a superhero, and, being the last one, he stops donning a mask to save the city.

Janus is further stopped by the last lingering memory of being Deboroh's father, his last sliver of humanity which prevents him to take the life of his adopted son.

Though he has defeated the Shadow, Rat-Man still struggles to return to his golden years and travels to New York to seek counsel from its superheroes, the comic book adventures of which inspired him to become one in the first place.

Rat-Man's efforts finally convince them to follow their due course and retire willingly, with a parting advice to him: when all the fights are over, he should know when to stop and not be afraid of stepping out.

Rat-Man, however, is rescued by the ancient scientist Jorgesson, former assistant of Janus Valker, who takes him to his laboratory showing him a weapon, called "Gigioni", capable of fighting the Shadow.

The Shadow has taken possession of Rat-Man's body and is trying to conquer the world by creating a sort of religious cult with messianic outlines.

Before the final battle with the Shadow begins, Rat-Man decides to confess his biggest lie: he had always known that Aima was still alive, but he had not looked for her in order to be a superhero.

Head of No Name City's police force, he often employs Rat-Man in missions and is a friend of his, although he is a lot more sceptical of his abilities than Brakko.

In the end, he was killed by his first creation, the imperfect Primus, and Rat-Man only managed to escape thanks to Thea, who Denam had created out of a rose.

She also was his wife in a parallel universe, had things gone slightly differently, and she was never forgotten by Rat-Man, even appearing in his fantasy as his final dream at the age of 80.

The Shadow controls the Government of the Nation in which Rat-Man lives, and is constantly trying to tighten its grip on its citizens, mainly through the Superheroes and their Secret Squads.

The First Secret Squad, a league of extraordinary individuals who fought crime during peacetime and in the Second World War, inspired a generation's dream for justice and helped control the Nation.

In order to make space for the new one, the Shadow used Nottolo and Lupo to dispose of the Second Squad, but Rat-Man foiled their plan and the whole idea was finally abandoned.

The series aired on Saturday mornings in Italy and on occasional weekday afternoons in North America during the "Cartoni" segment on the RAI International satellite channel.