Havoc 09

⭐ Issue Number 9 - Dated 7th September, 1991 ⭐

A GLISTENING FULL METAL JACKET ISSUE!

- Police psychologists suggest that the creature is the product of mass psychosis, and is actually nothing more than an urban myth. -

☆ Deathlok: Jesus Saves: Part One ☆

Script: McDuffie / Wright | Art: Guice / Williams

The quote above is from The Daily Bugle, Marvel's most used fictional New York newspaper. Events in part one of a new arc for Deathlok take place on the streets of Coney Island, Brooklyn. The 'creature' referred to is him.

Even if his presence on the streets hadn't been reported on page one of the tabloid, his appearance would be a dead giveaway, even from afar. To maintain anonymity he moves in the shadows, incognito, in a long coat and hat.

For the average citizen the streets of Coney Island are dangerous after dark. But for the cybernetically enhanced anti-hero it's an opportunity to do some good, to use his skills to protect the innocent from the aggressors.

Once again, a resemblance to how Todd McFarlane's Spawn would develop is unmistakable. It's possible that some ideas were 'borrowed' from Deathlok's evolution.

Havoc 08

⭐ Issue Number 8 - Dated 31st August, 1991 ⭐

METAL MEN  ●  FIERY FIENDS  ●  COSMIC COMBATANTS!

"Is there nothing we might say, Cimmerian, that might persuade you to accept our offer?"

☆ Deathlok: The Brains of the Outfit:

Part Seven ☆

Script: McDuffie / Wright | Art: Guice / Wright

Like almost every lonely hero in Marvel comic-dom has done at some point in time, Deathlok retreats to the rooftops to mull over his life choices - including the ones that were made for him by his unscrupulous employers.

His conclusion is one befitting the tragic tone that's been present from the beginning, but it's still pretty extreme.

But before he takes direct action in the hope of preventing the men who played God with his brain from committing similar atrocities to other employees in the future, he's got one more personal matter to attend to.

Without going into detail, the strip got me nostalgic for Milton Bradley's wonderful HeroQuest board game, even though it doesn't actually feature in the comic.

What does feature is a scenario in which Deathlok gains new insight about his own situation whilst trying to impart wisdom to another. It's a classic literary device — the hero ultimately taking his own advice — but when it's done correctly, as it is in the scene in question, it's as powerful as ever. Taken as a whole, The Brains of the Outfit: Part Seven is arguably the best the strip ever got in Havoc's pages.

Havoc 07

⭐ Issue Number 7 - Dated 24th August, 1991 ⭐

BONE-CRUNCHING KEVLAR-CLAD ISSUE!

"Call them off. This one is personal."

There's no Conan the Barbarian strip in Issue 07, which means slightly more available page count for some of the others. Personally, I like Conan, but the format works better with four serialised works instead of the usual five.

☆ Deathlok: The Brains of the Outfit:

Part Six ☆

Script: McDuffie / Wright | Art: Guice / Wright

First up is Deathlok, who doesn't benefit from the situation much with just seven pages of story.

The human brain that's housed within the cybernetic shell continues to converse with, and attempt to control, its machine parts. In a way, it's like an inner-narrative device but with two different personalities, both of whom have a distinct way of perceiving, interacting, and responding to the world around them (and any threats that arise).

There's a scene that I felt was reminiscent of one in Todd McFarlane's early Spawn comics, but an internet search revealed that Spawn didn't appear on shelves until the following year (May 1992), so the thinking was reversed.

Havoc 06

⭐ Issue Number 6 - Dated 17th August, 1991 ⭐

CYBERNETICS  ●  BARBARITY  ●  FANTASY  ●  VENGEANCE!

"[T]ell me that thing’s a big harmless garbage truck."

++ Negative. Object identified under MAINFRAME file as ALL TERRAIN ATTACK VEHICLE. ATAV’s firepower sufficient to destroy this unit. ++

☆ Deathlok: The Brains of the Outfit:

Part Five ☆

Script: McDuffie / Wright | Art: Guice / Wright

In the previous issue it seemed like Deathlok's inner-conflict would be exceeding the outer one for some time to come, but the drama of that situation was either short-lived or simply pushed to the backburner for a while,

Issue 06's instalment begins in anguish, but mostly it's an action scene that's played out on paper. In a movie screenplay it would probably say something as simple as: D-Lok attempts an escape; there's much shooting. It would then be left up to the filmmaker(s) and storyboard artist(s) to construct the scene. I know it's a comic and not a film, but the two things can be similarly summarised: Deathlok attempts an escape and there's much shooting.

Beyond that, the human element in the cyborg strives to communicate with and influence the machine half. But asking a killing machine not to kill can result in the whole being vulnerable to attack, so some creative thinking is required - which is yet more action scene content.

Havoc 05

⭐ Issue Number 5 - Dated 10th August, 1991 ⭐

FIVE LETHAL WEAPONS FOR THE PRICE OF ONE!

"We really could use your help in figuring out what happened in the cemetery."

☆ RoboCop: Murphy's Law: Part One ☆

Script: Alan Grant | Art: Sullivan / DeMulder / White

There are some new cops on the streets of Old Detroit and they aren't upholding the same law as RoboCop; in their programmed eyes, he's the enemy. RoboCop finds himself outgunned but not, as they say, outwitted.

His years on the street as Officer Alex Murphy give him a certain edge, leading to an opening that mere machine thinking would probably overlook. Once again the human and machine parts of the RoboCop play their part.

Speaking of which, there's an interesting contrast between the two, as each views a tragedy in different terms.

And there's a moment of self-doubt, something that a machine wouldn't have. The tech guys would probably want to eliminate such things, seeing it as some kind of glitch in the programming, but it's a measure of the humanity that's still present inside the metallic shell; i.e. the essence of Alex Murphy, the part of the character that makes him more relatable than he might otherwise be.

Havoc 04

⭐ Issue Number 4 - Dated 3rd August, 1991 ⭐

SPECIAL DESTRUCTION, RUIN AND MAYHEM ISSUE!

"Be candid with me, barbarian! In all the travels of which you've told me, have you ever tasted a more exquisite example of the vinter's art?"

☆ Deathlok: The Brains of the Outfit:

Part Three ☆

Script: McDuffie / Wright | Art: Guice / Wright

The three-panels that open part three of the story are a fine example of how art and dialogue working together can convey much more than each one could alone. It sets an idyllic scene and then turns it successfully on its head.

Thereafter we get to see the Deathlok cyborg in a real combat zone for the very first time, doing precisely what it was that he was constructed to do, albeit for purposes that have more in common with unethical mercenary excursions than any kind of military led liberation. He may be the "ultimate war machine" like his makers claim, but he's a also a commodity for sale to the highest bidder.

The cyborg's enhanced abilities allow him to run faster than normal and target enemies from a faraway distance without the need for external equipment, and his targeting up close is precise, too, but the Frankenstein nature of his two parts also has an influence on how things turn out.

Havoc 03

⭐ Issue Number 3 - Dated 27th July, 1991 ⭐

TRANCERS  ●  PREDATORS  ●  MOBSTERS  ●  CYBERNAUTS  ●  SPACE-CADETS

"Our bid to get in on Delta City depends on us getting the Nixcop onto the streets — and fast. Whoever can bring law to Detroit — will rule Detroit!"

☆ Conan: Cauldron of the Doomed:
Part One ☆

Plot + Art: Buscema | Dialogue: Fleisher

I like how the five strips aren't always placed in the same order; it makes it feel less predictable, somehow. It's Conan's turn to be first, with a new story arc that begins with him wrestling one-on-one a man that resembles an overweight executioner, complete with black hood.

The onlookers bet on who will be victorious, but Conan is there for himself, not them, and knows he will win.

His man-handling draws the attentions of an educated lady, who stands out from the crowd in a way that screams 'this one is bad news', but Conan has already shown that he'll walk into a trap if led by a beautiful woman (i.e. Havoc #1-2, The Frost Giant's Daughter), so we can expect no less of him now. Or is he being disingenuous, playing along so that he gets deeper to the truth? Time will tell - it's a four-part story.

Havoc 02

⭐ Issue Number 2 - Dated 20th July, 1991 ⭐

ROBOCOP COMPETITION! 20 VIDEOS TO BE WON!

"Everything’s going to be okay, Barb! I won't let them hurt you anymore! I'm going to make the bleeding stop."

☆ Deathlok: The Brains of the Outfit:
Part One ☆

Script: McDuffie / Wright | Art: Guice / Willaims / Wright

We don’t see Deathlok very much in the second issue. In fact, besides the opening picture depicting the previous brain being removed from the shell, he features just once, in a bold Jesus Christ pose, and even then he’s inactive.

Instead, we get a glimpse of what goes on behind the scenes at Cybertek, and learn a little more about the folks that built (and hope to control) the deadly cyborg. Within that setting, the clever wording of the title is apparent.

Outside of that we meet Michael and Tracy, an adult couple with a young child (Nick) that enables the writers to introduce themes of morality and social values, which will no doubt play a greater role in future story lines.

A word of caution: after the Deathlok strip ends, there's a written Q+A with the creators. It's either taken from a different source, or the creators weren't told that it would be placed next to the character's origin story. As such, the answers assume a familiarity with how Deathlok develops later in his evolution. To say there are massive spoilers for what's to come is a major understatement.

Havoc 01

⭐ Issue Number 1 - Dated 13th July, 1991 ⭐
STARMEN  ●  HOT-HEADS  ●  ICE MAIDENS  ●  CYBORGS  ●  BARBARIANS

“Today’s test is a simple one. Twelve top mercenaries versus Deathlok. He will be carrying a gun that fires harmless paint pellets. To make things interesting, the mercenaries will be carrying real weapons."

☆ Deathlok: Test Run ☆

Script: McDuffie / Wright | Art: Guice / Wright

It begins with an origin story. The angry looking cover star Deathlok is referred to as the "ultimate war machine".

Like a walking corpse with metallic limbs, it's the brain of a respected Colonel housed inside a high-tech cyborg body.

Anyone who's ever read an action comic or watched a science fiction movie before will maybe have predicted by now that something happens to make the cyborg slave's programming go awry, leading to independent thought.

With just eight pages of story for the character in the first issue, we learn very little about the cybernetics program, its creators or controllers, and even less about the man whose brain sits inside the casing, Colonel John Kelly.

But it ends on a cliff-hanger, effectively setting a hook with the kind of bait that's served anthology comics well for years before Havoc came along, and still does today.