Monday 20 July 2020

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.


 The Star Slammers: Part Two 
Script + Art: Walter Simonson

Again the Star Slammers function more like secondary characters in their own strip. They remain largely a mystery, with no real backstory and no reason yet offered as to why they each have different armour - other than it helps to distinguish them from a distance and it looks cool. But we do at least see that they can use brains as well as brawn to resolve a situation. Their blank slate status is likely purposeful, but some depth will be needed sooner or later.


 Ghost Rider: Life's Blood: Part Two 
Script: Mackie | Art: Saltares / Texeira / Wright

Danny and Barb's graveyard fiasco continues. The introduction refers to Barb as Danny's girlfriend. but she called him "Little brother" in the first conversation we saw them have in Issue 01, so maybe they took it to the next level... Or should that be a lower level? I don't know. Either way, she's in trouble and her 'male companion' has to save her.

The mystery costumed villain doesn't do much, but the footmen from Ninja School 101 are a different matter. They chase the duo until a fortuitous turn of events (i.e. a very convenient unlikelihood) offers a way out. Hooray!


It's not strip related, but between the Ghost Rider and Conan chapters is a spot the difference competition to win RoboCop: Steel Warrior, a VHS containing two episodes from RoboCop: The Animated Series (namely Ep. 7: No News Is Good News, and Ep. 10: A Robot's Revenge). Two whole episodes on one VHS! Oh, my! It doesn't say what the RRP was, but I'm guessing it was around £9.99. UK home video in the 80s and 90s was a major rip-off.

 Conan: The Frost Giant's Daughter: Part Two 
Script: Roy Thomas | Art: Windsor-Smith

Having been ambushed at the end of the previous chapter by opponents with an unfair 'roll one extra die' height advantage, the already battle-weary Conan has little choice but to fight.

Luckily, fighting is arguably what Conan does best. The saying 'the bigger the foe, the harder they fall,' may also be relevant on this occasion; even in the Hyborian Age, idioms can ring true.

His pursuit of the golden-haired woman made him look like some kind of sexual predator in the previous encounter, and he comes across as even more of one in that regard this time - whether it be by accident or design, or simply as a product of the lawless world in which the barbarian exists, I'm not sure.
What I am sure of is that I felt the ending was weak and hackneyed, and it remains to be seen if he learned anything of value from the experience. But the artwork was still great.


 RoboCop: Kombat Zone: Part Two 
Script: Alan Grant | Art: Sullivan / DeMulder / White

The 'Robo' part and the 'cop' part of officer Murphy work in tandem, as he uses his high-tech infra-red sensors to investigate a crime scene. He's not all about shooting bad guys, it seems.

Television News reports, like in the original film, are used in place of exposition, keeping the public informed of what the money-hungry corporations are doing to enrich (and screw over) their lives, and segueing the reader to a new location, a sporting event that's equal parts violence. The event once more brings thoughts of 2000 AD to mind - but with it being written by Alan Grant, that's maybe not such a coincidence. The inclusion of officer Lewis, the OCP boardroom, and some haunting memories for Murphy further connect the comic series to the parent film.

- End -

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