⭐ Issue Number 4 - Dated 3rd August, 1991 ⭐
SPECIAL DESTRUCTION, RUIN AND MAYHEM ISSUE!
☆ 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.
Ethon's reminiscing continues, deepening our understanding of why he's with the Star Slammers, It shows a life affected by violence at an early age. The activity that the aggressors partake in is a variation of what goes on in the real world - cowards with guns giving their power-hungry pursuits a genial name to lessen its murderous nature.
There's a significant amount of dialogue within the flashback, giving us an insight into the Orions and the political manipulation that keeps the amoral in power and the public feel like they have some say. It's an important contrast to the minimal amount of text that the strip had at its beginning, but it feels like a natural progression, not a sharp left-turn. The similarity to a famous parable adds a powerful comparative layer to the Slammers' present-day situation.
The incandescent Ghost Rider flees the scene, pursued by cops in cars. Like in movies the motorcycle proves to be a more manoeuvrable mode of transport, able to navigate tight spaces, but the Hell Cycle has more tricks than most.
There's a scene change to a location well-known for its prestige and double-dealings during daylight hours, which takes us into the world of the villain. But overall, I feel it's a pretty dull chapter.
The only thing that the Conan story has in common with events depicted on issue four's dramatic cover art is that both of them feature the barbarian; negotiating his way on horseback through a strange and treacherous woodland is something that doesn't ever happen. On the contrary, very little actually occurs with him.
The woman with whom he left the private arena last issue is present still, and it's her that takes the spotlight, under which her true colours come to light (with a subtle but perhaps significant tell). The strip cuts off at what's clearly an unscheduled end point, leaving Conan in a pickle and the reader in the middle of nothing very interesting at all.
RoboCop hands out fines and jail sentences for minor crimes while advancing toward what he suspects is a much larger one. The higher-ups that are connected to that more direct focus feel themselves pushed into a corner, and respond in kind, advancing a dangerous plan before all the kinks have been ironed out. The situation is going to elevate, and the closing panel leaves us in no doubt that the armoured officer is going to be the one in the firing line.
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.
☆ The Star Slammers: Part Four ☆
Script + Art: Walter Simonson
Ethon's reminiscing continues, deepening our understanding of why he's with the Star Slammers, It shows a life affected by violence at an early age. The activity that the aggressors partake in is a variation of what goes on in the real world - cowards with guns giving their power-hungry pursuits a genial name to lessen its murderous nature.
There's a significant amount of dialogue within the flashback, giving us an insight into the Orions and the political manipulation that keeps the amoral in power and the public feel like they have some say. It's an important contrast to the minimal amount of text that the strip had at its beginning, but it feels like a natural progression, not a sharp left-turn. The similarity to a famous parable adds a powerful comparative layer to the Slammers' present-day situation.
☆ Ghost Rider: Life's Blood: Part Four ☆
Script: Mackie | Art: Saltares / Texeira / Wright
There's a scene change to a location well-known for its prestige and double-dealings during daylight hours, which takes us into the world of the villain. But overall, I feel it's a pretty dull chapter.
☆ Conan: Cauldron of the Doomed: Part Two ☆
Plot + Art: Buscema | Dialogue: Fleisher
The only thing that the Conan story has in common with events depicted on issue four's dramatic cover art is that both of them feature the barbarian; negotiating his way on horseback through a strange and treacherous woodland is something that doesn't ever happen. On the contrary, very little actually occurs with him.
The woman with whom he left the private arena last issue is present still, and it's her that takes the spotlight, under which her true colours come to light (with a subtle but perhaps significant tell). The strip cuts off at what's clearly an unscheduled end point, leaving Conan in a pickle and the reader in the middle of nothing very interesting at all.
☆ RoboCop: Kombat Zone: Part Four ☆
Script: Alan Grant | Art: Sullivan / DeMulder / White
- End -
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