⭐ 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.
☆ Ghost Rider: Life's Blood: Part Five ☆
Script: Mackie | Art: Saltares / Texeira / Wright
It was a dispute over a briefcase trade that kicked off events in the Salem Fields cemetery, which cascaded and resulted in Danny Ketch hiding in a junkyard, where he was transformed by the Spirit of Vengeance. In Issue 02 a girl, Paulie, was saved thanks to Ghost Rider's intervention. I mention all of that because Paulie slipped away with the case and it's now time to find out what was inside, what it was that so many men were willing to die for. We also meet the person to whom the case was ultimately to be delivered to, and he's not happy that it's missing.
Elsewhere, Barb is back to being Danny's sister, this time for definite. There's a wonderful scene wherein we see him concerned for her well-being. It's a page with five similarly sized horizontal panels. Danny mulls over the previous night, and struggles with his thoughts. What's wonderful is the framing and how it progresses from fully lit (and fully coloured) to shadow (just three colours), as if absolution requires that the seeker be removed from the real world.
And there's a further element present in all five panels, an unchanging reminder of the emotional weight of the here and now. With that said, it might seem like a good time to add an accompanying picture, but taking one panel out of context is a disservice to the conceptual nature of the whole, so there'll be no illustration for Ghost Rider this time.
☆ The Star Slammers: Part Five ☆
Script + Art: Walter Simonson
Heroes (and anti-heroes) can't always have the upper hand, otherwise there'd be no uncertainty for them, no danger of failure and they'd quickly get boring. The Star Slammers have had the advantage thus far, but with the page count being small it's not been a major problem. Nevertheless, the time has come for the shoe to be on the other foot.
There's a suggestion of deeper feelings between them that we'd not seen before, and a hidden thing is revealed, in a manner that brings further change. And we learn that there's fight in the Slammers even when they aren't in armour.
☆ Conan: Cauldron of the Doomed: Part Three ☆
Plot + Art: Buscema | Dialogue: Fleisher
Forgive the cynicism, but it's a universal truth that sometimes people end up hating the very same thing that they were initially attracted to in a partner; that peculiarity of human nature is explored in the third part of the story.
Having been encouraged to enjoy too much of the "special" wine, Conan is still unable to act according to his own nature, so it's mostly Marielle that drives the narrative forward, a woman who treats men as playthings and thinks nothing of abusing her staff both physically and mentally. If I can counteract the cynicism that I opened with, I'm hoping that goodness will prevail - probably in the form of just deserts, or at the end of Conan's sword.
☆ Deathlok: The Brains of the Outfit: Part Four ☆
Script: McDuffie / Wright | Art: Guice / Wright
Historic recurrence (often expressed as history repeats itself) is a concept that's believed to have been discussed by scholars for millennia, and it's likely been used in storytelling for almost as long. It's still used in that capacity today, such is its power, despite its flip-side being predictability. In Deathlok's case, with the added red flag of comic book logic, it was only a matter of time before what occurred before occurs again: different shit hitting the same fan.
A situation that invites compassion is the tipping point, leading to an inner-struggle that plays out on the page for the reader to follow more easily. It's while Deathlok is once more suspended in a crucifixion pose, which may or may not be an additional commentary in itself (on the ones that put him there, as well as on the cyborg's own evolution).
A situation that invites compassion is the tipping point, leading to an inner-struggle that plays out on the page for the reader to follow more easily. It's while Deathlok is once more suspended in a crucifixion pose, which may or may not be an additional commentary in itself (on the ones that put him there, as well as on the cyborg's own evolution).
- End -
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