“Yesterday’s” Comic> Deathlok #1

“Man,, I really let the backyard go.”

Deathlok #1

Marvel (July, 1991)

Michael Collins became the cyborg Deathlok and somehow got his former employer, who put his brain in this robotic killing machine, put away. However, Harlan Ryder has other cyborg killers at his disposal, such as the wolf-brain-controlled Warwolf, which he sends against the witnesses and files that can incriminate him. What he didn’t count on is Deathlok is searching for his body and the scientist who can put his brain back, and comes across Warwolf, who destroys Cybertek’s records. Warwolf’s next target are the criminals in prison who can testify against Ryder. It also happens to be where Ryder is incarcerated. Deathlok battles Warwolf and is forced to kill him when he’s too injured for repairs. Now he’s lost the link to his body, his only chance to return to his wife and son, but he won’t stop looking.

What they got right: I was never a fan of Spawn for it’s questionable approach to God and Satan, me being a Christian and all, plus all of the gore and darker themes that accompanied it. While this has a similar theme (a man turned into a killer just looking for a way to return to his family) there are differences. Michael isn’t a hitman but a computer programmer working on artificial limbs. He has a no-kill policy that he extends to his computer (except to kill Warwolf when he has no good choice). Thus I feel sorrier for Michael Collins than I did for Al Simmons, even when Peter David was voicing him.

What they got wrong: If these events happened in some other comic, there should have been some notation as to what comic and issue and there isn’t. Deathlok’s computer also refers to Danbury, Connecticut (where the prison is) as Danbury, CN instead of CT. By the way, why would you put a guy in the same prison with potential witnesses to his trial?

Recommendation: If Spawn is too dark, bloody, violent, and Biblically impaired for your tastes (or some combination), and if this first issue is any indication, Deathlok (or at least this version) may be up your alley. Give it a check and find out. I know I want to read more issues.