“Yesterday’s” Comic> Prototype #1

“Stop calling me knockoff Iron Man!”

Prototype #1

Malibu Comics/Ultraverse (August, 1993)

“Budget Cuts”

WRITERS: Tom Mason & Len Strazewski

ARTISTS: David Ammerman & James Pascoe

COLORIST: Paul Mounts

LETTERER: Tim Eldred

EDITOR: Chris Ulm

Bob Campbell was the pilot of the Prototype armor, until a demonstration went wrong and the next model severed his arm. This caused Ultratech to shelve the project. Now there’s a new guy in the Prototype armor, Jimmy Ruiz, just as some green-skinned invulnerable dude named Glare rampages through the street calling out Ultratech head honcho Stanley Leland’s name. The new Prototype goes into action and despite being out of his league he manages to hold in own. During one part of the fight the dust hides his lady assistant, Marjorie, touching Glare’s forehead, killing him. This is blamed on Prototype, who hopes he’s right about the “him or me” response. Meanwhile, someone else wants to meet with Bob after seeing the new Prototype.

What they got right: The concept to me is “what if Iron Man’s cover story (at the time that he merely worked for Tony Stark) was the actual backstory. I like that idea and after seeing him in the Ultraforce cartoon is what makes me curious about him more than the other characters. I kind of started this read through of the Ultraverse for this idea, but I also liked Hardcase and Prime on the show, who get name dropped here. There’s a lot of action.

What they got wrong: But not much else. Outside of Bob I had to look up the full name of Leland and Jimmy, with Marjorie apparently not having a last name according to the Grand Comics Database. There’s not a lot explained here so I’m not sure what’s going out outside of how Bob lost his arm and the debut of the new Prototype operator in a new, sleek armor that’s having some remaining bugs in the software. Marjorie mentions Glare is a genetically altered kid (unless she’s talking about Jimmy; implants are mentioned). That’s it for the explanations.

What I think overall: It’s my attraction to armored superheroes that will get me to stick around a few more issues and see if this is any good. This issue alone doesn’t really sell me beyond the concept.