“Yesterday’s” Comic> Prototype #3

I will not be covering the Rune preview story chapter because I care that little about Rune. Sorry.

“Hey, I just had this washed!”

Prototype #3

Malibu Comics/Ultraverse (October, 1993)

“Hero And The Terror”

WRITERS: Tom Mason & Len Strazewski

ARTISTS: David Ammerman & James Pascoe

COLORIST: Rob Alvord

LETTERER: Dave Lanphear

EDITOR: Chris Ulm

Jimmy is in the corporate jet sitting at the airport when a group calling themselves Terrordyne, Inc, attacks a sports team jet at the same airport, planning to hold the team for ransom. Though Hastings tries to use a remote to shut down Jimmy’s suit, he’s been messing with it and found the “governor” and removed it. As Prototype he heads into battle and easily takes down the goons before being attacked by their boss, a fire-shooting baddie calling himself Heater. Despite a glitch caused by the “governor’s” removal, Prototype manages to hold own but one of his other goons steals the Ultratech jet, tossing Hastings out to distract Prototype. In his anger, Prototype destroys the plane, and between that and the damage to the team’s plane (one of the players was also injured by the goons before Prototype’s attack), Leland is not happy and already preparing to replace Jimmy. Meanwhile we learn why Bob and his wife split up (she was sleeping with Leland) and Heater’s boss stuck a scanning device on Prototype’s armor, and sends Wraith to retrieve it once it’s done.

What they got right: The fight scene is well done and you get Jimmy showing off he’s no dummy, plus he takes his role as an ultrahero more seriously than his bosses apparently do. There’s also a nice moment when the injured player has a heart to heart with Prototype about the future of an aging “hero”.

What they got wrong: The pacing is a bit too fast for the sake of the fight. I don’t know who Terrordyne is or why I should be concerned. I do know they suck at naming their agents. Heater. Wraith. Unimpressed.

What I think overall: The action is good but the story is not well paced, including how this series has dropped backstories thus far. Come to think of it, that’s been an issue with the Ultraverse overall thus far in my readings. I also wonder if the attack on the sport team was a trick to get Ultratech’s data from the plane given the scanning chip planted on the Prototype armor.