Back in May of this year, we took a look at Astonishing Tales #31, which featured Deathlok the Demolisher… although only for its first ten pages. As regular readers of this blog may recall, the ongoing series plotted and (mostly) drawn by Deathlok’s primary creator, Rich Buckler, had in the spring of 1975 recently been having scheduling problems, leading Marvel Comics to make the bi-monthly title full reprint for one issue (#29), bring in additional pencilling help for the next (#30), and then, having only enough new content to fill half of the last (#31), pad out the rest of that book with yet another reprint. Still, we found cause for cautious optimism in what Deathlok material we did get in AT #31, per the coming-on-board of new (hopefully to become regular) inker Klaus Janson, as well as some welcome progression in the feature’s meandering plotlines.
How well-founded was our optimism? Well, let’s start with the fact that this post, which is mostly about issue #33, is appearing in October… meaning that, fifty years ago, it took Marvel five months to bring out two issues of this book, rather than the expected four. Not exactly what you’d call a good sign.
For the record, the very next issue to arrive in spinner racks following #31 — Astonishing Tales #32, whose cover by Buckler and Dan Adkins is shown at left — came out when it was supposed to, in July, 1975. So far, so good. But it wasn’t exactly an auspicious portent that the credits box on the opening splash page indicated that Rich Buckler was still requiring quite a bit of additional help to get this supposedly creator-directed (if not actually creator-owned) product out on a regular schedule. Not only were Buckler’s writing contributions as the feature’s plotter and (sometimes) scripter being buttressed here by relative newcomer Bill Mantlo, but on the artistic end, his own drawing efforts were being supplemented by those of Keith Pollard (who’d also helped with the pencilling on the previous issue), Bob McLeod, “& the whole blame [sic] Bullpen”. (Not given a credit, but presumably at least signing off on the issue before it went to press, was the then-current editor of Marvel’s color comics line, Marv Wolfman.)
Before moving om from this splash, we’ll note that the title of the story comes from a song (and album) by David Bowie — just the latest example of Rich Buckler’s fondness for working music references into his writing.
The helicopter goes into a tailspin, but lands not only in one piece, but upright. However, by the time Deathlok reaches it, his quarry appears to have flown the scene…
As you may remember from our AT #31 post, Deathlok’s quarry is an unnamed guy in a green suit, currently in possession of a briefcase full of cash that was allegedly being paid by some other guy — name of Quartuccio — to secure the services of one of the surgeons responsible for our protagonist’s cyborgization. At present, he’s the only lead Deathlok has to finding a cure for his “locked in death” condition.
Meanwhile, Deathlok’s nemesis, Major Simon Ryker, takes time out from his own ongoing series of cybernetic enhancements to review the latest developments via his Omni-Computer, which has remote cameras all over New York City and beyond…
So, now we know that whoever the mysterious Quartuccio is, he’s not someone who works for Simon Ryker. Unfortunately, that’s all we’re ever going to learn about him, as the name never comes up again for the remainder of Buckler’s “Deathlok” series. Oh, well.
Elsewhere, Deathlok’s estranged friend Mike Travers, who’d managed to escape from Ryker’s complex a few episodes back, has broken back into the place to rescue Ryker’s estranged (to put it mildly) girlfriend, Nina Ferry… whom, as you may recall, the Major has had hooked up to his Omni-Computer for most of the series’ run to date…
Evidently a better shot than any of Ryker’s goons, Mike even manages to blast his way out of the complex, even while carrying the unconscious Nina. Not only a fine marksman, but a strong fella, to boot. I mean, who needs cybernetic enhancements, anyway?
OK, so maybe Deathlok needs them — since it’s the infrared-sensing capability of his red artificial eye that allows him to track the footsteps of the elusive man in green into a subway station…
Deathlok throws down with the drones for a couple of pages of well-choreographed violence, before finally delivering the coup de grâce by pulling the subway tunnel’s ceiling down on top of them…
In defiance of his computer-brain’s pessimistic projections, Deathlok emerges from the resulting rubble without… well, let’s let him tell it:
So ends “The Man Who Sold the World!” (Fifty years later, I’m still not sure which character Buckler meant that Bowie-copped phrase to refer to; it doesn’t really fit anyone in the story very well). The follow-up in Astonishing Tales #33 should have been released on September 23rd — but, for whatever reason, that issue doesn’t appear to have actually made it to stands until October 14th, per Mike’s Amazing World of Comics. On the other hand, there was good news to be found on the first page’s credits box, which let us know that the book’s main creative team had been trimmed down to a sleek trio of Rich Buckler (plot and pencils), Bill Mantlo (script), and a returning Klaus Janson (inks and colors; for the record, Janson also inked the Buckler-pencilled cover).
I’ve reproduced the first three pages (plus change) of “Reflections in a Crimson Eye!”* for a couple of reasons. First, because it’s a great-looking sequence, with Buckler and Janson both clearly working at the top of their game (the close-up portrait of Deathlok on page 3 — arguably one of the defining images of the character — is a particular standout). Second, because of the whiplash-inducing incoherence of the cyborg’s attitude towards the briefcase full of counterfeit cash in this sequence, which actually begins on the last page of Astonishing Tales #32. There, Deathlok decided that he’d hold on to the “funny money”, figuring it might still serve some purpose as he continues his quest for the surgeon he hopes can help him. But then, by the first caption on the first page of #33, he’s changed his mind… though only until the first panel of page 2, where he changes his mind yet again, deciding to hold on the briefcase after all… that is, until the first tier of panels on page 4 (shown directly above) where he abandons the case and its contents for a second and (thankfully) final time. None of this back-and-forth seems to serve any story purpose, as far as I can see.
About the only way I can make any sense at all out of this repetitive back-and-forth is to believe that Bill Mantlo was working primarily from Rich Buckler’s pencilled pages, with no access to a written plot — at least, not one that actually broke down the story page by page. As we’ve observed in previous posts, Buckler’s usual method for handling the transitions from one episode of “Deathlok” to the next has been to use a sort of overlapping technique, where the last page or two of the preceding issue’s chapter is repeated on the first couple of pages of the current one, usually from different camera angles and sometimes using different narrative perspectives. This is just speculation, of course, but I suspect that’s what happened here — that Deathlok’s tossing of the counterfeit bills on the last page of #32, followed by his carrying off the briefcase in the very final panel, was reprised by Buckler in his pencils for the first two pages of #33… and Mantlo, writing his script based on the pencils rather than working from a detailed plot, didn’t realize this, and wrote the sequence as if it was beginning after that last panel of #32 — thereby giving us a whole extra round of “abandons briefcase/retrieves briefcase” that the artist/plotter never intended. That’s my theory, anyway.
But to continue with our story… Even as Deathlok makes the necessary repairs to the mostly-intact helicopter he took down by bayonet in the last issue, Major Ryker is going under the knife for the fourth and final surgery necessary for him to achieve his goal of becoming the “Savior Machine”. But although Ryker may be completely anesthetized, his Omni-Computer (which, along with Deathlok’s human and computer voices, carries most of the narrative weight in these issues) continues to monitor events outside the Major’s complex,,,
Once the helicopter has landed on the grounds of the estate shown above, Deathlok asks his “‘puter” for more data on the place — and is surprised to learn that it’s owned by none other than Major Simon Ryker. That information doesn’t fit very well with what our protagonist had previously surmised about the late courier, but whatever. If Ryker is here, then so much the better…
Luther Manning? Well, you could have fooled me… with that sandy red hair, I’d have taken the fellow for Mike Travers (whom I’d guess is whom colorist Klaus Janson thought he was dealing with, here).
We’ll take a moment here just to savor this double-page spread, which gives us a simultaneous impression of events on three different story-fronts, in a way that can only really be done in comics.
Turning to the next page, we continue with Mike Travers and Nina Ferry — the latter of whom has at least regained consciousness by now… sort of, anyway…
This is unquestionably a text-heavy page, but given that Hellinger’s exposition here has to account for virtually everything that Deathlok has gone through for the last couple of issues, I’m not sure Bill Mantlo had much option. Mind you, I’m also not sure that the explanation that Hellinger has been leading the cyborg along all this time, using “phony ‘clues’“, really does cover everything adequately — and even if it does, it probably doesn’t justify how much time and space the whole “courier” sequence has taken up in the narrative. But, hey, it’s probably best to leave that baggage behind us, and go with the flow. (Though, before moving on, I must note that I agree with the good people at the Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe that the mysterious “Victorio Quartuccio” was probably supposed to be an alias of Hellinger — even if our storytellers never quite got around to telling us so.)
As you’ll remember, several pages ago, Hellinger told Deathlok that he couldn’t help him with his condition — both because there wasn’t enough left of “Luther Manning” for an effective mind-transfer to another body, and because of the surgeon’s own radiation-ruined hands. So why does Deathlok now appear to believe that Hellinger will be able to find a way to make him “normal”? I guess hope springs eternal…
Anyway, following his new ally’s mission directive, Deathlok hops back on board the helicopter, which takes him back to Manhattan…
Meanwhile, back on Long Island, we find Hellinger gloating to his Luther Manning clone (whose hair is now being colored the appropriate shade of brown, at least) about how thoroughly he’s deceived Deathlok…
Well, that’ll teach our favorite Demolisher to be such a trusting soul, won’t it? Assuming he survives.
But though things looking bad right now for Deathlok, the character, the prospects for “Deathlok”, the comic-book feature, appear to be somewhat more rosy. The creative team that’s now in place — Rich Buckler, Bill Mantlo, and Klaus Janson — will actually be hanging around for the next two issues, which will see most (though not quite all) of the series’ running plotlines resolved. Will Buckler and company succeed in finally achieving the potential this strip has hinted at ever since its debut back in Astonishing Tales #25? That, naturally, is a question we’ll have to leave to future posts.
*For once, our story’s title doesn’t come from the world of music; rather it alludes to Reflections in a Golden Eye — a 1941 novel by Carson McCullers, which was subsequently adapted into a 1967 film of the same name.
Sal Quartuccio published the pro zine Phase One in 1971 with Adams, Wrightson, Gray Morrow, Ken Barr, and others as a high end rival to other fanzines of the day. From 1974 to 1978 he published Hot Stuf’, a “ground level” indie comic with art by the aforementioned creators, along with Rich Buckler and many others. It is evident this is where Buckler obtained the surname in his Deathlok story. Here is some of Rich’s art (and others’) from Hot Stuf’ no. 1:
https://offthebeatenpanel.blogspot.com/2012/07/hot-stuf-1-1974.html?m=1
Sal Q publications also published many art portfolios, including Apparitions by Berni Wrightson in 1978.
I think I can definitely see Janson’s touch in some of those panels.
I have nothing much to say except damn, that’s one convoluted plotline, whipsawing with a new direction or a new reveal every couple of pages.
I read the entire run of Deathlok back in the day. As the book was bi-monthly and I was 13/14 years old, the haphazard plotting wasn’t too much of a problem. I was there for the cool lead character, dystopian future, and violent action. I reread the series in paperback format a couple of years ago and was baffled and amused by the incoherence of the storyline. It was a series of great set pieces and interesting storytelling choices but not a great narrative overall. I get the impression Buckler and his writing partners were making it up as they went along (an approach that was not unusual at the time, as all of us here know).
And, Alan, your proposed explanation for the suitcase debacle makes perfect sense. Well thought-out!
I think Buckler was primarily overwhelmed by biting off more than he could chew. God knows it takes long enough to write or draw a comic alone, but the added task of doing both together was just more than Rich could take. His story was so involved and convoluted and the way he communicated with his collaborators so poor, it’s a wonder any of this comic makes sense at all. Thank god Rich was a good penciller (when we wasn’t copying the style of other artists) and double-thank god, Klaus Janson was on-board as inker, or there would be very little to recommend this book at all. I don’t remember my reaction to it fifty years ago, but today, I read this story with a great big “huh?” hanging over my head like a word balloon. Dialogue errors, coloring mistakes and god knows what else, it really makes me wonder sometimes how Buckler kept his gig at Marvel in the first place. Thanks, Alan!
I wonder if by this point he wasn’t beginning to lose it, since he would be more exclusive to DC by late 1976/early ’77 . . . .
I always thought tying in a younger Ryker with the Hellfire Club’s cyborg Pierce could have been interesting.
The worst part of completism is seeing a blog entry like this, featuring art and story you realize you hate completely and remembering how you bought the whole series because you had gotten the first issue. If young me ever gets a visit from present day me, I will bitch slap that kid and tell him he doesn’t have to keep reading things that he gets zero pleasure from. I think it’s somewhere between twenty-five years and thirty of reading comics that I started doing this. There’s number ones now that I set aside partway through even and if a series or Event crosses into a series I am not already reding I skip it. And I gotta admit very few Events even tempt me anymore. I’m already sitting out the latest Doom wins mini and Snyder’s KO might even get me t skip issues of series I would have gotten if it didn’t cross over.
Tom Brevoort on his blog refers to this as “subsidizing mediocrity.” Which I, like you and many other fans, have been guilty of.
I can’t help but compare Buckler’s Deathlok to Starlin’s Warlock. Both runs star angsty characters who are mostly divorced from the rest of the Marvel universe, by time or distance, and both were opportunities for the artists to shine in telling their own stories. Of course, Buckler created or co-created Deathlok, while Starlin took a character created by Kirby but significantly refashioned by Thomas & Kane, but he still pretty much took possession of Warlock and created one of the great comics epics of the 1970s, writing, drawing, scripting and even coloring pretty much the whole thing on his own. Buckler might’ve at least done the drawing, writing & scripting mostly on his own, but I imagine for financial reasons had too many other projects to work on simultaneously to put enough focus on the Deathlok series, and maybe he just hadn’t developed a great knack for scripting on his own. I think it had great promise, and some parts are very good or even great in story & art but too much that strikes me as awkward or not very well thought out. Admittedly, many comics writers in the ’60s and ’70s did much of their plotting on the fly, and the better ones usually did it so well that fans could mostly overlook those bits that didn’t quite add up coherently. I mostly like this series despite its flaws, and it was certainly unique.
“Saviour Machine” is also a track on the Bowie “Man Who Sold the World” album.
I did not know that! Thanks, patr100.
There’s another possible Bowie/Marvel terms overlap. “Better make way for the Homo Superior” is a line from Bowie’s “Oh you Pretty Things ” – on Hunky Dory album. – though the “Homo Superior” term was originally coined earlier by Olaf Stapleton in his “Odd John” novel from 1935. which deals with the Ubermensch or Superman , “The Supermen” (not the caped type more the Nietzschean type ) being another track on the TMWSTW album). Bowie was heavily into Sci fi influences so may have pulled it from that though hard to imagine he hadn’t encountered the X men earlier – though I’ve not seen any clear evidence of that or comic books generally on his music.
I like the idea, the concept of Deathlok a great deal, but as Alan and the various commentors have observed, the plotting by Rich Buckler was very haphazard. Buckler did some of the best penciling of his career on this feature, but I also agree with Alan, the quality of the finished artwork really took a major step up with Klaus Janson’s inking. I feel the issues that concluded the main storyline, with Bill Mantlo scripting over Buckler & Janson’s work, were probably the strongest of the feature, and I look forward to Alan’s exploration of the next couple of issues.
By the way, that panel where Hellinger rips off his normal human face to reveal a golden skull with a brain in a glass dome is suitably horrifying, really well rendered by Buckler & Janson. I definitely like the design for Hellinger that Buckler came up with.
Deathlok was one series I felt was ahead of its’ time and that the mid 1970’s Marvel were not really ready for this series or Killraven in Amazing Adventures. I have all of Deathlok and Killraven and think in some ways they are still ahead of their time even now. Yes there are plot holes but the artwork and concept are so entertaining you can overlook the gaps.
The series may have been meandering, some of the art rushed/ disappointing, but I still liked it. OMAC may have been more inventive and imaginative, but Deathlok was grittier and more…..human. I came to care for Luther Manning and his fate in a way that I can’t say I did for Buddy Blank.