Dwayne McDuffie (1962–2011)

I grew up with the original, first appearance, Luther Manning version of Deathlok that was, at least at the start, not connected to any Marvel continuity. And, though it was often disappointing, I loved the character.

I managed to get my hands on the entire run of the 1991 series. Call it another reboot (god knows Marvel's rejigged this character a few times), but it wasn't horrible. In fact, at times, it could be better than the original. But only on rare occasions.

Let's talk about the writing first. Dwayne McDuffie is a good writer who seems to get bogged down in certain plot points. I love that he took a more active stance on Michael Collins's race, and that of his family, and there are times when he scores some serious points for Deathlok's observations of the world we live in, in relation to the colour of one's skin.

There are also times, however, where it comes across a little heavy handed. Same with the "no killing" parameter that Collins establishes with his onboard computer. The computer seems to challenge it with every single battle Deathlok engages in, and it's like, okay, Dwayne, we get it, he doesn't want to kill anyone.

The other writer on the book, Gregory Wright, isn't bad, but he gets bogged down in the computer gobbledygook, as well as characters who talk weirdly. Honestly, it makes for a fairly displeasurable reading experience (I'm really looking at you, Annual #1).

And then there's the art. Denys Cowan. Sorry, not a fan. Way too sketchy, way too loose, and Deathlok's head looks different in latter issues. And the action scenes? Nope, they're mostly confusing.

Overall, the first fifteen issues score some hits, but mostly, like the original, but in different ways, it simply doesn't hit the mark all the time.… (mer)