Nov 1983
Future Shock!
by J. M. DeMatteis, Mike Zack, John Beatty, Diana Albers, Bob Sharen, Mark Gruenwald
Captain America and Deathlok fight as Manning’s clone tries to hold on to life. The clone senses a greater purpose as his life starts to ebb away and he argues with his onboard computer. Captain America tries talking to Deathlok as they fight but the cyborg won’t listen and calls him Mister Flag.
Manning finally puts the pieces together after Deathlok has knocked out Captain America. Deathlok approaches him. The cyborg reaches out and they grip one another’s arms. Manning dies in that moment but his consciousness is transferred to Deathlok. It is a shock to Deathlok’s system and in that moment he remembers his past. It all comes back to him in flash.
Deathlok turns and attacks the Brand security team that have grabbed the unconscious form of Captain America. He is winning the fight but almost gets shot in the back. Captain America wakes up in time to stop the guard who was about to shoot Deathlok. Captain America and Deathlok get out of there with the body of the Manning clone.
Bernie gets into an argument with her father. He’s angry because Steve isn’t there. Bernie’s mother put a lot of effort into getting ready for his visit. Her sister Nancy tries to be supportive but Bernie winds up leaving the dinner table. She blames herself for falling for Captain America instead of someone a little more normal.
Nomad is out patrolling Manhattan when he spots a young woman about to get mugged. He intervenes and scares off the two men who wanted her purse. He is about to leave when she grabs his shoulder. She wants to thank him for saving her.
Captain America and Deathlok bury Manning’s body in the woods. Deathlok tells Captain America that at some point in 1983 all the superheroes vanished. They go their separate ways but Captain America decides to follow Deathlok, despite knowing that Bernie is waiting on him at her parents place.
Deathlok arrives at the subway station where the Manning clone materialized last issue. He calls out for Godwulf and gets pulled through a portal. Captain America arrives just in time to jump through the portal and get transported to the future, 1991, along with Deathlok. Godwulf is stunned to see Captain America and promises to explain everything. Before he does he takes them outside and shows them what New York City is like in 1991: devastated.
Thoughts
Deathlok goes through quite the transformation in this issue. Captain America proves that he is a coward when it comes to his relationship with Bernie. I like the internal dialogue between Manning/Deathlok and his onboard computer.
Manning quotes a line from an old poem: the center will not hold. I believe the poem dates back to the First World War, roughly 100 years ago. There is no context provided for the quote.
I really like the splash page of Deathlok remembering his past. Zeck and Beatty did a wonderful job with the art. It is a little confusing the way the art and the words are lined up but I think that makes sense considering the situation.
There is a caption that reads "Meanwhile on Long Island" when the scene shifts from Deathlok and Captain America to Bernie, her sister, and their parents. The Brand facility where Deathlok and Captain America are located is also on Long Island so it seems a little nonsensical to refer to Long Island in that way. "Meanwhile in the Rosenthal household" would have made more sense.
Good read. Lots of action, ends with a mystery which hopefully will be explained, at least in part, in the next issue.
Bullpen Bulletins
Jim Shooter is back from Barcelona, Spain (where he took part in the Salón del Comic y la Illustrión) and Tulsa, OK (where he took part in Tulsa Con ‘83).
Assistant Editors Month is coming. Books hitting the stands in September 1983 with a cover date of Jan 1984 will be part of this event. I remember being very confused by this event when it happened. I wasn’t still reading Captain America but I still had my subscription to X-Men. It makes a little more sense now but it also seems kind of silly.
Mighty Marvel Checklist
Uncanny X-Men 175 - double-sized issue which I have read and I used to own
Falcon 1 - see DTC 1
Daredevil 200 - own it but I have yet to read it
Moon Knight Special Edition 1 - reprints stories from Hulk magazine 13 and 14, I don't think I have read this issue
Thor 337 - first issue of Walt Simonson's run on Thor
Hawkeye 3 - see DTC 14
Fantastic Four 260 - see DTC 40
Alpha Flight 4 - see DTC 40
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe 11 - from Subterraneans to Ursa Major
Marvel Fanfare 11 - see DTC 2
Dreadstar 6 - own it but haven't read it in over 15 years
Letters to the Living Legend
This month the letters page is populated by 4 missives that are filled with praise for Captain America 283, the conclusion to the Viper story arc, and demands that she return in the future.
Question of the Month: Which Marvel character do you most relate to?
J.M. DeMatteis - Greenberg the Vampire - I had no idea who this was and thought it might be a joke or a character from Tomb of Dracula. It wasn’t until I did an internet search that I discovered that there really was a Marvel character by this name. He only made two appearances. The stories were both written by DeMatteis.
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