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FLASHBACK: Deathstroke the Terminator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 A bullet-riddled bio of the New Teen Titans breakout star BRING ON THE BAD GUYS: Taskmaster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Is he really the best at everything he does? FLASHBACK: The Vigilante . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Who were those masked men in this New Teen Titans spinoff? FLASHBACK: Wild Dog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Max Allan Collins and Terry Beatty unmask DC’s ’80s vigilante ROUGH STUFF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Grim-and-gritty graphite from Grell, Wrightson, Zeck, and Liefeld FLASHBACK: Cable Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 The history of Marvel’s time-traveling mutant INTERVIEW: Fabian Nicieza: The Evolution of Deadpool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 The first writer to give voice to the Merc with a Mouth WHAT THE--?!: Archie Meets the Punisher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Fear and punishment in Riverdale, courtesy of Batton Lash BACKSTAGE PASS: The Hall of Heroes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 A BI bonus! Visit “the world’s only superhero museum” BACK IN PRINT: The Bronze Age Teen Titans Omnibus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 A review of this mega-sized DC collected edition BACK TALK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Reader reactions BACK ISSUE™ is published 8 times a year by TwoMorrows Publishing, 10407 Bedfordtown Drive, Raleigh, NC 27614. Michael Eury, Editor-in-Chief. John Morrow, Publisher. Editorial Office: BACK ISSUE, c/o Michael Eury, Editor-in-Chief, 118 Edgewood Avenue NE, Concord, NC 28025. Email: euryman@gmail. com. Eight-issue subscriptions: $73 Standard US, $116 International, $31 Digital. Please send subscription orders and funds to TwoMorrows, NOT to the editorial office. Cover art by Rob Liefeld. Cable and Deadpool TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved. All characters are © their respective companies. All material © their creators unless otherwise noted. All editorial matter © 2018 Michael Eury and TwoMorrows Publishing. Printed in China. FIRST PRINTING.

Mercs and Anti-heroes Issue • BACK ISSUE • 1

Originally crafted as a foil for the Teen Titans, Slade Wilson, a.k.a. Deathstroke the Terminator, has transcended that initial role, expanding to take on the entire DC Universe, even claiming his own solo title—four times—in the process.

IN THE BEGINNING

A worldwide recognizable brand in his own regard, Deathstroke the Terminator had a less grandiose stage to cross first. In his mercenary identity of the Terminator, Slade Wilson made his debut with his back to the readers on the opening splash page of the Marv Wolfman-written, George Pérez-drawn New Teen Titans #2 (Dec. 1980). His origins wouldn’t be revealed until threeand-a-half years after his debut, in Tales of the Teen Titans #44 (July 1984), but the man introduced to readers as Deathstroke the Terminator’s story stretched back to the Suez Crisis in 1956, where he met his aide, confidant, and friend, William Randolph Wintergreen. Their friendship forged in the fires of war, the two men would meet again in the Vietnam War. In Deathstroke #16 (May 2017) of the Rebirth-era series, Wintergreen defines their relationship thusly: “Slade is not my boss. He’s my friend… Imagine how george pérez dangerous he’d be without friends.” In between the Suez Crisis and © Luigi Novi / Wikimedia. Vietnam, Slade Wilson became the human weapon known as Deathstroke the Terminator. Stronger and more agile than any normal man and capable of utilizing 90% of his brain capacity, this amplified Wilson’s ability to plot and plan. Following his military service, Wilson became a for-hire big-game hunter and eventually a mercenary, learning mastery of a vast arsenal of weaponry and fighting styles in the process. In New Teen Titans #2, Deathstroke is listening to an offer from the H.I.V.E. (Hierarchy of International Vengeance and Eliminations). Deftly, writer Marv Wolfman builds Wilson’s reputation through the conversation as this new character decides to walk out of the contract the H.I.V.E. is offering, making his first appearance more powerful than any text, Who’s Who, or recap ever could. After all, H.I.V.E. wouldn’t meet the Terminator’s demands of payment, in full, before taking on the contract. That contract was to destroy the Teen Titans. The directors of H.I.V.E. did not take “no” for an answer from Deathstroke, so they found the next best thing to the Terminator: his son, unbeknownst to anyone save, perhaps, Wolfman and Pérez. Grant Wilson made his debut as an apparently innocent bystander in The New Teen Titans #1 (Nov. 1980). Harboring Starfire in his apartment after “She fell out’a the sky!,” Grant has to explain the gold-skinned alien’s presence to his estranged girlfriend. In and of itself, that plot would fill many modern-day comics, but Gordanians and two

Stroke of Luck Who knew, when Deathstroke first appeared as a villain in The New Teen Titans #2 (Dec. 1980), that this “Terminator” would later become a solo star? Cover by George Pérez. TM & © DC Comics.

2 • BACK ISSUE • Mercs and Anti-heroes Issue

by D o u g

Zawisza

Taken for Granted Grant Wilson has a beef with the TTs on page 19 of New Teen Titans #1. TM & © DC Comics. Deadpool TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.

separate waves of Titans bust through the apartment with almost comedic timing, save for the destruction they leave behind. As a result, Grant Wilson decides to blame the Titans for finalizing his breakup with Carol. As a result, New Teen Titans #2 contains a supervillain origin, a family reunion, a Teen Titans pool party, and a grisly death, all in the span of 25 pages. In a 1987 discussion with Andy Mangels for Comics Interview #50 (1987), Pérez said, “The Terminator, my favorite of the Titans’ villains, because I really liked the idea of the strong, massive-yet-debonair older man. The fact that he’s definitely a man in his [50s], but he’s strong as an ox, very handsome, very polished—you can understand, again, a sexual appeal. I’m very big on the sexual appeal of characters— particularly males. Since all the men are big and muscular, to show a bit of sexuality in them, that’s a tough thing to do. The fact that the Titans have developed… I’ve gotten mail from women who think that Terminator is sexy as all hell. And that’s great. That’s the feeling I wanted.” Three characters—Deathstroke, Ravager, and William Randolph Wintergreen—made their appearance in New Teen Titans #2. While Deathstroke is the only one who would go on to establish a comic-book series (repeatedly!), the other two characters are as inseparable from Deathstroke’s journey as Alfred Pennyworth and Jason Todd would be for Batman… …except Grant Wilson accounts for the aforementioned grisly death. Fueled by his rage against the Titans, he is all too willing and shortsighted when H.I.V.E. comes calling. They seemingly know about his childhood fixation with Deathstroke the Terminator and prey upon that, offering to boost his abilities so he would be able to utilize 100% of his brain, while Deathstroke can only claim mastery of 90% of his own gray matter. Donning a suit of armor not unlike the infamous attire Deathstroke wears and assuming the name Ravager, Grant takes on the contract and sets out to slay the Titans. The experimental process burns out Grant, physically draining him every time he uses his powers. In the course of New Teen Titans #2, before his literal burnout, however, Grant is able to leverage his newfound abilities to nearsinglehandedly shellac the Titans, until Starfire nails him with one of her starbolts. The bolt is not enough to kill Ravager, but it is enough to stop him in his tracks long enough for his body to catch up to him. The Terminator was quick to blame the Titans for Ravager’s demise, doing so as he scoops up the deceased form of putting Robin in charge, dusting off some the would-be assassin. He blurts out, other teenaged heroes, creating a new “And he died… because of you!” set of friends, and crafting foes that could The issue ends with Slade Wilson threaten DC heroes (and sometimes and Wintergreen observing Carol Sladky villains), regardless of their age. “The first issue sold enormously high, at her one-time boyfriend’s gravesite. Slade declares he has assumed the as first issues always do,” Wolfman said, contract of the Ravager, after all, “Like indicating sales would slump a bit thereafter. father, like son!” Through this “You didn’t get sales figures for six to exchange and the subsequent eavesnine months,” which, when paired with marv wolfman dropping of the H.I.V.E., readers are a monthly book, means feedback and performance wouldn’t even be known left to do the math that Ravager is Noel Wolfman. for nearly half a year after the comic hit Deathstroke the Terminator’s son. According to Wolfman, from the onset, “Ravager was the newsstand. “They were ordering issue #3 without going to die. He was the catalyst for bringing in seeing issue #1.” Once images met eyeballs, the title would Deathstroke.” In picking up the contract his son failed to eventually go on a stellar ascent, becoming one of DC’s fulfill, Slade Wilson—Deathstroke—would become the best and most consistent performers in the early 1980s. As sales feedback was missing, the creators didn’t have most recognizable foe to ever face the teen team. It would be a few months before Slade Wilson’s return. a deep read on Deathstroke’s reception. Once they cleared According to Wolfman’s own recollection at the 2017 FanX the six-month hurdle, however, it was only natural that Slade Con in Salt Lake City, Utah (and captured in the March 22, Wilson would return, as the creative team was given a bit 2017 episode of Word Balloon), “Every single new [DC] book more latitude—and seized even more—to move forward died by issue #6. Because of that, we [Wolfman and Pérez] and tell stories that made the Titans a beloved franchise. would do what we always wanted to do,” which included

you’re really gonna open with this Mercs an d Aguy n t ,i -fellas? h e r o e sWhat’s Issue • BACK ISSUE • 3 his name? heatstroke?

SMELLS LIKE TEEN TITANS

Wolfman and Pérez found comfort in growing the team as people and friends, rather than just battle-ready costumed fighters. New Teen Titans #8 (June 1981) remains one of the favorites for both creators. In the 1998-dated Foreword for The New Teen Titans Archives, vol. 1 (1999), Pérez recalled, “It was in issue #8 that I think Marv and I really nailed the specialness of the characters and the series. ‘A Day in the Lives…’ was the story that galvanized the personalities for me, the point at which I felt they were dictating how I would draw them and how Marv would dialog them. That’s when they truly came alive.” The personalities made the Titans more a family than a team of costumed crimefighters. That’s something Wolfman and Pérez would maintain throughout their run, but not limit to only the good guys. New Teen Titans #9 (July 1981) brought Deathstroke back, albeit mostly as a cliffhanger tease for New Teen Titans #10 (Aug. 1981). In the final image of New Teen Titans #9, Deathstroke is portrayed on the rooftop of Dayton Industries’ Long Island Laboratory, literally holding the plot device for the next issue in his hands. New Teen Titans #10 contains the story titled “Promethium Unbound,” which opened with Deathstroke spending time studying his outstanding contract from the H.I.V.E.—the Titans. Wilson takes the fight to the Titans, singling out Starfire and taking her for a four-page battle that uses every tool in Pérez’s artistic arsenal— dazzling detail, explosive energy, rumbling rubble, and more—as Starfire holds her own, or rather, is surprised that Terminator holds his own. After absconding with Project: Promethium in New Teen Titans #9, Deathstroke (still mostly referred to as “Terminator”) is ready as H.I.V.E. comes calling again. Now, not only do they want an update on the Titans, but they also want the Promethium bomb, which Slade Wilson has constructed from the Project: Promethium plans he stole. The resulting scuffle pits the Titans against the H.I.V.E. and more. Deathstroke makes a break for freedom in the ensuing chaos. Changeling is the only one free to stop him, so Wolfman and Pérez give us a fight for the ages in 12 vertical panels on two pages. Changeling lives, but only barely, as Deathstroke escapes to fight another day. In a 2004 essay that has been repurposed for various Teen Titans collections, Wolfman called Deathstroke “easily my favorite Titans bad guy, because deep down he wasn’t all that bad. Well, he was for a while, but he got better. Deathstroke had more shades of gray than any other villain I had ever previously created, so it’s not all that surprising that this issue—which really sets up the Terminator/Changeling feud—is resolved four years later in one of my very favorite stories entitled, appropriately enough, ‘Shades of Gray.’ ” The “for a while” that Wolfman referred to is, undoubtedly, “The Judas Contract” storyline that would rock the Titans, define Deathstroke as a master planner, and imprint comic fans for generations to come. Pérez didn’t get into the Deathstroke’s uniform design, but in an interview with Mangels for Sketch #10 (2001), Pérez did say that “one of the things I have to get a little past, even to this day, is designing costumes that only I would like to draw. I find that the costumes I like to draw have a lot of little extra doo-dads, slightly asymmetrical, and are so detailed that most other artists, the second they get a chance to handle the character regularly, will simplify the costume.” That might help to explain Deathstroke’s relative exclusivity to the world of the Titans, and the gap of nearly two years between tussles with the Teen Titans. Before his next New Teen Titans appearance came Marvel and DC Present the Uncanny X-Men and the New Teen Titans #1 (Aug. 1982), written by Chris Claremont and drawn by Walter Simonson, with inks by Terry Austin. (You can catch up on that issue in BACK ISSUE #66, Aug. 2013.) Deathstroke had some interesting moments interacting with Marvel’s mighty mutants, particularly one character that seemingly has a lot in common with Wilson, including being “the best there is at what he does.” One of the characters most infamously associated with Deathstroke is the Titan named Terra, who hit the ground running in New Teen Titans #26 (Dec. 1982). She only appears on three pages, but is clearly distraught, claiming, “I have my assignment. I have to destroy this statue.” Changeling stops her from

Turning Points (top) Deathstroke barrels his way into New Teen Titans #34 (Aug. 1983). (bottom) A lot took place in Tales of the Teen Titans #44 (July 1984): Deathstroke’s origin, Dick Grayson becoming Nightwing, and the first appearance of Jericho. Covers by Pérez. TM & © DC Comics.

4 • BACK ISSUE • Mercs and Anti-heroes Issue

destroying the Statue of Liberty before she disappears. Readers familiar with Titans lore from this time know this won’t be the last we see of Terra, and they also know exactly how she’s connected to Deathstroke. Terra returns in New Teen Titans #28 (Feb. 1983), claiming that the deeds she is doing are because her parents are being held hostage. The Titans convince her to let them help her, but not before she takes Changeling out (he returns the favor) and throws punches and tantrums all over Titans Tower. Insisting that she doesn’t want to be a Titan, the earth-throwing young lady has a change of heart—and costume—in New Teen Titans #30 (Apr. 1983), where she officially becomes the first new member of the New Teen Titans, even as Speedy joins his old crew for a mission. The Terminator explosively returns in New Teen Titans #34 (Aug. 1983), blasting the cover to shreds. The issue opened with Wilson strutting around his New York City apartment in his skivvies, reminiscing about the good ol’ days to Wintergreen. Through this conversation, we learn a bit more about the mercenary’s history and his track record—specifically, the Titans’ contract is his only unfulfilled hit. Deathstroke leverages another hit (a Wall Street stockbroker with a $10,000 price tag on his head) to serve as ransom in negotiating the Titans out into the open. Terra sees this as the moment to prove herself as a Titan, and charges into battle. In her fight with Deathstroke, through the magic of thought balloons, we learn that Deathstroke is “hardly ordinary. My brain capacity has been increased to 90%—I’ve got full control over my body.” He also reminds the readers of his fast reflexes and heightened senses, as he hears the rest of the Titans before the join the battle. The struggle ends with Deathstroke apparently choosing to blow himself up instead of facing capture, declaring, “Nobody captures the Terminator. Nobody!”

THE JUDAS CONTRACT

Terra went on to earn the Titans’ faith and trust over the next few issues, through Thunder and Lightning’s return, the Fearsome Five-driven crossover with Batman and the Outsiders #5 (Dec. 1983). New Teen Titans #39 (Feb. 1984), titled “Crossroads,” brings about some major changes of the Titans, with Wally West setting aside the Kid Flash identity and Dick Grayson declaring, “Robin’s going back to being Batman’s partner, and I’m giving up being Robin.” The issue also reminds readers that Terra isn’t as pure as she seems, despite winning over her teammates—and readers. Monitoring Terra’s interaction with the Titans through super-creepy spy contact lenses in Terra’s eyes, sipping on a drink, Deathstroke proclaims to Wintergreen, “I tell you, old friend—she’s the best little sociopath I’ve ever known.” In TwoMorrows’ Modern Masters: George Pérez, the co-creator of Deathstroke told Eric Nolen-Weathington, “With Terra, Marv came up with the idea that he wanted to bring in a new character—similar to how Kitty Pryde was brought into the X-Men—but he knew from the very start that this girl was going to be a traitor and that we were going to be killing this character off—killing

Disorder in the Court (left) Eduardo Barreto’s cover to Tales of the Teen Titans #54 (June 1985), which featured (right) this trial scene featuring Slade Wilson. Story by Wolfman and Pérez, art by Rich Buckler, Mike DeCarlo, and Dick Giordano. TM & © DC Comics.

Mercs and Anti-heroes Issue • BACK ISSUE • 5

IDENTITY CRISIS Nearly exclusively referred to as “The Terminator” throughout his first appearance and most of his appearances in New Teen Titans, Deathstroke would continue to carry the job title portion of his identity well into the future, even past the debut of Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1984 James Cameron film, The Terminator. Slade’s first series even bore the title: Deathstroke the Terminator. In other endeavors targeted toward a younger audience, neither “Deathstroke” nor “The Terminator” is used. In the 2003–2006 Teen Titans cartoon created by Glen Murakami and more recent Teen Titans Go!, he is simply referred to as “Slade.”

Multimedia Star Call him Slade or Deathstroke, our (anti-)hero as seen in (top to bottom) the CN’s Teen Titans, the Arkham City Lockdown video game, the DC Lego Universe, and on the CW’s Arrow. Deathstroke TM & © DC Comics.

Perhaps his most recognizable role to date came when he made his debut in Batman: Arkham City Lockdown, released in December 2011, and voiced by Larry Grimm. Spanning the gap between Batman: Arkham City (2011) and Batman: Arkham Origins (2013), the game makes Deathstroke an anchor in Batman’s world and a Batman villain in the minds of gamers everywhere. He appears in both Arkham Origins and 2015’s Arkham Knight, where Mark Rolston voices him. Wilson can do cute as well, appearing in the Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes (June 2012) video game, as well as the Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League: Gotham City Breakout (2016), Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League: Attack of the Legion of Doom (2015), and Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League vs. Bizarro League (2015) direct-to-video releases. In all things Lego, John DiMaggio voices Deathstroke. Slade Wilson joined the cast of the Young Justice cartoon during its second season. In “True Colors,” which aired in October 2012, the 12th episode of Season Two, Deathstroke, voiced by Wentworth Miller, was sent after the Young Justice team, specifically Blue Beetle, in an attempt to claim Beetle’s scarab. Deathstroke appeared in six more episodes. Deathstroke is a mainstay of the Arrow live-action series, ever present even when not appearing onscreen. Stranded on the same island as Oliver Queen, Wilson trains the eventual Emerald Archer. Here he is portrayed by Manu Bennett, and first appeared in “Betrayal,” the 13th episode of the first season, which aired February 2013. Deathstroke appears in Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox (2013), a direct-to-video feature, voiced again by Ron Perlman. In between feature appearances, Deathstroke also appeared on the cartoon Beware the Batman. Voiced by Robin Atkins Downes, this Deathstroke first appeared in the episode titled “Monsters,” which aired September 7, 2014. Deathstroke would eventually grow to be a major threat to Batman in the latter half of this show’s only season. In Beware the Batman, it was established that Alfred Pennyworth was a mentor to Slade Wilson. Deathstroke returned to the direct-to-video scene in Son of Batman (2014) as a main antagonist, voiced by Thomas Gibson, and Teen Titans: The Judas Contract (2017), voiced by Miguel Ferrer, all the while gearing up for his appearance in the upcoming The Batman feature film, where Joe Manganiello will portray him. In an interview with Comingsoon.net, Manganiello had this to say of his next role: “This is my character, an exciting one, and has the capacity I think, to be a great villain. And what all the great ones can do is polarize an audience. When I was a kid I always rooted for the villain. As a kid I think I would have rooted for him and I think fans will.” If nothing else, Deathstroke has consistently been a character readers love to hate and hate to love. He brings those shades of gray Wolfman spoke of to his every appearance, making every story an “anything is possible” adventure. Special thanks: Titans Tower.com, DCinthe80s.com, Bill Walko, Marv Wolfman, Greg Araujo, Reggie Francia, CBR.com, Albert Ching, and Comingsoon.net. DOUG ZAWISZA still has both eyes, and he would like to thank his wife for that. Also, he writes for Comicosity.com. This is his second piece for BACK ISSUE, and he also wrote the Hawkman Companion for TwoMorrows. You can follow Doug on Twitter @DZawisza.

16 • BACK ISSUE • Mercs and Anti-heroes Issue

“When I first started working for Marvel after writing exclusively for DC for five years,” states writer David Michelinie, “two questions about the Marvel Universe stood out immediately: (1) Where did villains who almost always failed in their robbery attempts get the money to finance their super-science gadgets and weapons?, and (2) Where the Hell did all those second-string bad guys and faceless goons learn how to be second-string bad guys and faceless goons?”

“A MYSTERY THAT STRETCHES TO THE VERY FOUNDATIONS OF THE MARVEL UNIVERSE!”

by J a r r o d

Buttery

As recounted in BACK ISSUE #72 (May 2014), writer David Michelinie left DC for Marvel in 1978. He became the scripter on Iron Man (soon introducing criminal financier Justin Hammer) and The Avengers. Avengers #194 (Apr. 1980) featured an asylum patient turning up at Avengers Mansion and begging the team for help. Acting alone, the Wasp decided to investigate. Her husband, Yellowjacket, and the new Ant-Man, Scott Lang, followed. In Avengers #195, the tiny trio discover that the Solomon Institute for the Criminally Insane is actually a training center for second-string bad guys and faceless goons. The final page introduced the mastermind of the operation: the Taskmaster. Avengers #196 explained that the Taskmaster possessed “photographic reflexes.” He could perform any nonsuperpowered action simply by watching it. He couldn’t fly, or cling to walls, but he could throw a shield exactly like Captain America, shoot as precisely as Hawkeye, and fight as effectively as any master combatant. He saw no money in becoming a crimefighter, and saw risk in becoming a criminal, so he decided to use his abilities to train others—for a substantial fee. The Avengers arrived. However, because Taskmaster was so familiar with the fighting styles of many heroes (and villains), he could anticipate and counter their attacks. He briefly held off the Avengers until he encountered Jocasta. Having never seen her before, he didn’t know how to fight her, and so decided that discretion was the better part of valor. Rarely has there been such a perfect confluence of name, costume, abilities, and motivation. BACK ISSUE asked Micheline about his creation. Did he build a villain around a name, or vice-versa? “In this case the cart came before the horse (if I’m getting my Olde Sayings correct). The idea for someone to train lackeys and wannabes was the first consideration, and I then came up with the name ‘Taskmaster’ to fit the character I was developing.” Did Michelinie contribute to Taskmaster’s look or did it come from penciler George Pérez? “Love what George did!” Michelinie beams. “I’m sure I must have mentioned

He’s Looking for a Few Bad Men The Taskmaster’s first cover appearance, Avengers #196 (June 1980). Cover signed by its penciler, George Pérez; inked by Joe Rubenstein. From the collection of Jarrod Buttery, who kindly provided all art scans for this article. TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.

Mercs and Anti-heroes Issue • BACK ISSUE • 17

Final Shot From the collection of Jarrod Buttery, a 2017 commissioned illo of Taskmaster by Jim Calafiore. Taskmaster TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc. Art © Jim Calafiore.

22 • BACK ISSUE • Mercs and Anti-heroes Issue

by B

rian Martin

“Maybe I no longer care about the law? Maybe I just care about what’s right.” With those words, spoken in The New Teen Titans #26 (Dec. 1982), district attorney Adrian Chase set out what was to come, not only for himself, but maybe for every character who would take on the mantle of the Vigilante. Introduced not long before in issue #23, Adrian Chase was a civil servant who had just about had enough of criminals skirting the law and using legal gray areas to their advantage. Over the next year or so he made frequent appearances in the title, and his frustrations grew. When druglord Anthony Scarapelli walks free after being apprehended red-handed by the D.A. and the Titans, Chase reaches his breaking point. Enlisting Robin’s aid, the duo stage a barely legal raid on Scarapelli’s home and bring the villain in on a minor charge. But the crime kingpin would not take this affront lying down. In issue #34 of Titans, Scarapelli gains his revenge by blowing up Chase’s apartment, killing Chase’s wife and children and leaving the D.A. in critical condition. The story continues into New Teen Titans Annual #2, where the Titans do their best to hound Scarapelli as they attempt to find incriminating evidence. As the battle escalates between the Titans and the mobster’s forces, the young heroes receive help from a figure that remains in the shadows, a figure whose methodology involves killing his enemies with a rifle. As the story reaches its climax, the figure is shown to be a new character, the Vigilante. He confronts Scarapelli and reveals his identity—Adrian Chase. Killing the mobster in a gunfight that leaves Robin unconscious, Chase vanishes. It took a while after his introduction for the transition to take place, but co-creator Marv Wolfman tells BACK ISSUE, “Adrian was created to become the Vigilante down the road. I already had Vigilante in mind, but wanted to set the character up.”

BEGINNING WITH BAXTER

The Vigilante series debuted with a first issue cover-dated November 1983. Marv Wolfman began as writer and Keith Pollard was given penciling duties. Vigilante was tied with Thriller (a series that was examined in BI #98 just last year) as DC’s second regular series to be printed on “Baxter” paper, the high-quality white paper that was a top-end product at the time. Both appeared with the same cover date after Omega Men had claimed the honor of the first regular series in the format when it debuted, cover-dated April 1983. When a character is given his or her own series, it necessitates the introduction of a supporting cast, if for no other reason than to give the lead someone to talk to. In the case of Vigilante, the cast consists of a research assistant named Theresa Gomez and computer whiz J. J. Davis. Near-future issues would reveal that both of them had recently been through harrowing experiences that had culminated in travesties of justice, and they were now joining Adrian in his proclaimed mission

Taking Aim Adrian Chase’s debut as the Vigilante, New Teen Titans Annual #2 (1983). Cover by George Pérez. TM & © DC Comics.

Mercs and Anti-heroes Issue • BACK ISSUE • 23

Vengeance is Mine Robin encounters the Vigilante on this gripping page from New Teen Titans Annual #2. By Marv Wolfman, George Pérez, and Pablo Marcos. Original art courtesy of Heritage Comics Auctions (www.ha.com). TM & © DC Comics.

to right wrongs by going after criminals freed due to various legal technicalities. Adrian’s first solo mission appears to go against this credo when Theresa asks him to help a friend whose husband has been murdered while protecting his family. Things change when Adrian is informed that a man named Quilt is behind the killing. Quilt is a prominent businessman with a long history of skirting the law whom Adrian had many times run afoul of in his days as D.A. The case leads Vigilante into conflict with Quilt’s enforcer, Brand, a man who literally likes to burn his victims with a branding iron. Suffice to say we are given glimpses into the way the Vigilante will operate and the number of bodies he will leave behind before this first case is complete.

QUICK-CHANGE ARTIST

With only the second issue, Adrian and company undergo a major change in modus operandi. A man is released from prison after the courts overturn the verdict in his case. The man had been found guilty of raping a nun in a case tried by D.A. Adrian Chase two years before.

24 • BACK ISSUE • Mercs and Anti-heroes Issue

Vigilante tracks him down and almost beats him to death before J. J. intervenes, revealing that evidence has been found that exonerates the man. As Chase stares back at the carnage he has just wrought, he experiences a major crisis of faith. Chase turns his back on his Vigilante persona faster than he adopted it and is convinced to join his father’s law firm, defending the guilty with the same loopholes he had so recently fought against. However, a short time doing this quickly reminds him why he was doing what he was as Vigilante. Convinced that a change in methods, not a change in goals, is what’s needed, he quickly “gets the band back together” and resurrects the Vigilante. If it seems that the second issue was awfully soon to be altering your lead character’s raison d’être, Wolfman comments that this was actually meant to be the norm for the star attraction: “Adrian was a character who was constantly having to make decisions about what he was and would constantly change.” The change is made apparent in the very next issue. Cyborg guest-stars in issue #3 (Feb. 1984) as the bodyguard for one William Stryker. Stryker is being transferred to prison to spend a one-year sentence. The problem is, he is known to be guilty of crimes deserving of a much stiffer penalty, but technicalities have greatly reduced his time. Complicating matters is the fact that Stryker is responsible for the beating and rape of J. J.’s fiancée, making this a much more personal vendetta for Vigilante. In the end, after sidestepping Cyborg, Vigilante corners Stryker but finds himself unable to kill him. Luckily the ordeal has unhinged the villain’s mind slightly and he begins spouting information that should lead to a much stiffer penalty. Both Adrian and J. J. come to the realization that killing him was not the answer, thereby reinforcing the Vigilante’s new stance. Further to that, a couple of issues later we discover Adrian was having his gun modified to be able to fire sleep darts as well as bullets. Issue #4 (Mar. 1984) is an artistic fill-in by penciler Don Newton that showcases a Hollywood trial and scandal. Vigilante becomes involved when a masked assassin begins killing witnesses in the trial. Significantly for the series we are introduced to the Controller, a man whose body is about 90% machine, and who will have a major effect on our cast very shortly. The series’ fifth issue features the debut of a character who would play a major role as the series progressed. Marcia King is an old assistant of Adrian’s from his D.A. days who has herself just been promoted to assistant D.A. Adrian attends the party thrown to celebrate this, and the two subsequently begin a romance. Also debuting are a pair of villains who would become recurring foes of the Vigilante. Sporting the names Cannon and Sabre, one specializes in guns, the other, knives (I’ll leave it to you to figure out which was which). In this tale they are taking out rival gang heads and come up with the idea of taking over the gangs themselves. Vigilante tracks down the pair but loses the battle and ends up lying stabbed and shot at his foe’s mercy. Police show up not long afterwards to find all three men unconscious. Though never actually stated in the comics, we are given clues that lead to the conclusion that the pair were taken out by the Electocutioner, another character who hated released lawbreakers; he was introduced in Batman #331 (Jan. 1981). This shocking villain would be a thorn in Adrian’s side for a little while to come. As all three are being prepared to be taken to the hospital, J. J. manages to steal the ambulance Adrian has been loaded into and spirits his boss away.

POINTS FOR ORIGINALITY

J. J. and Theresa run through a number of hoops to get Adrian hospital treatment and keep him from police custody, while some remarkable healing abilities of Adrian’s mean they are soon back in their trailer headquarters. Adrian’s recovery from his wounds finally prompts him to reveal his origin to the duo. Vigilante’s backstory is told in issues #6 and 7, but when the sixth issue came out, a situation that would concern the book for some time to come first reared its head. Keith Pollard left the book and for these two issues Chuck Patton become costumed adventurers in was on hand as guest penciler, a position comics, he was a superior physical specimen and fighter to anyone you he would take up a number of times keith pollard as the series progressed. might meet in everyday life. The extra Patton himself recalls, “Marv really factor he has going for him is an ability spoiled me for working with others because he was so to recover from wounds quicker than the average. incredibly encouraging and collaborative with me over It seems not long after the death of his family, a the plotting of Vig’s origin. Vigilante was exactly the kind representative of a shadowy group visited Adrian and of book I wanted to work on after JLA, and Marv gave convinced him to accompany her. After a long drive and me that chance.” hours walking through the desert, Adrian is taken to One of the things Patton really found joy in was the an underground training area whose entrance literally chance to work on a book with Baxter paper. “There was appears out of nowhere. There he meets the rest of the something about that Baxter paper that just made you group who tell him they are as tired as he is of seeing want to draw for it,” the artist explains. “And by the the laws protect the guilty. For months he is subjected way, we didn’t refer to it as Baxter paper so much, to intense training as well as having his body chemistry but dubbed it ‘Camelot paper’ in honor of Camelot 3000, altered. This alteration means that Adrian will now be able to survive and recover from gunshot wounds and which was the first book to use it. “I worked out to the edges of the page, since Pollard stabbings much easier and quicker than a normal human set that bar in the first Vigilante issues and we all followed being. Still, if he was to “get his fool head cut off,” his lead. It not only opened up a whole new freedom he’d be as dead as anyone else, but this healing factor to how you drew the panels, but it gave the work a more was a definite asset given his chosen lifestyle. Adrian passes one last test and is ready to head out cinematic look in the storytelling.” The origin story explains Adrian’s “healing abilities,” into the world to begin his mission. It is at this time that since to this point in the series he is portrayed as his trainers reveal their true nature. They are in fact only basically a normal man. As per most “normal” men who the ghosts of people who died and had their killers go

Outside of the Law (right) A DC subscription ad for The Vigilante. (left) Cover to issue #1 (Nov. 1983). Art by Keith Pollard. TM & © DC Comics.

Mercs and Anti-heroes Issue • BACK ISSUE • 25

by M

A DECADE OF VIOLENCE

arc Buxton

Do you smell it, my fellow comic-book historians? Can you smell the acrid, burning stench of cordite and spent shotgun shells? Can you smell the fresh viscera spilled from the bowels of the unjust and corrupt? Well, in the late ’80s you could smell it all, because violent anti-heroes were everywhere. From Marvel to DC and everywhere in between, comic companies were cashing in on these Death Wish- and Dirty Harry-inspired anti-heroes. But not all of these dark vigilantes were trend-chasing psychopaths. On the contrary, some of these death-obsessed vigilantes of the decade of Ronald Reagan and “I Want my MTV” were well-thoughtout characters that require a second historical look to find the hidden gems max allan collins of the gore-filled battlefield that was the late ’80s. Enter: Wild Dog. DC Comics’ Wild Dog was indeed one of those antiheroes, but a look back at the character’s history proves the hockey-masked terror-smasher to be so much more.

WHO IS WILD DOG?: THE BEGINNING

When Wild Dog was first announced in DC house ads, fans were more than familiar with the creative team pegged to bring this latest crime buster to life. Fans of quality crime fiction were more than aware of writer Max Allan Collins. By 1987, Collins was the writer of a number of bestselling mystery novels, he had recently reintroduced Jason Todd (Robin II) in the pages of the post–Crisis Batman, and he was garnering critical love with his noir throwback comic series Ms. Tree. Along with Collins, this new Wild Dog series was to feature Ms. Tree artist Terry Beatty. Collins and Beatty were forging their legends with Ms. Tree, so anything the creative duo embarked upon would raise an eyebrow. On the surface with Wild Dog, Collins and Beatty were presenting a Punisher clone. But when Wild Dog #1 (Sept. 1987) hit the stands, it was clear that this new vigilante was something very different. Before we delve into the blood-soaked world of Wild Dog, we must mention Mike Gold, a brilliant editor who was instrumental in getting Collins and Beatty aboard the project. As for the book’s beginnings, Max Allan Collins tells BACK ISSUE, “Editor Mike Gold was, and is, a good friend of mine. I don’t recall whether he approached us or not. I would certainly have been in a position to approach him. But it would not have been with Wild Dog, just an interest, a willingness to do something with DC. Terry and I were still doing Ms. Tree and the income was just okay. I do know that I was adamant about doing a costumed hero, in the Batman or Zorro mode, and not a superhero. My interest in that genre is minimal.” Terry Beatty also recalls that Gold was the catalyst for the project that would become Wild Dog, and reveals that Wild Dog almost had an all-together different moniker. “Max and I were not making much money from our detective comic, Ms. Tree, and were looking to do something to supplement our income (well, more mine,

First Blood The Terry Beatty/Dick Giordano cover to Wild Dog #1 (Sept. 1987), the character’s premiere. Note how the logo obstructs Wild Dog’s eyes, heightening the mystery of his identity. TM & © DC Comics.

36 • BACK ISSUE • Mercs and Anti-heroes Issue

Crime-Crushers (left) Prior to Wild Dog, Collins and Beatty’s gritty Ms. Tree was an indie favorite. (right) Who dat? Red Dog, one of Sgt. Slaughter’s Marauders from the G.I. Joe universe. Ms. Tree TM & © Max Allan Collins and Terry Beatty. Red Dog © Hasbro.

really). Our friend Mike Gold had landed at DC as an editor, and we the comic sold huge numbers in the Quad Cities area where the series’ pitched Wild Dog (originally called Machine) to him.” action was set. We did store signings there with lines wrapped ’round So with Wild Dog named and ready to go and Gold steering the the block. It was crazy.” ship, the two creators got to work. Collins forever had his toe in the So Wild Dog was a hit in the Quad Cities in Iowa and Illinois, the wonderful waters of the past while presenting modern genre tales, unlikely location where the book was set. Wild Dog, the character, and Wild Dog was no different. “I wasn’t paying any attention to looked like something that Larry Hama forgot to create for G.I. Joe. It was trends,” Collins says. “I didn’t read much of the competition—my clear that visually, Collins and Beatty wanted something modern and interest was, and is, in the classic comic strips and in ECs and other action-figure-like, looking but juxtaposed with the pulp and noir comic books of that era. The vigilante aspect had everything to do sensibilities of the proto-comics world. In fact, Wild Dog’s G.I. Joe roots with Zorro and nothing to do with The Punisher or even the go even deeper. “The character was [earlier] called Red Dog,” pulp novels of that genre, like The Executioner. As with Collins recollects. “After the football practice of rushing the line—I played football in high school—and that’s where Ms. Tree, Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer, the first modern vigilante hero, was an inspiration.” So while others Terry’s great ‘red dog’ logo came from.” Collins and were pulling their dark-vigilante fantasies from modern Beatty changed the name to Wild Dog because Red comic-book masters like Frank Miller and Alan Moore Dog was a name already being used by a member of G.I. Joe. Red Dog was a member of Sgt. Slaughter’s (and often crafting pale imitations of the same), Collins was pulling from Spillane and Dick Tracy Marauders and wore a—wait for it!—football jersey creator Chester Gould to create a comic book inspired into battle, so to avoid confusion, Collins and Beatty changed their new vigilante’s name to Wild Dog. by the past but rooted in the present. As for Wild Dog’s design esthetic, Collins informs Terry Beatty agrees with Collins’ assessment of BACK ISSUE, “The elements were collaborative. The Wild Dog being an amalgam of then-modern-day comic vigilantes and pulp-inspired classical heroes. concept was a real-world costumed hero—what would “The comic vigilante thing had something to do with it, his costume to be like? Specifically, how would terry beatty he disguise himself and arm himself for battle? Beatty recalls. “But we were also riffing off Chuck Norris movies and ‘men’s adventure’ paperback heroes. What would his tools be? The idea of a football jersey With a little Lone Ranger thrown into the mix for good measure.” having a resemblance to a costumed hero’s shirt made a lot of sense. Wild Dog may have been inspired by writers of realistic crime fiction, The hockey mask was both protective and a wink toward Friday the but the new vigilante was entrenched in the DC Universe. Yet this 13th… The elements were collaborative; the design, entirely Terry.” gun-happy killer was not fighting crime and terror in such iconic locales Beatty agrees: “The look of the costume was my doing—but the as Gotham City or Metropolis… no, Wild Dog operated somewhere concepts were a mix of Max and me. This really was a collaboration, much smaller. Both Collins and Beatty have roots in Iowa, and this and the co-creator description is accurate in this case.” As for Wild Dog’s unlikely piece of mid-America was chosen as the setting for Wild Dog. uncharacteristic, sports-inspired appearance, Beatty says that the jersey and As to why Wild Dog was set in such an unlikely place as the mid-American hockey-mask look “came out of Max’s notion that he’d be an ex-football Quad Cities, Max Allan Collins tells BACK ISSUE, “I believe we did it as player—and the shirt was a jersey with the team’s mascot on it. The entire a sort of stunt—because it was our home area and we figured it was costume was meant to be ‘off the rack’ —stuff anyone could have thrown both an unusual setting for a comic book of this kind and that it would together. We were trying for something that could be DC’s Punisher (in likely attract local media attention. It sure did! Lots of media, and we the sense that Daredevil was Marvel’s Batman)… and there was some did an outdoor signing at a comic-book shop that was swarming with fans. Chuck Norris movie with him driving a truck around and fighting terrorists Closest thing to Beatlemania I’m likely to experience.” Terry Beatty that played into it. The hockey mask comes from Jason in the Friday the remembers that surreal local success as well and adds, “I will note that 13th movies—but it’s white as a nod to the Lone Ranger’s white hat.” Mercs and Anti-heroes Issue • BACK ISSUE • 37

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He’s been a soldier, a mercenary, a father, a son, and, if you believe Deadpool in the post-credits scene of his first film, he could be played by Mel Gibson or Dolph Lundgren or Keira Knightley (hey, she’s got range) in Deadpool 2. Yes, BACK ISSUE fans, we know Josh Brolin got the role, but don’t tell Wade Wilson. Anyhow, to celebrate the coming of Cable to the big screen, we will be looking at the character’s rich history in the Bronze Age and beyond while a certain Merc with a Mouth holds a huge gun to this writer’s head. “Make sure you spell his name right, ya hack,” he says under his red mask. That’s C A B L… uh… click E. Phew!

SUMMERS TIME

by J a m e s

Heath Lantz

When the 10th Doctor described time as “wibbly wobbly” in Doctor Who, he may have had Cable in mind. Cable is one of the few characters with two first appearances. Hold on to your time machines— all shall be explained. Spoilers are up ahead. If you haven’t read the comics discussed, you’ll be placed on Mother Askani’s naughty list. On October 8, 1985, the January 1986 cover-dated Uncanny X-Men #201, written by Chris Claremont and drawn by Rick Leonardi, was on spinner racks and shelves. Not only did it have Storm and Cyclops fighting for leadership of the mutant heroes, it marked the debut of Nathan Christopher Charles Summers, newborn son of Scott Summers/Cyclops and Madelyne Pryor, who was later revealed to be a clone of Jean Grey. We now time-jump to 1990. That year, Arnold Schwarzenegger suffered from Total Recall. The mystery of who killed Laura Palmer was on the minds of the citizens of Twin Peaks. Sinead O’Connor told music fans “Nothing Compares 2 U,” while the song’s composer, Prince, released Graffiti Bridge, the sequel to Purple Rain, and its soundtrack featuring future members of his band the New Power Generation. In the Marvel Universe, New Mutants #86 gave readers the cameo appearance of the enigmatic Cable, whose first full story would be published in the next issue. Cable’s creation has stirred up some debates over credit to this very day. While Louise Simonson and Rob Liefeld are listed as co-creators, how much merits go to whom seems to cause controversy. Brian Cronin, writer of the Comic Book Resources regular column “Comic Book Legends Revealed,” doesn’t believe Simonson had anything to do with Cable’s conception, stating, “The genesis of the character came generally from editor Bob Harras determining that New Mutants needed to shake things up. What Harras wanted was a new leader for the group, someone a lot different than Professor X.” Thor writer and artist Walter Simonson, Louise’s husband, feels his wife deserves credit for her contribution to Cable’s genesis, even though he recounted similar events in his letter to Comic Buyer’s Guide, which later resurfaced on his official Facebook page. “Mostly, the creation of Cable began indirectly,” Simonson wrote. “Weezie was the writer of New Mutants, Mr. Liefeld was the penciler, Bob Harras was the editor. Bob had told Weezie that he wanted the New Mutants to have a new adult leader now that Professor X was no longer in the book.”

Cable Installation Marvel readers first met Cable (and Stryfe) in New Mutants #87 (Mar. 1990). Cover by Rob Liefeld and Todd McFarlane. TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.

Mercs and Anti-heroes Issue • BACK ISSUE • 49

The Other First Appearance (above) In Uncanny X-Men #201 (Jan. 1986), baby Nathan Summers shows he’s something special. Art by Rick Leonardi and Whilce Portacio. TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.

Now, Bob Harras, according to Cronin’s “Comic Book Cable’s creation and name options in Comics Bulletin’s Legends Revealed” and Sean Howe in his book Marvel “Rob Liefeld: Any More Questions?,” as quoted from Comics: The Untold Story, had also gone to Rob Liefeld Cable’s Wikipedia page: “I was given a directive to create about the change to the New Mutants’ status quo. Liefeld a new leader for the New Mutants. There was no name, sent Harras numerous pages of character designs with no description besides a ‘man of action,’ the opposite of a note that read, “Bob—some future friends and/or Xavier. I created the look, the name, much of the history foes for the Muties! If ya don’t like ’em, trash ’em! ’s okay of the character. After I named him Cable, Bob suggested Quinn and Louise had Commander X.” with me—but if you’re interested—give me a call!” One thing Walter Simonson pointed out in his CBG letter Sean Howe’s Marvel Comics: The Untold Story is that Bob Harras had wanted a robot from his run on Nick quoted the following from Liefeld: “Bob said, ‘Let’s call Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. to command the teenage him Quentin,’ I said, ‘Yuck!’ I had already put ‘Cable’ band of mutants. Louise Simonson didn’t think down as his name on the sketches. Then, in that or an adult head of the New Mutants was Louise’s plot, after being told his name was a good idea. She compromised on the latter Cable, he was called Commander X and thought a military leader who was a throughout. I said, ‘If this guy is called sharp contrast to the more cerebral Commander X, I want nothing to do Charles Xavier would work for her pitch with it.’ That seemed ridiculous to me.” of the character. The time-traveler According to Walter Simonson’s element was also introduced by both letter to CBG, Louise’s Commander X Simonson and Rob Liefeld. Liefeld’s was merely meant as a placeholder until were visuals possibly influenced by The a name was decided upon. Harras, as Sean Terminator. One can see similarities to Howe wrote, had given Liefeld what he Cable and Arnold Schwarzenegger’s had wanted and green-lit Cable. Cable was not originally intended cyborg of celluloid in such images as louise simonson for New Mutants. He had been meant the covers of X-Force #9 (left) and 13. Bob Harras, while discussing New for another X-Men spin-off, Alpha Flight, © Luigi Novi / Wikimedia Commons. Mutants with Louise Simonson, had met as Rob Liefeld told interviewer Rich separately with Rob Liefeld about what he wanted to Johnston: “Cable was in fact first introduced as a character do with the comic. The Simonsons had seen some of in an Alpha Flight proposal that I gave to Danny Fingeroth Liefeld’s artwork in Louise’s office and approved these that was green-lit and moving forward until an Alpha sketches, and the character of Cable was to be added Flight relaunch was ultimately ruled out, a condition to the book. Walter told Comic Buyer’s Guide that while necessary for me to jump over from the X-office. they were perusing Liefeld’s drawings, Bob Harras also Cable walked in the doors with me when I arrived at wanted a nemesis for Cable who would eventually Marvel, he eventually turned up in New Mutants.” become Stryfe. (More on him in a few moments.) Fabian Nicieza, who followed Louise Simonson as Perhaps one of the most iconic things about a character New Mutants’ writer, shares some anecdotes about when he or she is created is his or her moniker. During his Cable with BACK ISSUE: “Rob had a really fully realized initial conception, Cable went through a number of name vision for the character, and how he wanted to develop changes like David Bowie or Prince. Notes on the man him from the beginning, but so much of that was in his of mystery with the cybernetic eye stated that his name mind and not on paper, that when he left, we didn’t should be Cybrid or Cable. Harras had suggested Quentin. have defining guidelines to follow. That was totally Quinn was also another possibility. Liefeld himself said of his prerogative, no issues, but having ‘inherited’ the

50 • BACK ISSUE • Mercs and Anti-heroes Issue

responsibility, I would have loved to have been better able to use his KNOW YOUR ENEMY AND KNOW YOURSELF plans as the framework. Sun Tzu said in The Art of War, “If you know the enemy and know “I get asked questions about those books all the time, and I am honest yourself...” Those words could apply to Cable, for his enemy was himself. that my memory isn’t ironclad regarding the details,” Nicieza Throughout the New Mutants comic books featuring Cable and Stryfe, both were men of mystery. It isn’t until New Mutants admits. “People tend to forget I was writing several other #100 (Apr. 1991), the first series’ final issue, that the books besides the X-titles and I also had a full-time job as an editor, so my attentions were understandably divided. revelation about Stryfe is shown on the last page. He looks I remember the ‘Cable is baby Nathan’ thing as something exactly like Cable. In fact, it was the original intention of that was grafted on to the character because Jim Lee Rob Liefeld and Fabian Nicieza that Stryfe be Cable. and Whilce Portacio suggested it and Bob liked it enough Liefeld and Nicieza initially wanted Stryfe to be Cable to convince Rob to go with it. I don’t even remember from another point in time, much like Ethan Hawke and if that’s accurate or not, but it’s how I recall that Sarah Snook’s characters in the indie sci-fi film Predestination. continuity tangle having been initiated. Directions got changed in the X-Books, but Stryfe turned “I think Rob figured he could make it work or tweak out to be Cable, in a sense. Mother Askani had cloned it as needed as he went along. It wasn’t necessarily a him in case he could not be saved from the technobad idea from an X-continuity standpoint, but I always organic virus. This duplicate’s aging process was felt it was a bad idea from Cable’s standpoint. It bogged accelerated until he was the same age as Nathan. rob liefeld him down way too much and ultimately, it bogged While the Askani tribe was able to halt the spread down Scott and Jean, too. A year of the virus in Nathan, © Luigi Novi / Wikimedia Commons. Apocalypse’s forces take the later I was not a very happy camper when I found out about clone. Apocalypse himself raises the ‘Scott and Jean Honeymoon’ the boy and calls him Stryfe. miniseries. It was actually well While Stryfe and Cable have underway before I even knew clashed on numerous occasions— about it, and that one really and one figure was often thought rubbed me raw. Not only did it to be the other, particularly take the idea of a wedding, a throughout later issues of positive thing, and weigh it New Mutants and early X-Force down with tremendous story comics—the conflict and confusion between them is extremely burdens—but it also allowed a writer who had no experience evident in the two-issue miniand no real vested interest in series Cable: Blood and Metal Cable to define way too much and the X-Men crossover event about his past.” “The X-Cutioner’s Song.” Yes, Cable is Scott Summers Blood and Metal gave readers and Madelyne Pryor’s son Nathan. a look into the pasts of both However, according to Brian Cable and Stryfe. Garrison Cronin in “Comic Book Legends Kane seeks revenge on Cable, Revealed” #387, Rob Liefeld believing him to be Stryfe. originally intended for Cable to Meanwhile, Stryfe is unmasked be an older version of the New in front of Nathan Summers, Mutant Cannonball. Cable’s leaving him with more questions reaction to Sam (Cannonball) than answers. Guthrie’s apparent death in “I do recall the nightmare of X-Force #7 and his resurrection knowing a Cable limited series in #8 could lead some to believe was already in the publishing this. Liefeld himself said to program budget plans when Cronin, “A character like the Image artist exodus was Wolverine has had multiple false happening,” Fabian Nicieza says origins, mysteries. I felt the of Blood and Metal. “We didn’t same could be done with Cable.” know how long the guys would But how did Nathan Chrisstill be working on the titles, etc. topher Charles Summers become So when decisions were finally the Cable we see throughout his made, and we knew Rob Liefeld time in the various Marvel wouldn’t be involved in plotting comics?, you ask. Well, Mister or drawing the book, we had a Sinister intended to use Nathan very short turn-around to try Summers as a weapon against and figure out what the story Apocalypse. After the child was would be. [Artist] John Romita freed from Sinister’s laboratory, Jr.’s schedule was always going Apocalypse infected young to be tight, but Bob Harras Nathan with a techno-organic wanted a ‘heavy hitter’ on the project. There were aspects of virus. Cyclops sent the infant into Blood and Metal which, when I the future with a woman named Askani to save his life. As stated by Fabian Nicieza before, X-Book editor Bob Harras and Work in Progress artists Whilce Portacio and Jim Lee felt that making Cable Nathan Summers Rob Liefeld’s original sketches for the character we now was a good idea for the character’s origin. The New Mutants/X-Force team of Liefeld and Nicieza had other plans for Cable that got sidelined. know as Cable. Scan courtesy of James Heath Lantz. Liefeld didn’t like this, but he went along with Harras and the others. Cable TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc. Art © 1989 Rob Liefeld. What he and Nicieza had in mind could still work for their stories. Mercs and Anti-heroes Issue • BACK ISSUE • 51

A Collaboration Fit for a King The art of Jack “King” Kirby clearly inspired some of Jose Ladronn’s Cable work, including these covers that even feature Kirby Krackle! Inks by Juan Vlasco. TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.

For Memo, Mister Bo, Precious, and the entire friend… I felt too much loyalty to him feline and canine chapter of the Cable, Deadpool, to ever consider continuing without him and Dolph Lundgren Fan Club (it’s very exclusive) (even though I was strongly advised who have all proven they are tougher than any to stay by one or two more seasoned mutant or Ivan Drago. And huge welcome to professionals). At the time, we were joe casey little kitten with a big heart, Odino, who has building up to this so-called ‘important’ helped the human and animal members of this story that was going to deal with some © Luigi Novi / Wikimedia Commons. family in ways he cannot imagine. Dedicated to random bit of lingering X-Continuity my beautiful and incredible wife Laura, who is always in the timenonsense involving Apocalypse and “The Twelve” (which, stream of my heart; our four-legged X-Force; my nephew Kento, 20 years later, I have no idea what that was or what my the true Chaos Bringer; and Louise Simonson, Rob Liefeld, Fabian plans were to resolve it). At the time, it sucked not to Nicieza, Scott Lobdell, Gene Ha, Jeph Loeb, Ian Churchill, Joe Casey, be able to see it through, but obviously I’m not that Jose Ladronn, and all the creators past, present, and future of Cable’s many adventures. May Mother Askani protect you always. broken up about it.”

While Joe Casey’s final issue of Cable was #70 (Aug. 1999), Nathan Summers continued being a part of the X-Men Universe with the “Apocalypse: The Twelve” crossover. Cable’s series went on until issue #107 (Sept. 2002), which led into the 12-issue Soldier X comic, where Cable travels around the world searching for wars to fight. He then came back in Cable & Deadpool, written by Fabian Nicieza, and eventually became a foster father to the first mutant baby born since 2006’s “Decimation” of most with the X-gene. Add to that the new Cable monthly written by James Robinson and drawn by Carlos Pacheco from Marvel’s ResurreXion line and appearances in the various X-Men cartoons and in the Deadpool 2 film (with Josh Brolin in the role), and fans and casual readers alike understand that Cable shows no sign of bodysliding away anytime soon.

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JAMES HEATH LANTZ is a freelance writer who was heavily influenced by television, film, old time radio shows, and books— especially comic books—growing up in Ohio. He’s co-authored Roy Thomas Presents Captain Video with Roy Thomas. He also wrote the introductions for Pre-Code Classics: Weird Mysteries vols. 1 and 2 and Roy Thomas Presents Sheena– Queen of the Jungle vol. 3 (all published by PS Artbooks), selfpublished his Trilogy of Tales e-book (Smashwords.com), and reviews various media for Superman Homepage. James currently lives in Italy with his wife Laura and their family of cats, dogs, and humans from Italy, Japan, and the United States.

by M i c h a e l

Eury

On December 11, 1990, the world as we know it changed. No, I’m not referring to the touchdown of the space shuttle Columbia (that was the 69th US manned space mission, which by this point was even beginning to bore NASA TM techies) or the divorce of Donald and Ivana Trump, both of which occurred on that fateful day. December 11th was the release date for the latest issue of a white-hot Marvel comic—The New Mutants #98 (cover-dated Feb. 1991)—plotted and illustrated by a white-hot superstar artist—Rob Liefeld, who, beginning with this issue, was now partnered with super-scripter Fabian Nicieza. New Mutants #98 featured the book’s new star, Cable, being targeted by a fast-talking mercenary who would one day become the fourth-wall-breaking, franchise-flourishing, box-office-busting Deadpool. By late 1990, New Mutants was barely recognizable to those readers who had signed on to the series started by Chris Claremont and Bob McLeod in 1982’s Marvel Graphic Novel #4. Gone was the original concept of young protégés of Professor Charles Xavier… in its place had evolved a task force headed up by a heavily armored time-traveler (see separate Cable article) and composed of a mix of “old” New Mutants, one-time X-Terminators (from the pages of X-Factor), and newly created characters. The talented Louise Simonson had scripted the title for several years, but once the prolific young Liefeld began driving its plots and visuals, New Mutants skyrocketed to the House of Ideas’ bestseller list. Liefeld’s feverish covers and interiors fabian nicieza (inked by Todd McFarlane, Scott Williams, Hilary Barta, Art Thibert, and others) © Luigi Novi / Wikimedia Commons. grabbed for the reader’s jugular and refused to let go, and Nicieza’s dialogue anchored that raw energy and made New Mutants’ larger-than-life characters believable. New players like Domino, Feral, Shatterstar, and Warpath revitalized the book, but no character from the series captivated the attention of fans more than Deadpool. It didn’t take Deadpool long to ascend to a much greater profile than his original guest-villain status, and while Liefeld vacated the House of Ideas in 1992 as one of the founders of Image Comics, Nicieza remained on board—for a while, at least—charting emerging star Deadpool’s course (and eventually returning to the character). With Deadpool’s second movie, a new animated series, and 28th birthday occurring this year, ye ed (I love saying “ye ed”) called upon fan-favorite comics scribe Fabian Nicieza for this lively chat about the Merc with a Mouth’s early days. – Michael Eury MICHAEL EURY: While you had previously scripted one of Louise Simonson’s plots (issue #91), New Mutants #98 began your run on the title. How were you hired to work on this series? FABIAN NICIEZA: Rob Liefeld and editor Bob Harras had discussed various people they thought could do the assignment and ultimately either decided on me or ran out of better options, so they offered me the gig. I thought everything Rob was doing was really fun and full of energy, but I was already writing two monthly titles at that time (New Warriors and Alpha Flight) on top of

Meet Deadpool Cover to New Mutants #98 (Feb. 1991), by Rob Liefeld, which also debuted Rob’s Gideon and Domino characters. TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.

wooooo-hooooo!!!! now, this is what i’m talkin’ ’bout, baby! bring it on! M e r c s a n d A n t i - h e r o e s I s s u e • B A C K I S S U E • 6 1

Our Cover Stars, Side-by-Side First issue cover for the Nicieza-written Cable & Deadpool (May 2004), which was illustrated by Mark Brooks under this Rob Liefeld cover. TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.

EURY: Sorry to reopen an old wound there, but thanks for your candor in answering that question. Deadpool started breaking the fourth wall while in the hands of other creators. What do you think about this aspect of the character? Is this something you wish you had thought of? NICIEZA: I think it is a very Bugs Bunny thing to do and I’m sure had I ever written a monthly Deadpool title, I would have done it at some point. I think it’s great if used in moderation, and I admit to not moderating it well enough myself in Cable & Deadpool. It is a very easy trope to fall back on. When I was writing Cable & Deadpool, we had to start doing typeset “Recap Pages” on page one, which I thought were a stultifying and boring way to open up a comic book, so I asked if I could use clip art of Deadpool talking to the reader in word balloons to provide the recap. That turned into original art usually being drawn for that page and an opportunity to have a lot of fun. It also required introducing a reader to the on going story by having Deadpool break the fourth wall and talk about the prior issues directly with the reader! At the same time, I was also doing the letters page answers in Deadpool’s voice, so the book was being bookended by having Deadpool talk directly with the readers. EURY: When you returned to writing Deadpool in 2004 for your long run on the Cable & Deadpool title, things had changed quite a bit since those New Mutants/X-Force days. Did you have any difficulties resuming the Deadpool saga? NICIEZA: I purposely had not read any previous Deadpool work for almost ten years at that point, except for having read the second limited series. I scripted panel one of page one of issue #1 of Cable & Deadpool without knowing what Joe Kelly or Christopher Priest or Jimmy Palmiotti or Frank Tieri or Gail Simone or anyone else had done with the character. After all that time away, I wanted it to be my version of the character first—let it be pure and then see if it jibed with what had been done.

D E A D P O OL

After doing full scripts the first few issues of Cable & Deadpool, I then started to read most of Joe and Ed’s initial run on the monthly book. Of course, I hated it because it was really good, but I loved it because I thought that Joe’s Deadpool voice, personality, and actions were completely compatible with my own. EURY: Many writers and artists have handled Deadpool since you and Rob Liefeld introduced him in late 1990. Other than Joe Kelly and Ed McGuinness, do you have any particular favorite Deadpool creative teams and/or story arcs? NICIEZA: I honestly haven’t read that much and certainly very little since Cable & Deadpool ended in 2008. For me, it’s a no-win. I love it, so I’m jealous? I hate it, so I’m angry? Why bother either way? I save my sanity by merely avoiding it. That being said, to catch up on status quo, I did read a bunch of the original series run, and more recently, before doing the Deadpool & Cable digital comic, I read some of the newer stuff, especially by Gerry Dugan and Brian Posehn. I liked a bunch of it a whole lot and didn’t like a little of it, and that’s on par with how I feel about most superhero comics nowadays. EURY: What level of involvement have you had with the two Deadpool movies? NICIEZA: I think Rob had a lot of engagement on the first movie because of his relationship with [Deadpool director] Tim Miller, but I didn’t have any. I was not contacted during the making of the first movie. No invitation to the set, so the first time I saw the movie was sitting in the New York City premiere with everyone involved with the movie sitting all around me! Luckily, it was great and I loved it, because if it had sucked I would have had to sneak out during the credits! Since then I have had some back-and-forth conversations with some parties involved in the development of the script as they were planning the second movie, but I have no idea how or if that input will find its way into the script. I’d love to be invited to the set for the second movie, but I tend not to hold my breath on those kinds of things on account of not wanting to die due to lack of oxygen. A bigger-than-Deadpool’s-motormouth thank-you to Fabian Nicieza. Special thanks also go out to Rob Liefeld, Glenn Herdling, Vien Chanthaheuang, James Heath Lantz, and acriticalhit!.com.

66 • BACK ISSUE • Mercs and Anti-heroes Issue

ain’t i a stinker?

by S t e v e n

Thompson

A mysterious man dressed all in black with a stylized skull motif on his chest arrives in Riverdale in a van loaded down with automatic weapons and surveillance equipment, and he’s bent on making a killing. Sounds like it could easily be a scene from the dark, Twin Peaks–like Riverdale TV series that premiered on the CW in 2017, doesn’t it? Only this happened in 1994 when Archie met the Punisher, and the collective jaw of comics fandom dropped! One incredulous syndicated newspaper article asked, “What’s next? Richie Rich meets the Hulk?” Intercompany crossovers became all the rage in the 1990s, with Marvel characters regularly meeting DC heroes for a few years, and Batman even getting to play with Spawn and Judge Dredd! But… Archie? Here, some two decades and more later, it wouldn’t have seemed that unusual. In recent years, we’ve seen Archie Andrews and his proverbial pals ’n’ gals meet up with KISS, the Ramones, and the characters from Glee. We’ve seen them zombified in Afterlife with Archie and many of them eviscerated quite explicitly in gory encounters with Sharknado and Predator. But back in 1994, the closest Archie had ever had to a crossover of any kind was a 1965 one-shot starring comedian and kids-show host Soupy Sales. Co-produced by Archie’s Victor Gorelick and Marvel’s Tom DeFalco, the bizarre Punisher/Archie crossover was one of the earliest indications of the company’s modern willingness to think outside the box. Frank Castle (or Francis Castiglione, per a later retcon) is the Punisher. Inspired by Don Pendleton’s Executioner novels, he is a violent, mentally questionable, gun-obsessed good/bad guy on a one-man crusade against the mob. He had debuted as a Spider-Man villain but eventually was given a violent backstory of loss and redemption that made the ex-Marine character one of Marvel’s most popular anti-heroes as the medium of comics went through its grim-and-gritty phase. From the beginning, in Amazing Spider-Man #129 (Feb. 1974), it’s his cool outfit—black with that great white skull on its chest, offset with white boots and gloves—that grabs you. We didn’t realize it at the time, but this was also a case of the real world intruding just a little too much on our fantasy world of comics. Recently, Spidey had fought dinosaurs, robots, sorcerers, a guy in a monkey suit, and a werewolf. The Punisher, though, when it came right down to it, was a man with a gun. A gun that shoots bullets, not rays or plasma. One single hit, and Spidey could be dead. The cover proclaimed about the Punisher: “He’s different! He’s deadly!” It was typical hype, but I don’t think they realized just how accurate it would prove to be. [Editor’s note: See BACK ISSUE #4 for a Punisher history.] On the inside of that issue, though, the Punisher uses a concussion rifle and a weapon that wraps up our hero in titanium alloy wire. He tells Spidey that he is “an expert at many things.” It never occurs to him that the guy who’s paying him to kill Spider-Man, the Jackal—a loon in a much crazier outfit than his—might be a tad wacko. He does say to Peter, “Sometimes I wonder if that evil’s rubbed off on me.” He doesn’t seem to care, mind you, but he does say it! In fact, he says a number of contradictory things and seems more than a little off-balance. At the end of the issue, he walks off proclaiming, “I’m just a warrior… fighting a lonely war.”

When Worlds Collide The Archie version of the Archie Meets the Punisher 1994 one-shot, featuring cover art by Stan Goldberg and Henry Scarpelli. Archie and related characters © Archie Comic Publications, Inc. Punisher © Marvel Characters, Inc.

Mercs and Anti-heroes Issue • BACK ISSUE • 67

Back Issue #102