[Continuing my issue-by-issue look at Joe Casey's Deathlok run. Posts are published Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.]
The main theme of Casey's Deathlok is probably the conflict between mind and body. Jack Truman's body was destroyed and rebuilt as the LOK prototype, but his mind remains intact. He transfers his mind out and it ends up in Billy, a six-year-old boy. Now, he has to put his brain back in the rampaging LOK body. Except, when he tries, LOK attempts to kill him. The body acting without control by the mind defends itself from a possible slavery, while the mind tries to reunite with a body that is alien and not right.
Zero Company is an elite group of SHIELD agents that bring to mind the unique elements of Nick Fury's Howlin' Commandos, but without the heart or grit. They are easily defeated here.
Larry Young continues his descent as he returns to the fray and attacks Zero Company.
Truman ultimately puts his mind in the LOK prototype and Billy is left injured and comatose. The LOK prototype is locked up and we don't know what's going to be done with it.
We get two more pages on the Clown, now in LA, and an assassin.
This is the weakest of the issues so far, but wraps up the initial story. Leonardo Manco's art is at its worst in places where the action becomes difficult to understand. Narratively, Casey eliminates Young's voice, focusing on Truman, LOK and the Clown. With the fusion of Truman and LOK, only two narrative voices will remain, the dictionary definitions a thing of the past.
To be continued on Tuesday.
Phoenix #5 annotations
4 hours ago
